Mexican Chorizo

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This easy Mexican chorizo is the zesty, spicy meat you’ve been missing from your Mexican dishes! While some of the spices resemble taco seasoning or fajita seasoning, Mexican chorizo recipes have a unique flavor all their own — and you can create it at home with simple ingredients.

What Is Mexican Chorizo?

Unlike Spanish chorizo, which is partially or fully cooked, cured, and dried, Mexican chorizo sausage is a fresh cooked sausage. It’s traditionally made with ground pork (or a combination of ground pork and ground beef), guajillo or ancho chile pepper, and a variety of dried spices stuffed in animal casings. I use a shortcut for the peppers to make the recipe even faster.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for chorizo Mexican sausage, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Spices – Including paprika, cumin, chili powder, dried oregano (use Mexican oregano for most authentic flavor), coriander, sea salt, and cinnamon. Traditional chorizo rehydrates ancho and guajillo chiles, purees them, and mixes them directly into the meat, but this spice blend helps it come together faster.
• Ground Pork – Use plain ground pork, as we will season it ourselves. Ground sausage typically comes already seasoned, so is not recommended.
• Olive Oil – I used extra virgin olive oil, but any neutral cooking oil will work.
• Onion – White onion or yellow onion works best, both for flavor and appearance.
• Garlic – Use fresh minced cloves for best flavor.
• White Vinegar – Typically used in Mexican chorizo ingredients to help cure the sausage for longer-term storage, but also for flavor. White vinegar has the most authentic taste, but you could also use apple cider vinegar.

VARIATION: Use a different ground meat.

While ground pork is the most traditional choice, you can also substitute ground beef, ground turkey, or any other ground meat you prefer.

How To Make Mexican Chorizo

This section shows how to make the best Mexican chorizo recipe that’s easy, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Stir. In a small bowl, stir together all dry spices.
2. Combine. Blend the pork and spice mixture together by hand in a large bowl, taking care not to over-mix.

3. Cook aromatics. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, until shimmering. Add garlic and onions, and cook until onions are translucent and starting to brown on the edges.
4. Add pork. Transfer spiced pork to the pan and fry, breaking apart with a spatula, until fully cooked.
5. Finish. Stir in vinegar and adjust salt to taste.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• Meal prep: You can make the raw chorizo Mexican recipe ahead of time and store for up to 2 days in the fridge (or 3 months in the freezer) before cooking and serving.
• Reheat: Warm up on the stovetop or in a microwave at low power, until heated through.
• Freeze: Let the homemade chorizo cool completely, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Ways To Use Mexican Chorizo In Recipes

There are so many chorizo Mexican recipes. Here are some classic uses for it:

• Breakfast – Make Mexican chorizo and eggs using scrambled eggs, cloud eggs, or sausage egg muffins. Add diced white or sweet potatoes (or fried radishes) to your cooked meat to make an easy hash.
• Ground Meat Swap – Use in part or entirely in place of ground meats for Whole30 chili, cauliflower nachos, or keto empanadas.
• Dips – Make chorizo the meat of choice for queso dip, Rotel dip, or taco dip.
• Tacos – Serve it inside your favorite tortillas with homemade salsa, shredded cheese, avocado, and cilantro. You can also try it in taco stuffed peppers, stuffed into zucchini taco boats, or as the main protein in a taco salad.

More Easy Mexican Recipes

For a taste of Mexico any night of the week, look no further than these easy main dishes! (And find even more healthy Mexican recipes here.)

Chipotle Beef Barbacoa

Chicken Fajitas

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Carne Asada Recipe

5 from 8 votes

Mexican Chorizo Recipe (So Easy!)

Make a Mexican chorizo recipe in your very own kitchen with easy ingredients and spices — then pair with everything from eggs to tacos!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 5 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

• 3 tbsp Paprika ▢
• 2 tsp Cumin ▢
• 1 1/4 tbsp Chili powder ▢
• 1 1/2 tsp Dried oregano ▢
• 1 1/2 tsp Dried coriander ▢
• 1 tsp Sea salt ▢
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon ▢
• 1 1/2 lb Ground pork ▢
• 1 tbsp Olive oil ▢
• 1 small Onion (sliced thinly) ▢
• 3 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1 tbsp White vinegar ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. In a small jar or bowl, stir together the paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, coriander, salt, and cinnamon.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pork and spice mixture. Mix well until just combined, but be careful not to over-mix.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil, until shimmering. Add the garlic and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are translucent.

4. Add the pork. Cook for 7-10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until cooked through.

5. Stir in the vinegar. Adjust salt to taste, if needed.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 lb Mexican chorizo meat

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 413

Fat 32.6g

Protein 24.3g

Total Carbs 6.1g

Net Carbs 3.2g

Fiber 2.9g

Sugar 1.3g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keywords: Mexican chorizo, Mexican chorizo recipe

Calories: 413 kcal

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