Chile powder is the ground, dried fruit of one or more varieties of chile pepper, most commonly red pepper or cayenne pepper, both of the species Capsicum Annuum. It is typically used as a spice to add heat or bite to dishes.

Chile powder is often confused with chili powder, a spice mix containing cumin, ground chile and other ingredients, and typically used to flavor the popular Southwest United States dish commonly known as chili. While the two are pronounced similarly, they impart quite a different flavoring to food and mixing them up has been the ruin of more than one dish.

Chile powder is also known as ground/powdered red pepper or sometimes by the specific variety of chile pepper used.