Substitutes for Chipotle Peppers

Chipotle peppers are red jalapeño peppers that have been smoked. They have a characteristic spicy, smoky flavour, and are widely used in many dishes, particularly Spanish, Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines. Chipotles are sold in many forms, including dried, powder, pickled and canned. Chipotles are not always readily available, and it is often necessary to find a substitute for their heat and flavour.

Any hot pepper can be used to replace the heat of the chipotle, such as fresh jalapeños, serranos or poblanos. Dried cayenne pepper or hot sauce would also work. The amount of heat imparted by the peppers can be altered to suit individual tastes: For a milder flavour, remove the inner membrane and seeds and chop the outside of the pepper, and for a stronger heat leave the seeds and membrane intact.

Chipotles are smoked, and though replacing them with another hot pepper will give the correct heat to a dish, the distinct smoky flavour will be missing. A good substitute is another type of smoked hot pepper, such as pasilla de Oaxaca. A variety of smoked peppers are available canned, jarred or dried in many supermarkets.

Chipotles are often sold canned in adobo, which is an herb and tomato based sauce. A good substitute for this type of chipotle is any of the aforementioned peppers mixed with a steak sauce. This will replicate the flavour and consistency of chipotles in adobo fairly well in a pinch.