18 Perfect Hot And Spicy Green Chiles Substitutes From Your Kitchen 

Although not everyone loves chiles in their dishes, green chiles are an essential ingredient in many recipes worldwide. Green Chiles Substitute are flavorful veggies available in varying spiciness, from mild to extremely hot. 

Adding green chiles to recipes is the best and easiest way to kick up any meal. They give a spicy twist to a recipe and provide numerous health benefits.

You can use them in preparing sandwiches, salsas, soups, and vegetables. They are a common ingredient, especially in Mexican dishes, South Asian cuisines, and Indian recipes.

Green chilies improve cardiovascular health, lower body temperature, help fight colds, clear stuffy noses, and provide many other health benefits. Vitamin C is the spice element in green chiles. 

If your dish calls for a spicy kick and you cannot find green chiles, there are many other substitute ingredients you can use for green chiles. We will see the various options to replace green chiles in your recipes.

What Is Green Chiles?

The spicy and tasty green chiles add an intense bite to any recipe. They are an essential ingredient found in any kitchen.

You can use green chiles cooked or raw in various dishes. Dice, roast, or chop them if you want to use them in salads, soups, and stews. 

Green chilies can also be eaten fresh or pickled. They are an essential part of South Asian and southwestern recipes and are staples in many cuisines.

The Green Chiles Substitutes discussed here allow you to add all the flavors to your recipes when you run out of green chiles.

Quick Table: Green Chiles Substitutes

1. Serrano

Serrano is a small green chile of very hot variety that has roots in Mexican states. They are five times hotter than jalapenos and are very popular for their lovely flavor.

Serrano can be a great choice to spice up your recipe. They rank 10,000 to 20,000 Scoville units on the chili heat scale. 

Serrano is small in size and grows up to two inches long, and are similar to green chiles in color. You can also find red, yellow, and brown serrano in the market. Serrano is available in fresh and canned forms.

Serrano is often used for preparing guacamole, but they also make a good substitute for the green chiles in many recipes if you can tolerate the spiciness.

They add earthy and smoky flavor to the recipe. Serrano is the best option if you want a hotter replacement for green chiles.

How To Substitute

Serrano is spicier than regular green chiles, so add a smaller amount to your recipe to achieve a similar heat level.

2. Red Pepper Flakes

Red pepper flakes are used in salads, salsas, sauces, and many other foods. You can use them to replace green chiles as a hot seasoning ingredient.

They blend different peppers, including jalapenos, bell peppers from the capsicum annuum family, and Anaheim’s.

Red pepper flakes are great spice rubs for barbecue, and you can add them to stews, soups, curries, and casseroles. They perfectly pair with many recipes worldwide, and you will love them for their tempting flavor.

They are also added to pizzas and are a good substitute for green chiles in many other recipes. You can find red pepper as chili flakes or crushed pepper at the grocery.

The red pepper flakes have a medium heat level, so they do not dominate the recipe’s taste. 

How To Substitute

Add one teaspoon of the flakes for each green chile to get the same effect on the taste.

3. Red Chiles

Red chilies are green chilies harvested late when the chiles ripen fully. All the red chiles are green before they mature and are harvested. So, red chiles are one of the most suitable replacements for green chiles to spice up your recipes.

Red chiles match green chiles in taste and provide many nutritional benefits. You can use red chiles in all dishes that call for green chiles.

Please note that red chiles are hotter than green chiles as they mature. So you must watch your recipes when adding red chiles to replace green ones.

You can substitute green chiles with red in sauces, vegetables, fish, and meat recipes. The hotness of red chiles is around 30,000 to 50,000 SHU on the scale.

How To Substitute

You can substitute green chiles with red ones in a 1: ½.

4. Poblano Pepper

The poblano pepper is a very popular pepper widely used in Mexican recipes. They are milder than jalapenos, and you can use them in most recipes that need green chiles.

The stuffed and fried poblano is a spicy treat that people combine with their meals. You can use poblano in smaller amounts to spice up your dishes.

The skin of poblano pepper has a waxy texture which you can take off by roasting for a few minutes. The roasted poblano is delicious. You can get the Poblano pepper at any grocery store.

A very popular pepper, especially in Mexico, is the poblano pepper, another good substitute for green chile peppers. The poblano peppers are green and have a deep smoky flavor.

The hotness of peppers on a scale is between 1000 to 2000 SHU. You can use them to add spice to your recipe. You can replace green chiles with poblano pepper to get smoky tones.

How To Substitute

Use poblano peppers in a 1:1 substitution to get a rich, spicy, smoky flavor.

5. Pasilla Pepper

The famous Mexican chile peppers and pasilla peppers are also called little raisins. They make an excellent substitute for green chiles, a common ingredient of Mexican cuisine.

It gives a spicy twist to prepare salsa, sauces, and many other Mexican recipes. The dried and ground pasilla pepper makes a good seasoning option.

They vary in spiciness from 250 to 3,999 SHU on the hotness scale. You can combine pasilla pepper with your favorite seasoning for roasted meats, fish, or appetizers and take the dish’s taste to the next level. 

Pasilla pepper is not colorful; the color can range from dark green to dark brown. So if you want a better texture for your recipe, you may opt for another substitute.

In taste and flavor, pasilla pepper is close to green chile and makes a suitable replacement in many recipes.

How To Substitute

Use pasilla pepper and green chile in a 1:1 exchange.

6. Jalapeño

Jalapeño peppers are hot compared to green chilies, and if used more in the recipe, they can make you sweat.

The jalapeno adds a unique spicy touch to the recipe, and if you want to make your recipe hotter, jalapenos make a good substitute for green chiles.

The cooking trick to remove some of the heat from the jalapeno is to remove the seeds. You can even roast them slightly to tame the heat. Sautéing jalapeno will help to break the capsicum and reduce the heat. 

The famous Jalapenos are commonly used in many recipes in the world due to its taste and mouthwatering taste.

They can replace green chile in many recipes. The normal-sized jalapeno peppers measure between 2500 and 8000 spiciness on the Scoville scale, much like green chiles.

However, jalapeño has a slightly different taste, which may alter your dish’s taste. So, sometimes people use it for seasoning for a spicy touch instead of using it as a main ingredient. They add delicious flavor to the recipe.

How To Substitute

Use jalapeno pepper and green chile in a 1:1 exchange. Start with a smaller quantity, if required, can add to get your flavor.

7. Habanero

Habanero peppers are the hottest in this green chile substitute list. Not many people can use these spicy treats freely in their recipes. The intense spicy flavor of habanero can significantly alter the taste of your dish.

Use habanero in those dishes that call for extra heat, like sauces where green chiles do not give the required kick. You must be creative if you want to substitute green chiles with habanero.

Habanero derives their name from Havana and is a close relative of scotch bonnets in spiciness. These little wonders have Scoville heat range from 100,000 to 325,000 SHU.

The heat builds up slowly when you consume them and lingers for a long time. If your recipe calls for a hot spice that you can tolerate, habanero is an excellent choice to substitute green chiles.  

How To Substitute

Use Replace green chiles with habanero in a 10: 1.

8. Cayenne Pepper

You can buy cayenne peppers in dry and fresh forms and have the option to use either as per your taste and the recipe’s requirement. Cayenne has a very high heat level and makes a good substitute for green chiles.

Cayenne is an excellent replacement for green chiles if you make some hot dishes. You usually find red cayenne in the market, ordinarily thin and pointed peppers. Green cayenne sells fast, but you can find dried cayenne easily. 

Cayenne is a very popular pepper. You can use them to prepare delicious dishes, including stews, meat, seafood, and many more.

The hotness varies from 30,000 to 50,000 SHU on the scale, which is on the higher side. The taste of cayenne is hot and a bit sweet.

How To Substitute

Use ⅛ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper to replace one chopped green chile.

9. Bell Pepper

You can find bell peppers at any grocery store. The best thing is that you might have those most of the time in your refrigerator.

The free availability of bell peppers makes it easy for you to use them when you are short of green chiles. Bell peppers are inexpensive substitutes for green peppers.

The drawback of bell peppers is that their Scoville unit is nil, as they do not have capsaicin.

They make an excellent substitute if you do not want your recipe hot and get the unique flavors of the nutritious bell peppers. You can use bell peppers in your recipe, which will not be spicy. 

So if you cannot handle the heat, use generous bell peppers and enjoy your dish. They come in green, red, and yellow colors so that you can add colors to your recipe, particularly salads.

How To Substitute

Add the chopped pepper in a 1:1 exchange for green chiles.

10. Banana Pepper

Banana peppers have a sweet flavor and a bit of mild spicy touch. These peppers are among the most suitable green chili substitutions among various pepper options.

Banana peppers medium-sized chile peppers that are mild and appear green when unripe. The outer skin turns bright yellow, red, or orange as per their maturity stage.

Banana peppers are not very hot and make an excellent option to replace green chiles in many recipes. They can range from 0 to 500 SHU on the Scoville scale.

The range of banana pepper varies as per the maturity of the pepper.

You can easily find banana peppers and replace green chiles in recipes like salads, salsas, or any other recipe where you want to add a spicy touch. Due to low heat, anyone can handle recipes made with banana peppers.

How To Substitute

You can substitute banana peppers in a 1:1 proportion for green chiles.

11. Anaheim Pepper

Anaheim peppers are not too hot, and they rank from 500 to 1,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale. Anaheim peppers are also called California chile.

They are comparatively longer than other green peppers and can grow up to seven inches.

Anaheim is an excellent variety of chiles that do well with many recipes due to its mild heat. This pepper is tame and suits people of all tastes unless you use it in hot recipes.

Anaheim is an excellent substitute for green chiles that provide similar heat and flavor. You can buy them at the grocery fresh and in can form. 

You can fry, roast, or grill Anaheim peppers, which are also easy to prepare. People even eat them raw without burning, and you can use them in any dish to substitute green chiles.

How To Substitute

You can use Anaheim peppers in a 1:1 ratio in any recipe that calls for green chiles.

12. Green Fresno Pepper

Like green chiles, Fresno peppers are also available in green and red colors, similar to green chilies.

They can also turn red if they are left longer. Green Fresno peppers are mild to medium-hot and an excellent replacement for green chiles. You can substitute green chiles with green Fresno in stews, dips, sauces, or soups.

The spiciness of green Fresno varies from 2,500 to 10,000 SHU on the Scoville scale. They give a spicy and smoky kick to the recipe, which is tolerable for many.

How To Substitute

Use a 1:1 substitution of Green Fresno peppers for green chiles.

Thai Chili

Thai chili is a small, green, round chili pepper commonly used in Thai cooking. The peppers are usually eaten whole or ground into a paste.

It is one of the hottest chili peppers in the world, used in a wide variety of dishes. These chilis are mild yet intense and provide a delightful, complex flavor. 

There are many ways to enjoy this flavorful spice, from adding it to rice dishes to using it as a meat rub. In Thai cuisine, spice is often used in sauces, soups, curries, stir-fries, and other dishes.

It is a versatile spice with a distinctive taste that can add a little zing to anything.

How To Substitute

The quantity of green chiles must be increased by 1/2 to 1 teaspoon if you substitute Thai chiles for green chiles.

Chili Powder

Chili powder is a spice made from dried ground red chilies used in many cuisines. Chili powder is used to add spice and flavor to many different dishes.  

Chili powder is a spicy seasoning made from ground chilies, garlic, and cumin. It is typically used to season dishes such as tacos, tamales, chili con carne, soups, and other foods. 

In addition to using it as a condiment on sandwiches and pizzas, you can use it in cooking. It is also used as a topping for tacos, burritos, and chili.

How To Substitute

Chili powder is a quick and easy substitute for green chilies. Just take a couple of teaspoons of chili powder and mix it with the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.

New Mexico Chile

New Mexico Chile is a premium grade of jalapeño chile pepper with a unique, complex flavor. It is known for its unique flavors, which are enhanced by the fruitiness of the habanero. 

It is perfect for salsa, sauces, soups, or any other dish that requires a fresh, fruity taste. In terms of hotness, it is one of the mildest varieties, but the flavor is still unique. The chile is a cultivar of the poblano pepper, and its colors range from yellow to orange to red.

It is a perfect complement in various ways, from a base for salsa to being added to stews and soups to making a chili that can be enjoyed as a standalone meal.

How To Substitute

New Mexico Chile powder is perfect for chile powder. It is a ground-up dried New Mexico red chile that is finely ground and can be used to replace red chile powder in many recipes.

Cubanelle

Cubanelle peppers are sweet and flavorful, an excellent addition to soups and stews. They are also common in Italian dishes, including spaghetti sauces and salads.

These peppers are used in various Italian, Mexican, and American dishes. They are most commonly roasted, fried, or sautéed, and are often found in sauces. 

It is a pasta type usually used in soups and sauces, but it can also be used as a pizza crust, risotto, and topping for meat.

How To Substitute

One can substitute cubanelle for green chiles in any recipe, even the classic green chile chicken enchiladas. Replacing cubanelles with green chiles is an excellent way to add a little spice to your favorite Mexican dishes.

Smoked Paprika

Smoked paprika is a type of pepper that has been dried and smoked, giving it a smoky flavor. It is often made by smoking paprika over wood chips. It provides the paprika with a smoky flavor and a deep red color. 

It is often used in the production of sausages and to give dishes a distinctive flavor. In addition, it is used in cooking to taste various sauces, dips, and condiments. It is also used in making bread and sausages and for decorative purposes.

You may use it as a cooking spice, a flavoring agent, and a coloring agent. It is also used in recipes to add color to food and in marinades to add flavor.

How To Substitute

Many dishes that call for green chiles can be substituted with smoked paprika, but the heat and flavor profile will differ. For example, if a recipe calls for a teaspoon of green chiles, you can substitute smoked paprika and add a pinch of cayenne.

Chili Flakes

Chili flakes are small pieces of dried, ground, or powdered chili peppers that are often added to dishes as a spice. They are typically red, orange, or yellow and are often a form of chili powder. 

Chili flakes are small pieces of ground-dried chili peppers. They are used in many different dishes, including Tex-Mex cuisine. 

They can be found in both mild and spicy varieties and can be used to season food and as a garnish. Chili flakes are often found in soups, salads, stews, and chili. The flakes add a spicy and tangy flavor to dishes. They can also be used as a spice rub.

How To Substitute

The heat and flavor profile are referred to differently if you want to substitute green chiles with chili flakes. To substitute chili flakes, use one teaspoon for every four green chiles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Red Chiles Be Substituted For Green?

Yes! You can easily substitute green chiles with red chiles, but red chiles are often hotter than green chiles. The red chiles will give the recipe a robust flavor and make an excellent substitute.

Which Are Better, Green Or Red Chilies?

Green chilies have more health benefits than red chiles. They have zero calories, so they are pretty helpful for people who want to reduce weight. 

Is It Healthy To Eat Green Chilies?

Green chilies provide many nutritional benefits as they contain many nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, and lipids.

They also provide essential minerals like iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, and copper. You also get a good amount of vitamins like vitamins A, and C. Vitamin B is also present.

Are Green Chilies Hotter Than Red?

The spices of red and green chilies are almost identical, and green chilies are no less spicy than red.

The red and green chiles differ in taste. Green chilies have a more bitter profile.

Are Green Chilies Good For The Heart?

Green chiles are known to provide beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system. Green chiles reduce the chances of developing atherosclerosis and also reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Top 18 Hot And Spicy Green Chiles Substitutes 

Prep Time

5

minutes

Cooking Time

7

minutes

Total Time

12

minutes

Green chilies improve cardiovascular health, lower body temperature, help fight colds, clear stuffy noses, and provide many other health benefits. Vitamin C is the spice element in green chiles.

Ingredients

• Serrano

• Red Pepper Flakes

• Red Chiles

• Poblano Pepper

• Pasilla Pepper

• Jalapeño

• Habanero

• Cayenne Pepper

• Bell Pepper

• Banana Pepper

• Anaheim Pepper

• Green Fresno Pepper

• Thai Chili

• Chili Powder

• New Mexico Chile

• Cubanelle

• Smoked Paprika

• Chili Flakes

Directions

• Choose your favorite substitute from the list given above.
• Follow the directions given in the recipe after having substituted the ingredient in the correct ratio.

Recipe Video

• Author
• Recent Posts

Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!

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