Try These 8 Guajillo Pepper Substitutes

Dried mirasol chiles are known as guajillo peppers or guajillo chiles.

Guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chiles de Arbol are among the most popular chilies in Mexican cuisine. They are 4-6 inches long and have healthy, glossy, deep red skin.

These peppers are mild to medium-hot chilies with a Scoville heat rating of 2,500-5,000. They have a sweet, smokey, fruity flavour with tea and berry undertones. Many Mexican and Central American cuisines include guajillo peppers.

These peppers come in two varieties, each with a different size and intensity of heat.

Guajillo puya is spicier and smaller, whereas guajillo is longer, less spicy, and has a more complex flavour. Guajillo peppers are available in both dried and powdered forms. The dry chiles can be roasted, powdered, or rehydrated and used as a paste or sauce.

Guajillo peppers can be used in sauces, chilli, salsas, soups, stews, marinades, dry rubs for meat, pastes, and moles because of their distinct flavour.

If your recipe calls for guajillo peppers and you don’t have any on hand or can’t find them at the supermarket, you can substitute another type of pepper.

Ancho peppers, Pasilla peppers, Cascabel chilies, Dried New Mexico chiles, Puya chilies, Mulatochilies, Chipotle chilli peppers, and California chiles are also common replacements.

Let’s take a closer look at each substitution.

Substitutes for Guajillo Peppers:

Other peppers having a flavour similar to guajillo peppers are difficult to come by. You can, however, try using some of these peppers to get a comparable flavour and spice to your recipe. Use the one that you believe is the most suitable for your preferences.

Ancho peppers

Dry poblano peppers are known as ancho peppers. They have a meatier, sweeter flavour than guajillo peppers, with overtones of raisins and chocolate.

Ancho peppers have a low heat level of 1,000-2,000 SHU. Stews, soups, sauces, moles, marinades, and meat rubs all benefit from them.

Pasilla peppers

Long and thin with wrinkled, very dark skin, Pasilla negro chiles have a somewhat sweet flavor with overtones of cocoa and cherry. They have a flavour that is comparable to guajillo peppers.

The heat intensity of Pasilla peppers ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 SHU. They’re also fantastic in sauces, stews, moles, soups, and other foods.

Cascabel chillies

Cascabel chilies do not resemble guajillo peppers in appearance. They have a darker brown-red colour and are shorter and rounder.

They have a nutty and smokey flavour with a 1,500-2,500 SHU heat rating. These peppers can be used to flavour a variety of sauces, stews, soups, and salsas.

Dried New Mexico chiles

New Mexico dried chiles range in length from 12 to 17 cm and have a beautiful red-brown peel. They are not particularly hot chilies, with a heat rating ranging from 800-1,400 SHU.

Dried New Mexico chiles have a sweet, earthy flavour with dried cherry undertones and acidity traces. Sauces, stews, soups, salsas, chutneys, dry rubs, and seasonings all benefit from them.

Puya chillies

Guajillo peppers are smaller and hotter than puya peppers. They feature a subtle fruity flavour with licorice and cherry undertones and a heat intensity of 5,000-8,000 SHU.

Sauces, salsas, dips, enchiladas, stews, soups, casseroles, and cooked vegetables are just a few of the meals that use them.

Mulato chilies

Mulato chilies have a fruity, sweet, and smoky flavour and are not very spicy.

Their heat level ranges from 2,500 to 3,000 SHU, and they come in whole, flakes, and powder form. Mulato chiles are used in sauces, soups, moles, and various other cuisines.

Chipotle chilli peppers

Smoked and dried jalapeño chiles are used to make Chipotle chilli peppers. They’re medium-hot chilies with a 2,500-8,000 SHU heat rating with a smoky, earthy flavour.

They’re available in powder, flakes, pods, marinade, chipotle base, and canned chipotles in adobo sauce, among other forms. Soups, sauces, stews, marinades, and salsas benefit from their flavours.

California chiles

California chiles are Anaheim peppers that are dry and mature.

They’re mild chiles with a 500-2,500 SHU heat rating and a mildly sweet and crisp flavour with a tinge of acid.

Sauces, stews, soups, and casseroles all contain California chiles.

Associated Issues

Guajillo is a type of pepper.

The dried Mirasol chile, known as the Guajillo pepper, is one of the most popular chilies in Mexican cuisine. It has a distinctly sweet, smokey, fruity flavour with undertones of tea and berries and a light to medium heat level.

Does anyone know guajillo chile?

Guajillo chiles are also called chile guaco or chile guajillo in Spanish.

Is there a difference between guajillo and California chiles?

The chilies from Guajillo and California are not the same. California chiles are dried and ripe anaheim peppers that are milder than guajillo chiles (dried mirasol chiles).

Can I use California Chile for Guajillo?

Instead of guajillo chile, you can use California chile. You won’t obtain the same flavour as guajillo chiles, but your food will taste better and have some spicy overtones.

Final Thoughts.

Guajillo pepper has a distinct flavour that is difficult to duplicate.

Even though Cascabel chiles are more fruity, they have a similar flavour and heat. Puya chiles are spicier and have a sharper but similar flavour to guajillo peppers.

To obtain a smokey and earthy flavor comparable to guajillo peppers, mix pasilla negro chiles and cascabel chilies.

Ancho and cascabel chiles can also be combined for a sweet, smoky, and nutty flavour with overtones of raisins and chocolate. This combination can provide a flavour similar to that of guajillo peppers.

Depending on how fiery and flavorful you want your dish to be, you can use any of the chilies suggested in this article.