This article may contain affiliate links and if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Made from ground jalapenos, chipotle has a unique flavor that can be challenging to replace. It has an intense heaty flavor like most chili-based powders, but it also has some notes of smokiness and a bit of earthiness. The complexity of its flavor makes it an excellent spice for your soups, stews, and what have you.
A small amount of chipotle chili powdercan turn a dull-tasting dish into a perfect sandwich wrap, whether you want to use it as a spice, topping, in marinades, or as rubs. But what if you suddenly run out of chipotle chili powder when cooking?
You can simply use other chipotle chili powder substitutes such as ancho chiles, cayenne powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, pasilla powder, Gochutgaru powder, adobo sauce, and chipotle peppers.
Now, let’s quickly look at how you can replace chipotle chili powder in your dishes with these other options!
Chipotle Chili Powder Substitutes
1. Smoked Paprika
The most important thing to consider when crafting out a substitute is to look for something closely related to it first before considering other replacements.
Smoked paprika might be the ideal substitute for your dish when chipotle chili powder is unavailable. You have to ensure that you go for the smoked paprika as the regular and sweet varieties of paprika might give your dish a slightly different taste.
One thing to note down is that the smoked paprika does not contain much heat at all, so if the chili powder was one of the essential elements in your dish, you might also do well to add a bit of your favorite spice or hot sauce to deliver that peppery taste.
2. Ancho Chiles
Ancho Chile is probably one of the best alternatives for chipotle chili powder with a Scoville heat of about 1000-2000 SHU.
Ancho chiles are also very available in many countries like Europe, Asia, Mexico, and even the United States; they can be found in fried pepper flakes or powdered form.
Ancho chiles can also be used in different soups, stews, and salads, and the outcome would be fantastic. Since ancho chiles and pasilla has almost the same Scoville heat level, you can maintain the same ratio when substituting it for the other.
3. Chili Powder
For people who don’t feel too comfortable playing around with spices and crafting special blends, chili powder is the ideal and easiest form of chili they can substitute for their chipotle chili powder.
Chili powder is a seasoning mix of a few ground chilies and other spices like oreganoand cumin.
By using the chili powder, you’re not just adding heat to your recipe; you’re also incorporating a few additional spices. For this reason, you should cross-check your recipe and ensure that you’re not doubling up a spice that the recipe already stated.
4. Cayenne Powder
If you’re all about a spicy substitute, then the cayenne powder is the perfect powder for the job. Cayenne powder somewhat has a neutral taste which makes it a versatile substitute.
If your recipe calls for a lot of smoky hot tinge, then using the cayenne powder with a few additional spices would do the job. In a more contextual sense, while chipotle powder has a Scoville scale rating of about 2500-8000, cayenne clocks between 30000-50000 units.
Due to the difference in the heat level, you would want to be careful when substituting cayenne powder for chipotle powder.
5. Gochutgaru Powder
Gochutgaru is an ell known seasoning used in Korean dishes, and for those who might not be familiar with it with that name, you may recognize it from the ingredient gochujang, a Korean paste that comes with a lot of flavor and heat.
This spice is not one that you can easily get at any grocery store, but if you’re a fan of Asian cuisines and have a stack of ingredients at hand, then you might find this lying somewhere in your kitchen.
Gochutgaru was majorly crafted from sun-dried chili peppers. It is a great substitute for chipotle powder because it contains a pack of smoky flavors that chipotle powder needs. Additionally, gochutgaru has a Scoville ranking of 8000, which is right on track with chipotle powder.
6. Pasilla Powder
Pasilla Chile is a Mexican chili that is very popular in many Mexican cuisines. They are usually black and very long and can be found in groceries or supermarkets as they are quite popular.
Pasilla chilies have a Scoville heat of about 1000-2500 SHU, and you should be careful when adding them to your dishes because excess pasilla Chile can make your meal too spicy and completely inedible.
One downside of pasilla powder is that it isn’t readily available as most other substitutes. For this particular ingredient, you can substitute it in a ratio of 1:1 for a perfect result.
7. Chipotle Peppers
If you’re willing to capture that chipotle powder’s authenticity, the best substitute that can give you that result is the original pepper itself.
The chipotle chili powder is gotten after the chipotle peppers, giving it an edge over other substitutes. You should be conscious about whits consistency en using this as a substitute i
It is pretty hard to incorporate full chipotle peppers in a dish that requires fine ingredients no matter how you chop them.
8. Adobo Sauce
Some recipes call for chipotle powder, but adobo sauce can fit perfectly in. this sauce is smoky and spicy, making it a perfect substitute for chipotle chili.
But often, you might need just a few portions of the sauce from the large jar; after taking that portion out, all you have to do is freeze the remaining sauce, and you can use it whenever you need it as long as there is no power outage.
Adobo sauce is also packed with a similar flavor to chipotle powder and can be an excellent substitute for chipotle powder in salad dressings.
Since you’re using adobo sauce as a base ingredient, just like the chipotle powder, it is ideal for swapping in a ratio of 1:1 as they both have similar heat levels and flavors.
What Is the Difference Between Chipotle Chili Powder and Regular Chili Powder?
The difference between these powders is that chipotle powder is made from dried and ground chipotle chilies. In contrast, chili powder is a mix of spices like ground chiles, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Use Harissa Instead of Chipotle?
Yes, you can use your handmade harissa as a substitute for chipotle, but it is said to taste bitter after being refrigerated for a while.
What Is the Difference Between Chipotle Paste and Harissa Paste?
The chipotle paste is made plainly from processing chipotle chiles peppers, while harissa is usually made of cumin, coriander, and caraway.
What Are the Ingredients Used in Chipotle?
Chipotle doesn’t have ingredients; chipotle is a smoked and dried ripe jalapeno pepper. Despite being just a single pepper, it can provide your recipe with that smoky heat taste.
What Is Chiles in Chipotle?
Chile used in chipotle is the jalapeno peppers. Chipotle peppers are normally just ripened jalapeno peppers that are smoked and dried. These peppers are used in many dishes in Europe and the USA.
What Does Chipotle Taste Like?
The distinct taste for the chipotle powder is smokiness, but if you look deeper, you’re going to be feeling a sweat taste of it.