A Guide to Mexican Chile Varieties

Mexico is the origin point for most of the world's cultivated pepper varieties, and Mexican cuisine uses more distinct chile types than any other culinary tradition. Understanding these varieties opens up a world of flavour beyond the generic "chili powder" on the spice rack. Here are the essential varieties, how they taste, and how to use them.

Dried Chiles

Ancho

The ancho is a dried poblano pepper, and it's the most widely used dried chile in Mexican cooking. The flavour is mild, warm, and sweet, with notes of raisin, chocolate, and a faint smokiness. Heat is minimal, around 1,000 to 2,000 SHU. Anchos are the backbone of mole sauces and are excellent rehydrated and blended into enchilada sauce. When you buy generic "chili powder" at the grocery store, it's usually ground ancho with cumin and garlic powder mixed in.

Guajillo

Bright, tangy, and slightly fruity, the guajillo is the dried form of the mirasol pepper. It has a beautiful deep red colour that makes it the go-to for sauces where appearance matters. Heat is moderate, 2,500 to 5,000 SHU. Guajillos are the base for many red salsas, adobo marinades, and birria. They pair especially well with tomatoes and beef.

Pasilla

The pasilla (also called chile negro) is long, thin, and nearly black when dried. The flavour is complex: earthy, herbaceous, with a hint of berry. Heat is mild to moderate, similar to a guajillo. Pasillas are essential in mole negro and make a wonderful salsa when toasted and blended with tomatillos and garlic.

Chile de Arbol

Small, thin, and fiery. Arbols are the dried chiles you reach for when you want serious heat. They land around 15,000 to 30,000 SHU and have a clean, sharp, almost nutty flavour when toasted. Toast them in a dry skillet until they darken a shade and become fragrant, then grind them into salsa, sprinkle on tacos, or infuse into oil. A little goes a long way.

Chipotle

A chipotle is a smoked, dried jalapeno. That's it. But the smoking process transforms the pepper completely. Fresh jalapenos are green, sharp, and moderately hot. Chipotles are deep brown, leathery, and intensely smoky-sweet, with a warmth that lingers. Most commonly found canned in adobo sauce in North America. Incredible in marinades, blended into mayo, or stirred into bean dishes.

Fresh Chiles

Serrano

The serrano is a small, thick-walled pepper that packs considerably more heat than a jalapeno, roughly 10,000 to 25,000 SHU. It has a bright, clean flavour with a slightly grassy note. Serranos are the standard pepper in fresh salsa verde and are commonly sliced raw as a garnish.

Habanero

In the Yucatan Peninsula, habaneros are used the way serranos are used elsewhere in Mexico. They're featured in salsas, ceviches, and pickled vegetable condiments. Yucatecan habanero salsas blended with sour orange juice and roasted tomato are some of the best pepper condiments on the planet.

Poblano

Large, dark green, and very mild. Poblanos are the fresh form of the ancho. They're essential for chiles rellenos (stuffed, battered, and fried) and rajas (roasted strips with cream). The flavour is vegetal and slightly sweet with just a whisper of heat.

How to Use This Knowledge

Start by buying whole dried chiles instead of powders. Toast them lightly in a dry skillet, rehydrate in hot water for 20 minutes, then blend. The flavour difference between freshly rehydrated chiles and pre-ground powder is enormous. Keep a bag of anchos, guajillos, and arbols in your pantry and you can make virtually any Mexican salsa or sauce from scratch.