Pepper is an essential part of virtually any dish; they add the right amount of kick and enhances other ingredients in the dish.
There are different types of pepper, and green chili peppers happen to be the most used pepper for spicy dips and dishes.
Green chilies make up a big part of Indian cuisine; they add great spice to your meal. In the absence of green chilies, you can use other types of peppers that have a similar smokey, medium-hot taste.
Ideal substitutes for green chilies can be hotter or milder depending on your preference; examples include anaheim pepper, serrano pepper, banana pepper, jalapeno, bell pepper, poblano cayenne pepper, and pasilla pepper.
What are Green Chilies?
Green chiles are also known as hatch green chiles; they are delicious and versatile. They pack a ton of flavor as well as nutrients such as vitamin c and antioxidants.
Green chilies contain capsaicin, a compound that can cause irritation and burning sensations in your mouth if consumed in large quantities, so you should be mindful of the amount you add to a dish.
You can reduce the hotness of the pepper by removing the seeds and veins as they contain most of the capsaicin, the heat-causing compound.
There are different other pepper types that you can opt for instead of green chilies, should in case you want a milder dish or simply can’t find any in the grocery.
You can use a milder substitute for green chilies like banana peppers, anaheim peppers, and bell peppers. Or, for a super spicy dish, you can use a hotter substitute for green chilies like cayenne pepper, serrano pepper, jalapeños, and chili powder.
Best Substitutes For Green Chilies
1. Banana Peppers
These peppers have a slightly sweet flavor aside from the primary mild spicy taste and it’s one of the best substitutes for green chilies. Banana peppers are medium-sized chili peppers that have a green color when unripe. Once they ripen, their outer skin turns bright yellow, orange, or red, depending on their maturity.
Their yellow skin and banana-like shape are what earned this pepper its name, and they are also known as banana chili or yellow wax pepper.
They have a crunchy texture similar to fresh bell peppers, so they make a great topping on sandwiches, pizzas, or salads. Banana peppers add the right amount of heat and juicy texture to a dish.
You can also make pickled peppers with banana chiles. This takes the flavor of the vegetable to a whole new flavor level; it is the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and a slight tanginess.
2. Bell Peppers
If you cannot handle heat very well, you can swap out green chilies from a recipe and use bell peppers instead. This creates a milder version of your recipe; bell peppers are can easily be purchased in any local supermarket.
Bell peppers typically have a green color and have a slightly bitter flavor when immature; once it ripens, it turns bright yellow, orange, or red and becomes slightly sweet.
These peppers have a high-water content (94%), which gives them a crunchy texture. It is also a rich source of vitamins, such as vitamin c.
These delectable features make green bell peppers a fine substitute for green chilies in dishes like pizzas, cheesesteaks, salads, soups, or cornbread.
3. Anaheim Pepper
Anaheim pepper is another replacement option with a low-medium heat level and a rich-in-flavor. Anaheim pepper goes by various names depending on the region; they are also called New Mexico peppers, Magdalena, or California chili.
When ripe, anaheim tends to carry a little bit more heat, but it’s nothing over the top, and you can still tolerate the spiciness even if you are sensitive to spicy food.
You can replace green chiles with anaheim pepper in different dishes, like tacos, salsa, creamed corn, or chile Rellenos; it adds a robust taste and a gentle spicy flavor.
4. Poblano Peppers
If you are feeling adventurous and want to test the strength of your tastebuds by increasing the heat level of a dish a little, you can swap out green chili for poblano peppers.
They have a mild to medium-heat level and is commonly used in most Mexican dishes. Its intense flavor and mildly spicy taste make poblano pepper a great addition to many dishes.
When immature, poblano pepper has a very dark green color. Once they ripen, the peppers become dark red or brown.
It is available in two different varieties- fresh poblano chiles or the ripened-and-dried ones; you can use either option to add a little kick of heat to different cuisines.
When using fresh poblano chilies, you’ll need to cook them first before using them. This is due to how tough the outer skin of poblano peppers is; they are difficult to chew and digest, especially when consumed raw.
You can roast the pepper at low to medium heat for extra flavor and give the dish a slightly smoky aroma.
5. Jalapeño Pepper
Another spicy substitute for green chilies is jalapeño pepper. They are
Originally grown in Mexico and also known as the classic tex-mex hot chile, it has a distinct flavor that complements many famous Mexican dishes, such as Mexican salsa. Using fresh jalapeño enhances the spicy taste of any recipe.
To add a little smoky flavor to dishes, such as adobo and escabeche, use the smoked-dried jalapeño chili powder, also known as chipotle powder.
6. Cayenne Pepper
If you love spicy food, then you definitely want to replace the mildly hot green chilies with an even more intense pepper like cayenne pepper.
Cayenne pepper has a heat index ranging from 30,000-50,000 Scoville heat units and is also known as Ginnie pepper, bird pepper, and finger chile.
It is available in fresh and ground form. Cayenne is eight times hotter than chili powder and has a fairly mild fragrance compared to other peppers, such as bell peppers.
You only need a small amount of ground cayenne pepper to add a powerful kick to your spicy dish.
7. Pasilla Pepper
The pasilla chile is the dried form of chilaca chili pepper. Pasilla has an appearance somewhat similar to raisins; this chili has wrinkled and dark skin and is longer than anaheim chili.
Its rich and sweet flavor makes pasilla pepper an excellent substitute for green chilies when making sauces of meat and fish recipes.
It is packed with a mild to hot heat level ranging from 250 – 3,999 SHU Scoville heat units; it also has a delightful, dried-fruit flavor. The pasilla pepper is commonly used in Oaxacan dishes, sauces, and many popular Mexican recipes.
8. Green Fresno Pepper
The green Fresno pepper is also known as Fresno chili pepper with an average size cultivar of capsicum annum. It has a conical shape with a light glossy green color; when the pepper matures, it becomes red in color.
Green Fresno pepper has a higher heat level than green chilies and can be used as a substitute in dips, sauces, stews, or soups.
These chilies typically have a sweet and hot flavor with very thick skin, so you may not find dried variants. It is easy to confuse Fresno chilies with the jalapeño pepper, but the latter has thinner walls, less time to mature, and a mild heat profile.
9. Serrano Pepper
Another replacement option for green chilies is the serrano pepper. It is a hot chili with a heat unit ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 SHU.
The serrano pepper has a long and thin shape and is available in different colors ranging from green to yellow, orange, red, and even brown as they ripen.
To use serrano peppers, you simply need to rinse, trim, and slice them up, but do so carefully as the pepper’s chili oils can burn your skin and eyes.
Serrano has a thin skin that doesn’t require peeling; you can roast and dice the peppers before adding them to your recipe.
Its fiery heat and sharp flavor give dishes a good taste and can be added raw to sauces and dips; serrano can be pickled or even cooked and is relatively easy to find.
10. Chilli Powder
Chili powder is a combination of ground dried chili peppers and some other spices. This powdered spice is an excellent alternative for green chilies in recipes that do not require texture.
It has a spicy and delicious aroma that complements most Latin American cuisines and makes a great addition to chilis, soups, stews, and meats.
Chili powder is not only spicy but contains a combination of spices, and seasoning blends, such as fajita seasoning, homemade taco seasoning, or any handmade seasoning.
Green chilies have more nutritional value compared to chili powder as they have high water content and contain no calories, but if it isn’t available, you can use chili powder to add some kick and heat to your recipe. It adds just the right amount of warmth to your dish without overpowering it.
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