Ancho Chile

Ancho chiles (or ancho peppers) are one of the most well-known and widely used spicy peppers in Mexican cooking. Find out everything you need to know in this detailed guide, including how to prepare them for a variety of recipes.

What are ancho chiles?

Ancho chiles are part of the Capsicum annuum species and the dried form of poblano peppers, which are native to the state of Puebla in central Mexico. The name “ancho” means “wide” in Spanish, referring to the broad, flat shape of the pepper.

These chiles are typically a deep, reddish-brown color and have a wrinkled, sometimes heart-shaped appearance. When the peppers are left to ripen and dry out in the sun, that’s when they become anchos!

Ancho chiles are widely used in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines. They are a key ingredient in many mole recipes and are often used to make other salsas, pastes, and marinades.

Flavor profile

While poblano peppers offer a green, garden-fresh flavor, ancho peppers are much more complex. You should be able to taste notes of dried cherry, plum, and raisin balanced by hints of earthiness, mild smokiness, and undertones of coffee.

Unlike some other chile varieties that are more aggressively hot or smoky, ancho chiles are known for their balance of sweet and smoky flavors.

This makes them a favorite for adding depth and a touch of warmth to sauces, stews, marinades, and traditional Mexican moles, like mole poblano, without overpowering the other ingredients.

Spice level

Ancho chiles are considered to be quite a mild chile variety, reaching 1,000-2,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville Heat Scale. For reference, they are much milder than jalapeno peppers (2,500-8,000 SHU) but spicier than bell peppers (0 SHU).

This makes them suitable for a broader audience, especially if you’re sensitive to spicy foods but still interested in Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine. Just note that the spice level of ancho chiles can vary considerably, even when they’re from the same plant.

Health benefits

Ancho chiles are an underrated source of vitamins A and C. Vitamin A is essential for eye health and skin health while vitamin C is an antioxidant that plays an important role in wound healing, immune function, and collagen synthesis.

Also, the capsaicin in ancho chiles has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties that may be beneficial in reducing chronic inflammation.

Cooking with ancho chiles

Ancho chiles are incredibly versatile and can be used in various dishes. They’re great for soups, stews, and marinades. Rehydrating them in hot water softens the chiles, making them perfect for blending into rich and flavorful sauces or pastes.

Their mild heat and rich flavor mean they’re ideal for adding depth to vegetarian dishes. You can also grind dried anchos into a powder to create a custom spice blend or smoky ancho chile seasoning.

Learn how to seed and rehydrate arbol chiles in my video tutorial below!

Recipes

As one of the most famous chiles in the world, anchos form part of a lot of recipes ranging from sauces to soups. Here are some of our favorite plant-based versions of these dishes:

Storage

Make sure to keep your ancho chiles or powder in airtight glass containers to keep insects away and the moisture under control. Store them in a cool, dark, and dry environment, like a cupboard or pantry), to lengthen their shelf life.

For the best flavor, use your ancho peppers within 6 months. But, they will keep for up to a year if you forget about them. You can also freeze your anchos for extended use.

Buying guide

Along with a few other staple chiles, you’re going to want ancho chiles kicking around if you like cooking Mexican food! They should should be firm and leathery, but still pliable.

It’s best to avoid brittle, cracked, or blemished peppers. The color should be dark red, almost mahogany, and the stems beige and tough (almost wood-like). Ancho peppers are the easiest variety to find outside of Mexico, so you’ll likely be able to find them in grocery stores near the spice aisles in whole or powder form.

If you live near a Mexican grocer, you’ll definitely be able to find them there. If you’re still unsure of where to find them, you can always order ancho chiles online.

It’s worth mentioning that pasilla chiles and ancho chiles are often sold as one another in places outside of Mexico. Just remember to look for the wide, heart-like shape of anchos.

Substitutions

With a surprisingly difficult flavor and spice level to replicate, there are only a couple of good chile ancho substitutions to choose from:

1. Pasilla chiles: Although more earthy, pasilla chiles have the most similar flavor profile to anchos. However, they can be spicier, so watch out for that.
2. Mulato chiles: If you can’t find pasilla chiles, mulatos are a close runner-up. While they are also made from poblano peppers, they can be significantly hotter than ancho peppers because they are left to ripen longer. However, they do provide similar sweet, smoky, and dark chocolate notes.

Frequently asked questions

More Mexican chiles

If you’re interested in learning about more popular chiles used in Mexican cooking, check out these other detailed guides:

Dried chiles

Fresh chiles

Watch how to make

Recipe

Note: I’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips.