The California chile — the dried, ripened form of the Anaheim — is one of the gentlest dried chilies in the Mexican pantry, and that mildness is exactly why it’s worth choosing a substitute carefully. Its job in a dish is rarely heat; it’s the …
The Anaheim pepper is one of the mildest true chilies you can cook with, and that mildness is exactly why it’s worth choosing a substitute carefully. Reach for the wrong one and you can lose the crisp, faintly sweet character that makes the Anaheim so …
Jalapeño peppers are everywhere, so you’ll rarely be stuck without one. That makes “what’s a good jalapeño substitute?” less a rescue mission than a choice: do you want the same bright, grassy flavor with a different level of heat, do you just need fire, or …
Do you have a recipe that calls for Old Bay seasoning and none in the house? Or maybe you enjoy seafood and fries, but Old Bay’s distinctive flavor just is not your thing. Either way, there are several effective substitutes depending on how closely you …
As Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking continues to grow in popularity, more recipes are calling for chipotle paste. This thick, smoky condiment delivers deep chili pepper flavor with moderate heat and an unmistakable barbecue-style smokiness. But chipotle paste is not always easy to find. Some grocery …
So you have a recipe calling for smoked paprika, and there’s none on your spice rack? No worries—you’re not alone. Smoked paprika isn’t as common as regular paprika, but its unique flavor means finding the right substitute is important. The good news? You’ve got plenty …
Need Creole seasoning and none around? That’s ok — you’ve got options to fill that Southern flavor gap in your recipe. Creole seasoning may sound exotic, but most of its core ingredients are everyday pantry staples like paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne. With a …
The delicious Tunisian chili paste harissa has become a go-to for spicy recipes, but it’s not always something many have in their pantries or even their local stores. So what do you do when your recipe calls for harissa and you have none to work …
When you start reaching the hotter levels of the Scoville scale, finding the perfect chili substitutions starts to get a little trickier. Fewer chilies carry this level of heat and they are typically harder to find in stores. Finding the best habanero pepper substitute suffers …
With that smoky heat, chipotle peppers bring a unique earthy flavor to dishes that use them. So how do you match that if you don’t have any chipotle chilies available in your kitchen. What’s a proper chipotle pepper substitute that will save the day, both in …
Free printable
Get the free PepperScale Scoville Heat Chart
25 chilies ranked from sweet to scorching — free and printable. Join the newsletter and we’ll send it to your inbox.
Subscribers get 15% off any PepperScale ebook — code in welcome email.
No spam — just Wicked Wednesday recipes and occasional extra dashes of chili pepper inspiration. Unsubscribe anytime.