
What is the difference between a Chipotle and a Jalapeno?
Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapeno peppers that have turned red. Chipotle chiles are dried red jalapenos. Not all chipotles are alike since there are so many varieties of jalapeño peppers. Chipotles are just about as hot as a jalapeno pepper. 5,000 to 8,000 Scoville units, medium heat.
What are chipotle peppers?
Chipotle Peppers are smoked, dried jalapeno peppers. Most jalapenos are sold green. However, as jalapeno peppers age, they turn red on the vine as they fully ripen and eventually begin to dry. These red jalapeño peppers are plucked and smoked for days with soaked wood until dried, turning them into chipotle peppers.
How many jalapeno peppers make a chipotle pepper?
As jalapeno peppers age, then turn red on the vine to fully ripen and begin to dry. These red jalapeño peppers are plucked and smoked for days until dried, turning them into chipotle peppers. It takes about 10 pounds of jalapeno peppers to make 1 pound of chipotle peppers.
Can you buy jalapeno peppers whole?
Once a jalapeno pepper is smoked or dried it is known as a chipolte pepper. While shoppers can purchase chipotle peppers whole, they are also available as a salt, a seasoning, and in chili paste. The paste is usually canned, adding further to the chipotle’s durability.

Are jalapeños the same as chipotle?
Jalapeños are kept longer on the vine, until they ripen to a deep red color and are then smoked and dried. Once that process is complete, they are known as chipotle.
What kind of pepper is chipotle?
jalapeñoOur namesake ingredient, the chipotle chili pepper is a dried and smoked jalapeño produced using the age-old craft of smoking them over pecan wood for several days. These intensely smoky, spicy peppers are the foundation for much of the food we serve - from our chicken, steak, and Barbacoa to our beans and vinaigrette.
Do jalapeños turning into chipotle?
Since I've already pickled and jellied some of my hot peppers, I needed another way to preserve the lovely red and ripe jalapeno peppers in my refrigerator. I decided to preserve them by smoking and drying, which turns them into one of my favorite ingredients, Chipotle Peppers.
What are dried chipotle peppers called?
chile ahumadoA large, dried, smoked jalapeno, the Chipotle is also known as a chile ahumado or chile meco.
Can you substitute jalapeños for chipotle peppers?
While they are the same pepper, the chipotle and jalapeño don't make good substitutions for one another. There's too much flavor difference.
Is there another name for chipotle peppers?
Chipotle chile [chee-POT-tleh] chile peppers are smoked jalapeno chili peppers and are also known as chipotle chili meco (or ahumado).
What can I substitute for dried chipotle chiles?
The best substitute for chipotle peppers is chipotle powder, but if you're looking for more of a direct substitute, consider the guajillo pepper or look for other smoked dried peppers. Guajillo peppers offer a bit of heat along with smoky notes and a berry-like flavor, though you won't get the heat.
Are red jalapenos chipotle?
A chipotle pepper is a dry, smoked jalapeno pepper. They are most commonly made from red jalapenos. However, you can also use ripe green jalapenos as well.
Are chipotle peppers hotter than jalapeños?
As a result of an increase in capsaicin, the compound that causes heat in peppers, as they are fully dried, chipotle has more heat. On the other hand, jalapeno has mild heat.
Are chipotle peppers the same as chili peppers?
Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked red jalapeno peppers. The word “chipotle” is a compound of two Nahuatl (Aztec) words: chilli (hot pepper) and poctli (smoke). Dried chipotles, canned chipotles in adobo sauce, and chipotle powder all come from ripe jalapenos, which reach peak spiciness when they turn red.
Is chipotle chili powder the same as chipotle pepper?
Chipotle powder is a mildly spicy chili powder made from chipotle peppers, which are smoked and dried jalapeno peppers. It is perfect for adding smokiness and flavor to many dishes.
Are dried chipotle peppers hot?
Chipotle peppers are smoked, dried jalapeño peppers, and as such they share the same medium-level heat as jalapeños (2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units.) It's a popular chili pepper variety in both Mexico and North America, and growing fast in favor across the globe because of its smoky, earthy flavor.
The Heat: Is The Chipotle Hotter Than The jalapeño?
It typically is, but it shares the same ceiling for spiciness. Here’s why: Chipotle peppers are really jalapeños; they’ve just been aged to maturit...
The Look: How Different Do These Chilies appear?
Comparing a fresh chili versus its dried counterpart is like comparing a grape to a raisin. Yes, they have the same roots, but you’d never be able...
The Taste: How Does The Chipotle’S Flavor Differ from An jalapeño?
Here’s the biggest difference of all. Beyond the heat, they really have totally different flavor profiles. The jalapeño has a crisp, bright bite th...
Can You Find Them at Grocers Or Gourmet Stores?
Jalapeños own a lot of grocery real estate. They are becoming a staple of the fresh produce aisle, as well as a common ingredient in many grocery-c...
Does The Chipotle Do Well as A Jalapeño Substitute? Or Vice versa?
So similar, and yet so different – that’s the world of these two chili types. While they are the same pepper, the chipotle and jalapeño don’t make...
The heat: Is the chipotle hotter than the jalapeño?
It typically is, but it shares the same ceiling for spiciness. Here’s why: Chipotle peppers are really jalapeños; they’ve just been aged to maturity, dried, and smoked. Chipotle are made from fully-ripened red jalapeño peppers, which leads to the heat difference. As chilies ripen, the amount of capsaicin in them increases as well.
The look: How different do these chilies appear?
Comparing a fresh chili versus its dried counterpart is like comparing a grape to a raisin. Yes, they have the same roots, but you’d never be able to tell from an immediate glance. Chipotle peppers, being dried, are flat, wrinkly, and dark-hued.
Can you find them at grocers or gourmet stores?
Jalapeños own a lot of grocery real estate. They are becoming a staple of the fresh produce aisle, as well as a common ingredient in many grocery-carried hot sauces and salsas. It’s a heat most everyone can enjoy. Pickled jalapeños are available in many supermarkets, too, in the same area you’d find regular pickles.
Does the chipotle do well as a jalapeño substitute? Or vice versa?
So similar, and yet so different – that’s the world of these two chili types. While they are the same pepper, the chipotle and jalapeño don’t make good substitutions for one another. There’s too much flavor difference. There are plenty of jalapeño substitutes and chipotle substitutes out there, though, and many are very easy to find.
What are chipotle peppers?
Chipotle peppers are smoked, dried jalapeño peppers, and as such they share the same medium-level heat as jalapeños (2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units.) It’s a popular chili pepper variety in both Mexico and North America, and growing fast in favor across the globe because of its smoky, earthy flavor.
What is the chipotle smoking process like?
Jalapeño peppers are allowed to mature on the vine from green to their ripe red hue, losing their moisture and increasing their heat in the process. They are then picked for smoking.
How spicy are chipotle peppers?
On the Scoville scale, chipotle peppers are the same overall range as jalapeños: 2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units. But expect the heat to be in the higher level of that Scoville heat range. Chipotle are made from ripe red jalapeños, so the capsaicin in them is at its peak as they remained longer on the vine prior to picking.
Are there different types of chipotle peppers?
There are. What you usually see in the North American market derives from moritas chilies. These are chipotles made in Chihuahua in Mexico, and they can be recognized from the dark purplish hue. In the southern areas of Mexico, there’s another version (called chile meco) which is gray in color.
What do chipotle peppers taste like?
If you love smoky flavor, then this chili will become a mainstay in your kitchen. Chipotle peppers have a smoky, earthy flavor due to the smoking process. There is also an underlying sweetness to it that comes from the extra time the jalapeños had on the vine.
What do they look like?
These are jalapeño peppers, so they share a similar length. Chipotle peppers tend to be two to three inches long. And, as they are dried, they are flattened and wrinkled compared to the smooth, pod-like shape of the jalapeño.
How can you use chipotle?
Chipotle peppers are really very versatile. It’s just as good added to BBQ (perfect for smoky BBQ sauces), Tex-Mex, and Mexican dishes as it is on snacks like popcorn. Give it a shot – sprinkle some chipotle powder with a dash of oil over your favorite popcorn and shake well. You can also add chipotle to eggs for a smokier take on breakfast.
Jalapeño vs. Chipotle Peppers
Chiles. Fresh on the left, after they've been dried on the right. The name changes for fresh versus dried. pic.twitter.com/9FSQA3aZad
How To Make Chipotle Peppers
My almost #chipotlepepper #jalapeños >> stuck the last of the ripe, spicy peppers into the smoldering woodstove before going to bed the other evening, b/c why not? Then they went into the dehydrator for a day or so. They smell faintly smokey and will be enjoyed at some point, none the less.
What is a Chipotle Pepper?
A chipotle pepper is a dry, smoked jalapeno pepper. They are most commonly made from red jalapenos. However, you can also use ripe green jalapenos as well.
How to Make Chipotle Peppers
To make your own chipotles, start with jalapeños without bruises or surface cuts. They can have cracks down the surface, but they shouldn’t be soft.
How To Use
Typically, chipotle peppers are used to flavor soups, salsas, stews, sauces, and even an occasional dessert.
How to make chipotle peppers
Wash them and dry them off. You can remove the stems if you like, but I prefer to leave them on like little handles.
Notes
I typically use 6 inch or larger jalapeños. If you can find red, all the better, or allow to ripen and turn red. If drying in oven, any jalapeños smaller than 6 inches in size you will dry in 4-6 hours, depending on oven and thickness of jalapeños. If 6 inches or larger, drying time is 6-10 hours, depending on size and thickness.
Nutrition
Have you made this recipe? Let me know on Instagram Tag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!
