Green chili substitute

When writing a lot about the peppers, we should definitely write about green chili substitutes as well.

If you rely on the online or the printed magazine recipes for your cooking, you happen to come across many ingredients that are unfamiliar or hard to find in your local stores.

And today's topic is a small effort to list out possible, easy to find substitutes for the canned green chili.

What is green chili?

One of the common ingredients that’s used in Indian, Thai, and Mexican cuisine. Green chili is a generic term where its heat profile ranges from mild to moderately hot chili peppers that are widely used in these respective regions.

In Mexico, about seven chili pepper varieties are brought under this head, including, hatch chili, anaheim pepper, poblano, habanero, jalapeno, serrano, chilaca peppers.

In India, chili peppers are usually termed as ‘green chilies’ where the heat is equivalent to the fresh cayenne pepper.

In the United States, you may get them as canned green chilies from the stores. These are available in leading grocery stores, you may find them in the international or the produce aisle.

And the canned green chilies are generally made with mild hatch chili peppers(we need to take into account that a couple of brands offer hot green chili pepper as well).

Substitutes for canned green chili

The canned chili pepper is mild with a little kick, and has rich peppery flavors. Typically, these are roasted, peeled, and diced. 

To mimic the canned green chilies intense flavor, choose any of the following peppers according to your personal preference and availability. And roast and peel the skin, before adding to the dishes.

The close substitute for the green chili

The following options work perfectly, if you are searching for the substitutes for the mild green chili peppers that are available in the cans. 

For this, three factors you need to consider before choosing the right substitute for green chili pepper-Its heat, texture and the flavor. 

Anaheim pepper. One of the closest substitutes for the green chili pepper.  Anaheim peppers are mild with a little heat. If you prefer your final dish with a subtle heat, this option works great.  

You may swap the green chili in a recipe with Anaheim peppers with 1:1 ratio.

Green chili is often referred to anaheim peppers as both have mild heat.

Hatch chili pepper. Most leading brands use hatch chili pepper to make canned green chilies. The fresh hatch chili pepper has a lush, natural peppery flavor. Its heat profile ranges anywhere between mild to medium hot, depending on the season and the cultivars. 

So, always taste test it before adding to the recipe. A perfect replacement for the green chilies.

Poblano pepper. A favorite replacement, poblano keeps well when roasted and its flavors build up. It has some heat, and has a soft texture. Fabulous option when making salsa verde or stew.

Serrano pepper. It’s moderately hot but has a similar juicy thick skin. And easily available in the grocery stores as fresh. 

Since these peppers are sliding up in the heat level, you may remove the seeds and the soft white membrane inside to match up that flavor and the heat.

Jalapeno. One of the commonly found chili peppers, you may get it in almost all the grocery stores all around the season. 

Its texture is similar to that of green chili, same as serrano peppers, jalapeño pepper also belongs to the moderately hot pepper type. 

If you prefer keeping the food low in heat level, you may discard the seeds and the pith before using in the recipe. 

Fresno pepper. Another Fabulous option for the rich aroma and the crunch. But Fresno peppers are usually available as reipen and would look red in color. 

Hence the final result of the dish may be the infused with intense red color. However when the seeds are remote fresno peppers taste works well when added to the recipe.

Bell pepper. These have a bright flavor and no-heat. A fabulous choice if you want to keep the recipe light. 

Ground cayenne pepper. A pantry friendly substitution. It is good to swap, if you are searching for an ingredient to increase the heat level. But it does not have the canned green chili’s texture or the flavor.

Red chili flakes. A quick replacement that instantly flavors up with a mild zing. And this would not provide the crunchy texture. Consider this substitution only as a spice booster.