Jalapeno substitute

You are in the middle of cooking and you already found that jalapeno pepper is missing from your pantry. And wondering what could be the best jalapeno substitute to make your dish complete and fabulous as the original recipes.

This article is designed to give you a broader view of jalapeno and its possible substitutes that would make soup, salsa, or other recipes great. 

Jump to:

• Uses of Jalapeno pepper
• Jalapeno substitute for its heat
• Substitute for fresh Jalapeno 
• Mild substitute for Jalapeno peppers
• Substitute in the salsa

Jalapenos are the authentic ingredient in Mexican Cuisine. Because of its flavor on the right amount of heat it became popular in North America and in the rest of the world.

Currently, jalapeno peppers are more common, often included to spice up the heat and to enhances the flavors.

You don't need to discard a recipe because it is calling for an ingredient that you do not have at home. By understanding its purpose in a recipe, you could choose the best closest jalapeno substitute.

Uses of Jalapeno pepper

The jalapenos have flavorful thick-flesh(like bell peppers), mildly spiced white membrane, and hot yellow colored seeds. 

These peppers are added for two reasons in a recipe. The fresh peppers are included for their rich flavors and mild heat. The seeds and the white membrane are added for its heat.

The above description gives you a clear picture of the vital properties of jalapeno peppers. 

Jalapeno substitute for its heat

These are low in the spectrum of heat level when compared to the many other peppers. Not to our surprise, there are many spicy alternatives available to spice up that dish the way you'd like it.

Following are the few pantry staple jalapeno substitute that you can store them. And quickly whip up a dish without worrying about running to the grocery stores.

Jalapeno powder. Easy and most convenient to use that is good to store up to a year comfortably. But these are not easy to find in the stores in the United States, but you can get them online.

Canned jalapeno. This pickled option can give a fantastic, look, and feel of fresh peppers. The downside is its acidity, as they made with the vinegar. This alternative is good for making the topping for pizza or sandwiches.

Crushed red pepper. A universal ingredient that most of the homes carry. If you are looking out for a simple spice alternative to jalapeno peppers, this comes as a rescue. It could easily spice up salsa or soup and can improve the flavors.

Cayenne pepper. A primary ingredient that most homes have, a good replacement for the heat of the jalapeno. The heat from half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper equals one whole jalapeno’s heat. For the extra depth of flavor, toss in bell pepper.

Other chili peppers. For the spice substitute for the jalapeno, swap with other chili peppers, like serrano peppers, hot cherry peppers. For a good measure, remove the seeds completely or partially to match up the heat of the jalapeno.

Substitute for fresh Jalapeno 

Serrano peppers. It appends both the peppery flavor and the heat. These are slightly spicy than the jalapeno peppers. So, remove the seeds to suit your heat tolerance. Works well on soups, salsas, salad, pasta, and more.

Poblano/Anaheim/Cubanelle peppers/banana peppers. Works great if the recipe is for stuffing. These peppers do have thin skin and mild versions of jalapeno. And a perfect alternative for making stuffed peppers or jalapeno poppers. Great add on for soup and salads as well, like roasted jalapeno salsa, jalapeno mustard.

Bell peppers. These do resemble the thickness of jalapeno’s flesh but lacks in the heat. You may add in the combo of bell peppers for the flavors and add in cayenne pepper for the heat. This serves as the closest jalapeno substitute. 

Mild substitute for Jalapeno peppers

Mild jalapeno. Seeds and the pith holds most of this pepper's spiciness. Removing them serves the purpose that reduces the spice level by 70%.

Other fresh mild peppers. When looking to damp down the heat, you may opt-in for bell peppers, sweet chili peppers, poblano, Anaheim, or Cubanelle peppers. These are the mild versions and play fabulous on any recipe that calls for jalapeno, including soups, salads, stuffed, poppers, like peanut butter stuffed jalapenos, dairy-free jalapeno poppers.

Pantry staple. When looking for a pantry staple, opt-in for roasted paprika, cayenne pepper, or picked jalapeno. These are not the exact replacement ingredients, however, do provide the heat you expect from the jalapeno.

Substitute in the salsa

Salsa is a flavorful dip, and jalapeno is one of the vital components in terms of the heat and the aroma. Adding fresh chili peppers is a wise idea when looking out for a jalapeno substitute in the salsa recipes like roasted green tomato salsa. 

Any fresh mild peppers like, banana pepper, anaheim pepper, poblano are some of the closest swaps.

Proceed with caution when adding the hot peppers like Fresno, Serrano, Brid’s eye pepper verities. This increases the heat in the salsa unimaginably. Remove and reserve the seeds while prepping. You may add in the seeds later depending on your individual preference.

You may add in cayenne pepper, paprika, crushed red peppers, just to spice up with salsa.