9 Best Morita Chili Substitutes
Morita chili is a traditional Mexican chili that has been around for hundreds of years. It is commonly used in soups, stews, and as a base for sauces. It is often served at parties, weddings, and other special occasions. It is a rich and spicy chili made from dried red chilies.
In this post, we’ll provide you with a list of the 9 best Morita chili substitutes that will ensure your recipe is a hit with your friends and family.
9 Best Morita Chili Substitutes
We’ve compiled a list of the 9 best Morita chili substitutes you can use to make any of your favorite recipes.
1. Poblano Peppers
Poblano peppers are a mild, sweet pepper popular in Mexican cuisine. They are often used in chiles Rellenos, a dish consisting of cheese-stuffed poblano peppers and usually topped with an egg batter and fried until golden brown. This makes them a good substitute for Morita chilies in recipes because they have similar flavors (though not as spicy).
2. Guajillo Peppers
Guajillo peppers are a type of chili pepper that is typically used in Mexican cuisine. They are naturally dried and then ground into a powder used as a spice in various dishes. Guajillo peppers have a moderate heat level with a slightly fruity flavor. The peppers are dark red and have a sweet, smoky flavor.
3. Mulato Peppers
Mulato peppers are a little sweeter and milder than Morita peppers. The Mulato is a distinctively sweet pepper that is great for making mole, sauces, and salsa. It’s also used to flavor stews and other dishes with its earthy flavor profile.
4. Chipotle Pepper
A chipotle pepper is a smoked jalapeño pepper that has been dried, rehydrated, and canned. Chipotles are often used as a substitute for Morita chiles because they have similar flavor profiles. They’re grown in Mexico and South America, with the most popular being made from jalapeños grown in New Mexico.
5. Ancho Peppers
Ancho peppers are dried poblano peppers that are often used in Mexican cuisine. They have a medium heat level, so they’re milder than chipotle peppers, but they still pack a nice punch. Ancho peppers are best known for their use in mole sauce. You can find them at most grocery stores—they come packed in bags and look like wrinkly red berries.
Suppose you can’t find ancho pepper powder at your local store. In that case, you can also make your own: just remove the seeds and stems from your dried ancho peppers (you’ll want to wear gloves as this step is messy), then toast them on a dry pan until fragrant before grinding them up into powder with a mortar and pestle or blender attachment.
Ancho peppers can also be used as an ingredient in chile Rellenos—a dish consisting of a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese and fried until golden brown on top—and other Mexican dishes such as enchiladas (enchilada sauce) or tacos (taco seasoning).
6. Jalapeno Peppers
Jalapeño peppers are a type of chili pepper that is commonly used in Mexican cuisine. They are usually sold pickled or fresh but can also be dried and ground into powder. Jalapenos are typically used in dishes that aren’t spicy because they add flavor without heat or spiciness. This makes them ideal for salsas, sauces, and other dishes where you don’t want your palate to be overwhelmed by the heat.
7. Cascabel Peppers
Cascabel Peppers are a good option if you’re looking to replace Morita chili in a recipe. These small, round peppers have a smoky, nutty flavor and are prevalent in Mexican cooking. They’re also used to make Salsa de Cascabel—a delicious salsa made from roasted cascabel chilies that you can add to tacos or burritos for an extra boost of heat and spice.
8. Chipotles in Adobo Sauce
If you are looking for a substitution similar to Morita chili in appearance, flavor, and aroma, look no further than chipotles in adobo sauce. The difference between these two chilies lies in their shape. Morita peppers are long and skinny, while chipotle peppers are smaller and rounder. Chipotle chilies are smoked jalapenos that originated from Mexico, so they have a smoky aroma like Morita peppers.
Chipotles in Adobo Sauce taste great when used to add heat and depth to salsas or sauces. You can also add them to soups because of their milder flavor than other chilies, such as bell peppers, which tend not to go well with soup dishes due to their strong flavor profile (see our article on How To Make Chicken Soup Using Leftover Chicken).
9. Pasilla de Oaxaca
Pasilla de Oaxaca is a dried pepper from Mexico that has a smoky flavor and is similar to the Poblano pepper. It’s often used in Mexican cuisine for braising meats and making sauces such as mole. You might also recognize it by its other name: Choricero pepper.
Because this is a milder variety of chili, you can substitute pasilla peppers for poblanos in most recipes with minimal adjustments to the amount of heat they add. For example, if you were making black bean tacos with poblano peppers and wanted to substitute pasillas instead (which are more common than poblanos), just use two pasillas instead of one; poblano so that there is still enough kick!
Best Morita Chili Substitutes – FAQs
Where to Buy Morita Chili?
There are many places that sell Morita chili peppers. Some stores specializing in Latin American foods will carry them, as well as some general grocery stores. They can also be ordered online from a variety of different sources.
If you want to buy the best Morita chili, you can go to Amazon.com. There, you can find the best Morita chili on the market. You can also find it in the produce section of most grocery stores.
What Does Chile Morita Taste like?
Chile Morita tastes like a cross between chili pepper and a tomato. It has a slightly smoky and sweet flavor with a bit of a kick from the chili pepper; it also has a moderate heat level.
What Are the Best Morita Chili Substitutes?
The chili peppers similar in heat and flavor to the Morita chili pepper include the serrano pepper, the jalapeño pepper, and the habanero pepper. If you want a less spicy chili pepper, you could try the poblano or bell pepper.
Conclusion
If you’re in a pinch, the best substitution for Morita chilies is the ancho chili since it’s the easiest to find and has similar flavor profiles. The guajillo chili is also a good substitute if you can find them, but they have more of a kick to their flavor profile.
