Saint InnocentPoblano peppers, as a known fact, are popular across the globe for their garden-fresh flavor. Originating from Puebla, in Mexico, Poblanos pepper can either come in its fresh or dried and crisp form. But whichever one of them you get to lay your hands on at the end of the day, be rest assured of enjoying its slight sweetness and subtle smoky flavor that comes with them.
Generally, there are quite a few varieties of poblano pepper, with the most common among them all being the Pasilla peppers and the Mulato peppers, which are known for their versatility of being grilled, sautéed, fried, or eaten raw.
Unfortunately, Poblanos peppers are seasonal items, meaning you don’t get to find them always during the season, particularly in more temperate climates. At this period in time, you might be left with no other option other than to fall back to some other available alternative option.
Should that be the case for you, below have been highlighted 7 of the best substitute for poblano peppers you can always try in your mole sauce, rajas con crema, festival dishes, and so on.
Best Substitute For Poblano Peppers
1. Green Bell Pepper
Green Bell Pepper generally can be considered the perfect and ideal substitute for poblano Peppers due to the fact that they do share a whole lot of things in common and can be found anytime and anywhere.
Talking about their flavor profile, green bell pepper appears to be milder compared to the poblano pepper and appears to be sweeter, too, especially inside your stuffed pepper recipe.
However, you should always have it at the back of your mind that green bell peppers can be quite bland and lacking in that spice you desire of. In such a situations as this, you are advised to always pair the green bell pepper alongside your favorite hot sauce, chili powder, or chili flakes.
2. Jalapeño Pepper
Jalapeño Pepper is often joked about as being poblano’s spicy cousin, meaning it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you to see them on the list of nice substitute for poblano pepper since they can be used in very similar recipes as poblanos.
Though, because of the fact jalapeno pepper as a substitute for poblano pepper appears to be spicier and smaller, you might have to give it a deep thought on what recipes to use them inside of, as well as if you should tone down the spice in such recipes.
Finally, as an option of a substitute for poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper does work well with salsa, cheese, sour cream, and inside Mexican recipes generally.
3. Ancho Peppers
Ancho Peppers, if you weren’t aware before now, are dried poblano peppers, meaning you are swapping them in as a substitute for poblano pepper, which should be an easier choice to make. To make use of this option of a substitute inside of your recipes, all that is expected of you to do is to rehydrate in water to recover its intense, earthy, and smoky flavor.
Perceived as a special treat by plenty of households and easily located in specialty stores, ancho peppers are usually sold in kept in air-tight containers, meaning they are not perishable but can be preserved for months or years.
Finally, the fact that ancho pepper also happens to be as mild as poblano, you might want to consider pairing them together with some additional spice, and this can be done by dicing them up and adding your already prepared dish for added flavor and spice
4. Guajillo or Anaheim Pepper
Guajillo pepper, which can also be referred to as the Anaheim Pepper, shares a similar heat level with the jalapeños but appears to be a bit spicier than poblano. Characterized by their sweet and mild flavor which qualifies it as a substitute for poblano pepper, gaujillo pepper tends to increase in sweetness and heat when cooked.
Even though guajillo pepper appears to be slightly smaller than poblano pepper, they remain a great choice of substitute when it comes to stuffing and making chiles Rellenos!
5. Cubanelle or Pepperello Peppers
Cubanelle pepper, which is oftentimes called Pepperello Peppers by a few other persons, comes in different varieties and shades of mild, sweet, and pale green as a substitute for poblano pepper. An option of a substitute, which always has a huge presence on burgers and sandwiches, comes in the form of those thin sliced pickled peppers you do get to see spread over them.
Blessed with skins and walls that are much thinner, cubanelle pepper, as a substitute for poblano pepper, works best for stuffing, baking, grilling, or eating raw.
6. Red Bell Peppers
Red Bell Peppers, sharing similarities with the aforementioned green bell peppers, known for their super mild and zero heat level, can also be considered a perfect substitute for poblano peppers when it comes to cooking dishes for kids.
With zero heat level while full of flavors as well, with red bell peppers as a substitute for poblano peppers, your kids are bound to have their dishes extra delicious regardless of whether it is stuffed and grilled or sliced and eaten raw.
Read also, 10 Best Substitutes For Espellete Pepper
7. Canned Poblano
Canned poblano as a substitute for poblano peppers itself is one with a different profile, which is in complete contrast to each and every single one of the aforementioned Substitutes on the list, which are mostly fresh and seasonal vegetables. In this case, it is poblano pepper itself turned into a canned product to increase its life span.
Since poblano peppers are seasonal vegetables you don’t get to find in the marketplaces at some period, canned poblano might as well just be your last resort option of a substitute.
However, to some extent, you might not get to enjoy the similar texture alongside the earthy and smoky flavor you could have easily gotten from the fresh poblano pepper.
Conclusion
In conclusion, poblano peppers remain everyone’s preferred choice with the little spice of sweetness it bring and adds to different recipes, regardless of whether you are randomly making a classic poblano dish or just trying something different with fajita or quesadilla.
However, on days when you cannot count on the poblano pepper for use, you can always opt for every single one of the aforementioned Substitutes with the assurance that you will never be left disappointed.
Henry
Emmanuel
Saint Innocent
