Chipotle Peppers

Dried & Smoked Jalapeños

An assortment of chipotle meco chilies in a small white bowl

Chipotle peppers, often simply called chipotles, are dried, smoked, ripe jalapeño peppers (part of the highly variable species Capsicum annuum). They’re quite common in Mexican cooking, and have also become favourites in Tex Mex and Americanized Mexican cooking. Chipotles moderately spicy, but they are much more important for their ability to contribute a distinctive smoky, complex taste to foods.

Chipotle peppers are available whole (as shown in the picture), ground, and preserved in a tomato-based adobo sauce. Chipotles in adobo are quite distinctive in and of themselves (the adobo sauce is a big part of the flavour), so they are treated separately in a different Pantry Page found here.

Chipotles can be subdivided into two primary groups – the smoky brown chipotle meco peppers (shown above and at the bottom of the page) and the glossy purple morita peppers (shown at the bottom of the page). Chipotle meco peppers are smoked for a longer time, giving them a more intense flavour. Morita peppers have a milder, fruitier flavour due to their shorter smoking time. In the English speaking world, the word chipotle is generally used to refer to chipotle mecos. Morita peppers, when and where available, are generally referred to by that name. These names are Spanish, and are (unsurprisingly) common in Mexico as well. The terms chile ahumado and chile seco may be encountered as well, though these simply mean ‘smoked chili’ and ‘dried chili’ respectively, and may be used in reference to other peppers as well.

Scoville Heat Units

3,000-10,000 (moderate to hot)


Chipotle Meco Chilies

Chipotle meco chilies in a white dish

Morita Chilies

Morita chipotle chilies on a white plate

MEXICAN RECIPES

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  • Halibut escabeche - cooked and marinated with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and jalapenos - Diversivore.com
    Halibut Escabeche
    Halibut steaks are cooked and then preserved in olive oil, vinegar, jalapenos, and spices to create a simple, healthy, and easy make-ahead meal.
  • Shakshouka Rancheros - Eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce, loaded with Mexican flavours and ingredients. - Diversivore.com
    Shakshouka Rancheros
    Shakshouka is given a New World spin with flavours and ingredients native to Mexico. Simple, fresh, scratch-made, vegetarian, and incredibly healthy breakfast!
  • Chili Mole - a plant-based chili with mole-inspired notes of chocolate, peanut, sesame, and plenty of spices - Diversivore.com
    Chili Mole
    This wonderfully different, entirely plant-based chili features plenty of spices along with some delicious and decidedly unconventional mole-inspired ingredients. Adapted for the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker from a...
  • Carne Asada Borracha - beer and guajillo chili marinated flank steak - served here as a taco - Diversivore.com
    Carne Asada Borracha
    Flank steak, marinated in a savory and salty blend of guajillo chilies, beer, and soy sauce, then seared to perfection. Simple, inexpensive, and delicious.
  • Carne Entomatada - beef in a Mexican-spiced tomato sauce, served here in a flour tortilla shell - Diversivore.com
    Carne Entomatada - Beef with Mexican Tomato Sauce
    Lean beef combines with Mexican spices and pantry staples in this delicious and easy one-pot pressure cooker meal. Serve it with tortillas, or as a stew!
  • Pambazos con Huevos - perfectly messy Mexican stuffed sandwiches, drenched in guajillo sauce and fried - Diversivore.com
    Pambazos con Huevos
    Guajillo-soaked Mexican sandwiches with spiced potatoes and a creamy egg-tomatillo salsa verde. Delicious, vegetarian, and easy thanks to the make-in-advance mini-recipes that are used in the filling.
  • Mexican Seafood with Red Pipian Sauce - Diversivore.com
    Red Pipian Seafood Soup
    Mole doesn’t have to be insanely complicated. Red pipian sauce is packed with flavour, but fairly easy to prepare – and to transform into a rich, velvety soup.
  • Pescado con Vino - Mexican fish with white wine marinade, served in tacos - Diversivore.com
    Pescado con Vino - White Wine-Marinated Fish
    White wine, olive oil, fresh oregano, scallions, and MSC-certified sustainable sole combine with tangy wine-pickled onions for this simple to prepare fish dish that’s perfect in tacos or as a...
  • Yucatan-style pickled red onions, made with bitter (Seville) orange juice - Diversivore.com
    Mexican Quick Pickled Red Onions
    These addictively delicious, wonderfully simple pickled onions are made in the Yucatecan style with the juice from bitter (Seville) oranges. No bitter oranges? No problem – a simple combination of...
  • Yucatecan Fish Tacos with Green Peach Salsa
    Who doesn’t love a good taco? These tacos are built from the base up around Yucatecan spices and an unusual but addictive salsa made with firm ‘green’ peaches.
  • K'uut Bi Ik (Dried Chili Salsa) made with morita chipotles for a smoky and delicious twist on the Yucatecan classic - Diversivore.com
    Smoky Dried Chili Salsa (K'uut Bi Ik)
    Nothing finishes a good Mexican recipe like a really great salsa. While cooked and fresh salsas are wonderful, it’s hard to beat the simplicity and impact of k’uut bi...
  • Chicken tinga, served as tacos with pico de gallo, avocados and cheese - Diversivore.com
    Chicken Tinga
    You can make this amazing, authentic meal without venturing beyond the average grocery store. It makes amazing tacos, tortas, quesadillas, tlayudas and more. Adapted from Pati Jinich’s version in Pati’s...
  • Spent-hen Chicken Tacos and Soup, made together in an InstantPot electric pressure cooker - Diversivore.com
    Tacos y Sopa de Pollo Gastado
    Stewing (spent) hens have a richer, deeper flavour that more than makes up for their less-tender meat. Get 2+ meals out of one with this pressure-cooker recipe!
  • Broiled fish tacos with avocado-grapefruit salsa - from Simply Citrus by Marie Asselin
    Broiled Fish Tacos with Avocado Grapefruit Salsa
    In this recipe, the fish is coated in aromatic spices and broiled in just a few minutes – just the time it takes to assemble the zesty salsa. Reprinted...
  • Instant Pot Brisket with Pasilla-Morita Adobo - Diversivore.com
    Instant Pot Brisket with Pasilla-Morita Adobo
    Meltingly tender beef (thanks to the electric pressure cooker) and sweet-smoky scratch-made adobo made with loads of roasted veggies make for a fan-freakin-tastic taco recipe.
  • Arroz Verde - Green Rice made with Poblanos and Cilantro - Diversivore.com
    Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice)
    Rice doesn’t have to be a dull side dish. Poblanos and cilantro provide the base for a green rice that’s packed with flavour but easy to prepare.
  • Huevos Divorciados
    Huevos Divorciados
    A classic play on the ever-popular huevos rancheros, this Mexican dish features two eggs with fried tortillas, served with two separate ("divorced") salsas. Note that the recipe is very easily scaled...
  • Pressure cooker Carnitas con Queso (tender beef bites with crispy melted cheese) - Diversivore.com
    Instant Pot Carnitas con Queso
    Deliciously tender Mexican pork, finished with crispy, bubbly cheese. The ‘Con Queso’ part involves a griddle or frying pan, but all the hard work necessary to get deliciously soft...
  • Mexican Christmas Salad (Ensalada de Navidad) with beets, jicama, cara cara oranges, and candied pistachios - Diversivore.com
    Mexican Christmas Salad
    A spectacular seasonal delight, full of citrus, jicama, shredded beets, and candied nuts. This salad is spectacular in both its presentation and flavour.
  • Chiles en escabeche - Mexican pickled carrots and jalapeños in a small dish
    Quick-Pickled Jalapenos & Carrots (Chiles en Escabeche)
    Transform chiles and veggies into perfect little pickles with this simple recipe. They're amazing on tacos, with grilled or slow-cooked meats, or on anything else you can imagine. This recipe...
  • Spot Prawn and Raja Enchiladas with Buttermilk Sauce
    Spot prawns combine with roasted poblano rajas and a jocoque-esque (and DIY) creamy buttermilk sauce in this amazing Mexican enchilada recipe.
  • Smoky Mexican Oyster Mushroom Soup
    Smoky Mexican Oyster Mushroom Soup
    Oyster mushrooms and smoky chipotles come together to make a memorable, delicious, and very simple Mexican soup that’s both vegan and gluten-free.
  • Halibut cheek tacos with roasted corn, garlic, and cilantro salsa and pickled red onions - Diversivore.com
    Fish Tacos with Corn-Cilantro Salsa
    A unique salsa made with roasted corn and garlic and vibrant green cilantro makes these unique fish tacos really stand out. Prepare the salsa and onions ahead of time...
  • Pico de gallo, or salsa fresca - uncooked tomato, onion, cilantro, and pepper salsa - Diversivore.com
    Pico de Gallo
    Pico de gallo is simple to make and easy to love. This recipe uses a variety of measurements (including weight and volume) to make consistent batches, as well as...
  • Mezcalita del Ocaso - Mezcal cocktail with grilled pineapple, chili, and hibiscus agua fresca - Diversivore.com
    Mezcalita del Ocaso
    Sunset Mezcal Cocktail – made with grilled marinaded pineapple, lime, cascabel chili, hibiscus agua fresca, and of course bold and smoky mezcal.
  • Puerco Pibil - Yucatecan slow-cooked pork made here with an Instant Pot pressure cooker - Diversivore.com
    Pressure Cooker Puerco Pibil (Yucatecan Shredded Pork)
    A classic and unforgettable Yucatecan Mexican dish, modified here for an electric pressure cooker. Scratch-made with wonderful ingredients, plus a smoky twist.