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Spices & seasonings · Dried chillies

Ancho chile (dried poblano)

Dried ripe poblano: a wide, wrinkled, mahogany chilli with sweet raisin and cocoa notes and mild heat.

Also called: ancho, ancho chili, ancho chilli, chile ancho, dried poblano

A kind of dried whole chillies

Read the full spice guide: flavour, history and how to use it

What it is

Ancho is the dried form of the ripe red poblano chilli. The pods are broad, flat and deeply wrinkled, dark reddish-brown, and should still be pliable. It is one of the most used dried chillies in Mexican cooking, valued more for its sweet, fruity depth and colour than for heat. In parts of the US fresh poblanos and anchos are sometimes mislabelled as pasilla.

Capsicum annuum (poblano type)

How it’s used

  • Mole poblano and other moles
  • Red enchilada and adobo sauces
  • Chile con carne and chili powder blends
  • Braised meats and pozole
  • Ground into rubs

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, raisin-like and slightly bitter-cocoa, with mild heat.
Texture
Leathery and pliable when fresh; brittle when old.
Sold as
whole, dried, powder
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Mainly a seasoning
Common in
Mexican, Tex-Mex

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight bag or jar in a cool, dark place for up to a year; freeze for longer.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
281 kcal
Protein
11.86 g
Carbohydrate
51.42 g
Fat
8.2 g
Fibre
21.6 g
Sugars
— g

USDA FoodData Central: Peppers, ancho, dried.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Mulato or pasilla chiles — Similar dark, sweet profile; use the same number of pods.
  • Paprika — 1 tablespoon sweet paprika per ancho gives colour but less depth.

Related ingredients

Recipes with ancho chile (dried poblano)

No recipe in the catalogue uses it yet.

More dried chillies