🌶️ Pepper Field Guide

Ancho vs Pasilla

Both are mild, dark dried chiles, and they're often confused, but pasilla (dried chilaca) is earthier with cocoa and a touch of bitterness, while ancho (dried poblano) is sweeter with raisin and plum. Use ancho as your base; add pasilla when a sauce or mole needs a deeper, more brooding bottom note.

AnchoPasilla
Scoville (SHU)1,000–2,000 SHU1,000–2,500 SHU
Heat tierMildMild
Fresh or drieddrieddried
FlavorMild, smoky and faintly sweet with notes of raisin and plum.Earthy and raisiny with a hint of cocoa and gentle bitterness.
Best forchili base, molemole, sauces
Top substituteguajilloancho

Read the full guides: Ancho · Pasilla