You are here: Home / Spice Substitutes / What’s A Good Red Pepper Flakes Substitute? If you have never heard of the heat rating system for peppers known as Scoville heat units or would like to brush up on your knowledge, check out this video. Unfortunately, gochugaru is not available in every local stores and finding is not always easy. Even if you do have red pepper flakes around, it still pays off to replace them with cayenne powder sometimes. What’s A Good Red Pepper Flakes Substitute. If you're looking for a good substitute for gochugaru power, try this exotic pepper. The Aleppo pepper gets its name from the Syrian town of Aleppo in southern Turkey, the Mediterranean's culinary mecca. Ah, the jalapeno. Anaheim peppers are often used in place of both poblanos and bell peppers; they are that versatile! They are an excellent way to add heat to dishes and have a long shelf life since the peppers used to make the flakes are dried. Sprinkle on pizzas and pasta, add to scrambled eggs and omelettes and even sprinkle over salads. Also known as California chiles, New Mexico peppers or Magdalenas, Anaheims are very versatile in usage. On the Scoville scale, they only measure 500 to 2,500 heat units, which is almost eight times milder than most jalapenos. Experienced and novice gardeners alike love the green and white ornamental leaves on the plant as well as the fact that they naturally repel animals and other pests. You can find them in the Mexican foods aisle of many grocery stores as well as in the spice aisle. Sauces are often used in a myriad of ways to flavor dishes, from toppings to marinades, while pastes are often used as the base of sauces and stir fry dishes. You can use fresh red chili peppers as an alternative to red pepper flakes in many applications, but they might be less than ideal in others. The bottle may say Asian Chile Sauce or Chile Paste and may include oil, herbs, garlic, sugar or other seasonings. I tend to like a little more heat, so I would add a hotter pepper to the dish as well, even if it is just a dash of cayenne. If you run out, there are several red pepper flake substitutes that you can try. Gochugaru is responsible for the spiciness of kimchi; in fact, Korean cooks suggest that you accept no substitutes when making homemade kimchi. This does vary depending on where they were grown; those from New Mexico tend to be hotter than their Californian cousins. The pepper's nuanced, subtle heat has a fruity brine undertone, and if you are lucky enough to find it in powdered form, you will notice that it is like a delicate cayenne. Use gochugaru as a substitute for red pepper flakes if what you need is a mild heat. These peppers are likewise grown in Spain and are a Protected Status pepper variety. Here are a list of 16 amazingly easy substitutes for Gochugaru when the recipe calls for some and you can not get one. Note also that cayenne pepper will most likely be hotter than most red pepper flakes, as the flakes are usually on the milder end of the heat spectrum. Thanks for all the time and effort of explaining the substitutes! One drawback is that cayenne pepper is typically powdered, which means that it will present a different appearance than red pepper flakes. A great flavor match to Gochugaru is chile de arbol or Aleppo pepper. Quick and Easy Guide. It is a smoked jalapeno pepper that has a vibrant, smoky, spicy and sweet flavor all rolled into one glorious package. Not a single item on your list would be an appropriate substitute for gochugaru. You can try doing that and see how you like it. Sandias will add a kick, but like Korean red pepper, it will not be overwhelming. The Piment d'Espelette is from the Basque region of France and is named after the village of Espelette, which is located in France's Nive Valley close to the Pyrenees mountains. The bright crimson color will turn your foods a fantastic red. Gochugaru is responsible for the spiciness of kimchi; in fact, Korean cooks suggest that you accept no substitutes when making homemade kimchi. In the Mexican farming industry, they are a close second to jalapenos. Use fresh chili peppers in dishes where the extra bulk and moisture will not make a big difference. It is widely used in cuisines of the area and is a great alternative to paprika and crushed red pepper. She blends it up with ginger and garlic until it’s a thick sauce. They are an excellent choice when cooking for a crowd because they offer a mild kick that nearly everyone can tolerate. The peppers offer a range of 10,000 – 23,000 Scoville heat units. There you have it: 16 awesome gochugaru substitutes. The Best Option – Cayenne Powder Cayenne powder makes great red pepper flakes substitute and it is just as common in the kitchen, so you might have some around. When they are dried, they are called Chile Seco Del Norte. Of course, you will have to chop them finely to get the texture similar to that of the flakes. It is best to buy the flakes labeled as “coarse” cut. She also always shares it with me and it tastes just like the red pepper flakes to me. Ancho chiles are dried poblano peppers. Like many peppers, the seeds are the hottest part, and removing them before adding them to other ingredients will temper the heat a bit. If you want to use this gochugaru substitute, your best bet is to look for Kashmiri powder, not the whole pepper. The dark color imparted from the red powder will help make your meal look as good as it tastes. Let me leave you with two more bits of wisdom. My neighbor uses red jalapeño peppers for her kimchi. Indian chili powder or lal mirch mixed with cayenne in a 3-to-2 blend can work in many dishes when you need a substitute for spicy Korean chile powder. Secondly, if you do come across some gochugaru, don't shy away from buying it in bulk. Gochugaru (고추가루) is a chile powder used in popular Korean dishes, such as kimchi, tofu and galbi. Because of how useful this spice is, you should try to keep some in your spice cabinet at all time. It will work in any application that would call for red pepper flakes. Because they are not de-seeded prior to crushing, they are quite hot. #2. Pulse for a few seconds and you will likely wind up with a blend of finer and larger pieces, Simply remove the larger pieces and use the smaller ones as your red pepper flakes substitute. Despite the fact that the peppers used to make gochugaru are cultivated in Korea, they are (like all chili peppers) … The bright red pepper is ground up with the seeds and all, so it will pack a hot punch to any dish you put it in. It is an excellent alternative if the spice level of red pepper flakes is too much for you. Gochugaru has a distinctive but not overpowering heat flavor, and it is used in many Korean recipes calling for a bit of red heat. Jalapenos are used as snacks, added to dishes and are mainstays in many sauces and salsas. Gochugaru can be more sweet and smoky, known as deolmaewoon gochugaru, or extra spicy, which is known as maewoon gochugaru. The Sandia chile pepper, similar to the Anaheim, grows to 6 to 7 inches, and while these peppers ripen to red, they're often used while green. Another benefit is that cayenne pepper is easy to find. If you want to take an even more serious DIY route, you can dry your own peppers in a food dehydrator and prepare them as noted above. A great substitute for crushed red pepper, Gochugaru can also be added to vegetables or meats for an authentic Korean flair. To make your own, you simply need access to whole dried chilies that are moderately hot. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Red pepper flakes are not anything more than coarsely ground dried chili peppers. They tend to be oilier than Mexican or U.S. chile sauces because tomatoes are not included. Did you know that the chipotle pepper that has become so popular is not actually an occurrence in nature? Chipotle peppers are made with dried and smoked red jalapeno peppers. Crushed red pepper is typically made from cayenne pepper – a chili that ranges from 30,000 – 50,000 Scoville heat units (SHU). Rated at 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, they won't make your food too hot, so you may find you want to add a little more spice. To use, either grind them up or reconstitute in water for 10 minutes.