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Home » Chili Pepper Recipes » Chiles Toreados Recipe: Mexican Blistered Peppers

Chiles Toreados Recipe: Mexican Blistered Peppers

by Mike Hultquist · Mar 8, 2024 · 66 Comments

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A quick and easy, authentic Mexican chiles toreados recipe of jalapeno and serrano peppers blistered or fried in oil, with a touch of salt and lime. Just like your local taqueria!

Chiles Toreados Recipe

Chiles Toreados Recipe (Mexican Blistered Peppers)

If you've ever been to a local Mexican restaurant, you may have seen "Chiles Toreados" on the menu. They're usually listed under "sides", though sometimes they're not listed at all.

Even if they aren't on the menu, you can ask for them and any good Mexican taqueria will be able to make them for you.

I love them deeply and can't really enjoy my tacos or burritos without them. The cooks at my local taqueria start making them when they see me walk in the door. I love it.

What are Chiles Toreados?

Chiles toreados are chili peppers that are blistered and fried up in a hot pan or on the grill with a bit of oil. Most Mexican restaurant use jalapeno peppers, though some use serrano peppers, or both.

They often come with onions as well, though many places will ask whether you want onions or just the peppers. 

After the peppers are fried, they are finished with salt, a few squeezes of lime juice, and sometimes soy sauce or maggi sauce, though that seems to vary from recipe to recipe.

I’ve seen many recipes call for it.

I don’t believe they use soy sauce in the Mexican restaurants near me, just lime juice and salt. Either way is great.

I am usually asked if I would like onions with mine, but not always. Some places add onion, some don’t. Each restaurant is different. 

Let's talk about how we make chiles toreados, shall we?

Chiles Toreados Ingredients

  • Olive Oil. Or vegetable oil.
  • Large Jalapeno Peppers. Or serrano peppers, or use a combination of both.
  • Small Onion. Sliced (optional).
  • Lime Juice. Or use lemon.
  • Soy Sauce. Optional. You can also use maggi jugo/seasoning sauce, liquid aminos, or even a bit of dark beer.
  • Salt.

How to Make Chiles Toreados - the Recipe Method

First, heat the oil in a medium skillet to medium-high heat.

Add the peppers and cook, stirring often, until the skins char and blister all over. Turn them to get all the sides evenly. Notice how the skins char and blister up.

Cooking Chiles Toreados (Mexican Blistered Peppers) in a hot pan

Add the onion (if using) and cook for another minute. If you like your onions ore caramelized, add them when you add the peppers. Remove from heat.

Stir in the lime juice (or lemon juice) and soy sauce, if using. Toss to coat.

Season with a bit of salt to taste and serve.

Chiles Toreados (Mexican Blistered Peppers) in a hot pan

Boom! That's it my friends! Super easy to make. I make these fried chili peppers all the time, probably 2 to 3 times a week. I pop them over everything. They're insanely delicious for such a simple thing. Simple is best, isn't it?

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • Slicing the Peppers. I like to slice larger jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise to get the blistering on the inside of the peppers as well. When I’m cooking them with serrano peppers, it allows them to cook the same amount of time. You can also slice the peppers and cook them that way.
  • Serving Chiles Toreados. Serve these fried peppers on the side to go along with any Mexican food, like tacos, burritos, tortas, carne asada, any of your favorites. I chop them up and take a little bit with each bite.
  • The Chili Peppers. Most Mexican restaurants serve jalapenos, though some offer serrano peppers, which are quite a bit hotter. If you're making them at home, you can use whatever peppers you'd like. You can make these with any type of chili peppers, like this blistered shishito peppers recipe. I enjoy a combination of jalapenos and serranos together.

Storage & Leftovers

Storing your Chiles Toreados in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days.

To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate them promptly.

I hope you enjoy them. Let me know if you make them.

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots
  • Salsa Roja
  • Salsa Verde
  • Homemade Pico de Gallo
  • Ranchero Sauce
  • Homemade Refried Beans
  • Easy Perfect Guacamole
  • Check out all of my Mexican Recipes
Chiles Toreados, or blistered chiles, in a pan

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Chiles Toreados Recipe (Mexican Blistered Peppers)
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Chiles Toreados Recipe: Mexican Blistered Peppers

A quick and easy, authentic Mexican chiles toreados recipe of jalapeno and serrano peppers blistered or fried in oil, with a touch of salt and lime. Just like your local taqueria!
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: jalapenos, Mexican, recipe, serrano, spicy
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Calories: 159kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 2
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 26 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large jalapeno peppers or 8 serrano peppers, or use a combination of both - sliced in half lengthwise or left whole
  • 1 small onion sliced (optional)
  • Juice from 1 small lime or use a half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce optional
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet to medium-high heat.
  • Add the peppers and cook, stirring often, until the skins char and blister all over 4-5 minutes. Turn them to get all the sides evenly.
  • Add the onion and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.
  • Stir in the lime juice (or lemon juice) and soy sauce, if using. Toss to coat.
  • Season with a bit of salt to taste and serve.

Video

Notes

Heat Factor: Medium for the jalapenos, HOT for the serranos.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 159kcal   Carbohydrates: 7g   Protein: 2g   Fat: 14g   Saturated Fat: 2g   Sodium: 506mg   Potassium: 169mg   Fiber: 2g   Sugar: 4g   Vitamin A: 302IU   Vitamin C: 37mg   Calcium: 13mg   Iron: 1mg
Chiles Toreados Recipe (Mexican Blistered Peppers)
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 3/8/24 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 1/22/20.

Reader Interactions

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Charles Pascual says

    May 05, 2025 at 8:43 pm

    5 stars
    Made this today with jalapeños, serranos, red onion, and a poblano chile I needed to use. Lime juice and soy sauce are good finishing touches. Thanks, Mike.

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      May 06, 2025 at 5:21 am

      You are very welcome, Charles - enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Marty says

    December 30, 2024 at 10:26 pm

    I ordered some takeout from one of my favorite local new mexican restaurants. they included toreados as a side. I didn't ask for them, I'd actually never heard of these.

    i have no memory of what the rest of the meal was... these insane peppers were by far the absolute star of the show.

    I crave these...

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      January 02, 2025 at 5:00 am

      Time to make them at home now! 😉

      Reply
  3. Peg says

    July 22, 2024 at 12:28 pm

    5 stars
    this looks soooo good

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 22, 2024 at 12:33 pm

      Thanks, Peg! It is! One of my favorites.

      Reply
  4. Jeff says

    June 29, 2024 at 12:16 am

    5 stars
    I will have to try this! So my local place that serves these, though off menu, always whole and dusted with like a chili powder/dehydrated garlic and then like yours served with lime wedges. And I get them every time I go, so happy to give this recipe a try!

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      July 01, 2024 at 4:32 am

      I bet you will enjoy this recipe then! Let me know how it goes please.

      Reply
  5. Maria says

    May 27, 2024 at 10:59 am

    5 stars
    Love theses! Haven't had them since I visited Mexico years ago. I eat them in almost every meal. Thank you for posting this delicious recipe.

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      May 27, 2024 at 12:01 pm

      You are very welcome, Maria! I am glad you are enjoying it =)

      Reply
  6. randy says

    May 15, 2024 at 8:58 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night with just olive oil and lime juice at the end...plus some salt...was amazed how good they was and not much heat

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      May 15, 2024 at 11:41 am

      Glad you enjoyed them, Randy. Yes, some jalapenos can be fairly mild.

      Reply
  7. Allen Kuusela says

    May 09, 2024 at 6:24 pm

    Love, love, love.... only 'sin cebollas' (without onion) for me!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      May 09, 2024 at 6:33 pm

      Excellent!! Thanks, Allen!

      Reply
  8. Daniel Crawford says

    March 11, 2024 at 10:26 am

    5 stars
    Just made this and it was so delicious. I used red onion and did add the lime and soy. I also topped with a little cheese. This would be a perfect side for almost anything. For me, I made a mountain of it as a main.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 11, 2024 at 1:56 pm

      Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it, Daniel! Nice.

      Reply
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