Chile de Árbol peppers are small and thin Mexican peppers 2-3 inches long and less than a ½ inch wide. The name means “tree chili” in Spanish, which refers to the woody stem of the pepper. Learn more about them from Chili Pepper Madness.
SCOVILLE HEAT UNITS: Sources rate this chili in 2 categories- 15,000-30,000 and 50,000-65,000 SHU
Capsicum Annuum.
Chiles de Árbol are small and thin Mexican peppers, growing to 2-3 inches long and less than a ½ inch wide. They mature to a bright, vibrant red, and are harvested and used at this stage. Chile de Árbol means “tree chili” in Spanish, a name which refers to the woody stem of the pepper.
Other names for this pepper include Bird’s beak chile, and Rat’s tail chile.
These peppers may be sold fresh, dried or powdered. The dried whole chilies are often used to make chili pepper wreaths, or ristras, because when dried they keep their deep red color.
Here is a photo of the chile de arbol peppers freshly picked from my garden. You can see their bright red color, so vibrant. I've removed the stems for making some fresh salsa.
How Hot is a Chile de Arbol?
These pepper range between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), though some have been reported at up to 65,000 on the Scoville Scale, which is quite hot. At 30,000 SHU, this is 6 times hotter than the average jalapeno pepper. The peppers can carry some high heat, though would be more comparable in heat to a serrano pepper or cayenne pepper.
Chile de Arbol Substitutes
It is believed that Chiles de Arbol peppers are derived from the cayenne pepper, and can be traded with the cayenne or the pequin pepper when cooking. They are very hot, so be sure to wash your hands after handling them. Other options include guajillo peppers, crushed red pepper flakes, or cayenne powder, depending on the recipe you are working from.
Cooking with Chiles de Arbol
Chile de arbol peppers can be used in any dish to add heat and spice, especially chili, salsa, and hot sauces. It usually only takes a few peppers added to a pot for significant heat. One of the most popular recipes using these peppers is chile de arbol salsa, which can be made from either fresh or dried chiles.
I have personally grown these peppers in my garden and have made chile de arbol salsa with both fresh and dried, and it is difficult to choose a favorite. Each offers its own special quality. Both are delicious as a salsa roja for drizzling over tacos, burritos, tortas, eggs like huevos rancheros and more.
I also enjoy using chiles de arbol for making hot sauce because of their nice level of heat. I prefer more of a vinegary style hot sauce with them, similar to a tabasco sauce, perfect for punching up any meal. I love adding them to my homemade chamoy sauce recipe.
When working with dried chile de arbol peppers, you can either grind them into chili powders or flakes and use them as a seasoning, or rehydrate them by soaking them in very hot water for 15-20 minutes until they are soft, then process them with other ingredients to make a fresh chile de arbol salsa or sauce.
Try Some of These Other Recipes
Where Can I Buy Chile de Arbol Peppers?
You can find them usually at Mexican grocers, or order them online. I typically find chile de arbol peppers in a large plastic bag in the Mexican section of my local grocery store. Here are some links to help you - Affiliate links, my friends.
Dried peppers last a long time, though they do eventually lose some of their overall flavor. If you buy them in bulk, which I often do, store them in bags and keep them in a dark place, such as a pantry, away from direct sunlight. The flavor will last longer this way.
NOTE: This post was updated on 2/4/20 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 9/27/13.
Cruz says
I love the great pictures and information on so many peppers I didn't know existed. You and Patty are the best!
Mike H. says
Thank you, Cruz! The world of peppers is huge! So much to explore =)
Lynda Jones says
is it possible to can chamoy and a chili sauce made with these peppers, and would water bath, or pressure canning be best.
Mike Hultquist says
Lynda, you can typically use a water bath canning method as long as acidity is high enough, but avoid canning foods with oil. Shoot for a pH of 3.5, or you can pressure can.
Peter says
The arblo peppers from Mexico I think are 2x hotter tham the cayenne I am use to. I found them at Walmart. They taste great in my home made hot sauces! Guess I got a hot batch...
Michael says
I've just started growing chile de arbol late last year and have a bumper crop of beautiful delicious chiles. I've used them in salsa and to give honey a kick.
My question: why do my chiles grow upright on the plant, like mirasol. All of the others I've seen grow hanging down. Could they be a hybrid?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Michael, I believe I've seen some chiles de arbol growing upward in other photos. Mine fell downward, but some of the smaller ones can poke upward.
brent says
Hi Mike, this is the first posting I ever made asking for your help.
I saw a tub of fresh green arbol chiles and bought them.
FRESH GREEN CHILE ARBOL RECIPES, GOOGLE + 30 MINUTES=ZERO.
Recipes are 100% dried red.
I've made my own roasted green arbol sauce (awesome.)
I've used your recipe to pickle them and I might with some of these.
But there's over a hundred and I have no imagination. I know you like to dehydrate these after they are red. But my question is what else can I do with all these fresh green arbols? Is their destiny to just become red?
thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Brent. I personally would freeze some of them as they are or chop them up then freeze them for cooking down as part of a Cajun holy trinity or mire poix, just cook them down with onions and carrots or celery and garlic as a base for general cooking - soups, stews, etc. You can stuff them and freeze them, depending on their size, or roast then stuff and freeze. Great for freezer meals. Another thing you can do is process them with some oil (and other ingredients if desired) to make a thick chili paste, then freeze that. Works great for many recipes. See the preserving section for more ideas. I hope this helps.
brent says
Thank you for the valuable idea, I wound up making one of your chile paste recipes and freeze the rest.
Mike, can you imagine the taste? The peppers and onion and garlic were roasted over mesquite wood. A little rice wine vinegar to tamp the fire and basically a lusty, rich paste.
In fact, sir, I smeared it on your your new beef sandwich recipe instead of horseradish. Perfect.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice! Yes, I imagine that would be absolutely outstanding. I may have to make this myself!
Jamie says
Freezing food is ok, until a long power outage or the freezer dies. Freezing also changes the flavor profile and texture food.
Alternatives; You could vinegar pickle or salt brine ferment the surplus chilli.
It's always good to have several options, pull the plug on the greedy energy corporations.
Mike H. says
I've got plenty of recipes for pickling and brining - check them out. Enjoy!
Allyson says
Hi! Thanks for supplying all the great info on all these different chilis. One thing that struck me as odd, though, is that you mention here guajillos, red pepper flakes or cayenne as possible substitutes in recipes, however, guajillos are quite mild compared with the rest of these...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Allyson, yes, guajillos are very mild. They can work in some recipes as a substitute, though you definitely won't get the heat. It really depends on the recipe.
larry jaffe says
can i do same with fresh arbols i bought that are in vinegar from the store????? thx larry j
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Larry, yes, you can pickle and preserve these peppers the same as others. No problem!
Dan Reyes says
One of my favorite things to make with del arbols is Salsa Macha.
50 dried chiles del arbol
10 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt
Slice garlic thinly. Add plenty of olive oil to a pan and heat over med high heat. That the garlic till it’s golden brown. As soon as it reaches this color, take it off the heat and pour the garlic and oil into a glass bowl to cool. Add more olive oil to the pan and toast the chiles until they start to puff up. They should be a dark red, but not scorched or burnt. Place them in the same bowl with the garlic to cool. As soon as everything has cooled, pour it all into a blender along with another good quantity of olive oil. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt. Blend only until roughly ground, about the consistency of pepper flakes. Pour into a jar. It will keep for months and doesn’t need refrigerating. The chile and garlic will sink to the bottom. Just stir before using. This is the traditional sauce added to pozole and works with almost anything. Some people like add toasted sesame seeds and/or peanuts. I use this on everything! You can make it with any dried chile.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds great, Dan! I make mine a similar way and have plans to get it on the site soon. I hope!
brent says
Good sir,
I've been using dried arbols for decades. They make great salsas y sauces.
But today at my Mex Grocer they were selling fresh arbol chiles.
Green and red. Pretty. I grabbed a handful of them. First time ever.
Have any ideas what I can do with fresh arbol chiles? Thank you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hello, Brent. Interesting, I have grown them in my garden this year for the first time and am faced with the same situation. I have always worked with dried. They are quite hot, so you'll notice more heat with fresh than dried. That said, they still make very good salsa. If it is too hot, you can mix them with other peppers, like red bells for more sweet, less heat. They are make for some great hot sauce. Make a good salsa roja for a table sauce. Great on everything. I'm not going to dehydrate these because I can so easily get dried chile de arbol. I'm using them fresh. I hope this helps.
brent says
You inspired me without knowing it again. "Hot sauce."
I wonder if I could use some as a base for a vinegar-based, bottled sauce? (like tapatio etc)
It would be easy and I could sample them first.
Like you said, if too hot I can temper with carrot or bell pepper.
OK, Mr. H, on to your vinegar-based sauces for ideas.
Thanks for all that info and good luck on your own crop of arbols this year.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely, glad to help. These peppers would definitely make a great vinegar-based hot sauce. Nice heat!
brent says
Took this long for the handful (12?) of arbols to get wrinkly and red. I read every single vinegar-based recipe here and then just did it--- gripped it an ripped it.
As you know Arbol has no fruitiness like a habanero, or a friendly taste like cayenne, or a sharp character like a serrano.
What an arbol has is a superior bite. So I took some sweetness aspects from your recipes.
juice of a few key limes and tsp of brown sugar: in blender
2 tb white vinger
blackened in a little oil in cast iron:
3 romas
1/2 white onion
arbols
6 garlic--------all these to blender
added a little more white vin and water and salt as it blended. Got it nice and soupy like Tabasco-like sauces.
made a cup or 1 1/3.
verdict: sweeter than I thought but garlic and arbols come right up and balance it out. it's like what I imagine your 'sweet heat' recipes are like.
Keeper. A daily sauce. I credit your site for the inspiration!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Brent! I love it! I grew these peppers again this year and JUST made a salsa with them. No joke, they have a great bite!