This soup is silky smooth and creamy and hugely flavorful, made primarily with roasted red Hatch chile peppers and the perfect balance of seasonings. It is both rich and light and ready to make you happy. Here is the recipe.

Creamy Roasted Hatch Chile Soup Recipe
I recently received 5 pounds of Hatch peppers ordered from New Mexico and I've been greatly enjoying them. I made a seriously awesome Roasted Red Hatch Chile Sauce that was SO GOOD, I could practically drink the stuff.
It was so good, in fact, that I had to use some to make a soup recipe pretty much the same way as making the sauce, with some minor adjustments. And guess what? BOOM! Success!
Such a delicious, satisfying soup.
A Bit About Hatch Peppers
Hatch peppers are unique in that they are grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico, where the locals claim the soil is rich and unlike anywhere else. Hatch peppers aren't actually a single type of pepper, but a variety, so named because of the region where they are grown.
The reality is that "Hatch Chili Peppers" actually belong to the broader category of New Mexican peppers, and there are many types. You can learn more about Hatch Chili Peppers here, including types and history. Hatch peppers typically range in heat levels from 1,000 - 8,000 Scoville Heat Units, which is quite mild to about jalapeno pepper level heat.
I ordered mine online because I do not live near New Mexico, and the harvesting season runs from August through September. You can grow New Mexican types in your own garden, but my peppers are just now harvesting and I didn't grow any this year. Luck you can order anything online!
I got a mild variety - they are New Mexico 6-4 types to be more specific - and they are DELICIOUS. They were delivered already roasted, frozen. All I had to do was thaw them out and I'm ready to get cooking!
Let's talk about how to make creamy roasted Hatch chile soup, shall we?

How to Make Creamy Roasted Hatch Chile Soup - The Recipe Method
Remove the charred skins from your roasted Hatch peppers. Like so.

Remove the seeds and innards.

Toss the peppers into a food processor, along with some onion, garlic, and seasonings. I used a bit of spicy chili flakes, cumin and salt. Keeping it simple here. Just like the sauce.

Process the mixture until it smooths out, then drizzle in some olive oil and process it. The olive oil will emulsify and thicken up the soup to an almost fluffy texture.
Transfer the soup to a pot and add in a bit of chicken broth to thin it out. Simmer it for about 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle. I used about a cup of broth, but you can use more or less, depending on your preference.
Some people like a thinner soup, where I enjoy a thicker one, depending on what I'm using it for.

Adjust for salt and strain if you'd like to. It is not necessary to strain it, but doing so will give you a silkier sauce.
Stir in the sour cream, yogurt or Mexican crema. I prefer to use crema, though yogurt and sour cream work great here. Or, if you're looking for an even richer version, use heavy cream. However, be prepared for the extra calories from the cream.
Heat the soup back up for a minute in the original pot and serve it up into bowls. Garnish and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Notes
You can use other liquids to thin out your soup. I used chicken broth, but beer would be interesting, though you would need to up your simmering time to cook off the alcohol, as well as beef broth. Water works as well, or a soup base.
You can strain the sauce once it is done if you'd like as well. It may be slightly chunky, depending on your food processor. Straining it will give you a much smoother sauce.
Feel free to add in proteins, like roasted chicken, pork, or tofu, for a fuller meal. It's also great with your favorite vegetables tossed in.
Adjusting the Heat Factor
If you order or grow a milder variety of Hatch or New Mexico chile peppers, you can easily up the heat by incorporating a spicy chili powder or spicy chili flakes. I added some chili flakes to mine for a bit of zing.
Or, either order or grow a hotter variety of New Mexican peppers, such as the Sandia pepper, which is about as hot as a jalapeno pepper.
Can You Make This Recipe with Other Peppers?
Absolutely. If you do not have access to Hatch or New Mexico peppers, you can make this with any larger, thicker walled pepper, such as the Anaheim, large Italian sweets (think Corno di Toro), and yes, even sweet bell peppers.
Try poblano peppers for this recipe as well. They're great.
Where Can You Buy Hatch Chile Peppers?
I have a list of online resources where you can buy Hatch Chile Peppers.
Try Some of My Other Popular Soup Recipes
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Zesty Chicken & Tortellini Soup
- Roasted Poblano Soup
- Roasted Red Pepper Soup
- 30-Minute Sweet Potato Soup
- Spicy Thai Curry Chicken Soup
- Cheesy Guajillo-Potato Soup
- Sweet Pepper-Sweet Corn Chowder
- Spicy Sausage Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
- Spicy Pumpkin Soup
- Cajun Style Carrot Soup
- Chunky Southwest Chicken Soup
Try Some of My Popular Hatch Pepper Recipes
- Hatch Chile Salsa
- Pork Chili with Roasted Red Hatch Peppers
- One Pan Hatch Chile Cheese Dip
- Roasted Hatch Chile-Beer Mustard
- Spicy Pork-Hatch Chile Casserole
- Caribbean-Style Flame Roasted Pepper Bisque with Seared Shrimp

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.

Creamy Roasted Hatch Chile Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds roasted red peppers skins and innards removed
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon spicy chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup Mexican crema, sour cream, or yogurt or use heavy cream for a richer version
- FOR GARNISH: Sliced cherry tomatoes, spicy chili flakes, olive oil drizzle, fresh chopped herbs
Instructions
- Remove the charred skins from your roasted red peppers. Toss the peppers into a food processor, along with some onion, garlic, and seasonings. I used a bit of spicy chili flakes, cumin and salt.
- Process the mixture until it smooths out, then drizzle in some olive oil and process it. The olive oil will emulsify and thicken up the soup to an almost fluffy texture.
- Transfer the sauce to a pot and add in a bit of chicken broth to thin it out. Simmer it for about 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle.
- Adjust for salt and strain the soup, if desired. Straining makes for a silkier soup, though it is not necessary.
- Stir in the Mexican crema (or sour cream, yogurt, or heavy cream) and heat it back up for a minute in the same pot. Serve it up into bowls. Garnish and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition Information

Susan says
This was really so yummy poured over Chicken enchiladas!
I made the recipe exactly as written, except, before I put in the cream, I put chicken in the sauce and cooked it for 20 minutes on a low simmer. I pulled the chicken out, then put the cream in and mixed with an immersion blender and simmer it for about 20 minutes with the lid off to reduce it down to a thicker sauce. I wrapped the chicken in corn tortillas. I used mozzarella cheese and cotjio Cheese on top of the enchiladas, then poured the sauce over everything. I don’t like my cheese getting overcooked before the enchiladas are thoroughly Bubbling. That’s just me.
It was so yummy! I had some sauce left over so I added it to nachos the next day for lunch. so good thank you for sharing.
Mike H. says
Sounds very delicious, Susan. Thank you for sharing!
Michel says
I have lots of dried hatch chili peppers. I usually make enchilada sauce with them. Do u think it would work to rehydrate them and purée them to make this soup?
Mike Hultquist says
Michel, yes, you can do that. I often make sauces from the dried pods, but you can make soup as well. Very similar process. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy.
TR says
Mr. Hultquist,
Thank you for the excellent recipe. I made this for my wife today after she told me she'd had a tough day of work and need some comfort food. I was inspired by the roasted Hatch peppers and roasted the red onion and garlic pieces in extra virgin olive oil 20 minutes before putting all in the food processor. I can't recommend that extra step enough--everything had that soothing roasted flavor. My soup expert loved it and was very impressed by my culinary skills. My thanks to you.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding. Very happy you both enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!
Julie Vanderwekken says
Yum! Great way to use up a lot of peppers from our garden. I used red Anaheim peppers. Ended up using the recipe as a base and added more chicken broth, roasted tomatoes, corn, black beans & shredded chicken.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Thanks, Julie!
Pam Wolfe says
I cannot imagine how this carb count could be accurate. I've gone through the individual ingredients and there's got to be something that one of us is missing. Help please, as I'm trying to stay in Ketosis..... But I can smell this recipe cooking in my mind.... and my saliva glands are going crazy!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Pam, I ran this through a couple other nutrition calculators and came up with similar numbers for carbs. One was a bit higher, one was a bit lower. I'm at the mercy of the one built into my recipe card formatting software. A couple things on this, though. It is better to calculate the ingredients yourself with any recipe to get the most accurate information, as you know exactly what you're putting in and how much. Second, I calculated this at 2 servings, which is a large bowl for 2 people. You can easily stretch this to 4 smaller bowls so you can enjoy it and stay in ketosis. Please let me know if this helps, and what you wind up doing. I'd love to hear.
CJ Schram says
Where does the high sodium content come from?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
CJ, I recalculated the calories/sodium (which are all estimate, btw). My calculator was using canned/jarred roasted peppers, which is not what is used. The sodium is much higher with canned/jarred products.
Carla says
My husband raved over this recipe. I added chicken and he added avocado along with sour cream. Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Carla! Super happy he loved it. I appreciate the comments.
Andy says
Hi Mike - Great Website!! So I have my final hot pepper harvest to use up - maybe about 3 lbs of peppers and I'm looking for a good way to wrap things up this year! I just had an awesome hot pepper soup at a restaurant and got to thinking maybe roasting, pureeing and freezing the puree would be good idea, then I could pull out the puree and make soup at my leisure? Looking for confidence and found your site and this recipe!! so, ya think? that's the way i'm trending - but let me know if you don't think the puree will freeze well. I think i will not puree in onions and garlic now, but when I make the soup. This recipe i have to believe is pretty close to what we had - looks awesome either way! But it will wait to a real mid-winters day to make! Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Andy - if you roast and puree the peppers, you can totally freeze it and use it as needed. I do this all the time, sometimes with onions and garlic and/or tomatoes for soup bases, and sometimes with just the peppers for however I want to use it. Enjoy!!
Don says
Made this for lunch today. Outstanding. Only had Goat Cheese and Sour Cream in the fridge, so that's what we used. Will definitely be making this again and again.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Thanks for letting me know! Super happy you enjoyed it.
Ted Brooks says
I made it with some frozen and some freshly toasted green hatch peppers. I added a little more cream, as well as the broth and yogurt. It was great...made us sweat:-)
Great recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding! Thanks, Ted!
Jay V says
I made this today with mild Hatch green chilies and homemade Mexican crema. It was amazing. We omitted the red pepper flakes because we like less spicy food and this year even the mild variety is hotter than normal due to dry weather. The flavor is so robust, it could be spiced up quite a bit and still be very flavorful. I think the simplicity of this recipe is the key, it let's the flavor of these amazing chilies shine through. We will make this again.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Jay. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.