Dried New Mexico Red Chile

Dried New Mexico red chile is a long, smooth red pepper dried into a leathery, brick-red pod. It delivers mild to medium heat with earthy, lightly sweet notes of dried tomato and tea, toasts readily, and rehydrates to a silky, brick-red puree. Common uses include enchilada and chile colorado sauces, deepening stews and braises, and grinding into a versatile red chile powder; it is sold as whole pods, flakes, or powder.

These chiles descend from New Mexico cultivars of Capsicum annuum refined through 20th-century breeding programs at New Mexico State University and spread across New Mexican and broader Southwestern cuisines. The region’s arid climate favors sun-drying on ristras, and processors often destem and deseed pods before grinding or packaging.