You don’t have any peppers or did you realize that you are cooking? Here is the best pepper substitute for recipes.
Are you preparing a recipe that calls for peppers and you don’t have any? Here are some options that make good substitutes. Paprika is a spice made from dried and ground peppers with a beautiful bright red color. It’s used in many spice blends and to dust those classic deviled eggs. There really is nothing like it!
types of peppers
Before we get to the pepper substitutes, we come to the pepper varieties! Their replacement depends on the kind called for in the recipe.
- Sweet peppers: Sometimes referred to as the Hungarian paprika, it is very mild and the most common variety.
- Paprika strong: This style is prepared with hot peppers and is very spicy.
- Smoked Peppers: This Spanish take on paprika is sweet with a smoky flavor. It is also known as pimentón, Spanish smoked paprika or sweet smoked paprika.
Best Pepper Substitutes (By Type)
1. Sweet Pepper Substitute
The Best Substitute for Sweet Peppers? Here are two options:
- Smoked Peppers. It’s soft even without heat. As a bonus, the smoked paprika adds a delicious smoky flavor to your recipe. We can’t think of a time when that would be a bad thing!
- Left by the way. If you don’t have access to smoked paprika, it’s best to wait until you have sweet paprika before preparing the recipe. Or you can omit it from the recipe if the recipe includes a lot of other spices and flavors (you can judge).
2. Substitute for smoked paprika
The Best Substitute for Smoked Paprika Powder? Here are two options:
- Liquid smoke: It is the best substitute for smoky flavor. The conversion: 1 teaspoon smoked paprika = ½ teaspoon liquid smoke.
- Sweet Paprika and Cumin: This substitute resembles the color and shade, but not the smoke flavor. The conversion: 1 tsp smoked paprika = 2/3 tsp regular paprika + ⅓ tsp cumin
2. Hot Paprika Substitute
The best substitute for hot paprika? Here are two options:
- Sweet paprika and cayenne pepper: It is the best substitute for the overall taste. The conversion: 1 teaspoon hot paprika powder = 2/3 teaspoon regular paprika powder + ⅓ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Cayenne: Cayenne pepper is hotter than hot paprika! But if the recipe is going to be garnished with hot peppers for dusting, this is your best bet. Use just a little less than the recipe calls for.
Related Recipes
Here are some recipes that use peppers:
