Red pepper flakes for crushed pepper flakes are made of dried and crushed chili peppers, usually, a mixture of a few different types of peppers.
This spice or condiment is most commonly produced from cayenne-type peppers within the heat range of 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Units.
Most commercially sold red pepper flakes are typically cayenne pepper heavy and have a neutral, earthy, peppery flavor. This mixture is a versatile ingredient that can make any of your dishes instantly hot and spicy; and is frequently used in pizza sauce, sausage, pickling blends, chowders, spaghetti, soups, and savory dishes.
Best Red Pepper Flake Substitutes
Red pepper flakes are a staple ingredient on every kitchen rack. However, you may use a suitable crushed red pepper flakes substitute if you have run out of them. To make things easy for you, some of the replacement ingredients for chili flakes are common ingredients that you might already have in your pantry.
1. DIY – Homemade Red Pepper Flakes
Red pepper flakes are nothing but dried and coarsely ground chili peppers. Believe me, it is super simple to make flakes at home. A homemade mixture will be the best substitute for red pepper flakes.
Use any mixture of two or more varieties of moderately hot chili peppers. Ancho and guajillo peppers are most commonly used for making them. Jalapeños, Serranos, and Anaheim chilies can also be used. Any good grocery store would have these varieties.
To make an instant blend of chili flakes, simply tear the dehydrated chilies into small pieces and grind them in a spice grinder or blender. Just pulse it at a moderate speed for a few seconds. Then remove the larger pieces; the remaining blend of small flakes and seeds is your ultimate red pepper chili flakes substitute.
To make it professionally, first, manually sort the best quality ingredients and dry them well to the extent of total dehydration (sun drying is recommended). Secondly, tear the chilies into narrow pieces and then coarsely grind them in a grinder. If you love the smoky flavor, you may smoke-dry the peppers before grinding. Well, dried chili pepper flakes have better flavor and longer shelf life.
2. Dried Peppers
You can also make chili flakes with any dried chili peppers you have on the kitchen shelf. Grind the peppers into a mix of flakes, seeds, and powder. That is an instant replacement for crushed red chili pepper.
Note that all peppers are not the same because they vary a lot in flavor and have different levels of heat. If you have a comparatively hotter variety of pepper, then use fewer pepper flakes to balance the level of pungency.
For making chili flakes, yellow hot wax peppers, red cayenne peppers, Anaheim, Poblano, Ancho, Chipolte, Jalapeno, or others that have Scoville scale ratings of between 1,000 and 20,000 are the best.
3, Ground Cayenne Pepper
Ground cayenne pepper usually contains the same peppers as those used for making crushed red pepper flakes. Therefore, you can smoothly use it in place of the flakes. There won’t be much difference in their heat levels either.
To your advantage, cayenne pepper powder is conveniently available in almost all grocery stores. You probably already have it because it’s ubiquitously found in almost every kitchen.
On a negative note, in some recipes, you can’t use it like the chili flakes. It’s not possible to sprinkle chili powder over pizza, pasta, and dressings like you do with chili flakes. In addition, some varieties of it are hotter than chili flakes. Any of the substitutes for cayenne pepper can also be used if suitable. Use 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder for every 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
If you want something really hotter than this, then habanero powder can also be a good swap.
4. Gochugaru
Gochugaru is a Korean red pepper flake blend mostly used in Korean cuisines like kimchi. Generally, it contains sun-dried long, slim, and mild peppers, made of either red or green peppers. But the seeds are excluded from this blend of peppers, unlike red pepper flakes.
All the peppers used in Gochugaru are cultivated in Korea, but they actually belong to the same species of chiles of Central American origin.
Gochugaru is milder than regular chili flakes, so you need to use them in a little more quantity than crushed pepper flakes. Some of the Gochugaru substitutes might also work for your recipe.
5. Chili Powder
Chili powder is the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties of chili pepper. Some brands of this product also include other spices. Chili powder is popularly used in traditional Latin American dishes like tacos and enchiladas. Like pepper flakes, it works well for stews, soups, grilled meats, pots of beans, and vegetables.
In a pinch, if you have chili powder on your kitchen rack, use it as a substitute for red pepper flakes.
Importantly, chili powder is mild and doesn’t have the texture of chili flakes. Also, you may use any of the alternative spices to chili powder if they are suitable for your recipe. In place of it, Chile de Arbol powder or Chipotle powder would be a good swap to consider.
6. Fresh Red Chili Pepper
Fresh, hot chilies, a.k.a. hot peppers, are a great addition to many recipes, especially vegetable dishes. They have a green, grassy flavor that exudes a good kick of heat.
They differ a lot from flakes in appearance, flavor, and uses. However, in an emergency, you can use finely chopped fresh red chili peppers as a great red pepper flakes substitute. This substation works best in recipes that are okay with the extra bulk and moisture of the fresh chilies. Use 2 teaspoons of minced fresh chili for 1 teaspoon red pepper flake.
7. Hot Sauce
Hot sauce can very well mimic the heat of crushed pepper flakes.
If you don’t have any of the alternatives to red pepper flakes that I have listed above, then use hot chili sauce instead.
The heat level of hot sauce can vary according to the peppers used to make it. Always start by adding only a few splashes of it to your recipe. If required, add more midway through cooking. Similarly, you may also use chili paste as a substitute for red pepper flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you substitute chili powder for red pepper flakes?
If you are just looking to spice up your recipe, then red pepper flakes and chili powder can be used interchangeably. However, flakes are just crushed dry peppers with a coarse texture; they need to be ground into a powder-like consistency to appear like chili powder.
Can I use Sriracha instead of red pepper flakes?
Sriracha sauce is spicy like red pepper flakes. Just a few drops of Sriracha are enough to supply the same level of heat as a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. You can use Sriracha instead of red pepper flakes in savory dishes, soups, and sauces.
Can I use paprika instead of red pepper flakes?
Paprika and crushed pepper are different in texture, but both are equally spicy, with similarities in flavor. Definitely, paprika is a good substitute for pepper flakes.
What are the differences between chili flakes and red pepper flakes?
Chili flakes are made from a single type of chili, but pepper flakes are a mixture of different peppers dried and crushed into flakes. Flavor-wise, crushed pepper flakes have a complex flavor and medium-level heat. The chili flake's heat largely depends on the type of chili; generally, mild chilies are used for making chili flakes.
Are chili flakes and crushed red pepper the same?
Chili flakes are bits of dried chilis, while crushed red pepper is ground finer and can come from different chilis, making it usually spicier than chili flakes.
Are red pepper flakes the same as cayenne pepper?
Red pepper flakes mix various chilis together, but cayenne pepper comes just from the cayenne chili and is typically hotter than the flakes.
Is crushed red pepper the same as chili flakes?
Crushed red pepper and chili flakes are both made from dried, crushed chilis. Their spiciness can change based on the chilis used, usually scoring between 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville scale.
Are red pepper flakes hot?
Red pepper flakes are spicy, hitting 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Heat scale, about as hot as jalapeños, which rank from 2,500 to 8,500 SHU.
Can red pepper flakes go bad?
Red pepper flakes can spoil, losing flavor and smelling musty or sour. If this happens, throw them out. Keep them in a sealed container in a cool, dark spot to last up to two years.
Final Thoughts
If you have run out of red pepper flakes, you can use a substitute that balances the required heat level of your recipe. I would recommend you use the DIY homemade chili flakes as the best replacement for crushed pepper flakes. Other alternatives for crushed pepper flakes, in order of preference, are dried pepper, ground cayenne pepper, and Gochugaru.
Read Next: Aleppo Pepper: Origin, Scoville, Flavor, Uses