Chiles Toreados
Chiles toreados are a spicy, savory, and versatile recipe used to pack heat and flavor into all of your favorite meals. Blistered serrano chiles are paired with sweet caramelized onions and umami-rich soy sauce, creating an unforgettable combination.
💚 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Spicy: If you’re a spice lover, you won’t be able to get enough of this combo.
- Quick & easy: This recipe just takes just a few minutes to make and can kept on hand in the fridge until you need it.
- Versatile: Chiles toreados can be paired with virtually any dish, from breakfast casseroles to vegan tacos al pastor.
- Traditional: Try making a traditional Mexican recipe to infuse new flavors into your kitchen.
If you love chiles toreados, you should really check out our pickled jalapeños, quick-pickled onions, mango chamoy, and adobo sauce.
🌶️ What are chiles toreados?
Chiles toreados are a classic Mexican side dish with blistered chiles, caramelized onions, and a touch of soy sauce. You can find a bowl of these beauties in almost any taquería around the country, just waiting for spice lovers to put them on their tacos.
This recipe is incredibly simple to make, starting with pan-frying jalapeños or serranos until they’re blackened and blistered. To balance out the spice, the chiles are combined with caramelized onions. The result is smoky, spicy, and slightly sweet with a crisp yet tender texture.
We recommend serving chiles toreados with just about anything, from tacos to a tofu scramble for breakfast. Whichever way you serve them, don’t forget to pour yourself a tall glass of water first!
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Serrano chiles: Although you can use any type of spicy pepper in chiles toreados, serranos are our favorite. However, jalapeños will provide a milder spice.
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing. You can substitute olive oil with other vegetable oils like avocado, sunflower, safflower, or canola oil if you prefer.
- Onion: Add a slight crunch and intense sweetness that balances the spice of the serranos. White or yellow onions are our first choice, but red onions also work.
- Garlic: Brings a savory depth of flavor. Garlic powder can be used in a pinch.
- Lime juice: Offers a slightly sweet, tart, and acidic element that brightens the dish. Lemon juice will work as well, but the flavor will vary.
- Soy sauce: Imparts saltiness and umami. If you’re sensitive to gluten, tamari or liquid aminos are gluten-free alternatives.
- Sea salt: Go easy on the salt at first, since soy sauce is already quite salty.
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make chiles toreados
Step 1: Blister the chiles
Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium. While you’re waiting, lightly roll the chiles to release some spicy flavor from the seeds and veins. Add the chiles to the hot skillet and cook them until you see blisters forming on all sides.
Step 2: Sauté the onions
Remove the chiles from the skillet, then sauté the onions with the olive oil until they’re slightly browned.
Step 3: Add the finishing touches
Add the minced garlic and chiles back in and continue cooking for another few minutes. Lastly, mix in the lime juice, soy sauce, and salt to taste. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this chiles toreados recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🥗 How to serve chiles toreados
With their smoky flavor and spicy kick, chiles toreados make a versatile companion to a variety of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. Here’s how to elevate your meals with this fiery side:
- Tacos: Incorporate them as a topping on vegan birria tacos, vegan chorizo tacos, jackfruit carnitas tacos, and more.
- Quesadillas: Place a few sliced chiles toreados inside a quesadilla before grilling it.
- Tofu scrambles: Mix them into your morning scramble for a punch of flavor.
- Chili: Float a couple of these chiles on top of a bowl of vegan chili to enhance its depth and spiciness.
- Salads: Dice them up and sprinkle over a taco salad for a burst of heat.
- Sandwiches and burgers: Incorporate thinly sliced chiles toreados for an extra layer of zest and kick.
🌡️ Storage & reheating
If you have leftover chiles toreados, here’s what to do:
- Fridge: Once cooled, store the leftover chiles in an airtight container for up to 5-6 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe because the texture of the chiles changes too much once thawed.
- Reheating: You can enjoy chiles toreados at room temperature if you leave them out for 20-30 minutes before serving. Alternatively, pan-fry everything with a little oil until hot. Avoid the microwave as it tends to make the chiles soggy.
♻️ Variations
- Soy-Free: Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos for a soy-free version.
- Zesty: Mix in some lime or lemon zest for a citrusy punch.
- Herbaceous: Incorporate fresh cilantro or parsley at the end.
- Tangy twist: Replace the lime juice with apple cider vinegar for extra acidity.
- Sesame: Add a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
- Extra smoky: Incorporate a dash of smoked paprika.
- Sweet heat: Add a splash of agave or maple syrup to tame the heat.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Char the chiles: Ensure serrano peppers are evenly charred for the best results.
- Cook the onion: Caramelization brings out the onion’s natural sweetness, which helps balance the heat from the chiles.
- Cast-iron skillet: Cast iron creates even heat distribution and optimal charring. If possible, cook this recipe in a cast-iron skillet.
- Use fresh lime: Always opt for freshly squeezed lime juice over bottled.
- Garlic timing: Add the garlic after onions have lightly browned to prevent burning.
- Add the soy slowly: Gradually adding the soy sauce will prevent over-salting.
- Safety: Always wash your hands after handling chilies to avoid accidental burns.
💬 FAQ
Chiles toreados can definitely be made without oil if you’d prefer. Just sauté the onions in a little vegetable broth or water.
You don’t have to remove the skins from chiles toreados. In fact, it adds to the flavor if you keep them on.
You can use any type of chile you want to make chiles toreados. Our favorite varieties are serranos or jalapeños.
Yes, but a cast-iron skillet provides even heat and better charring.
Rolling helps release some spicy flavor from the seeds and veins.
🍴 More spicy recipes
If you love spicy foods like chiles toreados, you need to try some more spicy recipes like these:
- Pambazos: A fusion of flavors and textures served on a chile-soaked bun.
- Enchiladas Potosinas: Chile-infused dough wrapped around queso and spicy salsa.
- Peanut Noodles: Quick, easy, and flavor-packed noodles in a spicy peanut sauce.
- Vegan Thai Red Curry: Cubed tofu in a spicy coconut-based broth.
Spicy Chiles Toreados
Equipment
- Chef's knife
- Cutting board
- Cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
- 8-12 serrano chiles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ lime, juiced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium. In the meantime, lightly roll the chiles to release some spicy flavor from the seeds and veins.
- Add the chiles to the hot skillet and cook them for about 5-6 minutes or until you see blisters forming on all sides. Make sure to stir them frequently so each side cooks evenly. Transfer the chiles to a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, sauté the onions for 4 minutes until they're translucent and slightly browned. Add the minced garlic and chiles back in.
- Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized to your liking. Lastly, mix in the lime juice, soy sauce, and salt.
- Serve your chiles toreados immediately, at room temperature, or chilled with tacos, toast, quesadillas, tofu scramble, etc. Happy eating!
Video
Notes
- Char the chiles: Ensure serrano peppers are evenly charred for the best results.
- Cook the onion: Caramelization brings out the onion’s natural sweetness, which helps balance the heat from the chiles.
- Cast-iron skillet: Cast iron creates even heat distribution and optimal charring. If possible, cook this recipe in a cast-iron skillet.
- Use fresh lime: Always opt for freshly squeezed lime juice over bottled.
- Garlic timing: Add the garlic after onions have lightly browned to prevent burning.
- Add the soy slowly: Gradually adding the soy sauce will prevent over-salting.
- Safety: Always wash your hands after handling chilies to avoid accidental burns.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
Justine Drosdovech is a food writer, photographer, and one of the founders of Broke Bank Vegan. She is a self-taught plant-based chef but uses her healthcare background to craft dishes that are both delicious and nourishing.