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An authentic chile relleno recipe made from roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in a fluffy egg batter and fried until golden brown! This traditional Mexican dish is fun to make and better than any restaurant version you’ll ever try!
Chile rellenos were one of my favorite things to eat growing up. My mom often made them during the season of Lent since they don’t contain any meat, but these peppers are way too good to only be served at that time.
Luckily, she spoiled us and made them for my family throughout the entire year. I could never say no to peppers stuffed with loads of melted ooey-gooey cheese and fried in a light and fluffy batter. Could you?!
After a few years of having the recipe on my to-make list, I’ve finally perfected it and am so excited to be sharing it with you!
What Are Chile Rellenos?
Chile rellenos (or ‘stuffed peppers‘ in English) are a traditional Mexican dish made from roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese, then coated in a fluffy egg batter and fried until golden brown.
They’re sometimes served with a simple red or green salsa, or even wrapped in a tortilla with refried beans to make chile relleno burritos.
If you want the dressed-up version, my chiles en nogada are stuffed with a fruit-and-meat picadillo and covered in a creamy walnut sauce. I make them every September for Mexico’s Independence Day.
How to Make Chile Relleno
First, prepare your poblano peppers by roasting them in the oven or on the stovetop, and then removing the blistered and blackened skin. This softens the skin and makes them super easy to stuff.
I’ve included instructions on how to roast the peppers in the recipe card below, but if you’re looking for step-by-step photos of this process, check out this post on how to roast poblano peppers which goes into more detail that’s extra helpful for beginners.
Once your peppers are roasted and the skins are peeled, gently cut a slit down the middle of the pepper with a knife and stuff them with cheese. I used a block of Monterey Jack cheese that I cut into strips, but you could also use shredded cheese if you prefer.
Then carefully close the peppers and bring the edges of the slits together. Secure the edges together with a toothpick or two so the cheese doesn’t fall out of the chiles.
Next, make the egg batter by separating the yolks and whites from 3 eggs. Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl.
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Then continue beating them on low and add in egg yolks one at a time until they’re all mixed together. The batter should be light, fluffy and golden yellow.
To coat the chiles, I recommend setting up an assembly line with the peppers on the left, all-purpose flour mixture in the middle and the egg batter on the right.
Using one hand, grab a stuffed pepper and roll it in the plate of all-purpose flour. Make sure it’s coated on all sides, and then give it a tap to remove any excess flour.
Then using your hand, grab the flour-coated pepper and dip it into the egg batter. Make sure it’s also coated on all sides. Quickly and gently place the pepper in the hot frying oil and fry on both sides until golden brown.
Transfer the chile rellenos to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain and collect any excess oil. Continue frying the remaining peppers and then serve immediately!
I served mine with a super simple red salsa made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, a jalapeño and cilantro, but that’s completely optional. You could use any salsa you have on hand (a salsa verde would be delicious with these), or just with a big dollop of sour cream or drizzle of Mexican crema.
Helpful Tips and Variations
- Buy the largest poblano peppers you can find. That way you can stuff the peppers with a lot of filling and you won’t have any leftovers.
- Use a different cheese. Feel free to use another type of cheese if that’s all you have. Traditionally, chile relleno is made with Oaxaca cheese, but you could also use mozzarella, cheddar, provolone or another good melting cheese.
- Add a different filling. To make this a more well-rounded one-dish meal, feel free to mix in some other ingredients to the filling. Some good options would be carnitas, shredded chicken, or picadillo.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. I typically fry 2 chile rellenos at a time even though the pan could fit 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any neutral oil with a high smoke point works. I use canola, but avocado, grapeseed, or regular vegetable oil are all great. A few people have asked me about coconut oil, and that’ll work too; it just adds a little flavor.
You can, but know that you won’t get that same light, crispy batter. Frying is what makes them puff up and go golden. If you’d rather skip the frying altogether, I have a baked chile rellenos recipe that’s lighter and a little easier to pull off.
Kind of. The peppers can be roasted and peeled up to 2 days ahead, and the salsa roja holds for 3 days in the fridge. But the frying is best done right before serving, since the batter softens as it sits.
Two usual culprits: the peppers are too wet, or you skipped the flour. Pat the roasted peppers dry before stuffing, and don’t skip rolling them in flour before the egg batter. The flour is what gives the batter something to grab onto.
I like Monterey Jack because it melts so well. Traditionally, chile relleno is made with Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, and that’s delicious if you can find it. Mozzarella, cheddar, or provolone all work too. Just use a good melting cheese.
Chile Relleno Recipe
Equipment
- Toothpicks, for securing the stuffed peppers
Ingredients
For the chile rellenos
- 6 large poblano peppers
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into long strips/sticks (or shredded cheese)
- 4 cups oil, for frying
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
For the salsa roja
- 6 roma tomatoes, quartered
- ½ small onion, halved (yellow or white)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño pepper stem and seeds removed (optional)
- 5 sprigs cilantro
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
For the chile rellenos
- Roast the peppers: Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place poblano peppers on top. Set your oven rack directly underneath the broiler and turn the broiler on.
- Broil poblanos for 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered.
- Remove them from the oven and loosely cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep in some of the heat and help them steam. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Peel the peppers: Peel and rub off as much of the loose skin on the peppers as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just as much as you can.
- Cut a small slit down the middle of the peppers with a knife. (If you don't want the peppers too spicy, you can remove some of the seeds. I like to leave them in as poblanos aren't typically super spicy to me, but that's personal preference.)
- Stuff the peppers: Carefully stuff the peppers with the cheese. Some of the peppers will be extra fragile because of the roasting process and may tear – that's okay. Just do the best you can.
- Gently close the opening of the peppers and secure it shut with 1-3 toothpicks. Use as many as you need to ensure that the cheese won't ooze out during the frying process. Set aside.
- Prepare for frying: Heat the frying oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. While oil is heating up, prepare the batter.
- Make the batter: Separate the egg whites from the yolks into two separate bowls – the whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the egg yolks one at a time until all of them are fully mixed in. The batter should be light, fluffy and golden yellow.
- Coat the peppers with batter: Place the flour and salt into a separate shallow bowl or plate. Mix together to combine. Gently roll the stuffed peppers in the flour mixture, then give them a gentle tap to remove any excess. Then dip them in the egg batter and gently place them in the hot frying oil.
- Fry the chile rellenos: Fry the peppers for 3-5 minutes per side, until the batter is golden brown and crispy. Try not to overcrowd the peppers in the pan – I usually fry 2 at a time depending on the pan I'm using.
- Transfer the peppers to the lined baking sheet to drain off any excess oil.
- Serve: Immediately serve chile rellenos on a plate with some salsa, freshly chopped cilantro and some cotija cheese. (Don't forget to remove the toothpicks when you first cut into the peppers! You can try to remove them before serving onto plates, but I find it easier to remove them when you first cut into them.)
For the salsa roja
- Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro and salt to a blender. Puree until smooth.
- Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add blended salsa and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, taste and season with more salt if desired.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead. The poblanos can be roasted and peeled up to 2 days in advance. The salsa roja can be made up to 3 days in advance. Both should be kept in the fridge until ready to use.
- Buy the largest poblano peppers you can find. That way you can stuff the peppers with a lot of filling, and you won’t have any leftovers.
- Use a different cheese. Feel free to use another type of cheese if that’s all you have. Traditionally, chile relleno is made with Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, but you could also use mozzarella, cheddar, provolone, or another good melting cheese.
- Add a different filling. To make this a more well-rounded filling meal, feel free to mix in some other ingredients to the filling. Some good options would be carnitas, shredded chicken, or picadillo.
- Don’t overcrowd the frying pan. I typically fry 2 chile rellenos at a time even though the pan could fit 3.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Most excellent! Thanks for this recipe. I made this yesterday and oh so good!! Made with a side of frioles…
I moved to Florida a few years ago and have missed So Cal’s Mexican food immensely! I made these tonight, and they were better than at a restaurant. I used Chihuahua cheese.
Very delicious! My entire family loved it! Thank you 😊
I made this May 6th, 2026. Loved it! I did add ground beef to the filling and it was very good. My only problem was after dipping into the flour, the egg mixture didn’t want to stick. But all of the people that had it loved it. Will definitely do this again. I’m new to cooking so if someone could tell what I’m doing wrong with the batter, please let me know.
Hi! So glad you loved it — and ground beef in the filling sounds delicious.
The batter trick is all about dry peppers. The flour is what helps the egg grab on, so after roasting and peeling, pat them really well with a paper towel. Any wet spots and the flour goes gummy instead of giving the egg something to cling to.
Two more things that help: coat the pepper in a thin, even layer of flour and tap off the extra, and make sure your egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks so the batter’s thick and fluffy. If it’s runny, it’ll slide right off.
You’re doing great — chile relleno is one of the trickier ones, so everyone loving it says a lot!
hi. what type of oil do you use to fry chili Rellenos? can I use coconut oil?? thanks, Joseph.
I used canola oil, but avocado oil, grapeseed, or any vegetable oil will work. Coconut oil should work as well.
Hi Isabel Eats,
Thank you for this recipe. It truly was an experiment for me. My family members, guest and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish I had prepared enough so that everyone could have seconds. This is my favorite and my go to dish when I go to a Mexican Restaurant. It just so happened that a big box of Poblano pepper were offered to our pantry this week. I could not wait to try them in a Chili Relleno recipe. Thanks again. Delicious!
These were very good, but putting the salsa underneath made mine soggy. Serve the salsa on the side. I ate with some good refried beans. They were excellent together. And I felt like you could not put enough cheese inside!
Love this! Serving the salsa on the side is a great call if you want to keep that exterior as crispy as possible, then just pour it on the bottom right before you dig in. And refried beans on the side? Perfect pairing. As for the cheese… honestly, I don’t think there’s such a thing as too much. Pack it in!
I live in Mexico five months a year. And I’ve struggled in our little town to find great Chile Relleno. So I decided I’d try to make my own and found this recipe. They were outstanding! I followed the recipe exactly and filled the poblanos with Gouda and cooked chopped up arrachera. Thank you so much for this recipe recipe
Such a great recipe. Made this for Thanksgiving as I wanted to do something different this year. I subbed the filling with diced up smoked turkey leg meat, potatoes, and queso fresco. So delicious!
Will still be ok if I fry ahead it should I prep till fry point and fry before serving.
Chile rellenos are really best fried right before serving — that’s when the egg batter is at its crispiest. If you fry ahead, they’ll soften up as they sit.
So I’d prep everything up to the frying point: roast, peel, and stuff your peppers, and have your egg batter ingredients ready to go. Then whip the egg whites and fry just before serving. If you do have leftovers, reheat them in the oven or air fryer to bring back some of the crisp. Hope that helps!