Gochugaru substitutes
Out of gochugaru? Here are the best substitutes — what to reach for, why it works, and how much to use. Aleppo pepper is the top pick.
- 01Aleppo pepperbest pick
Coarse, fruity, and mild-to-medium — the closest widely available match.
1:1
- 02Red pepper flakes
Hotter and less fruity; grind slightly and cut the amount.
use ~1/2
- 03Paprika + cayenne
Rebuilds gochugaru's sweet red color plus controlled heat.
3 parts paprika + 1 part cayenne
- 04Sweet paprika
For the color and mild fruitiness when heat isn't wanted.
1:1
Cooking with gochugaru?
Paste your recipe into Mise — we'll find every ingredient as a real product you can buy, and swap the ones you can't, like gochugaru, for the closest match in stock.
Turn a recipe into a basket →How we choose these
These are tested kitchen substitutes, chosen for matching flavor, texture, and role — with ratios so the swap actually works. Taste as you go; substitutes shift intensity, not just flavor.
Flavor data: Epicure (Radzikowski & Chen, 2026), arXiv:2605.22391, CC-BY-4.0.
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