Quick Summary: The “little red” mole of Oaxaca, sweeter and more approachable than mole negro. Made with ancho chiles, chocolate, and warming spices, with a reddish-brown color and gentle sweetness. One of the more accessible of the seven Oaxacan moles, requiring fewer ingredients and less time. Traditional method developed with mi amiga. Prep: 15 min | Cook: 45 min | Serves: 4
Jump to: What Is Mole Coloradito? | Ingredients | How to Make | Simplified Version | FAQ
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When mi amiga and I made this mole Coloradito together, her grandmother on the video call from Mexico seemed almost relieved we weren’t tackling mole negro again. “Coloradito es más fácil,” she said. Easier. Fewer ingredients, less charring, more forgiving.
Coloradito means “little red,” and this mole lives up to its name. It’s reddish-brown, sweeter than the other Oaxacan moles, and more approachable for home cooks attempting their first traditional mole.
The sweetness in coloradito comes from the ancho chiles themselves (which have dried-fruit notes) and from a small amount of chocolate and sugar. It’s not dessert-sweet, but noticeably sweeter than mole rojo or mole negro. Some families add plantain or raisins for additional sweetness.
This mole pairs beautifully with pork as well as chicken. The sweetness complements pork’s richness in a way the more bitter moles don’t.
What is Mole Coloradito?
“Coloradito” means “little red,” and it’s not hard to see where mole coloradito gets its name from! This deep red mole uses primarily ancho chiles, with some help on occasion from guajillos.
Many cooks add ripe plantain, which thickens the sauce and makes it sweeter.
Mole coloradito is one of the seven traditional moles of Oaxaca. These are its defining characteristics:
- Color: Reddish-brown, from ancho chiles and a touch of chocolate. Lighter than mole negro, browner than mole rojo.
- Sweetness: The sweetest of the savory Oaxacan moles. The sweetness comes from ancho chiles, chocolate, and sometimes added sugar or dried fruit.
- Accessibility: Fewer ingredients than mole negro or rojo. The technique is more forgiving. A good starting point for learning traditional mole-making.
- Texture: Smooth and velvety when properly blended and strained.
Coloradito is everyday food in Oaxaca, not just celebration food. It appears at family dinners, not just weddings.
Key Ingredients
- Ancho chiles: The star. Dried poblanos with a sweet, fruity, slightly smoky flavor. They provide the color and much of the sweetness. See how they compare to other dried chiles in my guide to Mexican chile peppers.
- Chocolate: Mexican chocolate or unsweetened chocolate with sugar. Less than in mole negro, but present.
- Nuts and seeds: Almonds and sesame seeds, toasted.
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, tomatoes. Charred or roasted.
- Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, oregano, thyme, black pepper. Warming and aromatic.
- Plantain (optional): Ripe plantain, fried, adds sweetness and body. Traditional in some family recipes.
- Bread or tortilla: For thickening. Not burned black as in mole negro, just toasted.
The ingredients I chose for the mole Coloradito included:
- Chiles: ancho, guajillo
- Nuts or Seeds: pine nuts, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds
- Sweetener: plantains, chocolate
How to Make Mole Coloradito
- Toast and rehydrate chiles: Toast ancho and guajillo chiles in a dry skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant and pliable. Don’t char them black. Place in a bowl, cover with hot water, soak 20-30 minutes. Reserve soaking liquid.
- Toast nuts and seeds: In a dry skillet, toast almonds and sesame seeds until golden. Set aside.
- Roast aromatics: Broil or pan-roast onion, garlic, and tomatoes until softened and slightly charred. Not black, just blistered.
- Fry plantain (optional): If using, fry ripe plantain slices in oil until golden on both sides.
- Toast spices: Toast whole cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns until fragrant. Grind to powder.
- Blend: Combine rehydrated chiles (stemmed and seeded), roasted aromatics, toasted nuts, fried plantain, ground spices, and some chile soaking liquid in a blender. Blend until very smooth, adding more liquid as needed.
- Strain: For the smoothest texture, pass through a fine-mesh strainer. This step is optional but traditional.
- Fry the paste: Heat oil or lard in a large pot over medium heat. Add the blended mixture and fry, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. It will darken slightly and become very fragrant.
- Add liquid and chocolate: Add chicken broth to reach sauce consistency. Add Mexican chocolate (about 1-2 oz), broken into pieces. Stir until melted and incorporated.
- Simmer: Cook on low for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and a small amount of sugar if needed.
- Finish: Add cooked chicken or pork and simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes until the meat is heated through before serving.
Simplified Version with Spice Blend
The mole spice blend I sell at the St. Paul Farmers Market makes a quick coloradito, and I didn’t notice much loss of deep flavor (but I did notice the time savings!). The smoked chiles in it are ones I grow and smoke at Heathglen Farm. If you’re not near St. Paul, here’s the blend so you can mix your own. It’s the one used in the recipe card below.
Mole Spice Blend
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- ½ tsp annatto
- 2 tsp ancho powder
- ⅓ cup sesame seeds (toasted)
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp anise
- 1 tsp serrano powder
Sauté onion and garlic. Add the spice blend and canned fire-roasted tomatoes. Add chicken broth, a tablespoon of almond butter (for the nut element), and Mexican chocolate. Simmer 20-30 minutes.
Adjust sweetness with a small amount of brown sugar if needed. The result won’t have the depth of traditional coloradito, but it captures the essential flavor profile.
Another quick preparation of mole coloradito is to purchase a paste. I picked up a few in Oaxaca, and you can find similar ones on Amazon.
So, you can choose between the traditional way of rehydrating dried chiles, use a ready-made paste, or go “semi-homemade” and simmer fresh ingredients with a spice blend.
Serving Suggestions
Coloradito pairs especially well with:
- Pork (the sweetness complements richness)
- Chicken thighs
- Turkey
- Eggs (for breakfast)
- Enchiladas (as the sauce)
Serve with warm corn tortillas, Mexican rice, and black beans. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.
For the rest of the family, see my guide to the seven Oaxacan moles and their chile peppers. If you like coloradito, try my mole rojo, the more chile-forward red mole, or the bright mole amarillo.
FAQ
Coloradito is sweeter and uses more chocolate. Mole rojo relies more heavily on chile flavor with less sweetness.
Yes. Coloradito makes excellent enchiladas. Thin the sauce slightly with broth if needed.
Refrigerated for up to 5 days, frozen for 3 months. The flavor improves after a day.
Mildly. Ancho chiles are low on the heat scale. The sweetness further softens any heat.
Oaxaca has two red moles. Coloradito is the reddish-brown one: sweeter, with more chocolate, and often thickened with plantain. Mole rojo is redder and more chile-forward, with less sweetness.
What does coloradito mean?
Coloradito means “little red” or “reddish” in Spanish, for the sauce’s brick-red color.
Sweet, mildly spicy, and rich. You taste the dried-fruit flavor of ancho chiles, a little chocolate, warm cinnamon and cloves, and roasted tomato. It’s sweeter than mole rojo but not dessert-sweet.
The traditional version isn’t, because of the plantain, bread, sugar, and chocolate. The quick version comes close: skip the brown sugar, keep the chocolate to a small piece, and serve it over chicken or pork with black beans instead of tortillas. Here’s my full slow carb food list.
Mole Coloradito (Quick Version with Mole Spice Blend)
Ingredients
- 4 tomatoes note: or one 15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- ¼ medium onion
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic note: peeled
- 2 to 4 tablespoons mole spice blend
- 1 tablespoon oil or lard
- 1 cup chicken broth [confirm amount]
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- ½ ounce Mexican chocolate note: chopped [confirm amount]
- salt and brown sugar to taste
Instructions
- Broil the tomatoes and onion on high for 5 to 8 minutes per side, until charred. If you’re using canned tomatoes, broil only the onion.
- Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and mole spice blend to a blender and blend until smooth. Add 1/2 cup water if it’s too thick to blend.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour in the sauce (it will splatter) and fry, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until it darkens slightly.
- Stir in the broth, almond butter, and chocolate. Simmer on low for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce coats a spoon. Taste, and add salt and a pinch of brown sugar if needed.
- Spoon over cooked chicken or pork, or use for quesadillas (see notes).
Notes
- Paste your current quesadilla steps here under “Mole Coloradito Quesadillas.”
- The sauce keeps up to 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.
- For slow carb, skip the sugar and serve over chicken with black beans.