Tex Mex paste is a combination of tomato puree mixed with sauces and spices to add an explosion of flavor to a Tex Mex dish. Sadly, Hello Fresh does not sell the paste separately.
So if you are looking Looking for delicious Tex Mex paste substitutes that you can buy rather than make, this post is for you!
The best Tex Mex substitutes are Siren Spice Tex-Mex Seasoning, Achiote Paste, homemade chili sauce, and Sriracha sauce. You can also make your own Tex Mex paste by grinding and mixing various staple seasonings together to form the paste. Common ingredients that will be needed to make your paste is oregano, cumin, white vinegar, and some spices for heat.
If you like to make your own Tex Mex Paste, check out our Tex Mex copycat recipe.
Hello Fresh Tex Mex Paste Substitutes
1. Siren Spice Tex-Mex Seasoning
Siren Spice makes a seasoning blend that has all the flavors you would need to create your own Tex Mex paste substitute. You can simply add this seasoning to a tomato paste.
Some of the seasonings included in this blend: are cumin, ancho chili, garlic, onion, paprika, oregano, and cayenne. You can buy it on Amazon or Walmart
2. Homemade Achiote Paste
Achiote paste is a Mexican paste made from annatto seeds, which are also called achiote.
The seeds are collected from trees in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Achiote paste is very similar to tex-mex paste but with a more authentic flavor profile.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup annatto (achiote) seeds
- 2 whole cloves
- 5 cloves of garlic (peeled and coarsely chopped)
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
If you want a little more heat, try adding cayenne pepper, ground red pepper flakes, or minced jalapeños from a can of sliced jalapeños.
Steps to Make:
- Grind the peppercorns, cumin seeds, oregano, coriander seeds, annatto seeds, and cloves together.
- Add the ground spices and seeds with the white vinegar, salt, and garlic into a small blender until it is a smooth, paste-like texture.
- Put the paste into a mason jar or tightly-sealed container and place in the refrigerator or freezer for future use.
Achiote paste is used to color food and when various spices are added it can make a great addition to a meal that needs more flavor. You can make your own achiote paste at home as a great substitute for tex-mex paste with an authentic twist.
Achiote paste is a more authentic version of Tex Mex paste that can be used to add color and flavor to Tex-Mex dishes.
3. El Yucateco Achiote Paste
El Yucateco makes a pre-made achiote paste that you can find at international markets or buy on amazon to add flavor and color to your tex-mex dish.
The achiote paste includes staple tex-mex spices such as cumin and oregano with the addition of garlic and chilies to add some spiciness and flavor.
This would be a great substitute if you’re looking for a quick tex-mex paste replacement.
4. Goya Sofrito Tomato Cooking Base
Goya Sofrito tomato cooking base may be easier to find in standard grocery stores in the international aisle.
This cooking base includes tomato paste, dehydrated onion, salt, cilantro, bell pepper, paprika, onion powder, and citric acid that resembles ingredients found in many tex-mex dishes.
You can also add other ingredients such as finely chopped jalapeños to add spice to taste.
5. Gran Luchito Mexican Chipotle Chili Paste
Gran Luchito makes a Mexican Chipotle Chili Paste from a blend of chipotle and Mexican chilies.
It offers a smoky flavor from the chilies and sweetness from caramelized onions. This would be a great paste to substitute for Tex Mex paste because it offers the smoky, savory flavor that HelloFresh Tex Mex paste lovers crave.
You can have this delivered to your home by amazon within just two days. Many pastes that have the same flavor profiles as HelloFresh’s version of tex-mex paste are more authentic versions.
The Goya Sofrito tomato cooking base and achiote might be easier to find in U.S. grocery stores. As for the other options, you may have to order it online and deliver it to your home.
6. Homemade Tex Mex Paste
If you like to make your own Tex Mex Paste, check out our Tex Mex copycat recipe. Otherwise, the above options are somewhat close to the real Hello Fresh Tex-Mex paste.
7. Sona Homade Chili Sauce
While the Sona homemade chili sauce cannot be a direct replacement, we used it with other ingredients to create our own Tex Mex paste. Adding just the homemade chili sauce alone will be sure to add great flavor but it won’t have the burst of flavors that the Tex Mex paste has.
However, making the paste is very time-consuming so depending on the dish you may be able to get away with just using the homemade chili sauce.
Popular Tex Mex Dishes Perfect for Tex-Mex Paste
If you’re a tex-mex foodie then you might have a few tex-mex recipes in your pocket already that you want to try out your new tex-mex substitute with. The possibilities with this paste seem endless.
If you want to add a sweet and savory flavor to spice up taco night, try adding your tex-mex paste to your taco filling of choice.
Haven’t quite nailed a yummy enchilada filling flavor yet? Try adding tex-mex paste in it to turn it up a notch.
Take a look at some more ideas for a tex-mex dinner night to add your new delicious tex-mex paste to.
Tex-Mex Dinner Ideas
- Chili con carne: A delicious and flavorful tex-mex chili that can be a quick and easy dinner.
- South Texas Carne Guisada: A yummy dish with chunks of lean meat accompanied with veggies and a spicy gravy.
- Tex-mex Fajitas: A perfect dish to use your tex-mex paste as a marinade to create delicious simmering steak and veggie fajitas.
- Beef Tamales: Add tex-mex paste to your beef tamales filling for an extra kick of flavor!
- Beef Barbacoa: Create a juicy and tender pork dish by adding tex-mex paste into your beef barbacoa.
- Tex-mex stuffed Bell Peppers: Melt in your mouth cheesy tex-mex stuffed bell peppers that would pair great with a tex-mex paste for color and flavor.
- Tex-mex ground beef or chicken skillet: Toss your new tex-mex paste substitute into this delicious and savory tex-mex skillet meal.
There’s nothing more fun than experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. And it’s all up to the home chef to make these mouthwatering dishes come to life.
You can never go wrong with trying something new. The best part about making your own tex-mex substitute is being able to change the recipe up yourself to make it just right for your tastebuds.
Finally, there are many other similar seasonings at different stores and they are called different names. Look at the base ingredients and figure out what works for you in case any of the above recommendations don’t suit your flavor.
My name is Keren Tayler. I am a stay-at-home mama to three lovely girls, Sarah + Rachel + Hannah. Prior to becoming a mom, I had a successful career in the accounting field, steps away from becoming a CPA. I decided to give up on my career in order to raise my own kids (as opposed to letting a nanny do it, no judgment here :)) I learned a lot and I love sharing it with other moms. Along the way, I also became a Certified Food Handler.