Create allergy card
← Browse ingredients

Mole Paste

Concentrated Mexican sauce base of chillies, spices, nuts and chocolate.

Mole Paste — illustrative ingredient image

About Mole Paste

Mole paste is a concentrated Mexican sauce base used to make mole and related savoury sauces. It combines ground chillies with spices, aromatics, nuts or seeds, and often chocolate, though the balance varies among mole styles and recipes. It is stirred into liquid and cooked before serving with poultry, meat, vegetables, beans, or tortillas.

The paste has a deep, layered flavour that may combine dried-chile warmth, toasted spice, earthy nuttiness, gentle bitterness, and sweetness from chocolate or fruit. Its consistency is thick and cohesive, ranging from smooth to slightly coarse according to grinding and the ingredients used.

Mole paste is commonly sold in jars, tubs, or compact blocks. It is loosened with stock, water, or another cooking liquid, then simmered until smooth and glossy. Some versions contain visible flecks or a grainier texture, while finely blended pastes produce a more uniform sauce.

Ingredient type
paste

FOLLOW IT TO THE PLATE

Where will you meet it?

Explore the dishes that use this ingredient and their country and cuisine connections.

Explore linked dishes

ON A MENU OR LABEL

Find local names and written forms to help recognise this ingredient.

See local names

Where mole paste appears

0 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

Food connections are still being added.

No linked foods are available for this ingredient yet.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for mole paste

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Mole paste

mole paste

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Mole Paste nutrition & diet

Mole Paste nutritional value

Product example: MOLE PASTE, MOLE (Conservas La Costena S.A.)

Per 100 g of this specific product as recorded by USDA, per 100 g.

Calories
476kcal
Protein
6.0g
Carbs
71.4g
Fat
17.9g

A product-specific label example, not a generic average. Formulations can change; use the nutrition label on the product being eaten.

Portions & preparation

Use the paste as a concentrated sauce base, not as ready-to-eat mole. Portion and preparation depend on dilution, added stock or water, oil, and accompanying foods. Identify whether the formulation contains chocolate, nuts, seeds, sugar, or cereal thickeners before comparing it with prepared sauce.

Compare the right form: Match references to concentrated commercial or homemade mole paste, specifying brand or recipe, moisture level, dilution instructions, and the edible paste portion.

Diet considerations

Mole paste is often primarily plant-derived, but compatibility depends on its exact recipe and preparation. Check labels or recipe details for lard, dairy, stock, nuts, seeds, and cereal ingredients. Reconstituting it with animal stock changes the dish, while serving with tortillas or rice changes carbohydrate considerations.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central branded product — MOLE PASTE, MOLE ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .