Hot Pepper Palooza: 10 Types of Chili Peppers to Bring the Heat to Your Harvest
So Hot, They're Cool
Demand for hot peppers keeps climbing, and supply is racing to keep up, according to FreshPlaza, an international news site for the fresh produce trade. While chile lovers hunt down and experiment with hot peppers, market farmers are growing and selling them just as enthusiastically.
Breeders around the world, meanwhile, spend years collecting, crossing, trialing and refining pepper varieties, and only the most dependable and flavorful make it to market.
The range of hot peppers keeps growing, with options for international markets, food lovers and adventurous chefs alike. Planning this year's lineup? To help, here's a rundown of 10 popular hot pepper types, from Anaheim to Cayenne, Padrón to Hot Wax, covering their origins, growing notes and kitchen uses. For pepper fans of every level, there's also a bit about capsaicin and the Scoville Heat Scale.
1 • Anaheim/Numex
- Heat:
Mild
- Early and productive, even where summers are cool.
- Origins
- This type goes by two names. Anaheim refers to the southern California city where, the story goes, the chile arrived from New Mexico around the end of the 1800s. NuMex points to its roots in breeding work at New Mexico State University, which has one of the oldest chile breeding programs in the world, dating to the early 1900s.
- In the kitchen
-
Widely sold and among the most common chiles in the U.S..
- Mild in heat but with a sharp, slightly tangy flavor.
- Usually eaten green, though red fruit is good too.
- In New Mexico they're often sliced, fried and served as a side.
- Great roasted as a snack or starter.
- A good choice for chiles rellenos when poblanos are too spicy.
- Red fruits are often strung into ristras.
- Variety to try
- Organic 'Highlander' is easy to grow, widely adapted and full of flavor, and it bears early and heavily even in cool regions.
2 • Ancho / Poblano
- Heat:
Medium
- The classic flat pepper for grilling.
- Origins
- From Puebla, Mexico.
- In the kitchen
- Fairly thick walls hold up well to stuffing.
- Fresh, they're poblanos; dried, they're anchos, from the Spanish for "wide."
- Variety to try
-
'Sargento': a classic flat, somewhat heart-shaped poblano that's ideal for grilling and for stuffing as chiles rellenos.
3 • Cayenne Chili
- Heat: Medium
- A flavorful, versatile cayenne for fresh use or drying.
- Origins
- Thought to be named for Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, a name that traces back to the Tupi word kyinha.
- In the kitchen
- Heat: Medium to
very hot
- Good fresh, cooked or dried.
- The spicy orange-to-red fruits are usually ground into powder or flakes for seasoning.
- The dried powder works well in kimchi.
- They bring both heat and flavor to many cuisines.
- Variety to try
-
'Red Ember' is an All-America Selections winner valued for its versatility and smoky-sweet, medium-hot flavor. Use it fresh, or dry it for chile powder or flakes to sprinkle on food. It also shines in sambal matah, a Balinese relish; see this recipe from a chef and farmer.
4 • Fresno
- Heat: Medium
- Widely adapted, with tasty sweet heat.
- Origins
- Developed by Clarence Brown Hamlin and released in 1952, this type takes its name from Fresno, California. It's widely grown across California and available there almost all year.
- In the kitchen
- Very versatile, green and unripe or red and ripe.
- Its medium heat suits many cuisines and recipes.
- Usually used fresh in garnishes, relishes, salsa or ceviche, or added to stir-fries, hot sauces and sautés.
- Thick walls make it good for stuffing, but it doesn't dry well.
- Variety to try
-
'Flaming Flare' is a widely adapted All-America Selections winner whose flavor blends sweetness and heat.
5 • Hot Wax
- Heat: Medium
- Sets fruit well in cool, wet weather when other peppers struggle.
- Origins
- From Central Europe.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Good at the yellow, orange or red stage.
- Great fried, roasted or pickled.
- Variety to try
-
'Hungarian Hot Wax' is an improved selection with more uniform fruit and better plant structure than older strains. Smooth, tapered, medium-hot fruits average about 5½" x 1½" and ripen from pale yellow to orange-red and finally bright red.
6 • Habanero
- Heat:
Extremely hot
- An early hybrid habanero that's very and hot, at the top of the heat scale!
- Origins
- A type of Capsicum chinense, a species that originated in the Amazon basin; the habanero became especially associated with Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean.
-
Habanero means "from Havana."
- Growing note
- Habaneros, 'Helios' included, often grow more slowly than other peppers, so sow them a week or two ahead of your other sweet and hot peppers.
- In the kitchen
- As with many hot peppers, heat varies by variety and growing region. Fruits get hotter in hot, dry weather and milder in cool, wet weather.
- A cornerstone of Yucatecan and Caribbean cooking, especially in salsas, purées and hot sauces such as jerk sauce.
- Variety to try
-
'Helios': an early, intensely hot habanero that ripens glossy bright orange. It suits both long and short seasons. Use it sparingly in salsas, bean stews or curries for heat and floral notes, or chop it fresh into chutneys and sauces, pickle it, dry it, or make pepper jelly.
7 • Jalapeño
- Heat: Hot
- Widely adapted and very productive.
- Origins
- Like many peppers, jalapeños are named for where they were traditionally grown: Xalapa, capital of Veracruz, Mexico. The Spanish jalapa means "from Xalapa," a name of Nahuatl (Aztec) origin built from xālli "sand" + āpan "water place."
- Jalapeños are among the most widely used hot peppers in both Mexico and the United States.
- Growing note
- The fine cracks that can appear on the skin are called checking, a trait linked to maturity and heat. Today checking is usually seen as a cosmetic flaw, and modern varieties are bred to resist it.
- In the kitchen
- This everyday pepper turns up in all kinds of dishes: stuffed and served raw or cooked, pickled on nachos, smoked (chipotles), jellied, sautéed in oil (chile toreados), chopped into salsas and chili, and served with phở and bánh mì when fresh Thai chiles are hard to find.
- Varieties to try
-
'Pantera': big plants with large fruit that yield heavily over a long season.
-
'Arriba': a productive Caribe (ka-REE-bay) type that tastes great at every stage. It's usually picked yellow but passes through a colorful range on its way to red, all delicious.
-
'Jalafuego': offered as organic or conventional seed. Big, sturdy, disease-resistant plants bear plenty of smooth, spicy fruit for poppers, salsa, canning, freezing or drying, harvested green or red.
8 • Padrón
- Heat: Mild (mostly)
- An organic, open-pollinated heirloom.
- Origins
- Also called pementos de Padrón, from the municipality of Padrón in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
- In the kitchen
-
Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non ("Padrón peppers: some are hot and some are not").
- Picked small, about 1½–2" long, most fruits are mild, with an occasional hot one.
- Fruits left to grow larger tend to get hotter, and water, sun and temperature also affect heat.
- Classically blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. A few slices of garlic add extra zip.
- Variety to try:
-
'Padrón': the namesake open-pollinated heirloom, a favorite for tapas.
9 • Santa Fe
- Heat: Medium to hot
- A widely adapted, productive güero type that's great for spicy chiles rellenos.
- Origins
- From the U.S. Southwest, in the New Mexico–Arizona region.
- In the kitchen
- Conical, with thick walls.
- Good for stuffing, frying or pickling.
- Variety to try:
-
'Havasu': often picked yellow for pickling, though it's also good when ripe and red. It adds a lively kick to all sorts of dishes.
10 • Serrano
- Heat: Very hot
- Easy to grow, great in containers, and seriously hot!
- Origins
- From the mountains of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Tastes like a jalapeño, only hotter.
- Great cooked, pickled or raw in salsa.
- Thick, fleshy walls make it a natural for pico de gallo and salsa.
- Makes hotter chipotles than jalapeños do.
- Varieties to try
-
'Altiplano' and 'Santo Domingo': quick to mature, with classic serrano flavor and dependable heat.
Dial up the Scoville Heat Scale
Some Like It Hot
Ever wondered what makes your lips and tongue burn when you eat a hot pepper? Thank a group of plant compounds called capsaicinoids, whose concentration determines a pepper's pungency.
The main capsaicinoid behind that heat is capsaicin. It triggers nerve receptors, producing the burning, flushing and sweating that come with eating hot peppers. Researchers have also studied capsaicin's ability to promote nonshivering thermogenesis, in which the body burns energy to produce heat, slightly raising metabolism and body temperature.
One research review describes capsaicin as a natural compound that can boost this heat-producing process, which may help explain some of its effects on the body.
- Heat: Mild
- Early and productive, even where summers are cool.
- This type goes by two names. Anaheim refers to the southern California city where, the story goes, the chile arrived from New Mexico around the end of the 1800s. NuMex points to its roots in breeding work at New Mexico State University, which has one of the oldest chile breeding programs in the world, dating to the early 1900s.
- Widely sold and among the most common chiles in the U.S..
- Mild in heat but with a sharp, slightly tangy flavor.
- Usually eaten green, though red fruit is good too.
- In New Mexico they're often sliced, fried and served as a side.
- Great roasted as a snack or starter.
- A good choice for chiles rellenos when poblanos are too spicy.
- Red fruits are often strung into ristras.
- Organic 'Highlander' is easy to grow, widely adapted and full of flavor, and it bears early and heavily even in cool regions.
- Heat: Medium
- The classic flat pepper for grilling.
- Origins
- From Puebla, Mexico.
- In the kitchen
- Fairly thick walls hold up well to stuffing.
- Fresh, they're poblanos; dried, they're anchos, from the Spanish for "wide."
- Variety to try
- 'Sargento': a classic flat, somewhat heart-shaped poblano that's ideal for grilling and for stuffing as chiles rellenos.
3 • Cayenne Chili
- Heat: Medium
- A flavorful, versatile cayenne for fresh use or drying.
- Origins
- Thought to be named for Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, a name that traces back to the Tupi word kyinha.
- In the kitchen
- Heat: Medium to
very hot (Very hot Thai chiles are essentially small cayennes.)
- Good fresh, cooked or dried.
- The spicy orange-to-red fruits are usually ground into powder or flakes for seasoning.
- The dried powder works well in kimchi.
- They bring both heat and flavor to many cuisines.
- Variety to try
-
'Red Ember' is an All-America Selections winner valued for its versatility and smoky-sweet, medium-hot flavor. Use it fresh, or dry it for chile powder or flakes to sprinkle on food. It also shines in sambal matah, a Balinese relish; see this recipe from a chef and farmer.
4 • Fresno
- Heat: Medium
- Widely adapted, with tasty sweet heat.
- Origins
- Developed by Clarence Brown Hamlin and released in 1952, this type takes its name from Fresno, California. It's widely grown across California and available there almost all year.
- In the kitchen
- Very versatile, green and unripe or red and ripe.
- Its medium heat suits many cuisines and recipes.
- Usually used fresh in garnishes, relishes, salsa or ceviche, or added to stir-fries, hot sauces and sautés.
- Thick walls make it good for stuffing, but it doesn't dry well.
- Variety to try
-
'Flaming Flare' is a widely adapted All-America Selections winner whose flavor blends sweetness and heat.
5 • Hot Wax
- Heat: Medium
- Sets fruit well in cool, wet weather when other peppers struggle.
- Origins
- From Central Europe.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Good at the yellow, orange or red stage.
- Great fried, roasted or pickled.
- Variety to try
-
'Hungarian Hot Wax' is an improved selection with more uniform fruit and better plant structure than older strains. Smooth, tapered, medium-hot fruits average about 5½" x 1½" and ripen from pale yellow to orange-red and finally bright red.
6 • Habanero
- Heat: Extremely hot
- An early hybrid habanero that's very and hot, at the top of the heat scale!
- Origins
- A type of Capsicum chinense, a species that originated in the Amazon basin; the habanero became especially associated with Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean.
-
Habanero means "from Havana."
- Growing note
- Habaneros, 'Helios' included, often grow more slowly than other peppers, so sow them a week or two ahead of your other sweet and hot peppers.
- In the kitchen
- As with many hot peppers, heat varies by variety and growing region. Fruits get hotter in hot, dry weather and milder in cool, wet weather.
- A cornerstone of Yucatecan and Caribbean cooking, especially in salsas, purées and hot sauces such as jerk sauce.
- Variety to try
-
'Helios': an early, intensely hot habanero that ripens glossy bright orange. It suits both long and short seasons. Use it sparingly in salsas, bean stews or curries for heat and floral notes, or chop it fresh into chutneys and sauces, pickle it, dry it, or make pepper jelly.
7 • Jalapeño
- Heat: Hot
- Widely adapted and very productive.
- Origins
- Like many peppers, jalapeños are named for where they were traditionally grown: Xalapa, capital of Veracruz, Mexico. The Spanish jalapa means "from Xalapa," a name of Nahuatl (Aztec) origin built from xālli "sand" + āpan "water place."
- Jalapeños are among the most widely used hot peppers in both Mexico and the United States.
- Growing note
- The fine cracks that can appear on the skin are called checking, a trait linked to maturity and heat. Today checking is usually seen as a cosmetic flaw, and modern varieties are bred to resist it.
- In the kitchen
- This everyday pepper turns up in all kinds of dishes: stuffed and served raw or cooked, pickled on nachos, smoked (chipotles), jellied, sautéed in oil (chile toreados), chopped into salsas and chili, and served with phở and bánh mì when fresh Thai chiles are hard to find.
- Varieties to try
-
'Pantera': big plants with large fruit that yield heavily over a long season.
-
'Arriba': a productive Caribe (ka-REE-bay) type that tastes great at every stage. It's usually picked yellow but passes through a colorful range on its way to red, all delicious.
-
'Jalafuego': offered as organic or conventional seed. Big, sturdy, disease-resistant plants bear plenty of smooth, spicy fruit for poppers, salsa, canning, freezing or drying, harvested green or red.
8 • Padrón
- Heat: Mild (mostly)
- An organic, open-pollinated heirloom.
- Origins
- Also called pementos de Padrón, from the municipality of Padrón in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
- In the kitchen
-
Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non ("Padrón peppers: some are hot and some are not").
- Picked small, about 1½–2" long, most fruits are mild, with an occasional hot one.
- Fruits left to grow larger tend to get hotter, and water, sun and temperature also affect heat.
- Classically blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. A few slices of garlic add extra zip.
- Variety to try:
-
'Padrón': the namesake open-pollinated heirloom, a favorite for tapas.
9 • Santa Fe
- Heat: Medium to hot
- A widely adapted, productive güero type that's great for spicy chiles rellenos.
- Origins
- From the U.S. Southwest, in the New Mexico–Arizona region.
- In the kitchen
- Conical, with thick walls.
- Good for stuffing, frying or pickling.
- Variety to try:
-
'Havasu': often picked yellow for pickling, though it's also good when ripe and red. It adds a lively kick to all sorts of dishes.
10 • Serrano
- Heat: Very hot
- Easy to grow, great in containers, and seriously hot!
- Origins
- From the mountains of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Tastes like a jalapeño, only hotter.
- Great cooked, pickled or raw in salsa.
- Thick, fleshy walls make it a natural for pico de gallo and salsa.
- Makes hotter chipotles than jalapeños do.
- Varieties to try
-
'Altiplano' and 'Santo Domingo': quick to mature, with classic serrano flavor and dependable heat.
Dial up the Scoville Heat Scale
Some Like It Hot
Ever wondered what makes your lips and tongue burn when you eat a hot pepper? Thank a group of plant compounds called capsaicinoids, whose concentration determines a pepper's pungency.
The main capsaicinoid behind that heat is capsaicin. It triggers nerve receptors, producing the burning, flushing and sweating that come with eating hot peppers. Researchers have also studied capsaicin's ability to promote nonshivering thermogenesis, in which the body burns energy to produce heat, slightly raising metabolism and body temperature.
One research review describes capsaicin as a natural compound that can boost this heat-producing process, which may help explain some of its effects on the body.
- Heat: Medium
- A flavorful, versatile cayenne for fresh use or drying.
- Thought to be named for Cayenne, capital of French Guiana, a name that traces back to the Tupi word kyinha.
- Heat: Medium to
- Good fresh, cooked or dried.
- The spicy orange-to-red fruits are usually ground into powder or flakes for seasoning.
- The dried powder works well in kimchi.
- They bring both heat and flavor to many cuisines.
- 'Red Ember' is an All-America Selections winner valued for its versatility and smoky-sweet, medium-hot flavor. Use it fresh, or dry it for chile powder or flakes to sprinkle on food. It also shines in sambal matah, a Balinese relish; see this recipe from a chef and farmer.
- Heat: Medium
- Widely adapted, with tasty sweet heat.
- Origins
- Developed by Clarence Brown Hamlin and released in 1952, this type takes its name from Fresno, California. It's widely grown across California and available there almost all year.
- In the kitchen
- Very versatile, green and unripe or red and ripe.
- Its medium heat suits many cuisines and recipes.
- Usually used fresh in garnishes, relishes, salsa or ceviche, or added to stir-fries, hot sauces and sautés.
- Thick walls make it good for stuffing, but it doesn't dry well.
- Variety to try
- 'Flaming Flare' is a widely adapted All-America Selections winner whose flavor blends sweetness and heat.
5 • Hot Wax
- Heat: Medium
- Sets fruit well in cool, wet weather when other peppers struggle.
- Origins
- From Central Europe.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Good at the yellow, orange or red stage.
- Great fried, roasted or pickled.
- Variety to try
-
'Hungarian Hot Wax' is an improved selection with more uniform fruit and better plant structure than older strains. Smooth, tapered, medium-hot fruits average about 5½" x 1½" and ripen from pale yellow to orange-red and finally bright red.
6 • Habanero
- Heat: Extremely hot
- An early hybrid habanero that's very and hot, at the top of the heat scale!
- Origins
- A type of Capsicum chinense, a species that originated in the Amazon basin; the habanero became especially associated with Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean.
-
Habanero means "from Havana."
- Growing note
- Habaneros, 'Helios' included, often grow more slowly than other peppers, so sow them a week or two ahead of your other sweet and hot peppers.
- In the kitchen
- As with many hot peppers, heat varies by variety and growing region. Fruits get hotter in hot, dry weather and milder in cool, wet weather.
- A cornerstone of Yucatecan and Caribbean cooking, especially in salsas, purées and hot sauces such as jerk sauce.
- Variety to try
-
'Helios': an early, intensely hot habanero that ripens glossy bright orange. It suits both long and short seasons. Use it sparingly in salsas, bean stews or curries for heat and floral notes, or chop it fresh into chutneys and sauces, pickle it, dry it, or make pepper jelly.
7 • Jalapeño
- Heat: Hot
- Widely adapted and very productive.
- Origins
- Like many peppers, jalapeños are named for where they were traditionally grown: Xalapa, capital of Veracruz, Mexico. The Spanish jalapa means "from Xalapa," a name of Nahuatl (Aztec) origin built from xālli "sand" + āpan "water place."
- Jalapeños are among the most widely used hot peppers in both Mexico and the United States.
- Growing note
- The fine cracks that can appear on the skin are called checking, a trait linked to maturity and heat. Today checking is usually seen as a cosmetic flaw, and modern varieties are bred to resist it.
- In the kitchen
- This everyday pepper turns up in all kinds of dishes: stuffed and served raw or cooked, pickled on nachos, smoked (chipotles), jellied, sautéed in oil (chile toreados), chopped into salsas and chili, and served with phở and bánh mì when fresh Thai chiles are hard to find.
- Varieties to try
-
'Pantera': big plants with large fruit that yield heavily over a long season.
-
'Arriba': a productive Caribe (ka-REE-bay) type that tastes great at every stage. It's usually picked yellow but passes through a colorful range on its way to red, all delicious.
-
'Jalafuego': offered as organic or conventional seed. Big, sturdy, disease-resistant plants bear plenty of smooth, spicy fruit for poppers, salsa, canning, freezing or drying, harvested green or red.
8 • Padrón
- Heat: Mild (mostly)
- An organic, open-pollinated heirloom.
- Origins
- Also called pementos de Padrón, from the municipality of Padrón in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
- In the kitchen
-
Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non ("Padrón peppers: some are hot and some are not").
- Picked small, about 1½–2" long, most fruits are mild, with an occasional hot one.
- Fruits left to grow larger tend to get hotter, and water, sun and temperature also affect heat.
- Classically blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. A few slices of garlic add extra zip.
- Variety to try:
-
'Padrón': the namesake open-pollinated heirloom, a favorite for tapas.
9 • Santa Fe
- Heat: Medium to hot
- A widely adapted, productive güero type that's great for spicy chiles rellenos.
- Origins
- From the U.S. Southwest, in the New Mexico–Arizona region.
- In the kitchen
- Conical, with thick walls.
- Good for stuffing, frying or pickling.
- Variety to try:
-
'Havasu': often picked yellow for pickling, though it's also good when ripe and red. It adds a lively kick to all sorts of dishes.
10 • Serrano
- Heat: Very hot
- Easy to grow, great in containers, and seriously hot!
- Origins
- From the mountains of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Tastes like a jalapeño, only hotter.
- Great cooked, pickled or raw in salsa.
- Thick, fleshy walls make it a natural for pico de gallo and salsa.
- Makes hotter chipotles than jalapeños do.
- Varieties to try
-
'Altiplano' and 'Santo Domingo': quick to mature, with classic serrano flavor and dependable heat.
Dial up the Scoville Heat Scale
Some Like It Hot
Ever wondered what makes your lips and tongue burn when you eat a hot pepper? Thank a group of plant compounds called capsaicinoids, whose concentration determines a pepper's pungency.
The main capsaicinoid behind that heat is capsaicin. It triggers nerve receptors, producing the burning, flushing and sweating that come with eating hot peppers. Researchers have also studied capsaicin's ability to promote nonshivering thermogenesis, in which the body burns energy to produce heat, slightly raising metabolism and body temperature.
One research review describes capsaicin as a natural compound that can boost this heat-producing process, which may help explain some of its effects on the body.
- Heat: Medium
- Sets fruit well in cool, wet weather when other peppers struggle.
- From Central Europe.
- Simple to grow.
- Good at the yellow, orange or red stage.
- Great fried, roasted or pickled.
- 'Hungarian Hot Wax' is an improved selection with more uniform fruit and better plant structure than older strains. Smooth, tapered, medium-hot fruits average about 5½" x 1½" and ripen from pale yellow to orange-red and finally bright red.
- Heat: Extremely hot
- An early hybrid habanero that's very and hot, at the top of the heat scale!
- Origins
- A type of Capsicum chinense, a species that originated in the Amazon basin; the habanero became especially associated with Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean.
- Habanero means "from Havana."
- Growing note
- Habaneros, 'Helios' included, often grow more slowly than other peppers, so sow them a week or two ahead of your other sweet and hot peppers.
- In the kitchen
- As with many hot peppers, heat varies by variety and growing region. Fruits get hotter in hot, dry weather and milder in cool, wet weather.
- A cornerstone of Yucatecan and Caribbean cooking, especially in salsas, purées and hot sauces such as jerk sauce.
- Variety to try
- 'Helios': an early, intensely hot habanero that ripens glossy bright orange. It suits both long and short seasons. Use it sparingly in salsas, bean stews or curries for heat and floral notes, or chop it fresh into chutneys and sauces, pickle it, dry it, or make pepper jelly.
7 • Jalapeño
- Heat: Hot
- Widely adapted and very productive.
- Origins
- Like many peppers, jalapeños are named for where they were traditionally grown: Xalapa, capital of Veracruz, Mexico. The Spanish jalapa means "from Xalapa," a name of Nahuatl (Aztec) origin built from xālli "sand" + āpan "water place."
- Jalapeños are among the most widely used hot peppers in both Mexico and the United States.
- Growing note
- The fine cracks that can appear on the skin are called checking, a trait linked to maturity and heat. Today checking is usually seen as a cosmetic flaw, and modern varieties are bred to resist it.
- In the kitchen
- This everyday pepper turns up in all kinds of dishes: stuffed and served raw or cooked, pickled on nachos, smoked (chipotles), jellied, sautéed in oil (chile toreados), chopped into salsas and chili, and served with phở and bánh mì when fresh Thai chiles are hard to find.
- Varieties to try
-
'Pantera': big plants with large fruit that yield heavily over a long season.
-
'Arriba': a productive Caribe (ka-REE-bay) type that tastes great at every stage. It's usually picked yellow but passes through a colorful range on its way to red, all delicious.
-
'Jalafuego': offered as organic or conventional seed. Big, sturdy, disease-resistant plants bear plenty of smooth, spicy fruit for poppers, salsa, canning, freezing or drying, harvested green or red.
8 • Padrón
- Heat: Mild (mostly)
- An organic, open-pollinated heirloom.
- Origins
- Also called pementos de Padrón, from the municipality of Padrón in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
- In the kitchen
-
Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non ("Padrón peppers: some are hot and some are not").
- Picked small, about 1½–2" long, most fruits are mild, with an occasional hot one.
- Fruits left to grow larger tend to get hotter, and water, sun and temperature also affect heat.
- Classically blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. A few slices of garlic add extra zip.
- Variety to try:
-
'Padrón': the namesake open-pollinated heirloom, a favorite for tapas.
9 • Santa Fe
- Heat: Medium to hot
- A widely adapted, productive güero type that's great for spicy chiles rellenos.
- Origins
- From the U.S. Southwest, in the New Mexico–Arizona region.
- In the kitchen
- Conical, with thick walls.
- Good for stuffing, frying or pickling.
- Variety to try:
-
'Havasu': often picked yellow for pickling, though it's also good when ripe and red. It adds a lively kick to all sorts of dishes.
10 • Serrano
- Heat: Very hot
- Easy to grow, great in containers, and seriously hot!
- Origins
- From the mountains of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Tastes like a jalapeño, only hotter.
- Great cooked, pickled or raw in salsa.
- Thick, fleshy walls make it a natural for pico de gallo and salsa.
- Makes hotter chipotles than jalapeños do.
- Varieties to try
-
'Altiplano' and 'Santo Domingo': quick to mature, with classic serrano flavor and dependable heat.
Dial up the Scoville Heat Scale
Some Like It Hot
Ever wondered what makes your lips and tongue burn when you eat a hot pepper? Thank a group of plant compounds called capsaicinoids, whose concentration determines a pepper's pungency.
The main capsaicinoid behind that heat is capsaicin. It triggers nerve receptors, producing the burning, flushing and sweating that come with eating hot peppers. Researchers have also studied capsaicin's ability to promote nonshivering thermogenesis, in which the body burns energy to produce heat, slightly raising metabolism and body temperature.
One research review describes capsaicin as a natural compound that can boost this heat-producing process, which may help explain some of its effects on the body.
- Heat: Hot
- Widely adapted and very productive.
- Like many peppers, jalapeños are named for where they were traditionally grown: Xalapa, capital of Veracruz, Mexico. The Spanish jalapa means "from Xalapa," a name of Nahuatl (Aztec) origin built from xālli "sand" + āpan "water place."
- Jalapeños are among the most widely used hot peppers in both Mexico and the United States.
- The fine cracks that can appear on the skin are called checking, a trait linked to maturity and heat. Today checking is usually seen as a cosmetic flaw, and modern varieties are bred to resist it.
- This everyday pepper turns up in all kinds of dishes: stuffed and served raw or cooked, pickled on nachos, smoked (chipotles), jellied, sautéed in oil (chile toreados), chopped into salsas and chili, and served with phở and bánh mì when fresh Thai chiles are hard to find.
- 'Pantera': big plants with large fruit that yield heavily over a long season.
- 'Arriba': a productive Caribe (ka-REE-bay) type that tastes great at every stage. It's usually picked yellow but passes through a colorful range on its way to red, all delicious.
- 'Jalafuego': offered as organic or conventional seed. Big, sturdy, disease-resistant plants bear plenty of smooth, spicy fruit for poppers, salsa, canning, freezing or drying, harvested green or red.
- Heat: Mild (mostly)
- An organic, open-pollinated heirloom.
- Origins
- Also called pementos de Padrón, from the municipality of Padrón in Galicia, in northwestern Spain.
- In the kitchen
- Os pementos de Padrón, uns pican e outros non ("Padrón peppers: some are hot and some are not").
- Picked small, about 1½–2" long, most fruits are mild, with an occasional hot one.
- Fruits left to grow larger tend to get hotter, and water, sun and temperature also affect heat.
- Classically blistered in olive oil and sprinkled with salt. A few slices of garlic add extra zip.
- Variety to try:
- 'Padrón': the namesake open-pollinated heirloom, a favorite for tapas.
9 • Santa Fe
- Heat: Medium to hot
- A widely adapted, productive güero type that's great for spicy chiles rellenos.
- Origins
- From the U.S. Southwest, in the New Mexico–Arizona region.
- In the kitchen
- Conical, with thick walls.
- Good for stuffing, frying or pickling.
- Variety to try:
-
'Havasu': often picked yellow for pickling, though it's also good when ripe and red. It adds a lively kick to all sorts of dishes.
10 • Serrano
- Heat: Very hot
- Easy to grow, great in containers, and seriously hot!
- Origins
- From the mountains of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo.
- Growing note
- Simple to grow.
- In the kitchen
- Tastes like a jalapeño, only hotter.
- Great cooked, pickled or raw in salsa.
- Thick, fleshy walls make it a natural for pico de gallo and salsa.
- Makes hotter chipotles than jalapeños do.
- Varieties to try
-
'Altiplano' and 'Santo Domingo': quick to mature, with classic serrano flavor and dependable heat.
Dial up the Scoville Heat Scale
Some Like It Hot
Ever wondered what makes your lips and tongue burn when you eat a hot pepper? Thank a group of plant compounds called capsaicinoids, whose concentration determines a pepper's pungency.
The main capsaicinoid behind that heat is capsaicin. It triggers nerve receptors, producing the burning, flushing and sweating that come with eating hot peppers. Researchers have also studied capsaicin's ability to promote nonshivering thermogenesis, in which the body burns energy to produce heat, slightly raising metabolism and body temperature.
One research review describes capsaicin as a natural compound that can boost this heat-producing process, which may help explain some of its effects on the body.
- Heat: Medium to hot
- A widely adapted, productive güero type that's great for spicy chiles rellenos.
- From the U.S. Southwest, in the New Mexico–Arizona region.
- Conical, with thick walls.
- Good for stuffing, frying or pickling.
- 'Havasu': often picked yellow for pickling, though it's also good when ripe and red. It adds a lively kick to all sorts of dishes.
- Heat: Very hot
- Easy to grow, great in containers, and seriously hot!
- From the mountains of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo.
- Simple to grow.
- Tastes like a jalapeño, only hotter.
- Great cooked, pickled or raw in salsa.
- Thick, fleshy walls make it a natural for pico de gallo and salsa.
- Makes hotter chipotles than jalapeños do.
- 'Altiplano' and 'Santo Domingo': quick to mature, with classic serrano flavor and dependable heat.
Some Like It Hot
Ever wondered what makes your lips and tongue burn when you eat a hot pepper? Thank a group of plant compounds called capsaicinoids, whose concentration determines a pepper's pungency.
The main capsaicinoid behind that heat is capsaicin. It triggers nerve receptors, producing the burning, flushing and sweating that come with eating hot peppers. Researchers have also studied capsaicin's ability to promote nonshivering thermogenesis, in which the body burns energy to produce heat, slightly raising metabolism and body temperature.
One research review describes capsaicin as a natural compound that can boost this heat-producing process, which may help explain some of its effects on the body.
Hot peppers are usually ranked by capsaicin content, their heat, on the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) scale. A bell pepper rates 0 SHU, a Piquillo roughly 500–1,000, a Guajillo roughly 2,500–5,000, a Serrano 10,000–23,000, and a Habanero about 100,000–350,000. The number reflects how much a pepper extract must be diluted before its heat can no longer be detected.
The title of world's hottest pepper keeps changing hands. As of 2023, it belongs to 'Pepper X', certified at roughly 2.7 million Scoville Heat Units and bred by the same South Carolina grower who developed the 'Carolina Reaper', a C. chinense cultivar. Some of us miss the days before 'Bhut Jolokia', a C. chinense pepper from India, lost its crown as the hottest at a mere 1 million or so SHU.
Pepper Heat Scale
Because heat varies so much, between crops of one variety grown in different conditions, between plants in the same crop, and even between fruits on one plant, a simple relative rating from mildly hot to extremely hot is often more useful than exact SHU figures. Check each variety's description for its heat rating.
Learn More
We hope this overview inspires you to grow and taste some new hot peppers alongside your tried-and-true favorites. They might even give your metabolism a little boost. Add one or two to your list this year and see how they do for you!
More Resources
- Peppers • Key Growing Information
- Greenhouse Peppers • Key Growing Information
- Tips for raising strong pepper seedlings (article)
- About multiple lines of evidence for the origin of domesticated chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, in Mexico. • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- The Chili Cultivars of New Mexico State University Released from 1913 to 2008. PDF
- For more on chile heat and how it's measured, visit the Chile Pepper Institute at NMSU.
- Browse all hot pepper seeds (products)
