29 Types of Peppers from Mild to Hot (With Photos!) (2024)

From bell peppers to Carolina reapers, we’re covering the most popular types of peppers from mild to hot in this helpful guide to pepper varieties!

If you’re anything like me, you grew up with the humble bell pepper formulating your opinions on the use of peppers.

This wasn’t a bad thing as we ate them in fajitas, on salads, and with veggie dips. As I got older and more able to “take the heat”, the world of peppers opened up and thus became a big part of my cooking.

So here are 29 types of peppers you should consider for your cooking! We’re going in order of mild to hot, and then continue with stupid hot. We will use the standardly accepted Scoville Heat Unit Scale (SHU) to rank these beauties and beasts.

What is the Scoville Heat Unit Scale?

TheScoville Heat Unit (SHU) scalerates how spicy peppers, as well as common products made from peppers, like chili powder, are. The rating was devised by an American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville in 1912.

This scale allows you to have an idea of how comparatively hot one is versus another. Bell Peppers start us off at zero. The familiar jalapeno will land somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000. Typically peppers you can get at the grocery won’t go past 500,000, but in specialty markets and through special order you can go well beyond this as the scale goes to 16 million.

How do they calculate Scoville units?

To calculate the amount of Scoville heat units, they take capsaicin oil from a dried pepper and mix it with sugar water. The concoction is then given to a panel of taste-testers. The solution is diluted until the panel just gets to the point where they say they can barely detect any heat at all.

So, let’s say that they are testing the cayenne pepper. They found they had to diluted it to between 35,000 to 50,000 parts water/sugar mix to oil from the pepper before the panel said they could barely taste it. This ratio becomes the SHU rating. While the scale goes up to 16 million, there are no peppers rated at 16 million. That would be the rating for pure capsaicin oil. (For reference, defensive pepper sprays are around 5 million).

Types of Peppers

Let’s look at 29 pepper varieties ranked from “Mild” to “Are You Kidding Me?!” We’ve ranked these in order from least to most SHU units.

Bell Peppers (SHU 0)

Bell Peppers are as essential in my kitchen as my chef’s knife and fire extinguisher, just joking (kind of). Also known as paprika or sweet peppers, they are most commonly green, yellow, orange, or red, but can also be found in purple peppers, white, brown, and stripped.

Peppers are native to Mexico as well as Central & South America. Peppers were brought to Europe from the “New World” in 1493, but the bell pepper cultivar didn’t come around until the 1920s. Looking for some new motivation for using the mildest of peppers in your cooking? Here are 14 of Our Favorite Bell Pepper Recipes.

Bell Peppers are today grown around the world though China is by far The world’s largest producer. In order of production bell peppers come from

• China 37 billion (b) pounds
• Mexico 6b
• Indonesia 6b
• Turkey 6b
• Spain 3b
• Nigeria 1.6b
• Egypt 1.4
• USA 1.2b

We are, however, the leading importer of peppers, most of which come from Mexico, the world’s leading exporter.

Shish*to (SHU 50 to 100)

These small green peppers are native to SE Asia and used extensively in Japanese cuisine. While they aren’t generally very hot, per the SHU score, there is some variation from pepper to pepper, so don’t be surprised if you bite into one and get more than you were expecting.

Generally, one in ten peppers will surprise you with heat beyond the SHU range we suggest. Shish*to peppers are generally picked while still green but then ripen to red. You can eat these raw, but we think they are better roasted (roasted pepper guide here!) or perhaps deep fried and served as an appetizer for which their small two bite size is perfect.

Banana Peppers (SHU 0 to 500)

These are a sweet pepper that is always an option at Subway and other sandwich shops. While they aren’t really hot, they provide a mildly spicy and tangy alternative to bell peppers. They are typically bright yellow, but some will change to green, orange, or red as they ripen. Banana peppers have the added benefit of being extremely rich in Vitamin C. A mere 100g (3.5 ounce) serving contains 100% of the RDA of vitamin C and only about 20 calories.

Sweet Italian Pepper (SHU 100 to 500)

Also called Pepperoncini, Golden Greek, friggitelli, or Tuscan Peppers, they have been cultivated around the Mediterranean Sea for centuries. They aren’t a particularly hot pepper known for their subtle sweetness with a hint of tanginess.

They are very similar to banana peppers in size (4-6 inches) and color, and can pretty much be used in place of them. They are often found pickled, in pasta sauce, stir-fries, salads, sautes, and sandwiches, and are an important ingredient in pimento cheese. Our favorite culinary use is in stuffed peppers!

Piquillo (SHU 500 to 1000)

Piquillo are native to Navarra in Northern Spain. They have a sweet taste with a thicker skin, similar to bell peppers, which makes them crunchy. They are tangy and not too hot by most people’s standard. The heat level can exceed the 1,000 level we show, but not commonly.

They are small to medium-sized peppers with a conical shape and a slightly curved tip. The peppers have thick flesh and a deep red color when ripe. You will often find these jarred, and roasted or stuffed are two popular ways of cooking them.

Cuban Pepper (SHU 1,000)

Cuban Peppers are also known as Cubanelle Peppers, are named for their nation of origin, but today are also grown and exported from the Dominican Republic. They are a mild pepper that you can easily use as a substitute for bell peppers if you want a modicum of tang you don’t get from the bell.

They are often used in yellow mole sauce, and are a good add to subs and pizza. They are often used in salads, sandwiches, stuffed, or sauted. Try them in Roasted Red Pepper Soup!

Poblano (SHU 1,000 to 2,000)

Poblano is a popular Mexican native that originated in Puebla. The green poblano are fairly mild, but the red a bit hotter. Growing conditions also greatly affect how hot these peppers get. Poblanos are used extensively in Mexican cuisine to include in chiles rellenos, salsas, sauces, soups, and in mole sauces.

Anaheim Peppers (SHU 500 to 2,500)

Anaheim is a mild, sweet, and tangy pepper named after the city of Anaheim. They came to California from their origin in New Mexico. Some sites don’t list their SHU as high as 2,500, but we believe the higher range is appropriate as there is a wide variation between the milder Anaheim’s grown in California vs the hotter peppers grown in New Mexico. They are often sold as canned green chilis, and are generally mild enough to be eaten raw.

Cherry Peppers (SHU 2,500 to 5,000)

Cherry peppers, also known as pimiento or pimento peppers, are a sweet pepper variety with a good bit of spicy kick. They are considered one of the best pickling peppers and often used as a condiment that way either sliced or whole. They are a good option for antipasto platters, cheese boards and stuffing to serve as an appetizer or added to pasta. They are also often used simply as a garnish.

Pasilla Peppers (SHU 1,000 to 2,500)

Their name translates into little raisin as their dried skin certainly resembles a raisin. When fresh they are often called chilaca. The pasilla has become a staple in Mexican cuisine and is yet another variety popular in mole sauce, salsa, and ground into a seasoning powder. You can control the heat they infuse into your cooking by removing the seeds and veins. Some cooks also recommend toasting the dried peppers before using them to enhance the flavor.

Jalapeno (SHU 1,000 to 8,000)

Okay, this is the first pepper that for most people starts getting “hot”. As the SHU rating suggests, there is a pretty wide range here. We think their origins go back to the area around Veracruz Mexico, but they are so old it is hard to be certain. In Mexican cuisine, they are a key ingredient in dishes like nachos, tacos, and chili. Roasting or grilling jalapeños can enhance their flavor by adding smokiness. We like them in blender salsas, vegetarian chilis, or stuffed with cheese in the form of these vegetarian jalapeno poppers!

Fresno Peppers (SHU 2,500 to 10,000)

This is a fairly recent cultivar developed in 1952 by Mr Clarence Hamlin, and named after his hometown Fresno California. They look and taste like jalapeno peppers, but can be even hotter and are described by many as having a smoky flavor. This has helped make them popular in many chili and salsa recipes.They can generally be used in place of jalapenos.

Grilling or roasting Fresno peppers brings out their natural sweetness and enhances their flavor making them a good topping for pizzas, addition to sandwiches, or served alongside grilled meats. Fresno peppers are often used in Asian cuisine to add heat and flavor to stir-fries, noodle recipes, and curries. And finally, we think their size and shape make Fresno peppers ideal for stuffing.

Yellow ChilI Peppers (SHU 100 to 15,000)

Yellow chili peppers, also known as Güero Chil0s or Caribe chili, have a large SHU range because there are so many varieties of this pepper which obviously ranges from mild to pretty hot. They are often stuffed, roasted, grilled, pickled, steamed, sautéed, stir-fried, used on pizza, or pretty much you name it.

They are native to Central and South America where there is evidence they have been eaten for thousands of years. Early Spanish and Portuguese explorers brought them back to Europe from where they quickly spread to Asia. We don’t have to follow the spice route to get them today. While not in many big market groceries, you can find these in specialty markets, farmer’s markets, or just order them on-line.

Serrano Peppers (SHU 10,000 to 25,000)

Serranos are from the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo. Their name comes from the Sierras Mountains in those regions. Though hotter than Jalapenos, they are often eaten raw, but also used in pico de gallo, salsa, and chili. They are one of the most popular peppers in Mexican recipes.

Note the SHU range for serranos. The lower floor of 10k is much higher than the peppers we have discussed already. Serrano’s are a reliably hot pepper vs some others that may disappoint those expecting a kick. Pepper enthusiasts state that it delivers a noticeable kick without being overwhelmingly hot for most people. For us average pepper eaters, caution should be used in their use to avoid overwhelming your cooking with heat.

Serranos can be used both fresh and cooked. They add a vibrant heat to fresh salsas. Their firm texture makes Serranos great candidates for pickling and to use as a condiment. Grilling or roasting serrano peppers will bring out their natural sweetness and add a smoky flavor to your cooking.

Guajillo Chili Peppers (SHU 2,500 to 30,000)

This is the dried form of a Mirasol chili pepper. They are one of the most commonly used dried peppers in Mexico. In fact, the guajillo pepper has been a staple in Mexican cuisine for so long that it’s challenging to pinpoint an estimated date of its development. It has likely been cultivated and used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

They are known for their sweet, fruity, and tangy flavor and for being hotter than jalapenos. In Mexico they are used primarily in salsas, sauces, and marinades, but are also often found in mole sauce, enchiladas, and pozole.

The Hottest Peppers

To many hard-core pepper enthusiasts, the peppers we have covered so far don’t really reach the level of Hot! This distinction is obviously pretty arbitrary, but we think that the ubiquitous Cayenne pepper gets the ball rolling toward truly hot peppers.

Cayenne Peppers (SHU 35,000 to 50,000)

Okay, now we are starting to get into the “quick give me that water bottle” hot. They typically grow to 4”-10” long and are usually red or green. Cayenne have become popular throughout North and South America, and are most commonly ground into a dried spice or into chili flakes which is the form you will generally find them in at the grocery. Most hot sauces sold in the United States use cayenne pepper.

Oh, and if you do eat a pepper that is way too hot for you, don’t grab a water bottle. Head to the refrigerator and chug milk to dissipate the heat.

Rocoto Peppers (SHU 30,000 to 100,000)

Rocotos look a lot like small bell peppers, but swapping would be a mistake you wouldn’t want to make in cooking. They grow in the Andes Mountains and the highlands of Central America where there is evidence of their cultivation as long as 8,000 years ago. The Rocoto have a thick skin that makes drying them a bit difficult, so they are often used fresh in cooking. They are also used in hot sauces and salsas.

Bird’s Eye Peppers (SHU 50,000 to 100,000)

Also known as the mouse-dropping chili due to its diminutive size and shape, this pepper is a native to Mexico. It is, today, however, more commonly used in Asian cuisine particularly Thai where it is used extensively in the hot sauces and chili powders of Thai cuisine. These peppers have also been used around SE Asia medicinally to ease the pains of arthritis and rheumatism.

The bird’s eye pepper is unusual in that it grows on a perennial plant.

Piri Piri (SHU 50,000 to 175,000)

Piri Piri peppers are interesting as they show the migration of peppers around the world. They were native to South America but brought to Europe by Portuguese explorers. From there they were introduced to Portugal’s Southwest African colony, now Mozambique. Today they are cultivated over much of Africa and used in not just local foods and medicines, but also commercial food production and pharmaceuticals. It is also known as African Birds Eye or African Red Devil Pepper.

Datil Peppers (SHU 100,000 to 300,000)

Datil peppers are an interesting pepper as they have their own festival. The peppers are widely grown in Florida and particularly around St. Augustine where the people are so proud of their peppers that each October, they have the Datil Pepper Festival where the peppers are sold and local chefs demonstrate their skill at cooking with these little gems. They got their name due to a resemblance to a date palm.

Habanero (SHU 100,000 to 350,000)

Habanero is sort of the gold standard for hot peppers against which others are compared. Often, for example, peppers are said to be hotter than jalapenos, but not quite habanero hot. This makes sense as they are about the hottest pepper that is readily available.

Habaneros grow in hot climates, and are an important crop in Mexico’s Yucatan. They are named after the Cuban city of Havana. They aren’t grown anywhere near there, but Havana was long a trading center for such peppers. Their region of origin is actually in the Amazon rainforests.

Habanero are green before ripening, but can then turn to orange, red, yellow, brown, white or purple. They are often stewed, fried, fermented, and used to make any recipe crazy hot.

Scotch Bonnet (SHU 100,000 to 400,000)

These peppers are often confused with Habanero peppers and do have about the same level of hotness. They are widely grown in West Africa and the Caribbean, and can be found red, yellow, or green. The name comes from a resemblance to an old traditional Scottish bonnet. They are sometimes also called bonney peppers or Caribbean red peppers.

They are often used in sauces, condiments, and in traditional Caribbean dishes like pork or chicken jerk recipes. They are also used extensively in West African, West Indian, and Sri Lankan cuisines.

Ghost Pepper (SHU 1,000,000)

In 2007 Ghosts peppers were considered the hottest peppers in the world, so we are getting up there with the big boys now. They lost that “honor” to the Trinidad Scorpion in 2011 and then in turn to the Carolina Reaper in 2013.

The crown passes quickly as the competition to grow the hottest peppers is the ultimate “hold my beer” agricultural endeavor. It seems to us the best use for these is for dares and drinking games. There was, however, a report of a man who in 2016 ate a ghost pepper puree and then tore his esophagus while retching.

Ghost Peppers were developed in India where they were given a variety of names that translate into Indian Mystery Chili, Indian Rough Chili, Tree Chili, King Chili, and King Cobra Chili. They are grown in a variety of colors including red, yellow, orange, and brown.

7 Pot Douglah Pepper (SHU 1,000,000 to 1,500,000)

This pepper is also known as the 7 Pot Chocolate Pepper, a nod to its distinctive chocolatey brown color. It is a product of Trinidad, an Island off the Coast of Venezuela. The 7 pot name stems from its purported ability to spice 7 full pots of stew.

If you can get past the fire in your mouth, you will find a sweet fruity taste that some say is a bit nutty. This is a hard pepper to find as it really hasn’t gone to extensive commercial sale yet. You can buy seeds or dried peppers on Amazon.

Komodo Dragon Peppers (SHU 1,400,000)

Komodo Dragons are similarly hot as Ghost Peppers, and like ghosts they don’t immediately set your mouth on fire but after a short delay of perhaps 10 seconds come full force. This is a hard pepper to find.

Check specialty groceries or one of several on-line sites including Amazon for dried peppers, flakes, or powders. Or, grow your own. What do you do with peppers this hot? All the normal stuff! Season chili, crazy hot wings, or make viral TikTok videos of the time lapsed realization of what 2 million SHU feels like.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Pepper (SHU 1,600,000)

These are native to Trinidad where they were developed, but you can grow them in much of North America. The New Mexico State University Chili Pepper Institute (yes that is a real thing) named this the hottest pepper in the world in 2012, but it was soon supplanted. But just look at that photo and tell us it doesn’t look like resident evil! Like many of the peppers in this article, you can buy hot sauce and other products made from them on Amazon.

Carolina Reaper (SHU 1,000,000 to 2,200,000)

The Carolina Reaper was long considered the hottest pepper in the world. The Guinness Book gave it the crown and accepted a SHU of 1.64m though some peppers unofficially tested at 2.2m. Keep in mind that pepper spray comes in around 5 million SHU. Another way to look at this is by going back to our discussion on how SHU is calculated.

This means that if you took a single teaspoon of oil from reapers and mixed it with 578 gallons of water, only then would you be able to say the heat is barely perceptible. They are used in making hot sauce, powders, flakes, crazy hot wings, and of course pepper-eating contests.

You can grow these at home. One of our writers found them for sale at an orchard in southern Michigan which is surprising as they are said to require a long growing season and plenty of sunlight. If you have a greenhouse, start them there in early Spring.

Dragon’s Breath (SHU 2,480,000)

As far as we know the high SHU has not yet been verified in official lab testing, but pepper sources seem to agree it is hotter than the Carolina Reaper. The thing to keep in mind is that the heat of a pepper can vary a good bit based on the environment and soil it grows in. Dragon’s Breath was developed by a collaboration between hobbyist growers Mike Smith and Neal Price in Whales (UK) together with the Nottingham Trent University.

Given its extreme heat, the Dragon’s Breath pepper is primarily used for novelty purposes, as a conversation starter, or in pepper-eating contests. It’s not commonly used in anybody’s kitchen to make a nice chili unless perhaps in a powder or flake form.

Even chunks of the pepper would overwhelm just about any recipe. However some adventurous cooks may incorporate it into hot sauces, salsas, or spicy marinades, but extreme caution is advised when handling or consuming it.

Pepper X (SHU 3,018,000)

In early 2023 the Guinness Book still listed the Carolina Reaper as the hottest pepper because the Dragon’s Breath’s testing was unofficial. I guess that means the “experts” still hadn’t had their lips burned off yet. Well in the meantime a new contender entered the rink in Pepper X.

Pepper X was developed by Ed Currie, the founder of the Pucker Butt Pepper Company and the creator of the Carolina Reaper. He developed this pepper over a ten year period of trials during which he worked with over 100 hybrid combinations a year until he achieved the pepper he sought. He claims X is twice as hot as the Reapers. In August 2023 the Guinness Book of World Records passed the crown to Pepper X, but with an SHU of “only” 2.69M.

How to Store Peppers

Store all types of peppers in your refrigerator. Ideally, put them in the vegetable crisper drawer, but do not seal them in a bag or container. Either put them in the drawer loose or in an open bag. You should be able to keep fresh peppers for about two weeks.

You can also freeze peppers for long term storage. We recommend that you slice your peppers, remove the seeds, and arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer before freezing. Once frozen, you can then put them in a freezer bag. This will ensure they don’t freeze together in a big unusable clump. They will likely stay usable for up to a year.

Pickling is another viable option for storing peppers. We have done this several times after buying too many at a farmer’s market where the price or quality was just too good to pass up. Check out quick pickled jalapenos for a guide that will work with most peppers.

How to Select Peppers

Start by looking for those that have a firm feel and bright green stem. If the stem is starting to wilt, you can find it better. There is no simple indicator for determining freshness by color. This is largely dependent on the variety. Cayenne peppers, for example, are at peak ripeness when bright red. If, however, you are looking for green peppers you will want to buy them before they change color.

Origin of Peppers

All peppers are believed to have originated in Mexico around 6 – 8,000 years ago. Unfortunately, fajitas only came around thousands of years later. Archaeological evidence suggests that peppers were domesticated by indigenous peoples in this area, likely the ancestors of the Maya, Olmec, and Aztec civilizations.

These early cultivators selectively bred wild pepper varieties to develop plants with desirable traits such as larger fruit size, better flavor, ability to withstand drought, and reduced bitterness. This is largely what horticulturists do today. Well, it is doubtful the subsistence farmers of 5,000 years ago were trying to outdo each other for the hottest peppers.

Peppers became an integral part of the diet and culture of many ancient civilizations in the Americas. They were not only used as a food source but also had medicinal and ceremonial significance. Peppers were traded across the region, spreading their cultivation and use to various indigenous groups.

The arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492 marked the beginning of the global spread of peppers. In what we today call the Columbian Exchange the Spanish brought peppers, squash, and a variety of other goods back to Europe while introducing horses, pigs, sheep, and smallpox. Shortly after Columbus brought peppers back to Europe, traders began introducing them to other parts of the world through trade and exploration.

Peppers became particularly popular in regions with warm climates, such as the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa. They were embraced by different cultures and cuisines, leading to the development of numerous pepper varieties Today, peppers are grown and enjoyed worldwide, with each region putting its unique spin on how they are used in cooking. From mild and sweet to intensely spicy, peppers add a lot to all manner of worldwide cuisine.

This wraps up our look at different kinds of peppers. We hope you found this article helpful, and as always happy cooking!