How Hot Are My Chile Peppers?
From the cool and mild bell to the scorching-hot habanero, there's a pepper for every palate.
Related To:
Growing Peppers
The Scoville Scale
Heat Sensation
Bell Peppers
The mildest pepper, 0 on the Scoville scale, is the bell pepper, which most people don't realize is a part of the chile pepper family. The heat of a pepper depends on more than genetics, however. Drought and high temperatures can make a pepper hotter, while mild temperatures and plenty of moisture render it milder.
Banana Peppers
Banana peppers are light green, orange or yellow in color and have an oblong shape with pointed tips. The raw peppers have a smooth texture and thick skin with seeds and lobes on the inside. They have a mild flavor and perfect for those with a low tolerance to spice, measuring up to about 500 Scoville units.
Jalapenos
'Fresno' Chile Pepper
Red 'Fresno' produces petite but plump peppers that are often used in canning. They have similar heat to a jalapeno, ranging from 2000 - 10,000 SHU.
'Black Pearl' Pepper
'Chinese 5-Color' Hot Pepper
Cayenne Peppers
Cayenne peppers are related to the paprika and a popular choice for drying. These chiles are slightly hot, ranging from 30,000 - 50,000 Scoville units.
Hot Aji 'Amarillo' Pepper
Aji 'Amarillo', a Peruvian pepper, is a compact plant, laden with long, medium hot chilis (up to 50,000 Scoville units) that turn from green to yellow, then orange.
'Prairie Fire' Pepper
'Prairie Fire' produces hundreds of tiny fruits that make up for their size with an explosive fiery taste. They average around 70,000 Scoville units.
'Numex Twilight' Ornamental Chile
An ornamental pepper that works well in containers, 'NuMex Twilight' fruits begin purple, transition to yellow, then orange and finally to red. This pepper measures up to 100,000 on the Scoville scale.
The Mother of All Chilies
Thai Dragon Pepper
Scotch Bonnet Pepper
Scotch bonnet peppers are among the most intensely hot of all peppers, ranking in at 150,000 - 325,000 SHU. They are used primarily in Latin American and Jamaican cuisine. They need long, hot summers to grow well.
