10K–100K SHU

Hot Peppers: Complete Guide (10K–100K SHU)

Significant heat that builds and lingers. For dedicated spice lovers.

3 varieties 2 comparisons

Mild Medium Hot Extra-Hot Super-Hot

Profiles

All Hot Peppers

3 varieties

Hot

Cayenne Pepper

French Guiana · 30K–50K SHU

neutral peppery C. annuum

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Hot

Aleppo Pepper

Syria · 10K–30K SHU

fruity earthy C. annuum

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Hot

Serrano Pepper

Mexico · 10K–23K SHU

bright crisp C. annuum

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Head-to-Head

Hot Pepper Comparisons

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Cayenne Pepper vs Jalapeño

Cayenne delivers 4-20x more heat with a cleaner, more neutral flavor ideal for general seasoning.

Jalapeño vs Serrano Pepper

Mexico's two most popular fresh peppers — serranos are 2-5x hotter with crisper, cleaner heat.

Learn

Related Guides

All guides →

Scoville Scale Explained

How pepper heat is measured

What Is Capsaicin?

The compound behind the burn

How to Stop Pepper Burn

Proven remedies for capsaicin

Fresh vs Dried Peppers

How drying transforms flavor

Explore Other Heat Levels

The Scoville scale spans from 0 SHU (bell peppers) to over 3 million SHU (Pepper X). Each tier serves a different culinary purpose.