Pepper Varieties
Compare 35 pepper cultivars. Find the perfect variety for your garden based on how you want to use them, growth habit, and days to maturity.
← Read the complete growing guideShowing 35 varieties
Aji Amarillo
A cornerstone of Peruvian cuisine, providing fruity heat and a distinctive orange colour to countless traditional dishes. Used both fresh and ground into paste, it is irreplaceable in aji sauces.
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Anaheim
The classic Hatch-type roasting chile of the American Southwest, mild enough for everyday use but with enough character to stand up to fire-roasting. Long green pods ripen to red.
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Bell Green
Harvested at the immature green stage for a mild, crisp flavour that pairs well in salads and stir-fries. Thick-walled and reliable in most climates.
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Bell Orange
Matures from green to bright orange with a distinctly fruity, sweet flavour. Thick walls make it ideal for eating fresh or roasting whole.
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Bell Red
Classic blocky four-lobed fruit with thick walls that turns from green to vibrant red at full maturity. The sweetest of all bell pepper colors with mild, rich flavor and crisp crunchy texture.
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Bell Yellow
A thick-walled sweet bell that matures from green to a vibrant golden yellow. Slightly sweeter than green-harvested bells with a crisp, juicy texture.
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California Wonder
The benchmark open-pollinated red bell since 1928, known for exceptionally thick walls and reliable performance across a wide range of climates. A true garden classic that set the standard for sweet peppers.
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Carolina Reaper
The current world record holder for hottest pepper, recognizable by its wrinkled red skin and distinctive pointed tail. Extremely long season required, but just one or two pods go a very long way.
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Cayenne
A classic hot pepper prized for drying into powder or using fresh in cooking. Slim, curved red pods pack reliable heat and are among the most versatile hot peppers in the kitchen.
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Chocolate Habanero
Among the hottest habanero types, distinguished by deep chocolate-brown skin and a rich smoky-earthy flavour profile. Requires a long growing season but produces pods with unique depth.
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Cubanelle
A thin-walled Italian frying pepper with delicate sweetness that intensifies when sauteed. The tapered yellow-green fruit is a staple in Mediterranean cooking.
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Datil
A St. Augustine, Florida heritage pepper with a uniquely sweet, fruity flavour rare among superhot varieties. Small yellow-orange pods make exceptional hot sauces with complex flavour beyond just heat.
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Fish Pepper
An African-American heirloom from Baltimore with stunning variegated green-and-white striped foliage and fruit. Traditionally paired with shellfish cookery, it is as ornamental as it is useful in the kitchen.
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Fresno
Developed in 1952 in California, this medium-hot pepper ripens to bright red and is preferred for hot sauces and ceviche. Similar shape to jalapeno but with thinner walls and a cleaner heat.
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Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
Once the world's hottest pepper, delivering an intense slow-building burn with surprisingly fruity undertones. Wrinkled red pods require a very long, warm growing season.
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Habanero
Delivers intense heat wrapped in a distinctive tropical-fruity aroma found in no other pepper. Lantern-shaped orange pods require a long growing season but reward patient gardeners.
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Hungarian Wax
A classic pickling pepper with variable heat ranging from mild to medium in the same plant. Waxy yellow pods are tapered and attractive, turning orange-red at full maturity.
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Jalapeno
The most popular hot pepper worldwide, equally at home sliced fresh on nachos or smoked into chipotle. Thick-walled dark green pods offer moderate heat with a clean, bright flavour.
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Jimmy Nardello
Brought to America by the Nardello family in 1887, this sweet frying pepper is considered one of the finest for the skillet. Long, thin red pods caramelize beautifully when fried or roasted.
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Lunchbox
Miniature snacking peppers with exceptionally thick walls and intense sweetness packed into a bite-sized 7cm fruit. Available in red, orange, and yellow.
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Mad Hatter
A visually striking 2017 AAS winner with an unusual flattened flying-saucer shape and sweet, mild flavour. Fruit colour varies from green to purple to red depending on sun exposure.
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Padron
A Spanish tapas classic where most pods are mild but an occasional one surprises with real heat. Best blistered whole in olive oil and finished with coarse sea salt.
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Pepperoncini
A mild, tangy Italian-Greek pepper most commonly encountered pickled on antipasto platters and submarine sandwiches. Curved pods are versatile enough for cooking, pickling, or eating fresh.
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Piparra
A Basque country heirloom traditionally pickled in white wine vinegar and served as an essential pintxo garnish. Thin, pale green pods have a mild tangy heat that complements cured meats and anchovies.
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Piquillo
A protected-origin Spanish pepper from Navarra, traditionally roasted over embers and hand-peeled. Small triangular red fruit with concentrated sweetness is the classic vessel for stuffing with salt cod or cheese.
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Poblano
The essential pepper for chiles rellenos, with large heart-shaped pods and mild heat that complements rather than overpowers. Known as ancho when dried, adding deep earthy complexity to sauces.
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Romano
A tall, narrow Italian bell with thick sweet flesh that excels when stuffed or roasted. The elongated shape and crisp texture make it a favourite in Italian cuisine.
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Scotch Bonnet
The signature pepper of Caribbean cuisine with a squat bonnet shape and fruity, tropical heat comparable to habanero. Essential for jerk seasoning and Caribbean hot sauces.
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Serrano
Hotter and thinner-walled than jalapeno, this is the pepper of choice for authentic fresh salsas. Small pods pack concentrated heat without overwhelming the other flavours.
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Shishito
A Japanese appetizer pepper famous for its roulette-like quality where roughly one in ten pods delivers a surprising kick of heat. Best blistered quickly in a hot pan with oil and salt.
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Sweet Banana
Produces an abundance of tapered yellow pods that ripen to red, equally good pickled, fried, or eaten fresh. One of the most prolific sweet peppers in the garden.
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Sweet Hungarian Wax
Long yellow pods with thick, sweet flesh and absolutely no heat, unlike its hot namesake. A Hungarian garden staple that excels roasted or stuffed with cheese.
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Thai Dragon
Clusters of tiny upright pods deliver fierce heat popular across Southeast Asian cuisines. Extremely prolific plants produce hundreds of small red chillies per season.
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Trinidad Scorpion
A former world record holder with intense fruity heat and a distinctive pointed tail. The Moruga strain measured over 2 million Scoville units, making it one of the hottest peppers ever recorded.
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