Which Chile Peppers to Buy

We offer a full line of fresh and dried chile peppers and chili powders.  With such a wide variety of chilies to choose from, you may find yourself unsure of where to start. 

Here are some suggestions:

Start With a Dried Chile Sampler
We offer seven different samplers, so there’s something for everyone (even a surprise sampler!).

Mild Chilies Add Fruitiness
Mild chilies, as a group, tend to feature richer, fruitier flavors than the hotter chilies.  This makes them a great choice for dessert recipes, dishes where you want chili flavor but not heat, or blending with hotter chilies to add more flavor without adding more heat. 

Moles get their rich, full flavor from chilies in this category.

Medium Chilies for Measured Heat
Some medium chilies are fruity, others are simply hot.  Regardless, medium chilies are the spice cabinet workhorse of many cuisines around the world.  The chilies in this category are always a good place to start for recipes where you want to introduce heat, but don’t want it to take over.

For additional depth of flavor, choose chipotle chilies or smoked serranos which have been smoked as well as dried.

Hot Chilies Turn Up the Volume
From the well known habanero chili to the awe-inspiring, world’s hottest ghost chili, hot chilies bring the burn.  A little goes a long way, but if you love spice there’s no substitute.

Chili Powders are Convenient
In general we recommend grinding your own chili powder for best flavor.  However, if you need a lot at once that isn’t convenient.  Our pure, pre-ground chili powders are high quality and a great choice if you need a lot of chili powder at one time for homemade spice blends, spice rubs, and large batch cooking.

Fresh Chilies are Perfect for Salads, Sautés & Frying
Fry shishito peppers in tempura batter for a snack, bar food, or appetizer that your friends won’t be able to turn down.  Chop yellow caribe peppers for your next salad to introduce spice and a nice crunch.  For some recipes reconstituted dried chilies just won’t do.

Looking for more ideas?  Check out our dried chile recipes!