Anaheim
Also known as: anaheim pepper, California chile, chile verde del norte
The Anaheim is the milder cousin to New Mexico's Hatch chile, named for the California city where commercial cultivation took off in the early 1900s. Long, slender, glossy, and forgiving — the Anaheim is the chile that introduces most Americans to chile cooking.
Scoville
500–3K SHU
Heat
Mild
Origin
north america
Species
C. annuum
Type
Fresh pod
Plant height
24–30 in
Heat profile
Mild heat — 500–3K SHU
See the full scoville scale →Flavor profile
Sweet, mildly vegetal, with a gentle warmth that lingers rather than punches.
The Anaheim's role is approachability. It carries enough chile flavor to feel authentic in chile verde, chile relleno, and green sauce applications, but the heat stays well below the threshold where it becomes a barrier. The Hatch and Anaheim are genetic siblings — Anaheim was bred from a New Mexico chile transplanted to Southern California by Emilio Ortega in 1900 — but a century of separate breeding has made them measurably different: Hatch is more variable and can be much hotter, Anaheim is consistent and tame. For mainstream American cooks, the Anaheim is the safer reach.
Color
Bright green ripening to red
Did you know
The Anaheim and the Hatch chile share a common ancestor — a cultivar developed at New Mexico State University around 1900. Emilio Ortega moved seeds to Anaheim, California, and a century of separate selection produced two distinct peppers from the same starting point.
How to use it
- —Chile verde and other green chile stews
- —Roasted and stuffed for chile rellenos (a milder version)
- —Sliced into fajitas, stir-fries, and breakfast scrambles
- —Blended into mild salsa verde
- —Pickled for sandwiches and burgers
Pairs well with
Substitutes
Can't find anaheim? Try one of these.
Poblano
1:11K–2K SHU
Very close cousin. Poblano is slightly more earthy, Anaheim slightly more sweet. Largely interchangeable in mild chile applications.
Hatch Green Chile
1:1500–3K SHU
Anaheim's New Mexico sibling. Hatch is more variable — buy mild Hatch if you want the closest swap, hot Hatch for more kick.
How to grow it
Growing anaheim at home
USDA zones
Perennial in 9–11, annual in 4–8
Germinate
10–21 days
To harvest
~75 days from transplant
Plant height
24–30 in
Sun
full sun
Water
moderate
Container
Container-friendly
Among the easiest US chiles for home gardens — productive, forgiving, and tolerant of cooler summers than habanero or chinense varieties. A 3-gallon container is enough per plant. Anaheims can be harvested green for fresh use or left to ripen red and dried (though they're less commonly dried than poblano/ancho).
Where to find it
Buying anaheim
Fresh
Year-round at virtually every US grocery store; one of the most universally stocked fresh chiles in the country.
Dried
Dried red Anaheims (sometimes labeled 'chile colorado') are available at Latin grocers but less common than ancho or guajillo.
Seasonality
Year-round greenhouse and California field production; outdoor peak August–October.
Seed sources
- Burpee
- Bonnie Plants
- Native Seeds/SEARCH
- Johnny's Selected Seeds
- Baker Creek
Pre-roasted canned Ortega chiles (whole and diced) are pantry staples worth keeping — they're Anaheims processed for chiles rellenos, breakfast scrambles, and quick green chile applications when fresh isn't available.
History & origin
Where anaheim comes from
Emilio Ortega, a Mexican-American farmer who learned chile cultivation in New Mexico, brought seeds back to Southern California and began commercial production around 1900 in what is now Anaheim. The Ortega Chile Company canned the peppers and built a brand around them. Over the next century, California growers selected for milder, more uniform pods that ship well — diverging from the Hatch chile lineage that stayed in New Mexico. Today the Anaheim is its own stable cultivar.
Cook with it
Recipes that use anaheim.
mexican · medium
May 11, 2026Chorizo and Black Bean Burger with Los Calientes Rojo Crema
Mexican-inspired burgers where spiced chorizo meets earthy black beans, topped with a tangy Los Calientes Rojo crema that brings just the right amount of heat and bright tomato flavor to every bite. 37 min · 0 saves.
mexican · hot
May 7, 2026Habanero Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Roasted sweet potatoes and black beans wrapped in corn tortillas, covered in a bright habanero-tomato sauce that brings genuine heat while letting the earthy, sweet filling shine through. 85 min · 0 saves.
mexican · medium
May 4, 2026Chipotle Cream Spaghetti with Chorizo and Poblanos
Silky pasta tossed in a smoky chipotle-spiked cream sauce with crispy chorizo and charred poblano strips 35 min · 0 saves.
Similar peppers
Other mild peppers
Frequently asked
Common questions about anaheim
Are Anaheim and Hatch the same chile?
Closely related but distinct. They share a common ancestor (a New Mexico cultivar from the late 1800s), but a century of separate breeding has made Anaheim milder and more uniform, while Hatch retained more flavor variation and heat potential. Hatch is also a geographic designation — only chiles grown in the Hatch Valley can be sold as Hatch.
How hot is an Anaheim pepper?
Mild — 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units, which is roughly one-fifth the heat of a jalapeño. Most Anaheims sit at the low end of this range. Individual pods can reach the high end (closer to a poblano), but very rarely beyond.
Can you eat Anaheim peppers raw?
Yes, though roasting brings out much more flavor. Raw Anaheims taste vegetal and slightly bitter, similar to a green bell pepper with a small heat note. Roasted, the flesh turns sweet and slightly smoky. Most traditional recipes call for roasting and peeling first.
What can I use instead of Anaheim peppers?
Poblano is the closest swap — similar mild heat and similar size for stuffing. Hatch chiles work but are more variable. Cubanelle peppers (Italian frying peppers) can substitute when only mild vegetal heat is needed. Green bell pepper is the wrong answer — it has no heat and a different flavor character.
Pantry examples
If you want to taste anaheim in a bottle or pantry product
These are optional examples of how this pepper shows up in real products. The profile above stands on its own even if you never shop from this section.
Fresh verde
Cholula Green Tomatillo Hot Sauce
Tangy tomatillo base with a brighter, greener heat than the red. A natural pour on fish tacos, avocado toast, huevos rancheros, and grilled corn.
View example ↗Bright finisher
Tajin Clasico Seasoning
Citrusy chile seasoning for fruit, grilled corn, rims, cucumbers, and the kind of summer snacks that disappear fast.
View example ↗