Cayenne
Also known as: cayenne pepper, red pepper, Guinea spice
Cayenne is arguably the most important pepper in American cooking, even if most people don't know they're eating it. Ground cayenne powder appears in virtually every spice blend; the fresh or dried pepper is the base of Tabasco and many classic Louisiana hot sauces.
The full profile
The cayenne's value is in its clean, dry heat rather than any distinctive flavor. That neutrality is exactly the point — it adds fire without competing with other ingredients. Fresh cayennes appear in Italian-American dishes and some Asian cooking, but the dried powdered form is where it does its heaviest lifting, showing up in everything from barbecue rubs to Cincinnati chili. Frank's RedHot is made from cayenne. Tabasco adds fermented cayenne-range peppers. This is the working pepper.
Flavor
Dry, earthy heat with minimal fruit — the backbone of powdered chili and hot sauce.
Color
Bright red
Heat level
Hot
30K–50K SHU
30,000–100,000 SHU
Did you know
Frank's RedHot, the most popular hot sauce in the United States, is made primarily from aged cayenne peppers — not a single exotic variety.
How to use it
- —Ground into powder for rubs, blends, and spice mixes
- —Base pepper for Louisiana-style hot sauces
- —Added whole to Italian-American dishes (arrabbiata, aglio e olio)
- —Infused into oils and butters for heat base
- —Used in Korean and Sichuan cooking as a component pepper
Pairs well with
Shop these
Sauces and products that feature cayenne.
Wing sauce classic
Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Sauce
The cayenne workhorse behind most restaurant wing sauces. Pairs with butter straight out of the bottle. Also useful on eggs, pizza, and anything that wants vinegar heat.
View on Amazon ↗The original
Tabasco Original Red Pepper Sauce
The Avery Island classic that started the modern hot sauce shelf — thin, vinegary, and sharp. Correct on oysters, gumbo, Bloody Marys, and anywhere acid does the work.
View on Amazon ↗Fast crust
Cajun Seasoning Blend
A no-nonsense seasoning for salmon, fries, wings, and sheet-pan dinners when you want flavor in under thirty seconds.
View on Amazon ↗Louisiana upgrade
Pain is Good Louisiana Style Hot Sauce
A more complex, slightly sweeter Louisiana-style with better body than the commodity brands. Good for gumbo, fried seafood, and people who want something beyond Crystal.
View on Amazon ↗Cook with it
Recipes that use cayenne.
american · reaper
Apr 16, 2026Carolina Reaper Blackened Shrimp with Cooling Buttermilk Drizzle
Plump shrimp get dressed in a bold spice blend laced with Carolina Reaper powder, then seared until beautifully charred and juicy. A tangy buttermilk sauce offers sweet relief from the intense heat. 28 min · 0 saves.
american · reaper
Apr 15, 2026Garlic Reaper Buffalo Wings
Classic buffalo wings taken to Carolina Reaper levels with garlic-rich heat that builds into something unforgettable 60 min · 0 saves.
italian · mild
Apr 15, 2026Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Calabrian Chilies
Classic Italian midnight pasta elevated with gentle Calabrian chili heat and crispy garlic in golden olive oil 17 min · 0 saves.