Jalapeño
Also known as: jalapeño pepper, chipotle when smoked
The most widely consumed hot pepper in the world, the jalapeño is the gateway drug of the spicy food world. Eaten fresh, pickled, roasted, or smoked into chipotles, it appears in more dishes than any other hot pepper.
The full profile
The jalapeño's near-universal availability and predictable heat range make it the chef's workhorse pepper. Ripe red jalapeños are sweeter and slightly hotter than the ubiquitous green; roasting either color mellows the heat and deepens the flavor. When smoked and dried, the jalapeño becomes the chipotle — a completely different flavor identity with the same base ingredient. If you're building heat tolerance, the jalapeño is where to start.
Flavor
Grassy, bright, and mildly vegetal with a clean, manageable heat.
Color
Red or green
Heat level
Medium
3K–8K SHU
2,500–30,000 SHU
Did you know
The same jalapeño pepper becomes a chipotle when it's left on the plant to ripen red, then smoked and dried — entirely different flavor, same pepper.
How to use it
- —Sliced fresh into tacos, nachos, and sandwiches
- —Smoked and dried as chipotle for salsas and adobo
- —Pickled en escabeche alongside carrots and onion
- —Roasted and blended into hot sauces and salsas
- —Stuffed with cheese and bacon (jalapeño popper)
Pairs well with
Shop these
Sauces and products that feature jalapeño.
Smoky shortcut
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
The pantry move for smoky mayo, burger sauce, taco braises, and chili that tastes like you actually thought ahead.
View on Amazon ↗Most-poured bottle
Cholula Original Hot Sauce
The best-selling Mexican hot sauce in the US — mild enough for any table, bright enough for eggs, tacos, pizza, and cocktails. The bottle most people already trust.
View on Amazon ↗Jalapeño brightness
Tabasco Green Jalapeño Sauce
Milder than the red, brighter and more herbaceous — great on Mexican food, omelets, grilled fish, and anyone who wants acid with a green, vegetal edge.
View on Amazon ↗Clean label
Siete Jalapeño Hot Sauce
A grain-free, clean-ingredient jalapeño sauce with real brightness. Hits for people who want the heat without vinegar overload or industrial fermentation.
View on Amazon ↗Cook with it
Recipes that use jalapeño.
mexican · inferno
Apr 18, 2026Camarones en Salsa del Diablo - Devil's Sauce Shrimp
Sweet, plump shrimp swimming in a seriously fiery Mexican chile sauce that brings together 7-pot peppers, charred tomatoes, and smoky chipotles. This coastal Veracruz recipe doesn't mess around with the heat, but it keeps the beautiful briny sweetness of the seafood front and center. 60 min · 0 saves.
mexican · hot
Apr 17, 2026Torta de Chorizo con Salsa de Habanero
A generous Mexican chorizo sandwich layered with crispy spiced pork, charred onions, and a molcajete-ground habanero salsa that brings serious heat to every bite. 45 min · 0 saves.
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.