Habanero Pepper

Habanero Pepper: Main Image

Buying Tips

Fresh habaneros can be found in the produce section of specialty markets and supermarkets. Choose fresh, bright chiles with deep colors, avoiding those that look wrinkled or soft.

Varieties

Habaneros are small, rounded, lantern- or bell-shaped peppers with a pointed end. Like most peppers, they are green when young, while mature peppers may be yellow, orange, or red. These are small peppers, about 1 to 2 inches (2.5–5cm) in all directions, that give little hint of how much heat they contain. The peppers called Scotch bonnets are closely related, and are sometimes mistaken for habaneros; their heat level is similar.

Habaneros can have heat scores that range anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units—or more. How high a chile pepper scores on the heat scale is determined by high-performance liquid chromatography measurement of how many parts per million of capsaicin it contains. This figure is then converted into the historic Scoville heat units that signify how much dilution is necessary to drown out the chile’s heat. The heat level of a chile is given as a range because it varies with how and where the pepper was cultivated.

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires December 2024.