You may have heard whisperings of the mysterious ghost pepper. With such an intimidating name, they must be the real deal! How does this ominous pepper stand up to the stalwart classic pepper, the jalapeño?
Jalapeños and ghost peppers are similar in size but worlds apart. Ghost peppers can be hundreds of times spicier than jalapeños! While jalapeños have a smooth exterior, ghost peppers are very wrinkled. Ghost peppers are usually made into hot sauce or used in extreme moderation, whereas jalapeños are cooked in just about every fashion imaginable.
Read on to learn how different these two peppers really are!
Comparison – Differences between jalapeño peppers and ghost peppers
Jalapeños are among the most popular “hot” peppers, but they’re actually among the mildest peppers that have any actual bite. If you want to know what pain really is, get your hands on a ghost pepper.
Let’s take a detailed look at the similarities and differences between jalapeños and ghost peppers based on the following criteria:
- Jalapeños vs ghost peppers heat level
- Jalapeños vs ghost peppers flavor
- Jalapeños vs ghost peppers texture
- Jalapeños vs ghost peppers size and shape
- Jalapeños vs ghost peppers nutrition
- Jalapeños vs ghost peppers cost and availability
- Unique difficulties
- Substitutions
| Criteria | Jalepeño Pepper | Ghost Pepper |
|---|---|---|
| Heat level | 2,000-8,000 SHU | 1,000,000 SHU |
| Flavor | Sweet and bright | Fruity and very spicy |
| Texture | Smooth with a tough skin | Wrinkly |
| Size | 2-3″ | 2-3″ |
| Shape | Rounded cones | Long and pointed |
| Nutrition (per 100g) | 29 Calories 144% DV Vitamin C | 15 Calories |
| Substitutions | Serrano pepper | Carolina Reaper pepper |
Jalapeños vs ghost peppers heat level (in Scoville heat units)
Jalapeño peppers have a Scoville heat unit range from 2,000-8,000. Meanwhile, ghost peppers average at 1 MILLION SHU!
This makes them 500 times spicier than jalapeños. Geez!
Jalapeños vs ghost peppers flavor
Jalapeño peppers are loved for their sweetness.
While ghost peppers have a fruity flavor, your taste buds need to be well-trained in order to detect it beneath all the heat.
Jalapeños vs ghost peppers texture
Jalapeños are smooth and ghost peppers are wrinkled.
Jalapeños vs ghost peppers size and shape
Jalapeños and ghost peppers are both 2-3 inches long.
They’re both cone-shaped, but jalapeños are more rounded and ghost peppers are pointier.
Jalapeños vs ghost peppers nutrition
Jalapeño peppers and ghost peppers are both low-calorie foods with a high Vitamin C content. Vitamin C is a necessary antioxidant that potentially prevents cancer by fighting free radicals in your body.
Ghost peppers also have insane levels of capsaicin, which boosts metabolism and decreases inflammation.
Cost and availability
Jalapeño peppers are available at most grocery stores and are relatively inexpensive.
If you’re looking for a ghost pepper, you’ll either need to find a specialty store, visit your local farmer’s market, or grow your own.
Unique difficulties
Jalapeño peppers are pretty easy to use, but there is a pretty wide heat range, meaning you never really know what you’re going to get.
You have to be INCREDIBLY careful when handling ghost peppers.
Wear gloves and only touch things that are completely necessary. Avoid your eyes and face at all costs. Sanitize everything when you’re done.
Can you substitute jalapeño peppers for ghost peppers or vice versa?
You cannot substitute jalapeño peppers for ghost peppers or vice versa. They live in completely different worlds!
Jalapeño peppers – a complete overview
Now let’s give our attention to this well-loved Mexican pepper.
Heat
Jalapeño peppers have a Scoville heat unit rating between 2,000 and 8,000. So some jalapeños are 4 times as spicy as others!
Size doesn’t tell you much about how hot a jalapeño is. The best indicator is color.
Jalapeños become red as they grow – all while their capsaicin levels get higher and higher. In other words, they get spicier and spicier!
Flavor
Jalapeños have a strong sweet flavor with a kick of spice.
Size, shape, and texture
Jalapeños are about 2-3 inches in size.
They’re very round cones with smooth skin.
Nutritional content and potential health benefits
One cup of raw chopped jalapeños contains:
- 26 calories
- 20% DV Vitamin B6
- 177% DV Vitamin C
- 10% DV dietary fiber
Some potential health benefits of eating jalapeños include:
- Increased heart health
- Anti-inflammatory
- Fights and prevents cancer
- Boosts metabolism
- Relieves pain
Cooking with jalapeño peppers
It’s popular to use pickled jalapeño peppers as a topping on everything ranging from nachos to pizzas to subs.
Stuffed jalapeños are another great way to enjoy these spicy peppers!
Jalapeños can also be cooked just like any other pepper – sauteed, blistered, grilled, or roasted.
You probably won’t find anyone dipping raw jalapeños in hummus, though!
Substitutions for jalapeño peppers
Serrano peppers are the best jalapeño pepper substitute because they are both sweet with a similar Scoville heat unit rating.
Freezing, drying, and preserving jalapeño peppers
Jalapeño peppers can be frozen, dried, canned, or pickled.
Ghost peppers – a complete overview
Ghost peppers are just an intense as they sound.
At one time, ghost peppers were actually the hottest pepper in the world, although these days they’re ranked fifth!
Let’s take a look at all the important characteristics of this spooky pepper.
Heat
Ghost peppers rank at an impressive 1 MILLION SHU!
Flavor
Ghost peppers are so hot that you’d have to be a pepper connoisseur in order to taste the flavor beneath!
But, if you must know, they have fruity undertones.
Size, shape, and texture
Ghost peppers range from about 2 to 3 inches long.
They have a cone shape with a pointy tip and lots of wrinkles.
Nutritional content and potential health benefits
Ghost peppers are low in calories and loaded with vitamin C. That being said, the biggest secret lies in their capsaicin.
Capsaicin has incredible health benefits such as boosting your metabolism. It also has anti-inflammatory properties.
Countries that eat spicier food have been found to have “lower rates of colon cancer,” although other lifestyle choices need to be adjusted for in further studies.
Cooking with ghost peppers
Most people will stick to making hot sauce with their ghost peppers, or potentially making spicy oil to cook with or drizzle on dishes.
The brave may cook with ghost peppers in other ways – such as adding small amounts to salsa – but you have to work your spice tolerance up if you want to have a good experience!
Substitutions for ghost peppers
Carolina Reapers are a good substitute for ghost peppers, although they can be twice as spicy!
Want to know more about the current world’s hottest pepper? Check out this comparison of jalapeños and Carolina Reaper peppers!
Freezing, drying, and preserving ghost peppers
You can freeze, dry, and preserve ghost peppers, although, as mentioned, hot sauce fermentation is the most popular method of preserving this super-hot pepper.
An interesting experiment would be to grind up dried ghost peppers to add insane levels of spice to your dishes with just a sprinkle of the final product!