What Is the Spiciest Pepper in the World?

If you’re a spice lover like we are, you might be looking for your next fiery pepper to enjoy, or perhaps you’re just curious about chilli peppers in general. Read on, and we’ll tell you all about the world’s spiciest pepper, its predecessors, and its competitors.

The Carolina Reaper

If you’re a pepper enthusiast, or even just someone who engages with spicy food content online — like the popular hot sauce-tasting YouTube series Hot Ones — chances are you’ve heard of the beast that is the Carolina Reaper pepper.

The Carolina Reaper has been named the hottest chilli pepper in the world, according to Guinness World Records. It was created in South Carolina by a man named Ed Currie, who crossbred a red habanero pepper with another chilli pepper variety known as the Naga Viper.

Many who have tried the Carolina Reaper report having severe side effects and intense experiences due to the pepper’s extreme heat. Some of the side effects include mouth burning, numbness, and, in rare cases, vomiting and intense headaches.

Now, we’re not trying to stop you from enjoying your spice; we just want you to be aware of the dangers that can come with powerful spice and encourage you to know your peppers before you eat them.

To help you out further, we’ll dive into how you can easily identify the amount of heat in different peppers so you can choose options with heat levels you can handle.

But first, let’s talk about some of the hottest peppers on the planet — and there’s a twist. Despite its recognition as the record holder for the world’s hottest chilli pepper, the Carolina Reaper has reportedly been dethroned by other peppers that seem even hotter!

Carolina Reaper Competitors

The pepper most recognised as the spiciest in the world by chilli pepper aficionados is known as Pepper X. Pepper X was created by none other than Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper. He developed Pepper X by crossbreeding various chilli pepper types to create a heat that is hotter than the Carolina Reaper.

But if this is true, why is the Carolina Reaper more famous than Pepper X? That’s because Pepper X has yet to be confirmed as the world’s hottest pepper by Guinness World Records. So, for the time being, the Carolina Reaper remains the confirmed world’s hottest pepper. Another pepper coming in second on the list of peppers hotter than the Carolina Reaper is the Dragon’s Breath pepper. Like Pepper X, Dragon’s Breath has yet to be confirmed by Guinness World Records as one of the world’s hottest chilli peppers, though it has been measured as hotter than the Carolina Reaper many times.

But without official confirmation and a record-holding status, how can you even tell which pepper is hotter than another?

How Do You Measure How Hot a Pepper Is?
There is a method for measuring heat levels in different chilli peppers, known as the Scoville scale. The Scoville scale labels chilli peppers with heat levels using Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Considering all the chilli peppers measured with this scale, Scoville ratings can range from the low hundreds to just over two million (as seen in super hot peppers like Pepper X).

So how exactly does the Scoville scale work, and what does it measure?
The scale measures the heat in chilli peppers by diluting a chilli pepper extract with sugar water. An extract sample is taken from a chilli pepper and tasted by testers. The sample is diluted with sugar water until the heat is barely detectable by the testers.The number of times the solution is diluted determines its ranking on the Scoville scale. Spicier peppers require more sugar water to remove their heat and, therefore, have a higher SHU ranking.

In essence, the test measures the amount of capsaicin in a chilli pepper. Capsaicin is one of the main capsaicinoids — chemical compounds that create the sensation of heat in chilli peppers. The Scoville scale helps determine the heat level in spicy peppers by identifying the amount of capsaicin they contain.

Other Spicy Peppers
Although they’re no Pepper X or Carolina Reaper, it’s only fair to acknowledge some of the other spicy peppers that exist today and how they rank on the Scoville scale. In fact, many are still considered remarkably hot, even though they are ranked lower than those at the top.

Here is a list of some popular chilli peppers and their heat rankings in Scoville units:

Jalapeño Pepper: While not the hottest pepper on this list, it’s a commonly used chilli pepper. A jalapeño’s heat can range from 2,000 to 8,000 SHU.

 

Cayenne Pepper: Often used as a household spice, the cayenne pepper typically ranks between 30,000 and 50,000 SHU.

Habanero Pepper: Frequently used in many hot sauces, the habanero pepper typically ranges from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.

Scotch Bonnet Pepper: Similar to the habanero, Scotch bonnet peppers usually range from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU, with some reaching up to 400,000 SHU.

Red Savina Pepper: A crossbreed of the habanero, the Red Savina pepper is more intense, ranging from 350,000 to 577,000 SHU.

Ghost Pepper: Native to India, these hot peppers, also known as bhut jolokia, have a heat level of around 1,041,427 SHU.

Naga Viper Pepper: Used to create the Carolina Reaper, the Naga Viper has a heat level of around 1,382,118 SHU.

Komodo Dragon Pepper: Ranking close to the Carolina Reaper, the Komodo Dragon pepper has a SHU between 1.4 and 2.2 million. For reference, the Carolina Reaper is around 2.2 million SHU, while Pepper X ranks at 3.18 million SHU.

7 Pot Pepper:

Another important type of chilli pepper for spice lovers is the 7-Pot pepper, originating in the Caribbean, specifically Trinidad. The name comes from the idea that one of these peppers is so hot, it could flavour seven pots of stew.

Some well-known variations of the 7-Pot pepper include:

• 7-Pot Dougla
• 7-Pot Jonah
• 7-Pot Barrackpore
• 7-Pot Primo Pepper

Note that 7-Pot peppers differ from other Trinidadian peppers, such as the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper or the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. Trinidad Scorpion peppers tend to be less fruity and less plump than 7-Pot peppers.

Why Peppers?
What’s so special about chilli peppers, and why should you care about how spicy they are?

Chilli peppers add heat to dishes that are usually milder or sweeter. So next time you’re making a recipe like Homemade Crab Rangoons With Sweet Chilli Sauce TRUFF Dip, remember that just because it has ‘sweet’ in the name doesn’t mean it can’t pack a punch.

Chilli peppers are also an essential ingredient in hot sauces, like our TRUFF Hotter Hot Sauce. They provide that kick of heat and are a huge part of the sauce’s flavour. Without chilli peppers, many of the spicy foods you know and love today would be completely different — if they existed at all.

Chilli peppers aren’t just tasty; they’ve also been found to have many health benefits, such as antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory qualities. Research from Australian universities, like the University of Sydney, has explored capsaicin’s role in promoting metabolism and its potential benefits for pain relief, adding credibility to these claims. Plus, their major chemical component, capsaicin, acts as a powerful pain reliever and has been used in various tests as a less harmful alternative to most anaesthetics.

How To Dine With Peppers
Now that you know how to choose your own mild or smokin’ hot peppers based on your preference and the Scoville scale, what can you do with those peppers?

You might want to dive straight in and take a bite of the world’s hottest peppers as a challenge. Or, if you’re not into scorching heat, you can enjoy chilli peppers in a milder hot sauce with a lower Scoville ranking for a comfortable and decadent eating experience.

For a local twist, Australians sometimes use hot sauce to spice up native meats like kangaroo or crocodile. These lean, gamey meats pair well with the heat from chilli peppers, elevating their natural flavours. Additionally, bush tucker ingredients such as lemon myrtle or wattleseed are often combined with chilli peppers to create unique flavour profiles.

Try our truffle-infused TRUFF Original Hot Sauce for a rich, spicy flavour made from our special chilli pepper blend. It’s around 2,500 to 3,000 SHU, so feel free to add less or more to your dishes depending on your spice tolerance. We suggest trying it in something like our Turkey Pumpkin Chilli to bring out the luxurious flavours.

But feel free to spice it up however you like!