What Are Carolina Reaper Peppers and How Do You Cook With Them?

Ever wondered just how hot a Carolina Reaper pepper really is and whether it might be the secret ingredient to make your chile stand out? Officially designated as "HP22B," in November 2013 the Carolina Reaper became the hottest pepper in the world and entered the Guinness Book of World Records.

The Carolina Reaper pepper is not just super hot, it’s also got a distinctive flavor personality that makes it a unique addition to sweet and savory dishes, from hot sauce to chocolate brownies.

If you’re looking for the hottest recipes (and we mean hot in every sense of the word) then grab a glass of milk and read our sizzling guide.

Jump to Section:

• What Is a Carolina Reaper Pepper?
• How Hot is a Carolina Reaper Pepper?
• Where to Buy a Carolina Reaper Pepper
• How to Cook With Carolina Reaper Peppers

What Is a Carolina Reaper Pepper?

Between 2013 and 2023 Carolina Reaper peppers were designated as the hottest chiles in the world. Although they’ve recently lost their crown, these hot peppers still pack a mighty punch of heat with each pepper capable of measuring over two million units on the Scoville scale.

In case you were wondering, the official hottest chile in the world is now the "Pepper X" which surpasses Reaper’s Scoville record by 0.4 million SHU (Scoville Heat Units).

Where Does the Carolina Reaper Pepper Come From?

Carolina Reaper peppers were developed by a South Carolina farmer named Smokin’ Ed Currie of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company, who wanted to develop the health-giving properties of chiles in new varieties. After extensive research and experimentation, Currie created a hybrid of a red savina habanero and a Pakistani naga pepper. While the naga is well-known for its heat, the habanero has a rich, smoky taste that can really enhance sauces and other spicy dishes.

What Does the Carolina Reaper Pepper Look Like?

Carolina Reaper peppers measure around 1-1.5 inches in width and have a bumpy skin. They can come in an assortment of colors, including peach and purple, but the most common shade is red. They have a thin pointy tail which because it resembled Death’s trademark scythe inspired Currie to name them "Reaper."

How Hot is a Carolina Reaper Pepper?

The heat of chiles is measured using the Scoville scale, which judges the levels of capsaicinoids (the part of the plant that causes heat) a pepper contains. To give you an idea of how the Carolina Reaper pepper stacks up on this scale let’s look at a few other chiles. The ordinary bell pepper in your tacos measures zero on the Scoville scale whereas the jalapeños you added on top of said tacos measure between 2500-8000 SHU each. That means an average Carolina Reaper pepper is 300-400 times as hot as a jalapeño.

How about Scotch bonnets? These are, after all, notoriously some of the hottest peppers around. Well, they measure 100, 000-350,000 SHU each so are ten times cooler than a Carolina Reaper pepper.

Ghost Pepper vs. Carolina Reaper

Ghost peppers have gone viral lots of times over the years for their breathtaking heat. They measure anywhere between 855,000 and 1,041,000 SHU but taste like a bowl of ice cream compared to the Reaper which, on average, is at least 0.5 million points hotter than this.

Scorpion Pepper vs. Carolina Reaper Pepper

Scorpion peppers, as the name suggests, are another notoriously spicy chile from Trinidad and Tobago. They have a similar appearance to Carolina Reapers with a pointy tail which earned them their name thanks to its resemblance to a scorpion’s sting.

Scorpion peppers measure between 1.4-2 million SHU and were the hottest peppers in the world until Carolina Reapers knocked them from the top spot.

Like Reapers, scorpion peppers have a fruity flavor which makes them good at accentuating other tastes in sauces and stews. But, no scorpion pun intended, if you’re going to add any of this pepper to your dish, make sure it’s only a pinch!

Can You Eat the Carolina Reaper Pepper?

You sure can! As well as the scorching heat, Carolina Reaper peppers have a complex flavor profile that makes them a flexible ingredient to use in cooking. They are bred to be sweet and are one of the most aromatic of any peppers with lots of fruity notes, including peach and red apple, floral hints and notes of cinnamon and chocolate. They also have a slow building heat, allowing the fruity notes to shine through before the spiciness intensifies. This makes Carolina Reapers some of the best chiles to cook with when you’re looking for a blast of heat but lots of flavor too. However, they are very spicy so use them with caution. The old cooking adage that you can add more but you can’t take any out has never been truer!

Where to Buy Carolina Reaper Peppers

Carolina Reapers are easy to track down and come in lots of forms depending on how you’re planning to use them.

Grocery stores

Visiting your local grocery store such as Walmart or Wegmans is a great place to start when you’re searching for Carolina Reaper peppers. They might come as fresh chiles, dried pods or infused into a spicy hot sauce.

Online

For maximum convenience, you can buy Carolina Reaper peppers online from several outlets including the Puckerbutt Pepper Company, founded by the Reaper’s inventor. It’s available to buy in several forms, including dried, and there’s a range of ready-made sauces and salsas too.

Grow Your Own

If you’ve got the space you can try planting your own Carolina Reaper peppers. They’re easy to grow as long as they can access enough sunlight and can even be cultivated in a pot on your window sill.

How To Cook With Carolina Reaper Peppers

There’s a massive selection of Carolina Reaper recipes out there to help you add a kick of heat to your cooking but it’s a tricky ingredient to balance correctly. 

The best and easiest way to learn how to cook with new ingredients such as Reapers is through expert-led cooking classes near you. Once you’ve got the basics, you’ll find that Reapers might just become one of your new favorite spices. Here are a few top tips on prepping and cooking with Reapers.

Using Raw Peppers

Using raw Carolina Reaper peppers should be approached with caution as a little goes a long way. Wear gloves if you’re handling raw peppers and wash all of the utensils you use as soon as you’ve finished. You might also want to keep the window open to allow the air to flow and dissipate the spicy molecules. It might sound a bit extreme but coughing fits from being close to Reapers are not uncommon.

Using Whole Pods

Carolina Reaper pods are the whole, dried versions of the peppers. Before they can be used they need to be rehydrated in warm water for 20-30 minutes. Once you’ve done that you can carefully slice the Reapers and remove the seeds. The seeds contain a lot of heat too so you can retain these for adding to dishes alongside the skin. You can make Carolina Reaper pepper powder by roasting fresh peppers and then grinding when cool. Alternatively, it’s easily available to buy online.

Bonus tip

If you find you’ve overdone the peppers then dairy products and sweet things are the best choices to cool you down. Pop a spoonful of sugar or honey in your mouth and let it dissolve slowly.

What To Cook With Carolina Reaper Peppers 

Carolina Reaper peppers are super versatile and there are hundreds of recipes out there. Here's a quick look at some of our favorites.

Hot sauce

There are many types of hot sauce including several made with Carolina Reaper peppers. They’re perfect for marinating meat and vegetables for a barbecue or as a base for an all-purpose dip. Try mixing hot sauce with yogurt or mayo for toned-down heat that’s still packed with taste.

Finger-lickin’ BBQ Glaze

Like a phoenix, you can set your wings on fire with a few spoons of your very own Reaper BBQ glaze. Pureé a Carolina Reaper pepper pod and add it to a simple tomato sauce with molasses, a dash of vinegar, mustard, cinnamon, garlic and your own special blend of spices and you’ll have a sauce that’s perfect for marinating wings before they’re cooked or as a dip. Just make sure to wash your hands before you rub your eyes or blow your nose!

Chocolate Brownies

The subtle fruit and cinnamon notes in Carolina Reaper peppers make them a perfect addition to chocolate recipes. Add a pinch of powder to your next batch of brownies for a delightful accent to the sweet and rich chocolate.

Sweet and Fiery Popcorn

Perfect for taking your movie night snacks to the next level; make a batch of popcorn in a heavy-bottomed pan and drizzle with a little melted butter. Then, sprinkle over a mix of Reaper powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder, Parmesan or any combination of the above.

Chocolate Truffles

Another excellent recipe for chocaholics, these truffles also make a brilliant Christmas gift for those who appreciate the subtle mixture of sweetness and heat. Simply add a pinch of Reaper powder to a straightforward chocolate ganache made from melted chocolate and heavy cream. Using your palms, roll the ganache mixture into balls the size of a walnut and coat with cocoa, crushed nuts, sprinkles or even grated chocolate with a little more Reaper powder thrown in for good measure.

Whether you’re a dedicated spice lover looking for your next fiery fix or you’re searching for a new flavor, Carolina Reaper peppers are a hot hot hot addition to your kitchen. Once you’ve mastered the essentials of balancing the flavors, you’ll find that this pepper is a versatile spice to complement sweet and savory recipes. Now we’re off to cool down!

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other cooking experiences happening on Cozymeal.