If you love salsa like us, growing hot peppers from seed is a great way to step up your salsa game!
Best Peppers in Salsa:
With tons of different peppers to choose from in different heat levels, flavors and colors, don't limit yourself to just Jalapenos and Serranos – which are the most popular choices – be sure to try all sorts of hot peppers in your salsa to taste the rainbow of flavors! Roasted Anaheim chile, green chile and poblano peppers offer a milder, smoky flavor.
Or for a wicked spicy salsa, go for Habaneros, Aji peppers, Devil's Tongue, Fatalii or even Carolina Reapers for a ton of heat! You can even add sweet peppers or specialty peppers to salsas for a milder salsa that is packed with flavor.
We think that one of the very best peppers for salsa are green chiles! A salsa made with a medium heat roasted Big Jim chile is always a crowd favorite. Add more heat to your green chile salsa with a Jalmundo jalapeno. The Jalapeno Orange spice has a great orange bell pepper flavor and then Bam! It's hot.
Find all of our favorite Salsa Recipes for some inspiration, and see our list of our top pepper picks for salsa below...
Here are some of our favorite peppers for salsa:
Best Peppers for Mild Salsa:
TAM Jalapeno - a mild but flavorful jalapeño
Anaheim Sonora - delicious green chile flavor and mild heat
Giuzeppi Hatch Green Chile - for those who love mild, but great green chile flavor
Giuzeppi Hatch Green Chile - for those who love mild, but great green chile flavor
Trick or Treat Habanero - all the great Habanero flavor without the heat!
Habanada - bright tropical sweetness without heat!
(Sometimes we combine these no-heat habaneros with some regular habaneros or other hot peppers to give the salsa some heat that's loaded with fruity habanero flavor)
(Sometimes we combine these no-heat habaneros with some regular habaneros or other hot peppers to give the salsa some heat that's loaded with fruity habanero flavor)
Best Peppers for Medium-Heat Salsa:
Aji Amarillo - frequently used in Peru, fruity mango-like taste
Aji Limo - One of the most flavorful of the Andean peppers
Aleppo - smokey and delicious flavor!
Bulgarian Carrot - a cooler weather tolerating pepper, hot and fruity!
Chile de Arbol - bold heat and subtle, natural smoky flavor
Cow Horn - big and spicy!
Hot Portugal - Subtle, sweet flavor mixed with heat
Hot Portugal - Subtle, sweet flavor mixed with heat
Fresno - bright red hot pepper from Cali!
All Jalapenos… we have several varieties, colors and heat levels!
Serrano NuMex Cajohn's - bred to be a serrano that is bigger and milder
Serrano Hidalgo - hotter than a jalapeño with a bright fruit flavor
Serrano NuMex Cajohn's - bred to be a serrano that is bigger and milder
Serrano Hidalgo - hotter than a jalapeño with a bright fruit flavor
Guajillo - very distinctive sweet heat flavor
Doublecross Hatch Chile - Great Big Jim flavor with a little more heat.
Ms. Junie Hatch Red X Hot - Authentic red chile flavor with a lot of hot heat!
Doublecross Hatch Chile - Great Big Jim flavor with a little more heat.
Ms. Junie Hatch Red X Hot - Authentic red chile flavor with a lot of hot heat!
Best Peppers for Very Hot Salsa:
Devil’s Tongue - fruity-tasting chiles with maximum heat
Orange Habanero - sooo tasty in salsas and hot sauces!
Fatalii - extremely hot heirloom chile with fruity citrus flavor.
Orange Scotch Bonnet - unique sweet heat flavor, often used for jerk sauces!
Orange Scotch Bonnet - unique sweet heat flavor, often used for jerk sauces!
Yellow Scotch Bonnet - Related to habaneros, but with sweeter flavor
Best Peppers for Super Hot Salsa:
Carolina Reaper - the Hottest pepper you can grow!
Ghost Peppers - These super hot peppers pack a punch!
Naga Morich - HOT with fruity taste, and orange & pineapple aromas
Trinidad Scorpion - fruity sweet-hot combination
Love HOT salsa? Try this Carolina Reaper Salsa Recipe:
Best Salsa Garden Peppers
Don't limit yourself to just jalapenos or serranos when it comes to making salsa. Find our List of Peppers by Heat to find a heat level that is right for you, and taste the world of flavor in peppers! Every pepper has a unique flavor and salsa bring out their best qualities! You can even try some of our sweet peppers to make more sweet and savory mild salsas. Sandia Seed has over 101 Peppers of the World to choose from!
Find a pepper with just the right amount of heat!
You'll find the best Peppers for Salsa from around the world at SandiaSeed.com!
We have over 101 peppers of the world »
We have over 101 peppers of the world »
Here are some of our favorite Salsa Recipes:
Pick a variety of Tomatoes, too!
Of course, don't limit yourself to just different varieties of peppers for salsa, tomatoes can add a wide range of flavor to salsas – here are our picks:
And don't forget to grow lots of Cilantro in your salsa garden! We absolutely love cilantro in salsas! It's fresh, bright flavor adds so much tastiness to any salsa recipe, especially pico-de-gallo. Here's our tips on growing cilantro »
Happy salsa gardening!
