Edible Ornamental Peppers
These NuMex Easter peppers are absolutely gorgeous in pastel! We'll be making room for these in the garden every year from here on out. They look stunning in containers!
Did you know that ornamental peppers are edible?
Yes, ornamental peppers like these Easter Peppers are edible!
They make great hot pepper flakes when dried after fully mature, or thrown anytime into salsa to kick up the heat. You can also use them to make fermented hot sauce recipes. Many of these peppers are quite hot, much hotter than a jalapeño, so be warned, it may not take much to spice up your salsa! Touch a peice to your tongue to see if it burns to help measure spiciness, or, if that doens't burn much, try a small piece to get a better idea of how spicy. We just mix them in with all of our peppers to make mixed pepper hot sauces.
Are ornamental peppers poisonous?
No, ornamental peppers aren't poisonous, but they often aren't rated for heat, and they are usually very hot! So, while we wouldn't eat them whole, we do chop them to add in recipes like taco or burrito filling, salsas, to spice up some refried beans, or adding to stews or casseroles to kick up the heat.
Ornamental Pepper Recipes
Check out our favorite Salsa Recipes »
You can use any ornamental peppers in any of these salsas to kick up the heat! Feel free to mix in other peppers, too, for more complex flavor.
Easter Peppers above put on a changing color show in pastels.
Goat Horn Peppers are also quite elegant in pots.
View all of our Edible Ornamental Peppers:
Happy growing!
