• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop

Chili Pepper Madness logo

  • Recipe Index
  • RECIPES BY TYPE
    • BBQ/Grilled
    • Burgers
    • Chicken Wings
    • Chili
    • Curry
    • Dehydrator
    • Game Day
    • Hot Sauces
    • Jalapeno Poppers
    • Marinades
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Quick and Easy
    • Salsas
    • Sauces
    • Seasonings
    • Stuffed Peppers
    • Tacos
  • COOKING TIPS
  • Pepper Info
    • Chili Pepper Types
    • The Scoville Scale
    • Hottest Peppers in the World
    • Growing Chili Peppers
    • Preserving
    • Health Benefits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Buy Plants & Seeds
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Pepper Info
  • Chili Pepper Types
  • The Scoville Scale
  • Growing Chili Peppers
  • Preserving
  • Chili Pepper Health Benefits
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cooking Tips
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • About Us
×

Home » Chili Pepper Types » Cherry Peppers: All About Them

Cherry Peppers: All About Them

by Mike Hultquist · Jul 20, 2021 · 4 Comments

Cherry peppers are small, round chili peppers with vibrant red flesh and spicy heat on par with the jalapeno pepper. Learn all about them.

Cherry Peppers

5,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Capsicum Chinense

Peppers are known to make any meal spicy, whether they’re large or tiny. Small peppers are found in almost every continent across the globe. Mostly found in the American continent and Mexico, cherry peppers are fairly spicy among small peppers.

What are Cherry Peppers?

The cherry pepper can be used as a substitute for pimento peppers. However, the two should not be confused both in appearance and taste. The peppers are round, whereas pimento peppers are grown into a heart shape, and these peppers offer a greater level of heat.

You may also see these peppers referred to as cherry bombs.

Are Cherry Peppers spicy?

Cherry peppers may resemble cherries, but they are somewhat spicy. They offer a relatively high spicy taste for their tiny size. With just a hint of sweetness, these peppers offer heat similar to the average jalapeno pepper, going up to 5000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale.

What do Cherry Peppers taste like?

While pimento peppers and cherry chili peppers both appear strikingly similar, there is a subtle difference in taste. You’ll find two types of cherry peppers, one with a crisper outer layer while the other will be softer. On the inside, both will offer the same level of juiciness. It’s both crunchy and juicy at the same time.

You'll often find them as a flavoring to cured meats, or pickled, where they are great for topping sandwiches.

How do you use Cherry Peppers?

Hot cherry peppers can be added to a variety of dishes. You can use them as toppings on cooked dishes or add them to the frying pan while you’re cooking. They provide great flexibility as you can control the level of spice you want.

For your peppers to be less spicy, slice them and remove the inner membrane to tone down the hotness and spice. Other than direct toppings, you can use also mince these peppers for general cooking.

You'll find these peppers in red and green, with green being the unripened harvest. They are still edible and offer a nice, spicy crunch.

Where to buy Cherry Peppers?

These peppers can be found in supermarkets, both online and offline. However, you are more likely to get their pickled versions, packed in jars, as opposed to raw and fresh.

  • Buy Cherry Chili Peppers here (affiliate link, my friends!)

Learn About These Other Medium Chili Peppers

  • Purple Jalapeño Peppers
  • Chimayo Chili Peppers
  • Paprika Kalocsa
  • Piment De Bresse Pepper
  • Cowhorn Chili Peppers: Good Heat, Big Pepper
  • Aji Sivri Chili Pepper
  • Jaloro Chili Peppers - All About Them
  • NuMex CaJohns Serrano - One HUGE Serrano
  • Chilhuacle Amarillo Chili Peppers
  • Cascabella Peppers: All About Them
  • Aleppo Pepper: A Syrian Chili
  • Sandia Chili Peppers
  • Hungarian Wax Peppers - All About Them
  • Aji Fantasy Chili Pepper
  • Puya Chili Peppers (Chile Puya)
  • Aji Habanero Chili Peppers
  • Morita Chili Peppers
  • Fresno Pepper - Much Like a Jalapeno
  • There are even more here!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Alicean Brick says

    March 30, 2024 at 3:40 pm

    the most common place that I seen cherry peppers used is on top of cheese steak sandwiches. they are less commonly known and utilized on the west Coast. having been born in Philadelphia and growing up in NYC they were familiar to me and I could buy them freshly pickled, (canned or not preserved), locally. in California I've resorted to ordering them online.

    I'm my opinion the hot ones can be just as hot as any jalapeno pepper but with a more complex flavor involving a tiny sweetness or fruitiness that adds a delightful dimension to sour pickles or dishes like quesadillas. try substituting them for jalapeno, cayenne and hot peppers in pickling, cooking and condiments.

    Reply
  2. Mari says

    August 24, 2023 at 3:23 pm

    Hello Mike,

    Do you have a pickling recipe you like to use with Cherry Bomb Chili's?

    Thank you!

    Mari

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      August 25, 2023 at 6:12 am

      Mari, you can use any of my pickling recipe with Cherry Peppers. Here are a couple links you can refer to:

      https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/pickled-jalapenos/
      https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-pickle-chili-peppers/

      Reply
      • Mari says

        September 02, 2023 at 12:14 pm

        Thank you, Mike!

        Reply

Primary Sidebar

ALL. SPICY. RECIPES. Hi, I’m Mike and I LOVE Spicy Food! Say goodbye to bland and boring food with my easy-to-follow recipes. Let’s get cooking!

More about me →

Mexican Cajun Sauces Seasonings
Order The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND / BOOKS A MILLION

Order The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Receive my "5 Essentials for Spicy Cooking" email series & new recipes

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Ingredients | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2024 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD