Cayenne Golden Chili Peppers

Scoville Heat Units: 30,000-50,000 SHU

Capsicum Annuum

The very attractive Golden Cayenne matures from green to a beautiful golden yellow with smoother skin and fewer wrinkles than the traditional red cayenne pepper. They also grow a bit larger than the red cayenne, about 4-6 inches long, but with the same slim, tapered, and slightly twisted shape.

Since their heat develops as they grow larger, wait until maturity to harvest in order to get the full heat. Use the Golden Cayenne in just about any dish in which you might use a jalapeno or habanero, but be ready for significantly more heat than a jalapeno.

Specifically, Golden Cayennes are fantastic when used in Creole, Cajun and Southern cooking. Like most hot peppers, they can be roasted and used in salsa, hot sauces and jellies.

They also dry nicely and can be ground into a very attractive golden chili powder. Perhaps the best feature of these peppers is their attractive shape and color which add variety and beauty to your garden.

For me, I enjoy dehydrating these peppers and making homemade chili powder to use as-is or as part of a blend. They are excellent as a sweet seasoning with just a tiny amount of heat.

See How to Dehydrate Chili Peppers to Make Powders or How to Make Homemade Chili Flakes.