Pequin peppers are very small chili peppers that pack a punch of heat. The pods ripen to a vibrant red, and offer a spicy, nutty, smoky flavor.
SCOVILLE HEAT UNITS: 30,000-60,000 SHU
Capsicum Annuum
Pequin peppers, or chili pequin (sometimes spelled "piquin"), are tiny peppers that mature from green to a vibrant red color, and offer up some serious heat.
This pepper is also called the "Bird Pepper", because it is consumed and spread by wild birds. It is a tiny pepper, (pequeno in Spanish means small or tiny) measuring only ½ to ¾ inches long, but don’t be fooled, this little chile packs quite a wallop. The heat continues to grow the longer the peppers stay on the plant.
It is sometimes confused with the Chiltepin pepper, which is a similar but different pepper.
The hot peppers are harvest for commercial use in Mexico, where they are very popular, though they can be found growing locally in the southwestern U.S. and south America.
How Hot is a Pequin Pepper?
The pequin pepper measures in with a range of 30,000 SHU to 60,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Heat Scale. That is quite hot. Compare that to a the common jalapeno pepper, which averages 5,000 SHU and you'll find the hottest chili pequin can reach 12 times hotter. It is closer to the heat of the bird's eye pepper, or the more commonly known cayenne pepper. Bell peppers, as a reference, have 0 Scoville heat units (no heat).
Pequin Pepper Flavor Profile
Some describe the flavor of chili pequin as fruity, citrusy and nutty when consumed fresh. When smoked, the smoked flavor stands out. The greener, less riped peppers are typically used for making salsas and other dishes. As they ripen to red and get hotter, they are usually dried or smoked, then dried, and sold or ground for chili flakes or powders.
Pequin Pepper Appearance
Pequin peppers are very small, measuring roughly 1/2 to 3/4 inch (2 cm) in length and 1/4 inch (1 cm) wide, and oval or oblong in shape.
Cooking with Pequin Peppers
Pequin peppers are popular for making sauces, hot sauces and salsas because of their combination of fruitiness and heat. They can be easily added to pots of soup or stews, with just one or two of these tiny peppers, punctured or sliced, adding a nice kick of heat to a whole pot of food. They can be dried and ground into chili flakes or powdered, or pickled.
Pequin Peppers offer an excellent flavor with heat that is not overpowering when made into a hot sauce. In fact, the popular brand of hot sauce, Cholula, uses chili pequin in their sauce. Cooking with them can present a challenge, as they are quite small and you need to use a lot of them for any substantial amount of sauce, but they are worth cooking with for their flavor alone.
Dried pequin chile peppers are a big commodity in Mexico and very popular for seasoning many dishes. The peppers are sold in both green and red forms for various uses.
Where Can I Buy Chili Pequin?
These peppers are not commonly found in grocery stores, though you might find them in dried form at your local Mexican grocer. You can purchase them online at various resources. Here are some affiliate links to Amazon for certain products.
Got any questions or comments? Ask away! Contact me anytime or leave your questions/comments below. I'd love to hear how you enjoy cooking with these wonderful peppers.
NOTE: This page was updated on 6/2/20 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 9/27/13.
Millie says
I recently purchased a “ black” chili pequin from my local nursery. We have chili pequins growing wild but I wanted one close to the house. What’s the difference between a black chili pequin & the regular wild ones? I asked at the nursery and got limited information. Said one you pick off the plant and let the others fall & didn’t know which variety did which. I made some salsa with barely the bottom of a sandwich baggie of ground chiles that was quite good. I want to know if I should use less of the black than I did of the red. Just need some general information. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Millie, there are a lot of varieties of peppers out there, which can cause variations from plant to plant. Some pods can ripen to black or very dark color. They're still good to use, and usually not much different from other varieties of pequin.
Sylvia Villanueva says
How often does chile piquin grow?? After I've picked all the chiles, will they continue to grow more?
Mike Hultquist says
Sylvia, yes, the plants should continue to produce peppers, though much will depend on your climate. The plants will go dormant in the winter in colder regions.
J says
Yes its very easy to start them from dried peppers.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You CAN grow peppers from dried pod seeds, though sometimes the drying process can cause issues, though it is, of course, possible. Fresh pods are best in general. Here is my link on Saving Seeds for Growing Peppers for reference: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/saving-chili-pepper-seeds-for-growing-later/
Wilbert Porter says
Is it possible to grow plants from packaged dried pequin peppers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Wilbert, it is best to start with seeds from fresh peppers. Those might propagate, but the drying process often affects them negatively for growing.
Chris says
I am growing these and Chile de Arbol peppers this year to try and recreate Cholula. Do you have any recommendations or possible recipes to get as close to cholula as possible? Using them dried vs fresh? Thanks so much for the help!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Chris, I don't have an exact recipe for Cholula, but it is made with arbols and pequin, as well as garlic powder, salt, vinegar, water and "spices". You can play with the spices, but basically follow this recipe for Louisiana Hot Sauce: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/homemade-louisiana-hot-sauce/. You may want to go easy on the water and vinegar so it doesn't get too thin, or use xantham gum as a thickener. Let me know how it goes for you.
Neal Getz says
Question: how much capsaicin is in an individual pequin pepper? We have a bush full of them in our front yard, & I like to pop them like little red hots. Curious how much of the hot stuff is in one, compared to, say, a pill supplement.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Neal, the rating is 30-60K SHU, so that's a good level, similar to bird's eye or cayenne. You can easily eat the peppers and skip the supplements to your own personal needs.
Chris Geerdes says
I have had one of these plants for 10years now!
Half of that it was in a pot then transferred into the ground.
The plant is skinny but over 6 feet tall and working on starting some new ones from seed.
The peppers seem to all ripen about the same time and I have been pickling them.
They are the best little burst of flavor!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Wonderful! I agree, awesome peppers.
Nick Schwartz-Hall says
Really appreciated the information here and Brent's idea for a Pequin hot sauce. A friend gave me a small bad of dried Pequin's, and I toasted them up with some avocado oil, cumin and coriander seeds (following Brent's ratio of 1/4 tsp of spice seeds to 2 tbsp of peppers), then added garlic, onion, and carrots with 1 cup rice vinegar and 1 1/2 cup water, boiled for 20 minutes. Off to the blender. Wow - smoky, spicy, and really hot! Thanks for the ideas!
brent says
I bought some dried piquins today. I noticed you have no piquin or tepin sauce recipes so FYI for your readers:
I made some--outrageously good.
I thought piquins would be better as a non-tomato, dried pepper formula found in a lot of Mike's sauce recipes--in fact I credit the author with the idea of a straight up hot sauce.
1-2 TB of the dried pequins and 1/4 tsp whole cumin/toast those in an old Griswold or Wagner and off to blender with a little pepper and Mexican oregano. While the pan is still hot, blacken a clove of garlic or two and 1/3 a white onion.
Add to blender with a pinch of salt, and a little water and ACV to consistency you like.
The end.
KICKS like a mule.
(it's supposed to be made in a mojaclete. I wish I had one.)
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks, Brent!
Erin says
I have just come across your site. Wow! I am super impressed. I make salsas every week without fail and your site is very informative.
I am reaching out today to ask if you have any idea how to make the homemade green cholula sauce. I absolutely love it and during this pandemic I can't mule it home with me from my travels.
Any thoughts?
Many thanks,
Erin
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Erin. I have NOT made that particular sauce, but I may have to try it in the future!
jim nashwinter says
when we lived in so.west texas they grew wild?Would take a bunch and eat with a bite of hamburger?Great and the dont burn coming out??got lots of them growing here in so ga.they grow year round in pots;
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Jim. It would be wonderful to be able to just grab them out of the wild. Thanks for sharing.
Nicolas Malveaux says
Are the pequin peppers hotter than the peppers used to make tobasco sauce?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nicolas, they're very close. Pequins range from 30-60,000 SHU, where Tabasco peppers range from 30-50,000 SHU, giving pequins an edge up. Here is more info about Tabasco peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/medium-hot-chili-peppers/tabasco-chili-peppers/
david rene hammond says
In the Yucatan they are known as Chile Mashito.