• 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 » Lemon Drop Chili Pepper

Lemon Drop Chili Pepper

by Mike Hultquist · Sep 23, 2013 · 17 Comments

Scoville Heat Units: 15,000-30,000 SHU

This bright yellow, citrus-flavored chile is also known as Kellu Uchu in Peru, where it originated. The pods grow to 2-3 inches long and ½ inch wide with wrinkled skin. Its unique lemon taste has caught the attention of those who love the citrus flavor of habanero but just can’t quite handle the intense heat. The Lemon Drop is a fantastic substitute. Although the heat is intense, it does not linger. Instead, it leaves behind the nice, lemony flavor.

Aji Lemon Drop Pepper

The Lemon Drop can be used in just about any type of dish, especially soups and stir-fries, or the chiles can be dried to grind into a hot powdered spice. They are not often found in stores, but may sometimes be found at farmer’s markets. Many people also grow them at home, often from seeds purchased on the internet.

Categories: Capsicum Baccatum Tags: 000, 001 : 30, 10, capsicum baccatum, medium

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published.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

    Recipe Rating




  1. Marni says

    October 06, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    4 stars
    Lemondrop chili sauce:

    Ingredients
    1 ounce dried lemon drop chile peppers (about 1 1/2 cups), stems and seeds removed
    1 teaspoon coriander seeds
    1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
    4 cloves garlic, peeled
    1 cup apple cider vinegar
    1/4 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil
    Honey, to taste

    Grind chilis and spices together,I like my garlic smooshed into a really fine paste but you can do how you like.
    Mix liquids and spices together and
    Salt, to taste. You can use right away or personally I like mine to sit overnight in the fridge before I use.it will meld and mellow a little that way.
    This is awesome on grilled chicken and fish with a bit of mango or pineapple.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      October 07, 2020 at 5:41 am

      Thanks for sharing, Marni.

      Reply
  2. Marni says

    October 06, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    I had a plant of these this year and have scads of them now that its fall.I'd like to dry and powder them but I'm not used to yellow peppers.do they kinda turn brown when you string these up or is that rot?I've strung them throught the stem cap onto fishing line just like all my other hot peppers I've dried and these are the only ones that have a brown tinge while drying.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      October 07, 2020 at 5:41 am

      Marni, you might see these darken, but rot will look different, as it will be soft.

      Reply
  3. Chris says

    October 04, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Hi Mike,

    I have a lot of Lemon drop peppers this year I’m going to dry a lot for powder and I’m looking for a sauce recipe. Can you recommend something that’s here on your website where I can swap the peppers out that are used in that recipe for my Lemon Drops?

    Thanks as always
    Chris.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      October 05, 2020 at 7:17 am

      Chris, you can realistically use those peppers in just about any recipe here on the site. They are great peppers!

      Reply
  4. Walter Roos says

    July 04, 2020 at 3:59 pm

    What a wonderful Hot Pepper. I dry some and make a rough power, which I gently pass the container over soup on my table. It is really " HOT " to me. But, mostly I use it to brighten up store bought 1/2 gal Pickled okra (Wal-Mart about $6) much too mild. First I freeze the peppers quickly whole on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then transfer to a freezer baggie. I put the pickled okra with juice in a pint jar with 4-5 peppers with a couple of slices in the sides, put in Fridge, in about two days the okra is heating up a bit and gets somewhat hotter until it's all gone, all eaten up. Add More okra , only adding more peppers if it appears to lose some of it's zing.

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      July 06, 2020 at 6:43 am

      Perfect, Walter. I love it. Great peppers for sure, and a great way to spice things up very easily.

      Reply
  5. Jeanne Wilkins says

    August 07, 2019 at 6:23 am

    I put up salsa with some of mine, with some pineapple. So delicious on the "white" meats; chicken, fish and pork. also freeze them whole to use throughout the year. Great in homemade bbq sauce too. Searching for some traditional Peruvian recipes, since that is the native habitat. Have fun experimenting!

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      August 07, 2019 at 6:52 am

      Thank you, Jeanne!

      Reply
  6. Ted Brooks says

    September 30, 2018 at 7:33 pm

    I had a fabulous bush up here in Prescott. The taste is , well. OOH LA LA! I have so many other oeppers right now that I can't use them up fresh (some are even fermenting with the others hoping to turn into hot sauce) that I'm hoping to dry some, but haven't really been able to find much about that. Did you have any left over? If so, what did you do with them?
    Knowing you I will finish by adding that I don't have a dehydrator 🙂

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      October 01, 2018 at 12:49 pm

      Hey, Ted - I have so many peppers left over every year, and I cook with them constantly! Some ideas to use them up include making hot sauce, jelly/jam, chili paste, sauce, or you can just freeze them. I process some and freeze them in baggies or a freeze a chili paste. Or freeze them chopped or whole. I definitely dry them, so do recommend a dehydrator for making powders or just storing them in the pantry. Try pickling as well. So many ideas! Happy to help more!

      Reply
    • Hubert11 says

      December 01, 2018 at 9:32 am

      I had a fantastic harvest this summer, with over 3 kg of chillie peppers.

      I put some in the freezer, dried a few. I turned the remainder into two types of chillie jam one with onions and garlic the other with tomatoes and red peppers. Finally a date and apple chutney. Some of the ripe ones used in the jam were cleaned of seeds and these are drying so will have lots to sell next year.

      Reply
    • Hubert11 says

      December 01, 2018 at 9:35 am

      I had a fantastic harvest this summer, with over 3 kg of chillie peppers.

      I put some in the freezer, dried a few. I turned the remainder into two types of chillie jam one with onions and garlic the other with tomatoes and red peppers. Finally a date and apple chutney. Some of the ripe ones used in the jam were cleaned of seeds and these are drying so will have lots to sell next year. I forgot to metion that I pickled many in jars with some vinegar and a clove of garlic.

      Reply
  7. Barry says

    May 17, 2018 at 11:08 am

    Great germination rate. Tried Lemon drop and 3other variaties , Lemon drop was the best , 80% germinated, 60% good plants. Just waiting to taste them ????????????????????

    Reply
    • Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says

      May 17, 2018 at 12:08 pm

      Barry, excellent. Yes I LOVE the Lemon Drop chili peppers. Great flavor and they're very productive.

      Reply
  8. Bev Carr says

    July 23, 2017 at 9:07 pm

    What type of grocery store might stock lemon drop peppers. Very interested but don't know where to search. Thanks for any ideas!

    REPLY: Bev, I find it best to order seeds or seedlings and grow them at home. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.

    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

5 ESSENTIALS FOR SPICY COOKING

Subscribe and receive my FREE email series with tips for spicy cooking and new Recipes

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

Most Popular Recipes

  • Bang Bang Chicken
  • Pollo Guisado Recipe (Chicken Stew)
  • Creamy Fish Taco Sauce
  • Michelada Recipe - Spicy Mexican Beer and Tomato Juice Cocktail
  • Jamaican Jerk Seasoning - Taste of the Caribbean
  • Homemade Blackening Seasoning

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

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

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2022 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD