The rocoto pepper is an apple or pear shaped pepper similar in appearance to a small bell pepper, but this pepper packs a nice level of heat and great flavor. Learn more about it.
Scoville Heat Units: 30,000 - 100,000 SHU
Capsicum Pubescens
The Rocoto Pepper grows in the Andes mountains from Chile to Colombia, as well as in the highlands of Central America and Mexico. It is native to Peru.
It goes by many names including the "locoto pepper" widespread through South America, or as the "rocote", or as the "caballo pepper" or "horse" in Guatemala and some parts of Mexico.
It is also known in Bolivia and Peru and in Mexico as the manzano/manzana (though they are not the same pepper) or "apple pepper" in one variety resembling small apples and often used when red, or as perón or "pear pepper," once again in Mexico and in allusion to its especially fruity or even sometimes green appearance.
They are called "canario" or "canary" pepper when referring to the yellow variety, particularly in Oaxaca.
They are further known as "cera" and "malinalco", or "ciruelo", as well as "cirhuleo" in Querétaro, a state in central Mexico.
It is among the oldest of domesticated chili peppers in the Americas, and was possibly domesticated as early as 6,000 BCE; some scientists even now agree that its domesticated form is so old and prevalent that its original wild form is now totally extinct.
How Hot is a Rocoto Pepper?
Rocoto peppers are known to be quite hot peppers, reaching up to 100,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale. Compare their heat level with the popular jalapeno pepper and you'll find the hottest rocoto is about 20 times hotter than the average jalapeno.
This would put the hottest rocoto on par with a low level habanero pepper. What a nice level of heat! They are similar in heat to certain Thai peppers, or bird's eye peppers or chiltepin peppers.
Rocoto Pepper Vs. Manzano
As mentioned above, some areas use the name "manzano" when referring to rocoto peppers, however, they are not the same peppers. While similar, rocoto peppers are more common to the Andes, reaching further south, and can be quite a bit hotter than manzano peppers.
Rocoto Peppers Size and Appearance
The pepper plant's size varies widely and can reach vine-like from a common expanse of 2 feet in the United States to a whopping in 15 feet in Bolivia, and the round or pear-shaped pods can grow from 2 to 3 inches in length.
The peppers have a thick walls similar to a bell pepper, with black seeds, and can found in a variety of colors from vibrant red to yellow and orange.
Cooking with Rocoto Peppers
Rocoto peppers are important to Bolivian and Peruvian cuisine. These peppers tend to get consumed while fresh because of the thickness of the pods making them hard to dry properly.
They also appear in hot sauces and spicy salsas, or feature as rocotos rellenos when prepared as stuffed and baked dishes including meats and cheeses. I enjoy using rocoto peppers for making ceviche, for their nice level of heat.
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 8/24/21 to include new information. It was originally published on 9/27/13.
Warren Pretorius says
loved the article.
Libby Ibell says
We have grown Rocotto very successfully in Christchurch, New Zealand. We have grown one in the glasshouse for around two years now and if fruits most of the year (i would say we would get 50-60 fruit each year). It even survived after a -2 frost blackened and wizened it up.
We have a fairly dry climate with cold winters ( a lot of frosts that become sunny days after the cold start) and dry warm(ish) days in summer. This year we grew one in summer outside but is certainly hasn’t been the success the glasshouse chilli has been ( but all round it has not been a good year for our outdoor chilies).
The taste is great- hot- but not too much so and we freeze whole and use to make sauces and other condiments.
Godfrey Weir says
I brought one home from Costco, cooked it and froze into small cubes. Subsequently I used 3 small cubes in about a litre of chicken and mushroom soup. The spicyness came through very subtly, just enough to warm the brow!!
Can really recommend this addition but where can one buy Rocoto in Norther England?
Godfrey Weir says
Please note Costco should read Cusco in Peru
Finger slip!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, great peppers, Godfrey. I wish I knew where you could buy them. Often times, people need to grow these peppers, as they can be hard to find. Consider a farmers market.
Memph says
You'll probably need to buy seeds - garden centers don't sell special varieties like these. I'm in Canada and got my seeds from Atlantic Pepper Seeds, but there are other suppliers that are US based too. I'm not familiar with the British market but I would think you can find something online.
Warning though, the plants take a long time to produce, and they also get very large. I started mine under grow lights in early March, planted them in-ground in early June, and we got our first frost a couple days ago and only 1-2 ripe fruits per plant - even though the plants are 6ft tall and wide. The "commonly 2ft in the US" seems inaccurate - mine are 3x that size and I'm in southern Canada... I've dug them up and halfway pruned them back so that they could be brought inside for protection against the frost, and now that it's warmed back up maybe they can ripen a bit more. After that, I'll try growing them a bit in the attic where there's a skylight and it's warmer than outside. But eventually I think they'll have to go dormant for the winter and get pruned back further.
Hopefully next year they can produce sooner thanks to being more established. I'm hoping I can start hardening them off earlier than the other varieties this spring, thanks to the fact that they're more cold tolerant. Not that they handle freezes well, but as I understand, they aren't as prone as other species to disease or going dormant when temperatures are 5-10C.
Mike H. says
Fingers crossed, Memph. Let me know how it goes!
Angela Win says
Hi, mine has black fruit, do they turn red? If so it is taking ages.
thanks
angela
Mike Hultquist says
Angela, yes, they should ripen to more red or orange, though you can still consume them darker in color.
Joe says
It's COLOMBIA, not COLUMBIA!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, thank you for the proofread. UGH.
Aaron says
Does anyone know where I can buy reliable rocoto seeds in the USA? How about escabeche/ají amarillo seeds?
Mike Hultquist says
Aaron, see my Seeds Resources page as a good place to start: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/resources/
David Williams says
hi there,
i have some dried rocoto chilli peppers - could someone recommend a recipe to use them? thank you
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
David, you can use them in many of the recipes here on the site. They can be crushed to make powder or flakes, or rehydrated to make sauces or cooked into soups, stews, chilis and so much more.
Dusty Chalk says
Hi, Rocoto is my favourite pepper, for it hits the sweet spot of being hot enough for my tastes, but still being very flavourful without being just a heat bomb. I have yet to find them fresh, so when I crave fresh (for example, in my spicy goulash), I use red hot cherry peppers and add one or two Thai or Vietnamese peppers. But I do have access to pure paste, and/or canned in water. How would you go about adopting your peri-peri sauce recipe for canned? I'm thinking of starting with your recipe and substituting in Rocoto peppers 1-to-1 by weight, and then experimenting from there.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dusty, that recipe calls for a LOT of peppers. If starting with canned, I would go 1-1 in weight. If using paste, You may only need a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup or so. You may need to adjust that.
Jérémie says
I had a Rocoto plant that lived for at least three years and gave abundant fruits: excellent for Rocoto relleno!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome. I love these peppers. So good!
Maynor says
Try them as Rocoto Dip (“Crema de Rocoto”). It is a very popular Peruvian dish. Absolutely delicious with potato fries or chips.
In a saucepan add 2 spoons of olive oil, and lightly fry 3 large Rocotos (No seeds), 1 small onion , 3 garlic cloves (all vegetables roughly chopped), salt and pepper. Add the fried vegetables and oil to a blender, add 1 Tbsp of apple vinegar, 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 100 grams of fresh cheese (“queso fresco”), and 2 soda crackers . Blend everything together to form a consistent sauce . Add salt pepper and olive oil to taste. Transfer to a container and refrigerate after use.
Regards from Costa Rica!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes! This sounds wonderful. On my list to make!
Trystram Alley says
Grind the black seeds from the pods. They make a great replacement for black pepper and are more flavoursome and only slightly more spicy - try them!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great tip!
Nat says
Rocoto's origins date back to 5000 years ago to Pre-Incan times. It is originally from Peru and then it expanded to other countries thanks to the Spaniards.
Ramona says
Hi Everyone,
I've been making batches of Asian Chilli Paste (called Sambal Chilli) but just without the Sambal (salted fish!), for a few years now with my parents' Rocoto Chillies. I have sold and given bottles away but my supply is more than the demand! Too many Rocoto chillies! I tried asking a local fresh food grocer if they'd buy some off me (the fresh chillies) but to no avail. They wanted Habanero Chillies or other varieties, Rocotos are too spicy! So I'd recommend making some Sambal Chilli paste from your harvest of Rocotos. Your Malaysian friends will love you for it!
Thomas says
Where do you get the seeds?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thomas, check out my Chili Pepper Seeds resource page.
Hiyam DIEK says
Thank you so much for this .. very helpful to know 😉
Mike says
Hi, sounds interesting. What is the recipe for your Sambal Chilli? I am in New Zealand and have a small Rocoto plant.
Steve Herrmann says
I make a great hot sauce with these peppers and I use the whole pepper, including seeds.
Danny says
Hi there,
Can the seeds in these peppers be eaten or are they generally discarded? I am expecting my first crop of these very soon and recall when planting that the seeds seemed a bit bigger than average (may be an optical illusion being black seeds).
REPLY: Danny, they are edible, though most people remove them because of the color. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.