Hottest Peppers in the World

The hottest peppers in the world include the Ghost Pepper and Carolina Reaper, and new chilies continue to come through. Learn about these superhot varieties in this collection of spicy pepper content.

Top 10 Hottest Peppers List (2023)

All of these superhot peppers rank over 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU). (For reference, an orange habanero goes up to 325,000 SHU.)

Hottest Peppers Fast Facts

  1. Carolina Reaper, 2.2 million SHU
  2. Chocolate Bhutlah, ~2 million SHU
  3. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, 1.2 million to 2 million SHU
  4. 7 Pot Douglah, 1,853,986 SHU
  5. Dorset Naga, 1.5 million SHU
  6. 7 Pot Primo, 1,473,480 SHU
  7. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T, 1,463,700 SHU
  8. Komodo Dragon, 1,400,000 SHU
  9. Naga Viper, 1,382,118 SHU
  10. 7 Pot Brain Strain, 1,350,000 SHU

» Want to grow these peppers? Check out Growing Peppers from Seed to Harvest – The Ultimate Guide


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1. Carolina Reaper 2.2 Million SHU

Carolina Reaper peppers

From: USA

Officially the world’s hottest pepper as certified by Guinness World Records.

» RELATED – Carolina Reaper: Scoville, Where to Buy & Growing Guide


2. Chocolate Bhutlah ~2 Million SHU

Chocolate Bhutlah pepper

From: USA

Cross between the Ghost pepper and the Douglah 7 pod.

» RELATED – Chocolate Bhutlah: Is it Hotter Than the Carolina Reaper?


3. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 1.2 to 2 Million SHU

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper

From: Trinidad

In 2012, New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute named the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion the hottest pepper at that time.


4. 7 Pot Douglah 1,853,986 SHU

7 Pot Douglah pepper

From: Trinidad

One pepper is said to heat seven pots of stew.


5. Dorset Naga 1.5 Million SHU

Dorset Naga pepper

From: UK

Derived from the Naga Morich, which is a very hot pepper from Bangladesh.


6. 7 Pot Primo 1,473,480 SHU

7 Pot Primo pepper

From: USA

Cross between Trinidad 7 Pot and Naga Morich.


7. Trinidad Scorpion Butch T 1,463,700 SHU

Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper

From: Trinidad, USA and Australia

Previous record holder of the world’s hottest pepper in 2011.


8. Komodo Dragon 1.4 Million SHU

Komodo Dragon pepper

From: UK

This super hot pepper is known for its “delayed reaction” where at first you enjoy the hot fruitiness, and after 10 seconds, the full force of its heat hits you.

(Image by Db6667, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)


9. Naga Viper 1,382,118 SHU

Naga Viper pepper

From: UK

Unstable cross of three peppers: Bhut Jolokia (Ghost pepper), Naga Morich and Trinidad Scorpion. Briefly held the world’s hottest pepper title in 2011.


10. 7 Pot Brain Strain 1.35 Million SHU

7 Pot Brain Strain pepper

From: USA

Developed by selective breeding of the 7 pot pepper from Trinidad. Besides the insane heat, pods are known for their bumpy texture, which looks like the human brain.

Carolina reaper scoville notes

On average, the Carolina Reaper Scoville scores 1,641,183 SHU, and on the top end, it hits 2,200,000 SHU. Check out the ultimate guide to the Carolina Reaper for how this pepper compares to other chilies on the Scoville scale and more.

Unofficial Hottest Peppers

There’s always another “hottest pepper in the world” on the scene. Preliminary testing shows that Pepper X (3.18 Scoville units) and the Dragon’s Breath chili (2,483,584 SHU) could potentially be hotter than the Carolina Reaper Scoville level. Official testing needs to be done before we add it to our list of hottest peppers.

Ghost Pepper Scoville Rating

ghost pepper scoville rating

The Ghost chile (Bhut Jolokia) isn’t one of the top 10 hottest peppers, but it deserves a mention because it’s a major record-breaker. Specifically, the Ghost pepper was the first chile to rank at over 1 million SHUs when it topped the scale at 1,041,427.

Since then, the term “super hots” or “superhots” is used to describe peppers that also rank over 1 million Scovilles. Check out the guide to different types of Ghost peppers to learn all about these chillies.

Where To Buy The Hottest Peppers & Products

Looking for fresh hot peppers, seeds or popular challenges like the Paqui Carolina Reaper chip? Below, are lists of curated products in these categories.

Fresh Hot Peppers, Seeds & Plants

FRESH PEPPERS

fresh hot peppers by mail

Whole Fresh Pepper Pods

Variety of hot peppers (fresh & dried). Options vary by season.

HOT PEPPER SEEDS

Ghost Pepper seeds by Botanical Interests

Ghost Pepper Seeds

Pack of 8 Heirloom Ghost Pepper seeds (Bhut Jolokia).

more sellers

BUY PEPPER PLANTS

live pepper plants

Live Pepper Plants

All kinds of pepper plants. Availability varies by season.

+1 more seller


Hottest Hot Sauces

HOT ONES HOTTEST SAUCE

Hot Ones Last Dab Apollo Hot Sauce

Contains the Apollo pepper. Over 2 million SHUs.

+1 more seller

HOTTEST HOT SAUCE ON AMAZON

Mad Dog 357 Plutonium No. 9

World’s hottest hot sauce. Pepper extract is 9 million SHUs.

BLAIR’S HOTTEST HOT SAUCE

Blair’s Ultra Death Sauce

750 times hotter than Jalapeno. 1 million SHUs.

+1 more seller

» Related – Hot Sauce Scoville Scale: Ranking 11 Sauces By Heat


Spicy Challenges

SPICY NOODLE CHALLENGE

Samyang 2x Spicy Hot Fire Noodle Challenge

Spicy Korean noodles (buldak ramen). 8,000 SHUs.

+1 more seller

SPICY CHIP CHALLENGE

Paqui One Chip Challenge

Contains two of the hottest peppers — Carolina Reaper & Ghost pepper — in one chip.

SPICY CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE

Choco Challenge 3.0

Crunchy milk chocolate with unreleased Razor pepper.

» Related: 53 Best Gifts for Hot Sauce Lovers & Spicy Food Fans

How To Use Super Hot Peppers

So what do you do with super hots? Here’s a collection of recipes from our spicy kitchen to give you some ideas. 🔥

Spicy Kitchen

Types Of Hot Peppers

So, what do super hot peppers taste like, and how do you grow them? These articles answer these questions and more.

World’s Hottest Peppers

View the Web Story.

FAQs On Superhots

Your Next Step

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AUTHOR

Jenny is the creator of Grow Hot Peppers as well as the writer of the gardening guides and many recipes on this site. She’s been growing peppers and all kinds of veggies for over 10 years. When she’s not writing or gardening, she loves eating spicy foods, hiking and going to the ocean.