There are endless types of peppers that you can grow. This can make things confusing. (I know listing 113 types of pepper plants may seem to encourage decision fatigue, but it’s organized to help you make your selections 😉 )
Choosing pepper varieties (like anything) is all about preference.
For instance, there are other factors to consider besides flavor and heat level. The color of the pepper and size of the mature plant are some examples.
These choices help you grow a truly custom garden. Growing a few compact pepper varieties, as an example, makes for a unique ornamental border or container garden.
Similarly, you might like growing by color (like me). I love Jalapenos, and I was really excited to find that they come in purple!
(By the way, you can also see some popular types of peppers for cooking in case that interests you too.)
I hope this post helps you discover some new peppers. You’ll find chillies categorized by color, heat level and growth habit.
The following sections contain just a sampling of pepper varieties in each category.
Types Of Peppers By Color
Chile plants come in many vibrant colors. For example, they can be purple, bright orange, brown, multicolored and even blue.
(Of course, there’s green and red too. I want to offer some of the less common chillies here.)
This list doesn’t include every possible variety, but it will give you a good idea of what’s out there.
Brown Peppers
- Chocolate Habanero (Congo Black)
- Bhut Jolokia Chocolate
- Trinidad Douglah
- Trinidad Congo Brown
- Trinidad 7 Pod Brown
- Aji Panca (Aji Brown)
- Black Naga
- Chocolate Scotch Bonnet
- Miniature Chocolate
- Aji Brown
- Chilhuacle Negro
- Pasilla
Black Peppers
- Black Hungarian
- Royal Black
- Black Jalapeno
- Black Pearl
- Black Scorpion Tongue
- Little Nubian
Purple Peppers
- Purple Jalapeno
- Purple Bhut Jolokia
- Pimenta da Neyde
- Purple Beauty Bell Pepper
- Explosive Ember
- Fluorescent Purple
- Large Purple Cayenne
- Firecracker Pequin
Yellow Peppers
- Yellow 7 Pot
- Yellow Jalapeno Pepper (Jaloro)
- Lemon Drop
- Aji Pineapple
- Trinidad Perfume
- Fatalii
- Yellow Rocoto (Manzano)
- Scotch Bonnet Yellow
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Yellow
- Bhut Jolokia Yellow
- Trinidad Congo Yellow
- Trinidad Morovas
- Trinidad Scorpion Yellow
- Yellow Devil’s Tongue
- Big Sun (Yellow Sun) Habanero
- Golden Cayenne
- Peter Pepper Yellow
White Peppers
- Yucatán White Habanero
- Peruvian White Lightening
- White Bhut Jolokia
- Giant White Habanero
Blue Peppers
- Filius Blue
Multicolor Peppers
- NuMex Twilight
- Jalapeno Piñata
- Aji Omnicolor
- Hot Fish
- Chinese Five Color
- Marbles
Side note… If you’d like help growing your own pepper plants, be sure to check out The Pepper Seed Starting Guide. This ebook contains all the steps for starting pepper seeds indoors and growing them into healthy, outdoor-ready plants.
Types Of Peppers By Heat Level
Do you have a tolerance for heat or not so much? Fortunately, peppers come in a vast range of spice levels.
Some chillies are sweet with zero heat. Others, can require a gas mask and good ventilation when preparing them. (I’m not kidding about the gas mask!)
Below is a sampling of medium hot peppers. You’ll also find different types of hot pepper plants, from hot to super hot varieties.
Mild Peppers
- Pasilla
- Poblano
- Anaheim
- Trinidad Perfume
- Banana Pepper
- Cubanelle
- Pepperoncini
- Hatch Chile Peppers
- Guajillo
- Aji Brown
- Aji Panca
- Ancho
- Bishop’s Hat
- Cherry
- Chilhuacle varieties
- Chupetinha (Pimenta Bico)
- Georgia Flame
- Jalapeno Fooled You
- Medusa
- Peri Peri
Types Of Hot Peppers To Grow
These types of hot pepper plants are very spicy. Be sure to use gloves and have ventilation going when handling these chillies.
» Related: Where to Buy Super Hot Pepper Seeds
Hot Peppers
- African Devil
- Habanero
- Serrano
- Aji Lemon Drop
- Fresno
- Puya
- Santaka
- Charleston Hot
- Jamaican Hot
- Scotch Bonnet
- Fatalii
- Caribbean Red
- Beni Highlands
- Bonda Ma Jacques
- Brown Rocoto
- Bulgarian Apple
- Chicken Heart
- Ecuadorian Hot
- Goats Weed
- Hinkle Hatz
- Hot Fish
Super Hot Peppers
- Trinidad Scorpion
- Trinidad Scorpion Butch T
- Trinidad Scorpion Moruga
- Carolina Reaper (HP22B)
- Bhut Jolokia / Naga Jolokia / Ghost Pepper
- Naga Morich (Dorset Naga)
- 7 pot (7 pod) pepper
- Trinidad Douglah (7 Pod Brown)
- 7 Pod Jonah
- 7 Pod Barrackpore
- 7 Pod Brain Strain
- 7 Pod Primo
- Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend
- Bhut Jolokia Indian Carbon
- Trinidad Morovas
- Trinidad Congo
- Chocolate Bhutlah
» Related: Top 10 Hottest Peppers Ranked by Scoville
Types Of Pepper Plants By Size
Choosing pepper varieties by growth habit helps you plan out your space.
Many hot pepper plants typically grow between 2 to 4 feet tall, depending on variety.
When plants are 2 feet or smaller, they make the “compact” category. Varieties labeled “tall” grow 4 feet and higher.
The Black Pearl and Medusa, are good examples of compact-size plants.
If you grow tall varieties, you’ll need plant supports such as a plant stakes or tomato cages.
Compact Pepper Plants
- Black Pearl
- Filius Blue
- NuMex Twilight
- White Habanero
- Marbles
- Royal Black
- Aji Omnicolor
- Chinese Giant
- Firecracker Pequin
- Little Nubian
- Medusa’s Head
- Miniature Chocolate
- Abbraccio
Tall Pepper Plants
- Brazilian Starfish
- Habanero Tree (Habanero de Arbol)
- Giant Marconi Red
- Bishop’s Crown (Christmas Bell)
- Rain Forest
- Aji Amarillo
grow tips
It can be hard to find a lot of these specialty pepper seeds in big box stores. Be sure to check out this Pepper Seed Sellers List page for all kinds of seeds.
I hope this list helps you grow a chile garden tailored to your preferences. What are your favorite types of pepper plants? I’d love to read about it in the comments. 🙂
Related Posts
- Types of Chili Peppers to Grow in Pots
- The Best Tasting Peppers to Grow for Beginners
- Growing Jalapenos 101: How to Grow Jalapenos from Seeds to Potted Plants
- How to Grow Habanero Pepper Plants In A Small Space
- Ghost Pepper Plant Scoville, Colors and [Updated] Growing Guide
- Chocolate Habanero: About This Awesome Pepper (+ Growing Tips)
- Where Do the Hottest Peppers In the World Come From?
And for those of you looking for complete, how-to steps on all indoor growing phases, from germinating your seeds to growing them to the point where they can safely go outside… Make sure to check out the updated and expanded Pepper Seed Starting Guide. I personally use this resource to start my abundant pepper garden each season, and I’m always here to answer questions!