Growing ghost peppers in your garden can seem like a good idea, but now you have over 100 of the hottest peppers in the world. What do you do with them? Well, a lot actually. Check out these five ghost pepper recipes and get ready to sweat.
Bhut jolokia, also know as ghost peppers are crazy spicy. Actually second spiciest, first prize goes to the Carolina Reaper.
They are popular with gardeners and chile fans but the idea of growing a ghost chili plant and having to do something with them come harvest time is a different story.
Turns out, if you are a capsaicin queen, using up those super hot peppers won’t be a problem at all! What I like to do is take my favorite recipes made with milder chiles like jalapeños and serranos and amp it up with the ghost peppers. There are a few tricks to cooking with them however without causing major damage to your skin, nose, and eyes.
Read on to learn all about these hot chilies and how to use them and don’t forget to add them to your garden plans this year.
What Are Ghost Peppers

Ghost peppers are 200 times hotter than a jalapeño and six times hotter than a habanero pepper. In other words, really freaking hot! What makes ghost peppers so incredibly spicy (clocking in at 1,041,427 shu) is the capsaicin or spicy element in the peppers is held in the flesh of the pepper, not just in its seeds and veins like other chiles.
Originally from India, the ghost pepper is of the family Capsicum Chinese along with other superhots like the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion. In full sun they produce colorful peppers in red, yellow, orange and even white.
How To Cook With Ghost Peppers
Even if you use chiles with a significant Scoville rating on a regular basis, some precautions need to taken into consideration when handling ghost peppers.
- Wear gloves. Even if you don’t wear gloves to handle habaneros (I don’t either), wearing gloves is a must with ghost peppers. Consider even two pairs of rubber gloves to protect your skin from burning that could last a day or more.
- Ventilate. Many ghost pepper recipes have you blend them in a food processor or blender which will blast those Scoville heat units right up your nose, in your eyes, and all over your house. Make sure to open windows, doors, and turn on your kitchen hood.
More To Explore
What is Capsaicin? Plus 20 Spicy Food Recipes
5 Ghost Pepper Recipes To Try!
Think about your favorite spicy recipes—those are the ones you are going to want to try with ghost peppers! At around a million scoville units however, just use less. Try these 5 recipes below but only use a quarter of the chile amount called for in the recipe. Follow the swap instructions below.
1. Instant Pot Beef Chili
This Instant Pot Beef Chili is the quickest way to get fiery, soul-satisfying beef and bean chili into your belly. The original recipe calls for chipotle chiles in adobo. Substitute anywhere from 1/4 of a ghost pepper to a whole one, depending on your tolerance. You can always add more, but not less. Recipe includes stove top instructions too!

2. Apple Hot Pepper Jelly
Homemade Apple Hot Pepper Jelly makes the most delicious gifts not to mention it is the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. The sweetness helps tamper the heat making it the perfect recipe for ghost peppers. Swap the jalapeños and cayenne peppers in the recipe with 5 ghost peppers. Get step-by-step instructions on how to make this obsessively good homemade jelly at home.

3. Ghost Pepper Tomatillo Salsa
If you like spicy, this salsa is for you. This habanero salsa is the perfect place to put your ghost peppers—it is not for wimps. To make with ghost peppers substitute an equal amount of ghost peppers for the charred habanero chiles called for in the recipe.

4. Spicy Raspberry Margaritas
This Spicy Raspberry Margarita is a fruity, fiery blend of sweet raspberry syrup, chile-infused tequila, and lime juice that can easily be made into a boozy, big-batch cocktail for any celebration. The original recipe calls for infusing the tequila with a fresh jalapeño, but a ghost pepper would also be amazing. Swap in equal amounts.

5. Spicy Honey Goat Cheese Toasts
Soft goat cheese on crisp toasted bread, drizzled with spicy honey, a few ripe pear slices, and a sprinkling of toasted almond slices. This recipe uses árbol chile powder to add a kick to the honey, to substitute ghost peppers, mince 1/2 of a pepper and warm with the honey. Taste and add more as desired.

More Spicy Food Recipes To Try!
- Spicy Salsa Macha Recipe
- Pickled Jalapeños Stuffed with Goat Cheese
- The BEST Spicy Pickled Jalapeño Michelada
- Spicy Marinated Olives with Roasted Garlic and Herbs
- Shrimp Aguachile Verde
- Candied Cayenne Pecans
- Pork Albóndigas with Árbol Chile Sauce
Ghost Peppers Are More Than Smoke Bombs
They are THE bomb! Give these recipes a try. Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Resources
Here are posts I used to research this piece. Check them out for more information.
- Serious Heat by Serious Eats
- What is Ghost Pepper by Food and Wine
- Where the Ghost Pepper Stores Its Heat by The Atlantic
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