Pepper picking guide
Which type of pepper is right for the recipe you want to make? Get to know 9 varieties of peppers you’ll find at the Miller Farms vegetable stand.
If you’re a regular at the Miller Farms vegetable stand, you’ve seen the incredible piles of peppers on the tables. It’s like a treasure hunt digging through to find the pepper you need!
Except, of course, when you don’t recognize a pepper or two.
I’ve had this problem myself. I pick a pepper and wonder… can I use it in my vegetable grill basket? Or is it so spicy that just one would flavor a whole pot of chili?
After quizzing the Miller farmers, I put together this guide so the next time you’re at the farmer’s market, you’ll know exactly which pepper to choose.
Bell Pepper
Green bells are bright and sometimes a little bitter when cooked. Red and white bells are fully mature, so they’re sweeter and milder; yellow and orange fall in between.
Best forJust about anything. Slice and eat raw with dips, dice into salads or onto sandwiches, roast or grill with other veggies, stuff them, or cook into casseroles, pizza, soups, stews, and salsa.
Cubanelle Pepper
A sweet pepper with usually very mild spice, thin flesh, and a crunchy bite.
Best forA go-anywhere stand-in for bell peppers. Use raw in salads or sandwiches, cooked into a casserole or on pizza, stuffed and roasted, or in yellow mole sauce.
Anaheim Pepper
Mild flavor with a variable level of spice and thick flesh. Substitutes well with bell, poblano, or cubanelle peppers.
Best forVery versatile — ideal stuffed for Chile Rellenos, or used in place of a bell pepper for extra spice, in soups, stews, and sauces, or raw in salsa. Preserve by roasting or canning.
Poblano Pepper
Earthy and usually mild, with thick skin. Red poblanos run spicier than green ones.
Best forCoating and frying, or stuffing for Chile Rellenos. Also great in mole or salsa. Preserve by roasting, peeling, and canning or freezing.
Big Jim (Green Chile) Pepper
Meaty and sturdy, with a distinctive fruity green-chile taste.
Best forRoasting, stuffing for Chile Rellenos, or simmering into Hatch green chile or red enchilada sauce.
Mirasol Pepper
Full-bodied and fruity with a hint of berry.
Best forThe traditional pepper for Mexican mole sauce. Add to salsas, stews, and chilis, or reach for it across Mexican (and Peruvian) cooking.
Jalapeño Pepper
Bright and spicy with thick flesh. Red jalapeños are slightly sweeter and milder than green ones.
Best forMincing raw into salsa, or adding to casseroles, dips, and sauces for heat. Or stuff with cream cheese, wrap in bacon, and roast for a tasty appetizer.
Hungarian Wax Pepper
Sweet and hot with thick flesh. Red Hungarian wax peppers are spicier than the immature yellow ones — heat ranges from very mild (like a poblano) to twice as hot as a jalapeño.
Best forDicing raw into salads or onto sandwiches, grilling or roasting with other vegetables, pickling, or adding to mole sauce.
Dynamite Pepper
Very hot, with less of the fruity chile flavor. The curlier the pepper, the spicier it will be — handle with care!
Best forMincing and adding to casseroles, soups, stews, or other dishes when you want serious heat.
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This is by no means every pepper out there — there are so many! Have a favorite you’d like to learn about next? Leave a comment and let us know.
Happy pepper picking,
Dietitian Ann from Peas & Hoppiness
Which type of pepper should you use?
Grab the free Pepper Identification Guide to take to the store or farmer’s market — spice level, flavor, and uses for the most common pepper types, all in one place.
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