The jalapeño is Mexico’s best-known chilli pepper, and more of it is grown there than any other type of chilli. It is only mildly hot, and smoked and dried it becomes chipotle.
| Species | Capsicum annuum, jalapeño pod type |
|---|---|
| Heat | 2,000–8,000 SHU (University of Florida); other universities give 2,500–5,000 SHU |
| Name | Spanish for “from Xalapa” (Jalapa), the capital of Veracruz |
| Fruit | usually picked green, red when ripe |
| Uses | salsas, salads, pickling, Mexican cooking, smoked as chipotle |
A pod type, not a single variety
The jalapeño belongs to Capsicum annuum, the same species as the bell pepper. New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute calls it a “pod type” – a horticultural group within the species, like “bell” or “New Mexican” – so many cultivars are grown under the jalapeño name.
Heat
The University of Florida lists the jalapeño at 2,000–8,000 SHU – roughly a hundred times milder than a habanero and a thousand times milder than a Carolina Reaper. Figures vary between sources; the University of Arizona extension gives 2,500–5,000 SHU. See the Scoville scale for comparisons.
Texas even bred an almost mild jalapeño: Benigno Villalon of the Texas A&M research station in Weslaco developed ‚TAM Mild Jalapeño‘ (heat 2–5 on a ten-point scale, against 6 and up for Mexican jalapeños). The later ‚TAM Mild Jalapeño II‘ (2002) measured 1,080–1,620 SHU and resists several viruses.
Chipotle
Chipotle is not a separate variety: the Chile Pepper Institute defines it as “a smoke-dried red jalapeño”. Smoking gives it its typical smoky flavour, which suits sauces, marinades and stews.
Production
According to Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture (SADER), the jalapeño is the most produced type of chilli in Mexico – over 770,000 tonnes in 2025 and over 900,000 tonnes in 2023.
Fun fact: jalapeños in space
In November 1982 astronaut William Lenoir took jalapeños aboard Space Shuttle Columbia as a personal snack; they were grown by fellow astronaut Sherwood Spring. A NASA spokesman said it was the first time jalapeños had gone into space.
In the kitchen
Jalapeños are eaten fresh in salsas and salads, pickled, canned and smoked. Their mild heat makes them a good “entry-level” chilli for beginners.
Related
Cayenne · Habanero · Tabasco · Scoville scale
Sources
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions: Peppers by Scoville units
- NMSU Chile Pepper Institute: Chile terminology
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension: Peppers (Chiles)
- Christian Science Monitor: article on TAM Mild Jalapeño (1983)
- Plant Answers (Texas A&M AgriLife): TAM Mild Jalapeño II (after HortScience 37(6), 2002)
- El Financiero (14 Sep 2026), after SADER/SIAP: 2025 chilli production; Quadratin (11 Sep 2024): 2023 production
- UPI (12 Nov 1982): Space food: first jalapenos