What Is an Anaheim Pepper?

An Anaheim pepper (Capsicum annuum) is a large, thick-walled chili pepper that grows 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) long with smooth, glossy skin and a slightly curved shape. What sets it apart from other mild chilies is its origin and its build. The pepper is named after Anaheim, California, where Emilio Ortega brought New Mexico seeds in 1894 and opened the first commercial chili cannery, and its walls are thicker than those of most peppers in its heat range. It carries a mild heat of 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which puts it at the gentle end of the chili scale. In New Mexico, the same pepper is often called "New Mexico chile" or "Hatch chile".

Names for this pepper shift from region to region. You will also see it sold as California chile, Magdalena, seco del norte, chile colorado, or verde del norte, depending on where it grows and how it is used. Anaheim peppers run long, elongated, and tapered with a gentle curve, and their smooth, glossy skin sits over a noticeably thick wall. That thick flesh is the reason cooks reach for anaheims over thinner chilies like serrano or jalapeño when a recipe calls for stuffing or roasting, since the walls hold up to heat and filling without collapsing.

Anaheim peppers shift in color as they ripen, and each stage brings a different flavor to the kitchen, as shown in this table:

There are three main types of this pepper: the traditional Anaheim, the New Mexico or Hatch type, and Big Jim, each varying in heat and size. The traditional Anaheim is the mild grocery store standard grown across California, while the New Mexico and Hatch types run hotter from the same seed in drier soil, and Big Jim, developed at New Mexico State University, is the largest of the three.

What Do Anaheim Peppers Taste Like?

Anaheim peppers taste mild, slightly sweet, and peppery with an earthy undertone and a gentle warmth that registers on the palate without burning. The flavor is clean and approachable, which is why anaheims work in so many dishes where you want pepper character without real heat.

Ripeness moves the flavor along a clear path. Green anaheims lean peppery and grassy, with that fresh, slightly vegetal bite. As the pepper ripens to red, it turns sweeter and fruitier, and the heat reads a touch richer. Where the pepper is grown matters too. California-grown anaheims tend to taste sweeter and milder, while New Mexico ones come through earthier and hotter. There is also a structural reason Anaheim's shine when roasted, and it comes down to those thick walls. The dense flesh traps moisture as the pepper cooks, concentrating its sugars and giving roasted anaheims a smoky-sweet character that thinner peppers cannot match.

The heat of the roast caramelizes the sugars held in that thick flesh, which is exactly why charred anaheims taste deeper and sweeter than raw ones. Color guides the best use, too. Green anaheims are at their best raw or lightly cooked, where their grassy snap stays bright. Red anaheims lean toward sauces and drying, since their sweeter, fuller flavor holds up to longer cooking. Both benefit from a good roast. 

Are Anaheim Peppers Different from Poblanos?

Anaheim peppers and poblano peppers both belong to Capsicum annuum and share a mild heat profile, but they differ in shape, wall thickness, flavor, and cooking performance. Those differences are small on paper and real in the kitchen, so knowing them helps you pick the right pepper for the dish.

Are Anaheim Peppers Different from Jalapeños?

Yes. Anaheim peppers are larger, milder, and sweeter than jalapeños, while jalapeños deliver more heat and a sharper, grassier flavor. Both peppers belong to Capsicum annuum, but their size, Scoville rating, texture, and cooking uses differ enough to affect the final dish.

How Hot Are Anaheim Peppers?

Anaheim peppers measure 500 to 2,500 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), placing them in the mild tier. That range sits near the bottom of the chili scale, hotter than a bell pepper at zero heat but well below a jalapeño, which runs 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. For most cooks, an Anaheim pepper reads as a whisper of warmth rather than real spice, which is exactly why it shows up in so many family-friendly dishes.

Not every Anaheim hits the same number, and the gap can be wide. A California grocery store Anaheim often lands barely warm, while a New Mexico Hatch-grown pepper can climb past 3,000 SHU. Growing conditions and ripeness drive the difference, since the arid climate and drier soil of New Mexico push the plant to make more capsaicin, while California's milder conditions keep the heat lower.

Compared to other peppers from the same region, Anaheim sits at the gentle end.

• Poblano (1,000 to 1,500 SHU) overlaps right in that mild band.
• Jalapeño (2,500 to 8,000 SHU) sits one clear tier up. Serrano (10,000 to 23,000 SHU) is a real step hotter
• Habanero (100,000 to 350,000 SHU) belongs to a whole different category of heat.

Learn more about the Scoville heat scale for all peppers.

How to Use Anaheim Pepper in Cooking?

Use Anaheim peppers roasted and peeled for sauces and soups, stuffed with cheese and meat for chiles rellenos, sautéed as a bell pepper upgrade, or dried and ground into chile powder. Their mild heat and thick, sturdy walls make them among the most versatile peppers to keep on hand, whether you want smoky depth or just a gentle lift.

Beyond flavor, anaheims bring real nutrition to a dish. A single raw pepper delivers around 40 kilocalories (kcal) per 100 g, along with 237.8 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, which is about 264% of your daily value, and 644 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin A per 100 g, roughly 72% of the daily value. You also get vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin B6, and 2.2 g of fiber per 100 g in the same serving. The capsaicin load stays low, but even that small amount is linked to mild thermogenic activity, the gentle warming effect chili compounds have on the body.

Roasting is the most common preparation, and it is where anaheims really pay off. Char them under a broiler or over a gas flame until the skin blisters, about 5 to 10 minutes; then steam them in a sealed bag for 15 to 20 minutes, then peel the skin away. What is left is soft, sweet, and smoky, ready for green chile stew, enchilada sauce, or a topping on burgers and tacos.

Stuffing is where those thick walls pay off. Anaheim peppers hold up to fillings of cheese, meat, rice, or beans without falling apart, so you can bake them at 375°F (190°C) for 20 to 25 minutes and they will keep their shape. That sturdiness is the same reason they anchor chiles rellenos.

Swapping bell peppers for anaheims is an easy upgrade. Dice them into stir-fries, eggs, fajitas, or pasta, and their mild heat adds a little warmth without overpowering the rest of the plate.

Anaheims also preserve well. Dry them at 200°F (93°C) for 6 to 8 hours, then grind them into a powder, or freeze-dry the roasted peppers in airtight bags for up to 6 months. Those canned green chiles you find at the store are typically Anaheim too.

Can You Eat Anaheim Peppers Every Day?

Most healthy adults can eat Anaheim peppers daily without issues because the capsaicin content is low enough for regular consumption. At 500 to 2,500 SHU, the capsaicin load is small, so eating several per meal is reasonable for most people. Removing the seeds and inner membrane cuts the capsaicin by roughly 30 to 40%, and cooking softens the heat even further.

There are a few people who should hold back. Anyone with a digestive condition like IBS or GERD, or a known capsaicin sensitivity, may want to limit anaheims, since capsaicin activates the same TRPV1 receptors in the gut that it activates in the mouth. If you are sensitive to spicy food, start with cooked anaheims rather than raw, and take out the seeds first, which keeps the heat gentle while you find your comfort level.

How to Store Anaheim Peppers

Fresh Anaheim peppers stay crisp for 1 to 2 weeks when stored properly in the refrigerator. The trick is to keep them whole and unwashed in a paper bag or breathable container in the crisper drawer. Skip sealed plastic bags, since trapped moisture can lead to mold and soft spots.

For longer storage, freezing works best after you first roast, peel, and chop the peppers. Spread them on a lined tray to freeze, then move them into airtight bags where they keep for about 6 months. Freezing softens the texture, so thawed anaheims are best in cooked dishes rather than raw.

Drying is the other long-term option. Set them in the oven at 200°F (93°C) for 6 to 8 hours, or use a dehydrator, then store the dried peppers in an airtight container away from light. Dried anaheims, sold as California chile or chile Colorado, last well past 6 months and grind easily into powder. Want to keep them longer than two weeks? Freeze or dry them, and you will have Anaheim flavor on hand for months.

What Can You Substitute for Anaheim Peppers?

The closest substitute for Anaheim peppers is the Poblano pepper. At 1,000 to 1,500 SHU, Poblano sits in the same mild range and delivers comparable heat with a little more depth. If you want zero heat at all, a bell pepper steps in easily.

The rule to remember is fresh substitutes for fresh applications and dried substitutes for cooked ones. For the same heat in a different shape, cubanelle is your pepper, since it matches the mild warmth while running longer and thinner. Looking for dried substitutes? Reach for pasilla or California chile. No substitute fully replicates Anaheim's mild sweetness paired with those thick, roast-friendly walls, but any of these will carry a dish in a pinch.

References

1. Pathirana, R. (2013). Peppers: Vegetable and Spice Capsicums, 2nd edition, by Paul W. Bosland and Eric J. Votava. Crop Production Science in Horticulture Series 22. Wallingford, UK, CABI, 2012. 248 pp. ISBN 9781845938253. New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 41, 102–103.  https://doi.org/10.1080/01140671.2012.745161
2. Tewksbury, J. J., & Nabhan, G. P. (2001). Seed dispersal. Directed deterrence by capsaicin in chilies. Nature, 412(6845), 403–404.  https://doi.org/10.1038/35086653
3. USDA FoodData Central. Peppers, Anaheim, raw.  https://fdc.nal.usda.gov