What pepper can be substituted for a habanero when no habaneros are available?
Asked
Active
Viewed 1,995 times
7
-
1What is the purpose in using the habanero to begin with? Any pepper can add flavor or heat ; but if you're looking for one or the other a particular pepper might help get you a better, more accessible answer. For instance, the Scotch bonnet @Bob mentioned is the same species but you're not likely to have one available without the other. – mfg Oct 23 '10 at 00:43
3 Answers
7
Scotch bonnet is very similar, if they're available.
Bob
- 7,202
- 2
- 29
- 37
-
+1. I'm in the UK. It's really hard to find Habaneros, but Scotch Bonnets are in almost every supermarket. They're sweet, fruity, and oh-god-that-was-a-mistake hot. :) – TarkaDaal Jun 22 '12 at 13:28
6
Very few peppers have both the intense fruitiness and the extreme heat level of a habanero. One option might be to use a combination of dried ancho chilis for their fruitiness, and a fresh hot chili of your choice for the spice level. Thai bird chilis, for example, are quite hot.
Michael Natkin
- 30,230
- 16
- 86
- 172
-
I really enjoy the *flavor* of those things, but the level of *hot* they bring is such an issue... – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Oct 23 '10 at 22:23
1
Another very hot*, fruity pepper is the Bhut Jolokia, but if you don't have habanero where you are you probably don't have ghost peppers either. (Hottest depending on where it's grown)
mfg
- 11,709
- 11
- 61
- 110