Carolina Reaper Chili Pepper

chili peppers · world records · spicy food

Super Wrinkly Look. The Carolina Reaper has a bumpy, gnarled red skin that looks like it has been crinkled up, with a tiny pointed tail sticking out at the bottom. Its weird texture makes it instantly recognizable among all the other peppers in the world.

Champion Pepper. From 2013 to 2023, the Carolina Reaper held the Guinness World Record as the hottest chili pepper ever grown. That's 10 years of being the absolute spiciest pepper on the planet.

Made by a Breeder. An American named Ed Currie developed the Carolina Reaper through careful breeding to create the ultimate hot pepper. He spent years experimenting with different pepper plants to get this super spicy result.

Insanely Hot. The Carolina Reaper is so spicy that it measures over 2 million Scoville Heat Units, which is about 400 times hotter than a jalapeño. Just touching it with your bare fingers can make your skin burn, so people handling it wear gloves and masks.

Still Growing Strong. Even though the Carolina Reaper lost its world record to Pepper X in 2023, it's still one of the hottest peppers people can grow in their gardens. Brave chile lovers around the world still grow and eat it for the ultimate spicy challenge.