Which Shishito Peppers Are Hot?

Shishitos are small, mild peppers from Japan. Their flavor is sweet and slightly smokey, not spicy—but careful! One in ten shishito peppers will be hot.

How do you know if a shishito pepper is hot?

With a range on the Scoville scale from 50 to 200 Scoville heat units, the typical shishito is sort of like a rounding error of hotness above a zero-heat bell pepper. Meaning – they aren't hot at all… most of the time. It's sort of a warm pulsing light simmer, very much under the radar.

What percent of shishito peppers are spicy?

Due to growing conditions, plant stress, and other factors, roughly one in every 10 shishitos packs a bit of a spicy punch – something Chili Pepper Madness says lends the eating experience a "Russian roulette" quality.