We all know peppers come in a wide variety of colors, including red, green, yellow, orange, brown and even black. But lately, purple peppers have been on the rise with many growers who’ve become captivated by their rich, eye-popping colors.
Purple peppers are different from other peppers since they ripen to their violet hues at maturity. Normally, this color would be cause for concern for other pepper strains. However, purple peppers contain higher concentrations of anthocyanins, the chemical pigments responsible for red, purple, and blueish colors in fruits and vegetables when concentrated near their surfaces.
Growing purple peppers next to other pepper plants in your garden without them affecting other pepper plants. They make for amazing additions to home gardens and add a pop of color to any of your food dishes.
We break down some of the most popular purple pepper varieties to try out in your food and your garden for the next growing season.
10 Types of Purple Peppers to Try Growing & Eating
1. Purple Beauty Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 0 SHUs
Origin: USA
Days to Harvest: 70+ Days
Our first pepper on our list is the Purple Beauty Pepper. This is a variant of the normal bell pepper, so it packs little to no heat, is easy to grow in almost any climate, and can be used in a wide variety of foods. These peppers are visually striking with a deep purple color and a shiny sheen to them once they reach maturity.
Similarly, the Lilac Bell Pepper is another purple bell pepper variety that has a sweet flavor and crispy texture. Both varieties are great for adding to food dishes like salads, sandwiches, dips, soups and more. They also work great for stuffing, roasting, and even pickling.
2. Purple Jalapeno Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 2,500-8,000 SHUs
Origin: Mexico
Days to Harvest: 85+ Days
Another purple type of a popular pepper variety, the Purple Jalapeno shares similar characteristics to regular Jalapeno peppers, including the same size, conical shape, and heat level. However, these dark beauties have a noticeably sweeter taste and produce higher yields than other Jalapenos.
- Check out other Jalapeno Pepper Products including seeds, plants, and other consumables.
Not only do these plants yield delicious and edible peppers, but they make for amazing ornamental peppers for your garden. Small enough, yet visible enough to catch any eye, these jalapeno peppers are a wonderful addition when planning out your next growing season.
- DID YOU KNOW: Red, purple, and blue are the “natural” maturity colors for peppers. These were most visible and palatable to humans and animals who saw these colors better than insects. It wasn’t until humans started selectively cross-pollinating peppers over time that we now have popular lighter shades such as green and yellow.
3. Black Prince Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 5,000-30,000 SHUs
Origin: Mexico
Days to Harvest: 90 Days
If you want some regal-looking purple peppers, then choose the Black Prince pepper for your garden. Small, yet very beautiful, the Mexican-ornamental peppers start off black and grow to a deep red color, hitting their famous purple hue as they reach maturity.
- Check out more of our Ornamental Pepper Seeds.
Don’t let the beauty of these peppers fool you; the heat level for Black Prince peppers can reach as high as 30,000 SHUs, which is as hot as a Cayenne pepper (more on that later). With a sweet and spicy kick to them, they make for great additions to sauces, salsas, and more. Grind them up and use them as a homemade powder to add to any food you like!
4. Purple Serrano Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 8,000-22,000 SHUs
Origin: Mexico
Days to Harvest: 85+ Days
Next on our list, we have the Purple Serrano pepper. Slightly longer than its parent Serrano Pepper, the Purple Serrano ripens from a green to its dark purple (almost black) color and has a milder, sweeter flavor than its original counterpart. They both resemble the same shape of a candle flame. A little spicier than the others, Purple Serranos can be used in salads, salsas, and are popular in Pico de Gallo. [Note: Use one Purple Serrano pepper instead of the Jalapeno for a sweeter taste.]
5. Purple Cayenne Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 30,000-50,000 SHUs
Origin: USA
Days to Harvest: 80-85 Days
Here we are at the Purple Cayenne pepper! These peppers boast a slightly sweeter taste than other Cayenne pepper varieties that go well in just about anything you make. Use Purple Cayenne’s either fresh, pickled, dried, in sauce, as salsa, or ornamentally – there’s nothing you really can’t do with them.
Growing these peppers can be super rewarding. When done right, Purple Cayenne plants grow incredibly large yields of 3 to 6 inches long. Be sure to keep an eye out for your plant, as heavy yields can weigh down its branches.
6. Buena Malata Hot Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 30,000-50,000 SHUs
Origin: USA
Days to Harvest: 75-80 Days
The Buena Mulata pepper looks incredibly similar to the Purple Cayenne – same shape, same color, similar length, and even similar heat! They give a little visual variety to your garden and are great for drying into pepper flakes and adding to fresh salsa.
The key to growing these peppers is their ripening process. The longer you let these peppers ripen, the sweeter and meatier they become. They start maturing from their purplish color to pink, to a pink-yellow, to brown, and finally to a deep red – a MUCH longer journey than other peppers!
7. Filius Blue Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 40,000-58,000 SHUs
Origin: USA
Days to Harvest: 80+ Days
The name might sound deceiving, but the Filius Blue peppers are a great ornamental purple pepper with a deep blue/purple color to them. Forming into small bulbs that are less than an inch long, these peppers are bursting with tasty sweetness and pack a lot of heat that adds to a lot of food dishes.
- Try out some of our Hot Pepper Recipes!
The Filius Blue ripens from green to blue-purple, then to a bright red, losing its heat as it reaches maturity. If you want to maintain this pepper’s heat, then pick them at their blue-purple color before they begin transitioning to red.
Fun Fact: The Filius Blue won the RHS Award of Garden Merit given to plants that are all-around reliable plants for home gardens.
8. Black Scorpion Tongue Pepper
Species: Capsicum Annuum
Heat Level: 40,000-58,000 SHUs
Origin: USA
Days to Harvest: 80+ Days
The Black Scorpion Tongue is an ultra-rare purple pepper variety that dramatically changes colors as it matures. Starting with a dark purple hue, it changes to yellow, then orange, and finally to a deep magenta. These large pepper plants grow many small peppers that pack some heat – up to 100,000 SHUs (the same heat as 40 Jalapeno peppers)!
With heat that high, these peppers work great for making homemade pepper powder or pepper flakes, hot sauce, and salsa.
- Check out some of our Super Hot Spices & Dried Pods
9. Pink Tiger x Peach Bhut Chili Pepper
Species: Capsicum Chinense
Heat Level: 300,000+ SHUs
Origin: USA
Days to Harvest: UNKNOWN
The Pink Tiger x Peach Bhut Chili pepper is an unique and interesting cross with a gorgeous peach purple pearlescent color that really beautifies your garden. Derived from the Peach Ghost pepper, this cross has a fruity and sweet flavor to it with a heat level similar to that of a Habanero.
Growing Pink Tiger x Peach Bhut plants require enough space for the plant to flourish. Give proper attention to these plants, and they will reward you with high yields of these exotic peppers.
10. Purple Reaper
Species: Capsicum Chinense
Heat Level: Estimated 1,500,000+ SHUs
Origin: Brazil
Days to Harvest: 80-85 Days
Our last entry on this list is the Purple Reaper pepper. An accidental cross of red Carolina Reapers by Brazilian grower Carlos Jr., this pepper packs the same amount of insane heat while boasting fruitier flavors than the normal strain. These peppers mature from their purple color, to a greenish purple, and finally to their red/brown color.
We caution anyone that tries to eat a super hot pepper, especially a strain of one of the hottest peppers in the world. Instead, use the Purple Reaper for homemade hot sauce or chili powder and add a dash (we mean just a dash) to liven up any food you like.
Can’t get enough of our purple peppers? Grab our growing supplies and start growing your peppers today!
