Top 10 World’s Hottest Chilli Peppers (2024)

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Top 10 World’s Hottest Chilli Peppers? ›

On the Scoville Heat Scale, the Carolina Reaper ranges from 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 SHU. Since 2013, the Carolina Reaper has been the hottest known chili pepper in the world. It's the only pepper on our list to have surpassed its own record.

On the Scoville Heat Scale, the Carolina Reaper ranges from 1,400,000 to 2,200,000 SHU. Since 2013, the Carolina Reaper has been the hottest known chili pepper in the world. It's the only pepper on our list to have surpassed its own record.

Habañero Pepper

Characteristics: Don't be fooled by its small, innocent size – this pepper can be 140 times hotter than a jalapeño. Unlike many of the hottest peppers, habañeros also have a fruity, citrus taste, making them a popular choice to make hot sauces with.

Past Guinness World Record holders (in increasing order of hotness) include the ghost pepper, Infinity chili, Trinidad Moruga scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, Trinidad Scorpion Butch T, and Carolina Reaper. The current record holder, declared in 2023, is Pepper X, at more than 2.69 million SHU.

The Pepper X dethroned the Caroline Reaper (also created by Currie) in October 2023 and now holds the Guinness World Record title. It clocked in at just under 2.7 million Scoville Heat Units, the scale used to rank how spicy peppers are.

Carolina Reaper 2,200,000 SHU

The Carolina Reaper is once again officially the Worlds Hottest Pepper.

Some chiliheads have reported hallucinations after eating spicy foods in the 6 million SHU range, while higher concentrations could cause vomiting, gagging, and may even make someone pass out. Scientists suggest that it would take about 13 grams of pure capsaicin to kill a 150lb.

Resiniferatoxin, a chemical produced by the cactus-like plant Euphorbia resinifera, is the hottest chemical currently known, 1,000 times hotter even than capsaicin. A pure extract of this stuff scores 16 billion Scoville units. Eating just a gram or two would cause serious internal burns, and possibly death.

Packing a punch over 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce on the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) scale, the Bhut Jolokia clocks in at a staggering 800,000 to 1,000,000 SHU.

What's the hottest pepper in the world in 2024? ›

The Carolina Reaper pepper is officially the world's hottest pepper. Learn about this crazy hot chile and discover how to grow your own Reaper plants.

The Carolina Reaper is officially the Worlds Hottest Pepper as ranked by Guinness Book of World Records.

So, for the time being, the Carolina Reaper remains our confirmed world's hottest pepper. The other chili pepper coming in second on the list of peppers hotter than the Carolina Reaper is known as the Dragon's Breath pepper.

Spicentice Carolina Reaper Chilli Pot - World's Hottest Chilli - 100% Natural.

Coming in at number two is the Trinidad Moruga scorpion. This poignant pepper, like many others on this list, is native to Trinidad.