How to Use Serrano Peppers in Your Cooking

Serrano peppers (Capsicum annuum), are long and thin, resembling a smaller version of jalapeño peppers. Serrano chiles are yellow, orange, red, or green peppers, changing color as they ripen. Serrano pepper plants can grow to be five feet tall and produce up to 50 peppers. Serranos are mostly grown in Mexico and originated in the mountainous regions of Puebla and Hidalgo. Like jalapeños, they have a bright, fresh kick with a medium to medium-hot spice level that varies depending on their size. While serranos can serve as a flavorful garnish for a variety of dishes, they are primarily sliced up and mixed into salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole.

When you bite into a fresh serrano pepper, wait a moment before going back for seconds. The heat has a delayed reaction and will take a bit before your tongue begins to tingle. Serranos are very similar in taste to jalapeños, but they’re two to five times hotter. If you’re making a dish that calls for jalapeños, but you want more spice, swap them out for serranos. They also have a bit of an earthy, grassy taste to them.

The level of heat of a chile pepper is measured in Scoville Heat Units or SHU. On the Scoville scale, Serrano peppers have 10,000 to 20,000 SHU. Serranos are far from the hottest peppers on the planet (the Carolina Reaper ranks first at 1,400,000 SHU) but the serrano pepper is still a hot chile.

Serranos will vary in heat depending on their size—the smaller the pepper the stronger the burning sensation. A green, unripe serrano will also be milder in taste than a ripened red serrano.

For comparison, here are the Scoville ratings for other varieties, from mild to hot peppers:

• Bell pepper: 0 SHU
• Poblano pepper: 1,000-1,500 SHU
• Jalapeño pepper: 4,000 - 10,000 SHU
• Serrano pepper: 10,000 - 20,000 SHU
• Cayenne pepper: 30,000 - 50,000 SHU
• Habanero: 100,000 - 300,000 SHU
• Ghost pepper: 1,000,000 SHU
• Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: 1,200,000 SHU
• Carolina Reaper: 1,400,000 SHU

When you go to the produce aisle of your grocery store, you should be able to easily find serrano peppers. Look for serranos that are taught and firm. You want serranos that are free of wrinkles. The rule of thumb with chile peppers is the smaller the pepper the hotter the flavor. So pick your serranos based on your taste buds. The green chiles will be a little less spicy than the orange and red peppers. Chile peppers love the hot weather so summer is the best time to buy serranos.

When working with any hot pepper, it’s important to take proper precautions to avoid getting the oils on your skin or in your eyes. It’s always good to have milk on hand just in case—it’s a good antidote to a mouth on fire from chile peppers. Here are some other tips for cooking with serranos:

1. 1. Wear gloves. When you handle these hot peppers, you may want to wear some rubber gloves. The oils in them can leave residue on your fingers and if you rub or face—or worse, your eyes—you’ll feel an intense burning sensation that will be uncomfortable to say the least. Thoroughly wash knives and cutting boards after you use them to make sure the residue doesn’t transfer to the next food you chop.
2. 2. Do a taste test for spiciness. It’s not unusual for two serrano peppers to have different heat levels. To determine how spicy a pepper is, trim the top stem off (which you do before using the pepper anyway) and taste the inside of the stem before you dispose of it. If it’s not too spicy you can choose to include the seeds and veins of the pepper in your dish; they’re the parts of the pepper that contains the most capsaicin. If it’s a hot serrano, you might want to cut out the seeds and veins.
3. 3. Make pickles. Pickled peppers make a great snack. You can make a jar of pickled serranos or combine several pepper varieties together. Try serrano, banana pepper, and tomatillos. Combine with onion, garlic, vinegar, water, salt, and pepper in a jar and refrigerate. For a smokier flavor, sauté the ingredients together first before sealing in the jar.
4. 4. Whip up some spicy side dishes. There is no shortage of ways to work with serrano peppers. You can simply sauté the peppers up in a pan with some olive oil, sprinkle some salt over them, and enjoy. Other appetizers include salsa verde with serrano, onion, cilantro, garlic, tomatillos, and salt. Add fresh, chopped serrano to heat up a bowl of guacamole.
5. 5. Try different serrano pepper recipes. If you like spicy food, try incorporating serrano peppers into your meals either as a condiment in the form of serrano hot sauce, or simply chopped up raw. Look up recipes that highlight serranos—like enchiladas suizas. Wrap up tacos in tortillas and top them with avocado, lime juice, and chopped up serrano pepper. You can even add some sweet fruit, like pineapple, which balances the bite of the pepper.

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