HotPepperIndex
Anaheim
Capsicum annuum

Anaheim

Anaheim, California, USA (originally from New Mexico)
Mild
Also known asAnaheim Chile · California Chile · New Mexico Chile (when from NM)
Scoville
0SHU
Heat0%
500–3k SHU · PepperScale, Chili Pepper Madness, Wikipedia

The Anaheim pepper is a mild, large green chili famous for its versatile flavor and thick flesh. It is a staple in Southwestern and Mexican-American cooking, especially when roasted.

Anaheim peppers are long (6–10 inches), tapered, and slightly curved with smooth, glossy skin. They are usually harvested green but can ripen to red. The walls are thick and meaty with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Heat is very low to mild (500–2,500 SHU).

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Backstory

Originally brought from New Mexico to Anaheim, California in the early 20th century by a farmer named Emilio Ortega. It quickly became a California favorite and is now one of the most widely grown mild chiles in the United States, especially for roasting and canning.

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Flavor

Mild and earthy with a slightly sweet, grassy note. When roasted, it develops a rich, smoky-sweet flavor and the skin peels easily, leaving tender, flavorful flesh.

mildearthyslightly sweetgrassyroasted flavor

Culinary uses

roasted green chilessalsasstewschile rellenosenchiladasquesadillasburgerssandwichescanning

Substitutions

PoblanoHatch

Related variants

Appearance

Size
6-10 inches long
Skin
smooth, glossy
Color
dark green to red
Flesh
thick, meaty
Shape
long, tapered, slightly curved

Growing

Sun
full sun
Soil
well-drained fertile
Notes
Very productive and easy to grow in warm climates
Water
consistent
Harvest
pick green for classic use or red for sweeter flavor
Plant height
2-3 ft
Days to maturity
75-85

Nutrition

Per 100g approx
Calories: 40 · Vitamin a: high · Vitamin c: very high

Origin detail

Region
California
Country
United States
Breeder
Traditional landrace (developed in California from New Mexican varieties)

Tags

southwesternmildroastingheirloomcaliforniathick-walledgreen-chili

Sources

Huge shout-out to the breeders, growers, researchers, and seed savers linked below — their independent work is what lets us fact-check our own. Go visit them.

These references are used to verify what we publish — not as the source of the content itself. Seed catalogs, breeder pages, research papers, and cultivar databases let us cross-check every fact before it lands here. Open any card to read the original or dig deeper.

4 sources · Added May 7, 2026, 14:50 UTC · Updated May 11, 2026, 13:55 UTC
Origins
A World of Capsicum
Peppers and their homelands. Tap a marker.
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