Bottom Line: These multi-colored chilis have little to no heat, but they are quite versatile and can make a good addition to many salsas and dishes.
You may have noticed those bags of brightly colored chilis referred to as “Mini Sweet Peppers” which have become a fixture in the produce section the last few years (well, at least they have here in Texas), and you may have wondered just what they taste like. When they first started showing up, I recall that they fetched around five bucks for a bag, and I usually passed them over for the cheaper bulk chilis. But the price has come down to usually less than four bucks a bag (your mileage may vary with inflation), and now these are a regular item on my list.
Coming in colors of red, orange, and yellow, they have a similar taste to bell peppers, though without as much of the deep earthiness that is noticeable in the bigger pods. The mini peppers definitely have the sweetness promised on the bag, which is at a similar level to what you would get from a red, orange, or yellow bell. They can easily be substituted for the bigger pepper, though the flesh on the smaller chilis is not as thick.
As for heat, these sweet pepper deliver very little. Of the ones that I have purchased, at most a few have barely reached mild heat. And more often than not, they have no heat at all just like the bell pepper. So you aren’t buying these for the burn, but more for the taste. And they are a great addition to salsas and hot sauces, bringing some sweetness and pepper taste that you can blend with other chiles to get the heat you are looking for.
As for what type of peppers these sweet pods are, I can’t really say. The bag does not give any more information than the name, and I have done some searching on the internet with no success in discovering their origins. My guess is that they are some sort of hybrid of the bell pepper and a milder chili like the pimento or banana. If anybody has more information on these, please add it to the comments below because I’m a little curious.
I have a bag of these in the fridge at all times and I use them pretty much the same way I use bell peppers. I diced them up and add them into a lot of dishes like taco meat to add some flavor. I also use these in a concoction I call Plenty-of-Pepper salsa where I pair them up with spicier chilis to get a nice blend of heat and flavor (you can see that recipe here). These chilis are also quite good roasted and can be served on the side that way or added into a salsa (and I have a recipe for the latter here). You can also stuff them or cut them into quarters and use them to scoop up queso or creamy dips.
Chili peppers aren’t always about heat (though usually they are and for good reason). Some of the chilis out there don’t bring much burn, but they still have flavor to offer. And these mini sweet peppers are healthy little fruits that add very few calories yet deliver on taste and bring some important nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Beta Carotene, and more. You may have been passing that bag of mini sweets while doing your shopping in the past, but I recommend stopping and tossing it into your cart. They offer plenty of possibilities, and soon you will find you can’t live without them.
Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 3 Chili Peppers
Calories: 25
Fat: 0g
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 5g
Sodium: 0mg