It’s not always managed to find the perfect substitutes for Thai Chili when you’re in a pinch. But with these substitutions, you can still keep your recipe tasting great and its heat level intact!
What flavor is Thai chili? How spicy is Thai chili?
There are many different types of chili peppers, but Thai chili pepper is one of the most popular. This pepper is typically long and thin, and it has a very spicy taste.
The Thai chili pepper is often used in Thai cuisine, and it can be used in other dishes as well. Some popular dishes that include Thai chili peppers are Thai green curry, Pad Thai, spicy basil chicken, and sambals.
Some people may be concerned about the spiciness of the Thai chili pepper. Still, it is actually a very healthy pepper. It is high in antioxidants and other nutrients, providing many health benefits.
Thai chili is a red pepper with a fruity, slightly smoky flavor. It is medium-hot to hot, with a rating of between 50,000–100,000 on the Scoville scale.
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11 Good Substitutes For Thai Chili
Below all peppers are relatively similar to Thai chili.
1. Birds Eye Chili Substitute- BYADGI CHILI
Byadgi chili is a dry, red chili named after the town of Byadgi in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a popular variety of chili pepper used in a wide range of Indian dishes.
The chili is long and thin, bright red and slightly spicy. It adds heat and flavor to food and is often paired with other spices such as cumin, coriander, and ginger.
Byadgi chili is popular in Indian cuisine, where it is used in various dishes. It is also exported to other countries, where it is used in curries, chutneys, and other dishes.
If you are looking for a Thai chili substitute with similar heat, then the Byadgi chili is a good option. The Scoville heat unit is 50,000–100,000 same as bird’s eye pepper.
2. A Good Thai Chili Substitute- MALAGUETA PEPPER
The malagueta pepper (Capsicum frutescens) is a small, fiery chili pepper popular in Brazil and other parts of South America.
Malagueta pepper is typically used in spicy dishes. It has a fruity, citrusy flavor that is sure to add a kick to your meal. The malagueta pepper is usually dried, but it is also available fresh.
This pepper ranges from one to two inches in length, and it is typically harvested when it is green or orange.
If you are looking for a spicy pepper to add to your meals, the malagueta pepper is a great option.
This pepper is commonly used in Brazilian cuisine. Still, it can also be used in dishes from other parts of South America.
The malagueta pepper is a flavorful and fiery chili that is sure to add a kick to your next meal. Scoville heat units are 50,000–100,000 same as Thai chili.
3. Substitute JALAPENO for Thai Chili
Jalapeño pepper is a great option for those who can’t take spicy food but prefer Thai dishes. It has a little bit of spiciness but not too much.
The Scoville heat units are 2,500–10,000 that much less than Thai Chillis.
If you are looking for a healthy way to add spice to your food, consider adding jalapeños. They are a flavorful and nutritious addition to any meal.
4. Use Guntur Chili Alternative to Thai Chili
Many people who enjoy spicy foods choose Thai chili peppers for their heat.
But what if you can’t find Thai chilies where you live, or you just don’t want to use them? Many other chili peppers can provide the heat you’re looking for.
Guntur chili peppers, a type of bird’s eye chili, are a good alternative to Thai chilies.
Guntur chili peppers are about the same size as Thai chilies, but they are a little bit hotter. They have a fruity, slightly acidic taste that is similar to the taste of Thai chilies.
Guntur chili peppers can be used in the same way as Thai chilies. They are a good addition to curries, stir-fries, and other spicy dishes.
If you’re looking for a chili pepper similar to Thai chilies but a little hotter, consider using Guntur chili peppers. They will add heat to your dish without overpowering the other flavors.
5. Less Spicy Thai Chili Substitution- CAYENNE PEPPER
Cayenne pepper is a popular and widely used spice most often found in Mexican-style dishes. However, many cuisines worldwide use this spice. It’s also called “bird chilis,” with medium heat and bright red color.
You can use Cayenne pepper, whatever you want to make.
6. Use SERRANO PEPPER Instead of Bird’s eye chili
Bird’s eye chili is a very hot pepper used in many Southeast Asian dishes. Serrano pepper is a good substitute if you can’t find bird’s eye chili.
Serrano peppers are almost twice as spicy as jalapeno peppers. They have a slightly fruity flavor and are found in various Mexican recipes.
The Scoville heat units are 10,000–25,000.
7. Bring More Spicy Kick With Habanero Chili
Habanero chili peppers are a great alternative to Thai chili peppers when you’re looking to add some heat to your dish.
Habanero chili has a fruity, spicy flavor and a slightly smoky taste, making them perfect for adding depth of flavor to your food.
Habanero chili peppers are also much hotter than Thai chili peppers, so if you’re looking for a real kick, these are the peppers for you.
When choosing habanero chili peppers, make sure to pick firm and brightly colored ones.
Avoid soft peppers or have black spots, as these may be signs of spoilage.
Habanero chili peppers can be stored in a refrigerator for up to two weeks, or they can be frozen for up to six months.
8. SCOTCH BONNET PEPPER for Spicy Lovers
The Scotch Bonnet is the hotter version of the Habanero. Both are Capsicum Chinese plants, but while Habaneros are rather small to medium-sized bushes with large fruits, Scotch Bonnets, on the other hand, are more like small trees with relatively smaller, very hot pods.
A single Scotch Bonnet pepper will heat up a dish significantly more than a Thai Chili Pepper, and so if you are looking for that extra bit of heat, go for the Scotch Bonnet.
The scotch bonnet pepper is a hot chili pepper commonly used in Caribbean recipes. Still, you can also make your Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese cuisine.
9. Use Hot ALEPPO PEPPER instead of Cili Padi
If you are looking for a slightly hotter pepper to use in your cooking, give Hot Aleppo Pepper a try. It is a sort of chili pepper that is farmed in Syria and Turkey. The pepper gets its name from the city of Aleppo, located in Syria.
The peppers are typically about 2-3 inches long and bright red in color. The flavor is fairly similar to Aleppo pepper but slightly hotter, with a heat rating between 10,000 and 30,000 Scoville units.
You can purchase Hot Aleppo Pepper either in whole or ground form.
10. CHEONGYANG CHILI PEPPER
The cheongyang chili pepper is a chili pepper that has been grown in the mountains of Cheongyang County, North Chungcheong Province.
It tastes spicy but not too spicy. It is the most popular chili paste to cook kimchi, stir-fried meat or seafood, seasoning vegetables, making yangnyeom (seasoned vegetables), making snacks like chweolgi / firewood-shaped steamed rice cakes, and making Kalguksu (noodles in soup).
11. Homemade Replacements of Thai Chili
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper is equivalent to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes or dried chiles de árbol.
-1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste is equivalent to 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger.
-an equal amount of jalapeno and Serrano pepper. The flavor will be on par, but not as hot.
The heat will vary depending on how many peppers you use. Still, they generally offer a nice milder spice similar to traditional Thai cuisine without any extra work!
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What chilies are used in Thai cooking?
There are many different types of chilies used in Thai cooking, including bird’s eye chili, cayenne pepper, and jalapeño pepper. Each type of chili imparts a slightly different flavor and heat level to the dish.
Is bird’s eye chili the same as Thai chili
Yes. Bird’s eye chili is a Thai chili. It is also known as “prik kii nu” in Thailand and “dried hot pepper” in other parts of the world. Which Scoville heat units 50,000–100,000.
Thai chili vs habanero
A chili’s heat comes from the compound capsaicin. This compound is found in the veins and seeds of chilies. The more capsaicin there is in chili, the hotter it is.
The habanero chili is one of the spiciest peppers I’ve ever used. It has a Scoville rating of up to 350,000.
The Thai chili has a Scoville rating of 50,000-100,000 and is 40 to 100 times hotter than the Aleppo pepper. This makes it one of the hottest chilies globally and twice as hot as a jalapeno pepper!
The heat of Thai chilis can be reduced by removing the seeds and veins. Removing only the veins will reduce the heat by 15-25%.
Habanero comes from amazon, where Thai chili originated in South America, Central America, and Mexico.
Wrap Up On Thai Chili Pepper Substitutes
So there you have it – a few different types of chili pepper substitutes that can give your dish the same spicy flavor as Thai chilies.
Just be sure to taste test each one before adding it to your dish, as the level of spiciness can vary from pepper to pepper.
If you’re still in question about the spiciness of pepper, check the Scoville scale.
Share this article with your friends and if you want to add any other alternatives to this list, just leave us a comment in the section below!
FAQs Related to That Chili a.k.a Bird’s eye chili & its Alternatives
Q1. What Pepper is closest to Thai Chili?
The Closest Pepper to Thai Chili is- Byadgi chili, Malagueta pepper, Guntur chili, Cayenne pepper, Hot Aleppo pepper, etc.
Q2. Are cayenne peppers and Thai peppers the same?
No, they are not the same thing. Cayenne peppers are a kind of chili pepper, while Thai peppers are a type of bird’s eye chili pepper.
Both peppers are hot, but cayenne peppers are usually less hot than Thai peppers.
Cayenne peppers are typically red and have a hot and spicy taste, not Thai Chilis.
On the other hand, Thai peppers are a type of pepper that is green or red in color and has a Hot, smoky taste.
Q3. Are green Thai chili peppers hot?
Yes, green Thai chili peppers are hot. They are rated at about 30,000 on the Scoville heat scale, which measures how hot a pepper is.
The hottest pepper globally is the Habanero pepper, which is rated at about 350,000 on the Scoville heat scale.
So, the green Thai chili pepper is not as hot as the Habanero pepper, but it is still a pretty hot pepper.