What is Hot Pepper Paste?
A hot pepper paste consists of glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, salt, and occasionally sweeteners. It is a thick, gooey sauce with a spicy, intense, and strong flavor. Brands’ heat levels can differ, so check the packaging to see if it has spice-level labeling. It will help you choose your best heat level.
The Favorite Revealed
Our favorite red pepper paste is CJ Haechandle Gochujang - Hot Pepper Paste, Korean Traditional Fermented Jang. It consists of genuine ingredients from Korea.
Our Selected Products
| Product Name | Best for Case | Features |
| CJ Haechandle Gochujang - Hot Pepper Paste, Korean Traditional Fermented Jang | Best overall | -It consists of genuine ingredients from Korea -Includes three flavors -Has the Jang traditional taste |
| Mother-In-Law's Kimchi Fermented Chile Paste | Best for proper digestion | -Improves digestion -It is organic |
| Hot Portuguese Pepper Paste | Best fat-free | -It has a smoky, salty flavor -It is fat-free |
| Sempio Vegan Gochujang, Hot Pepper Paste (Korean Chili Paste) | Best quality | -It has a thick consistency and heat level. -Has a rich umami flavor. |
| Roland Foods Gochujang, Korean Fermented Hot Chili Paste | Best fermented | -It has a potent flavor and thick consistency -It has a strong flavor |
| Goya Yellow Hot Pepper Paste - Aji Amarillo | Best hot pepper | -It is high in antioxidants -Contains vitamin C -Raised in the Andes |
| Zocalo Peru Organic Aji Amarillo Chili Paste | Best natural | -It is organic -It is gluten-free -It has no trans fats |
| Bhut Jolokia "Ghost Pepper Paste" | Best spicy | -It is spicy -It is hot -It is non-GMO |
Reviewing the Best Hot Pepper Paste Brands on the Market
CJ Haechandle Gochujang - Hot Pepper Paste, Korean Traditional Fermented Jang: Best Overall
Brand: CJ
Product weight: 17.63 ounces (499.8 grams)
Diet type: Vegetarian
Ingredients: Wheat flour, corn syrup, water, hot pepper powder, salt, wheat, cooking rice wine, defatted soybean powder, koji.
Allergen information: Soy, wheat
Country of origin: Korea
Material features: Gluten-free
About This Item
This Haechandle Gochujang hot pepper paste is a key component of Korean cuisine and an authentic taste of fermented foods in Korea. Enjoy this famous paste to add flavor to any cuisine.
It is perfect for any dish that needs a light kick, like BBQ, bibimbap, kimchi stew, and other hot Korean dishes.
It consists of genuine ingredients from Korea. This Gochujang comprises the finest ingredients seasoned with heat from hot red chili peppers. You can produce a delectable paste without cholesterol or saturated fat by combining glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, salt, and other ingredients.
It includes all three flavors: sweet, savory, and spicy. Taste the delicious umami flavor that will have you going back for more.
With a 45-year history of Haechandle, this Gochujang is the number one best-selling Gochujang in Korea and promises both authenticity and the traditional taste of Jang.
Mother-In-Law's Kimchi Fermented Chile Paste: Best for Proper Digestion
Brand: Mother-In-Law’s Kimchi
Product weight: 10 ounces (283.4 grams)
Type of pepper: Chile paste
Diet type: Vegan
Ingredients: Chile pepper flakes, malt syrup, wheat flour, sweet rice powder, garlic, onion, salt, soybean flour
Allergen information: Soy, wheat
Country of origin: Korea
About This Item
This paste is a product of tried-and-true conventional techniques. It does not contain msg or high fructose sweeteners. It is also beneficial for digestion.
Hot Portuguese Pepper Paste: Best Fat-Free
Brand: Taste of Portugal
Product weight: 13.0 ounces (368.5 grams)
Diet type: All
Ingredients: Garlic, onion, salt, chile pepper flakes, wheat flour.
Allergen information: Wheat, soy
Country of origin: Portugal
Material features: Fat-free
About This Item
These tiny, flavorful peppers from Portugal’s Azores are precisely what you need to kick your favorite recipe.
The deep red peppers pair incredibly well with several meals that take their flavors from Portugal. They have a smoky, salty flavor.
Use them to flavor any meats or add heat to your stews and Piri Piri chicken. You can spice up your supper with these peppers. Ensure that you refrigerate after opening.
Sempio Vegan Gochujang, Hot Pepper Paste (Korean Chili Paste): Best Quality
Brand: Sempio
Product weight: 6.17 pounds (2.8 kilograms)
Type of pepper: Chili
Diet type: Vegan
Ingredients: Rice, water, corn syrup, red pepper powder, salt, soybeans, wheat extract, soy seasoning, concentrated garlic juice, koji-starter
Allergen information: Soy
Country of origin: Korea
Material features: Gluten-free
About This Item
It is excellent for adding flavor to stir-fries, dipping foods, marinades, and other condiments like mayo, ketchup, and salsa. Your dishes become more special due to the spicy kick provided by the thick consistency and heat level.
The characteristic “smoky heat” of Sempio hot pepper paste Gochujang gives the food a rich, layered spice. It will give your foods a fiery Korean flavor, giving them a unique touch.
Made with carefully chosen sun-dried red chilies and rice, this dish is safe and healthy and offers a pleasant heat with a rich umami flavor.
Roland Foods Gochujang, Korean Fermented Hot Chili Paste: Best Fermented
Brand: Roland
Product weight: 17.63 ounces (499.8 grams)
Type of pepper: Hot chili
Diet type: Vegetarian
Ingredients: Corn syrup, red pepper powder, salt, soybeans, chili flakes
Allergen information: Soy
Country of origin: South Korea
Material features: Non-GMO
About This Item
Gochujang paste, like miso paste, has a strong umami flavor from adding the hot Gochu chili. This Korean hot pepper paste has a tangy, salty, and sweet flavor since it contains fermented soybean powder. Due to its potent flavor and thick consistency, smooth out this paste with oil, stock, or water.
It gives homemade marinades and dipping sauces a flavorful kick. Many meals, including kimchi, ramen, bibimap, rice bowls, BBQ, stews, and soups, use Gochujang paste.
Goya Yellow Hot Pepper Paste - Aji Amarillo: Best Hot Pepper
Amazon’s Choice in Chile Paste by Goya
Brand: Goya
Product weight: 7.5 ounces (212.6 grams)
Diet type: Vegetarian
Ingredients: Yellow hot paper, sea salt, water, citric acid, thickening agent
Allergen information: Soy
Country of origin: Peru
Material features: Non-GMO
About This Item
This goya yellow hot pepper paste is a genuine Peruvian product. It is high in antioxidants and vitamin C. It gives an intense and hot flavor. It is also a distinctive hot pepper raised in the Andes.
Zocalo Peru Organic Aji Amarillo Chili Paste: Best Natural
Brand: Zócalo Peru
Product weight: 8 ounces (226.7 grams)
Type of pepper: Chili
Diet type: Vegan
Ingredients: 100% organic Amarillo chili; citric acid
Allergen information: Natural
Country of origin: Peru
Material features: Organic, gluten-free
About This Item
This Calabrian hot pepper paste is free of chemicals and fillers. It has no trans fats, it’s all-natural, and it’s gluten-free.
Bhut Jolokia "Ghost Pepper Paste": Best Spicy
Brand: Peppersmack
Product weight: 8 ounces (226.7 grams)
Diet type: Vegetarian
Ingredients: Rice, water, corn syrup, red pepper powder, salt, soybeans, wheat extract, and concentrated garlic juice
Allergen information: Soy
Country of origin: Turkey
Material features: Non-GMO
About This Item
This Turkish hot pepper paste is the best spicy condiment product with concentrated pepper.
It is not a salsa or a sauce.
The Different Types of Hot Peppers
The genus Capsicum, which includes sour varieties like bell pepper and hot varieties like chile peppers, includes all varieties of peppers. Peppers were only grown in Latin America before the arrival of Spanish and Portuguese explorers in the New World. The Europeans brought some peppers, corn, tomatoes, and beans.
They also spread the plant throughout the rest of the world, where it spread like wildfire. Peppers, which have a global appeal, are a staple in cuisines from Mexico to Thailand, the Congo to India, and Hungary to Tunisia.
If your local grocery store does not carry fresh or dried chiles, try an online retailer such as Amazon, Happy Quail Farms, Despaa, La Tienda, or Zocalito.
Scoville units measure pepper heat: The scale goes from zero (as in bell peppers) to three million (the spiciest chili in the world, the Pepper X). The majority of dried chiles you’ll come across fall somewhere in the middle, though they can still be hot.
The Scoville scale is a useful starting point for determining how hot your chiles are, but keep in mind that the heat can change depending on the environment and vegetation. The super-hot habanero packs a whopping 250,000 Scoville heat units (SHUs), while the relatively mild poblano measures around 1,500 SHUs (or more).
Before cooking a chile, take out the seeds and interior ribs to get the flavor without the mouth-burning heat. Additionally, it’s a good idea to keep dairy products like milk and yogurt on hand because they contain casein, which helps to balance the chemical in chiles called capsaicin, which gives them their heat.
Additionally, always wear gloves and avoid touching your eyes while handling hot peppers. Some hot peppers include
Bell Pepper
Other names: Capsicum, sweet bell pepper, green pepper, and red pepper.
The bell-shaped pepper, which is relatively large and has a mildly bitter flavor when young, is green. It turns bright red as it ages and gets sweeter. There are also yellow, orange, white, pink, and even purple varieties. Bell peppers have high water content and will add moisture to any dish. They are excellent for bringing color.
Units of Scoville heat: 0.
Ancho Pepper (Poblano Pepper)
The poblano pepper, which is large and heart-shaped, is frequently used in Mexican dishes like chiles Rellenos. Poblano peppers are hot. Yes, but just a little bit spicy. When a poblano is fully grown, it turns a dark reddish-brown, and you can dry them, at which point it is famous as an ancho or mulato.
Rich and raisin-like sweetness characterizes anchos. Anchos are excellent for sauces due to the high yield of flesh to skin.
California Green Chile (Chile Verde)
This long pepper has a mild flavor and a wide range of uses. Anaheim matures to a deep red color, a Colorado or California red chili. Salsas and dishes from the American Southwest frequently contain anaheims.
Serrano Peppers
This tiny pepper, which is only a few inches long and has a tapered end, is hot. Be careful because peppers get hotter as they get smaller. You can cook Serranos in their ripe and unripe states, and when they mature, they change to red or yellowish orange. Serranos are frequently favored in Thai and Mexican cuisine.
Contains 6,000 to 23,000 Scoville heat units
Habanero Pepper
This small, bulbous chile, which belongs to the same family as the Scotch bonnet, has one of the highest Scoville ratings. Habanero peppers also have a fruity flavor if you can get past the heat. They are widely used to create hot sauces in the Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
150,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units.
Cayenne Pepper
Slender and tapered, this chile is probably most well-known as cayenne pepper, which is in its dried, ground form. Ground cayenne pepper is a key component of the chili powder used to flavor Tex-Mex dishes like chili con carne. It’s one of the pepper varieties with the most heat.
Contains 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units.
Rocoto Pepper
This South American pepper resembles a tiny bell pepper and is available in orange, yellow, and red hues, just like a bell pepper. Red rocotos are the most prevalent, though yellow rocotos are frequently the hottest.
The pepper’s interior contains unusual black seeds. Due to its furry leaves, it is sometimes called the “hairy pepper.” Rocoto is frequently used in salsa and has a fruity, crisp flavor. You can also use it to prepare yellow hot pepper paste.
Peri Peri (African Red Devil Pepper)
Portuguese sailors brought small chili peppers known as bird’s eyes, or pili-pili in Swahili, ashore when they made port calls in what is now South Africa and Mozambique.
The name eventually spread to include the hot sauce made from these chiles and the Portuguese-African cooking technique used to prepare anything with this sauce, including prawns, chicken, and other foods.
Contains 50,000 to 175,000 Scoville Heat Units
Mirasol Chili (Guajillo)
These peppers have the characteristics of being bright red and pointed upward, which is why they have the name mirasol (which means “looking at the sun” in Spanish). Guajillo is their name for when they are dry. Traditional al pastor frequently contains guajillo, which has a fruity, tangy, and mildly acidic flavor. Additionally, they are a vital ingredient in the mole sauce.
Contains 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville Heat Units
Tabasco Pepper
It grows worldwide and is best known for the sauce that bears its name. The pepper matures one to two inches (2.54 to 5.08 centimeters) long and bright red.
You crush the pepper to make the renowned tabasco sauce, which you then mix with salt and vinegar to lessen the pepper’s heat (the Scoville rating of tabasco sauce is 2,500 to 5,000, which is a tiny fraction of the pepper’s rating).
How We Tested Our Picks
We were looking for a balanced flavor profile and a fresh, herbaceous aroma. We also looked at the convenience that a readymade spice mix would offer alongside them.
Taste: Was there a good balance maintained? Would the herbaceous, peppery, salty, and spicy flavor in a jar enhance a simple meal?
Packaging: What packaging does this hot pepper paste come in? Is it packaged in a sachet for one use, a canister, or a non-resealable pouch?
FAQs on Hot Pepper Paste
What is a Good Hot Pepper Paste Substitute?
Your best option has a chili paste brand. When you go to the grocery store, don’t just look for “chili paste.” You might not be familiar with all the different kinds of chili paste offered in the international area because of their unusual names, such as sambal oelek, harissa, or Gochujang.
Or you can find pastes from certain places, like Thai chili paste. Even though they are all pastes, the flavors of each one differ significantly. Carefully consider your dish. However, this is your best option for a chili paste alternative overall.
If you have access to sambal oelek and your recipe calls for a straightforward chili paste, we advise using it. With only four components (chilies, salt, vinegar, and water), sambal oelek is as straightforward as they come and has a flavor that you can use in various dishes. Although Harissa and Gochujang are far more spicier, they can work in some situations.
Curry paste, which is mostly from chilies, can also work. But in addition to the chilies utilized, it is also very spicy. Add onion powder, coriander, lemon grass, galangal, ginger, and other ingredients.
For the Kitchen Master: Make Your Own
Do you know how to make chili paste? Making your own homemade chili paste is not that difficult, provided you have access to fresh red chilies. Almost any recipe that calls for chili paste will work with it.
Quick from the spice rack: A red pepper flake paste
Red pepper flakes are easy to spice up food, but what if you’re also searching for that paste-like consistency? Using red pepper flakes to make ad hoc chili paste is feasible.
This recipe for a spicy condiment majorly replaces Gochujang since it is so sweet, but it can occasionally replace generic chili paste. Compare the sweetness to your dish and decide if it will work.
What Does Hot Pepper Paste Taste Like?
The hot pepper paste is sour and hot with a garlic taste. It can work as a condiment or an ingredient. With simple ingredients, it takes a short time to prepare and is fresh and delicious.
Gochujang is similar to the offspring of sriracha and miso, being fiery like the former and intense like the latter with a tinge of sweetness, to compare it with two popular sauces: virtually always mentioned in the same phrase.
You could probably infer this from the color and flavor, but the major ingredients are salt, glutinous rice (also known as sticky rice), and fermented soybeans. One of the chiles used is a sort of dried chili powder called gochugaru.
It is customary to combine all of these ingredients in an earthenware jug and let them ferment for several months to produce a concentrated, flavorful, and slightly sweet paste from the sticky rice starches that break down into sugars over time. Every home in Korea typically has its jug, made from scratch once a year.
The Bottom Line
You probably have tried Gochujang, even if you don’t think you have. To enhance the flavor of their cuisine, several Western-style restaurants smuggle Gochujang into their barbecue sauces and seasonings. They then market the dish as “spicy Korean-style” without mentioning Gochujang.
Traditionally, Gochujang is a key component of bibimbap, the well-known stir-fried rice dish, and is always available as a side dish at Korean BBQ restaurants. Try out our best red pepper paste, CJ Haechandle Gochujang - Hot Pepper Paste, Korean Traditional Fermented Jang, and enjoy the heat.
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