Chili heat is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), the concentration of capsaicin that makes a pepper burn. Modern superhots are lab-tested by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the very hottest have shattered records once thought impossible: Ed Currie's Pepper X was certified by Guinness World Records in 2023 at an average of 2.69 million SHU, dethroning his own Carolina Reaper.
Important caveat: SHU is not a single fixed number for a cultivar. Heat varies enormously with the grow, the season, the specific pod, and the sample tested, so any ranking of superhots is approximate. The figures below are the highest credibly measured values commonly cited for each variety, drawn from Guinness certifications and academic lab studies. Because these figures come from different labs and different measurement bases (some certified averages, some single peak pods), treat the exact order as indicative rather than definitive; typical everyday pods often measure well below these ceilings.
Ad · leaderboard
Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Scoville Heat Units (SHU)
Pepper X
2693000 SHU
Carolina Reaper
2200000 SHU
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
2009231 SHU
7 Pot Douglah
1853936 SHU
7 Pot Primo
1469000 SHU
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T
1463700 SHU
Komodo Dragon
1400000 SHU
Naga Viper
1382118 SHU
7 Pot Barrackpore
1300000 SHU
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
1041427 SHU
The ranking
1
Pepper X
Bred over roughly a decade by Ed Currie of the PuckerButt Pepper Company, Pepper X was certified by Guinness World Records in 2023 as the world's hottest chili, averaging 2,693,000 SHU across HPLC testing at Winthrop University; individual pods have been reported even higher, near 3.18 million SHU. Its seeds are proprietary and not sold. Note this headline number is a certified average, whereas most figures below are peak single-pod readings — Pepper X still out-measures them all on any basis.
origin: South Carolina, USAspecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2023figure_type: Guinness certified average (peak pods reported higher)
2
Carolina Reaper
Also bred by Ed Currie, the Carolina Reaper held the Guinness title from 2013 to 2023. Its official certified average is 1,641,183 SHU, but the hottest single pod in the certified batch measured 2,200,000 SHU — the figure used here.
origin: South Carolina, USAspecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2013figure_type: Peak single pod (Guinness avg 1,641,183)
3
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
In a 2012 New Mexico State University study, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion became the first pepper confirmed above two million SHU, with a peak plant measuring 2,009,231 SHU (study mean ~1,207,764 SHU). It briefly held the title of hottest measured chili.
origin: Trinidad and Tobagospecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2012figure_type: Peak single pod (NMSU academic study)
Ad · in-feed
4
7 Pot Douglah
A dark-brown Trinidadian superhot prized for its flavor as well as its heat, the 7 Pot Douglah reached a peak of 1,853,936 SHU in the same 2012 NMSU study (study mean ~1,169,058 SHU), placing it among the hottest peppers ever formally measured.
origin: Trinidad and Tobagospecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2012figure_type: Peak single pod (NMSU academic study)
5
7 Pot Primo
Created by Louisiana horticulturist Troy Primeaux by crossing a Naga Morich with a Trinidad 7 Pot, the 7 Pot Primo is a tailed superhot commonly cited around 1,469,000 SHU at its peak. Its heat overlaps that of the peppers immediately above and below it, and the exact order among them is within normal pod-to-pod variation.
The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T held the Guinness record from 2011 to 2013, measured at 1,463,700 SHU in a 2011 laboratory test. It is named for grower Butch Taylor. Its figure sits within a few thousand SHU of its neighbors, so the ranking here reflects a cluster of comparably hot peppers rather than a decisive gap.
origin: Trinidad and Tobagospecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2011figure_type: Guinness-certified peak (2011)
7
Komodo Dragon
A UK-bred superhot grown by Salvatore Genovese and sold in British supermarkets, the Komodo Dragon is noted for a delayed, slow-building burn and is commonly rated with a peak near 1,400,000 SHU. Cited ranges vary widely between sources, so its exact placement among the mid-pack superhots is approximate.
origin: United Kingdomspecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2015figure_type: Grower-cited peak
8
Naga Viper
An unstable three-way English hybrid created by Gerald Fowler, the Naga Viper briefly held the Guinness record in early 2011, measured at 1,382,118 SHU. Being an unstable hybrid, its heat is especially variable from grow to grow.
origin: United Kingdomspecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2011figure_type: Guinness-certified peak (2011)
9
7 Pot Barrackpore
From the Barrackpore region of Trinidad, this classic 7 Pot variety is fiercely hot, with a range topping out around 1,300,000 SHU at its peak (typically 1,000,000 SHU or higher). Its figure is grower-cited rather than lab-certified, so its exact rank is indicative.
origin: Trinidad and Tobagospecies: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2011figure_type: Grower-cited peak
10
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
The first pepper to be certified above one million SHU, the ghost pepper was named the world's hottest by Guinness in 2007 at 1,041,427 SHU (HPLC). Once record-breaking, it is now a benchmark rather than a champion.
origin: Northeast India (Assam/Nagaland)species: Capsicum chinenseyear_recognized: 2007figure_type: Guinness-certified peak (2007)
Ad · in-feed
Full comparison
#
Name
origin
species
year_recognized
figure_type
1
Pepper X
South Carolina, USA
Capsicum chinense
2023
Guinness certified average (peak pods reported higher)
2
Carolina Reaper
South Carolina, USA
Capsicum chinense
2013
Peak single pod (Guinness avg 1,641,183)
3
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion
Trinidad and Tobago
Capsicum chinense
2012
Peak single pod (NMSU academic study)
4
7 Pot Douglah
Trinidad and Tobago
Capsicum chinense
2012
Peak single pod (NMSU academic study)
5
7 Pot Primo
Louisiana, USA
Capsicum chinense
2012
Grower/lab-cited peak
6
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T
Trinidad and Tobago
Capsicum chinense
2011
Guinness-certified peak (2011)
7
Komodo Dragon
United Kingdom
Capsicum chinense
2015
Grower-cited peak
8
Naga Viper
United Kingdom
Capsicum chinense
2011
Guinness-certified peak (2011)
9
7 Pot Barrackpore
Trinidad and Tobago
Capsicum chinense
2011
Grower-cited peak
10
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
Northeast India (Assam/Nagaland)
Capsicum chinense
2007
Guinness-certified peak (2007)
How we ranked this
Peppers are ranked by the highest credibly measured Scoville Heat Units (SHU) reported for the cultivar, as certified by Guinness World Records or measured in peer-reviewed / university HPLC lab studies. SHU is not a fixed property of a cultivar: capsaicin content varies with the grow, season, ripeness, and the individual pod, so a single variety can span a wide range and no two labs will agree on an exact figure. Two things follow, and we disclose them plainly. First, the figures here are NOT all the same kind of measurement. Some are Guinness-certified batch AVERAGES (e.g. Pepper X, 2,693,000 SHU; the Carolina Reaper's official average is 1,641,183 SHU though its hottest single certified pod reached 2,200,000 SHU), some are academic PEAK single-pod readings (e.g. the 2012 New Mexico State University study of the Moruga Scorpion and 7 Pot Douglah), and some are grower- or lab-cited peak figures. Each item's 'figure_type' fact states which basis its number uses. Second, because the bases differ, the top two ranks are secure — Pepper X out-measures every other pepper on any basis (its certified average alone exceeds the others' peak pods, and its individual pods have been reported near 3.18 million SHU) — but the fine ordering among the mid-pack superhots (roughly ranks 5-9), which are separated by margins far smaller than pod-to-pod variation and rest on inconsistent measurement bases, should be read as a cluster of comparably ferocious peppers rather than an exact sequence. Inclusion is limited to named, recognized chili pepper cultivars (Capsicum), not sauces, extracts, or unverified hybrids.
FAQ
What is the hottest chili pepper in the world?
As of 2023, Guinness World Records recognizes Pepper X, bred by Ed Currie, as the world's hottest chili pepper, with an average rating of 2,693,000 SHU. It surpassed Currie's own Carolina Reaper, which had held the title since 2013.
Why do Scoville ratings for the same pepper vary so much?
Capsaicin content depends heavily on the growing conditions, climate, soil, ripeness, and even the individual pod. A cultivar's peak lab-measured value can be two or three times higher than a typical pod from your garden. The figures on this list are the highest credibly measured values, not averages you should expect from every fruit — and they come from different labs on different bases (some are certified batch averages, some are single peak pods), so the exact order should be read as approximate.
How are Scoville Heat Units measured today?
The original Scoville Organoleptic Test relied on human tasters diluting pepper extract until the heat was undetectable. Modern testing uses high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to directly quantify capsaicinoids, which is then converted to SHU. Guinness and university labs like Winthrop and New Mexico State use HPLC for their certifications.
Is the Carolina Reaper still the hottest pepper?
No. The Carolina Reaper held the Guinness title from 2013 to 2023 with an average of 1,641,183 SHU (and a peak pod of 2,200,000 SHU), but it was dethroned in 2023 by Pepper X, also bred by Ed Currie.