Crushed red pepper (also commonly called red pepper flakes) add a spicy kick to any dish, with a flavor that intensifies and deepens when cooked. The peppers used are usually in the cayenne family and typically fall within 30,000–50,000 units on the Scoville range, which measures spicy heat in chile peppers. This means they are relatively mild since bell peppers score 0 and habanero chiles score 100,000-350,000. Therefore, crushed red pepper will make your mouth tingle but not sizzle.

These peppery flakes are commonly used as a condiment—they have become ubiquitous in glass shakers on tables at Italian family-style restaurants and pizza parlors. In the kitchen, they’re used in all manner of recipes from chili to spaghetti sauce to sausage, and bring a little heat to pickling blends, soups, and chowders. They can be added to almost any dish, including those centered on poultry, vegetables, and beans. You can even use them in baking in recipes such as cornbread.

Crushed red pepper flakes are a key element of every cook’s spice cabinet and hold a place on our “healthy grocery essentials” list. Although, not all spices are the same, therefore you should choose wisely. Thrive Maret’s organic crushed red pepper is USDA Certified Organic, OU Kosher Certified, and non-GMO, ensuring that they are natural, high quality, and free of any chemicals.

Where does the heat come from?

A waxy compound in chile peppers called capsaicin causes that particular burning sensation. It’s an irritant for humans and other animals, especially on mucous membranes, but also to the skin at higher concentrations. While some people can’t tolerate any capsaicin, others can’t get enough and love that spicy feeling. It’s not unusual for capsaicin to make people feel pleasure or even euphoria.

Crushed red pepper for health

A single teaspoon of crushed red pepper packs in 15 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin A, as well as vitamin C, E, and B-6. It also contains a variety of minerals, namely iron, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.

Crushed red pepper around the world

Red peppers are native to Mexico, Central America, South America, the West Indies, and were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers of the New World. Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, is believed to have introduced crushed red pepper to Africa and Asia, where they have since been used in cooking and medicine.

Chile peppers are now cultivated globally, with China, Turkey, Nigeria, Spain, and Mexico ranking as the major commercial producers. Many cultures make abundant use of crushed red pepper to add a pleasant spiciness in Mexican, Cajun, Creole, Thai, Szechuan, and Indian cuisines.

Cooking with crushed red pepper

You can add crushed red pepper to just about anything. Spicing up a dish with red peppers is a great way to bring out the flavors and add spice without adding fat or sugar. Toss them into marinara sauce or pasta dishes, incorporate them into an Asian stir-fry or your favorite casseroles, or slow cook them in chili, beans, or stews. They work well to season sauces, salsa, and marinades, too.

Adding flakes at the beginning of the cooking process allows the flavor to integrate with the dish and the spice to mellow a bit. In stir fries and sautés, scatter crushed red pepper in the oil along with minced garlic to enhance the flavor profile before adding your other spices and main ingredients. For more concentrated heat, wait until close to the end of cooking before adding the crushed red pepper.

Here are some ideas for enjoying these spicy flakes in your cooking:

Make a spicy snack by heating crushed red pepper, salt, and oil in a skillet, then sauté with blanched almonds until they're glistening and golden-brown.

Include red pepper flakes in an omelet with onions and bacon, or in a vegetable frittata to add pep to your breakfast.

Add them to tuna salad for a little extra zip.

Sauté them into bitter greens such as collards, kale, and mustard greens.

Bake them into corn bread or savory scones.

Keep a jar of pepper flakes with the salt and pepper shakers so you can easily spice up your meal.

Need more inspiration? These peppery recipes should fire up your imagination:

This pan-roasted broccolini with anchovy sauce takes just 15 minutes to make but delivers a great amount of flavor.

Hawaiian edamame made with red pepper flakes, coconut sugar, and sesame oil might just be one of the best snacks ever.

The coconut oil and coconut sugar in this sweet and sour sea bass balances out the heat of the red-pepper-and-salt rub.

This Paleo chili uses chili powder, red pepper flakes, and cayenne pepper to heat things up.

More about Thrive Market products

At Thrive Market, our mission is to bring you the highest quality organic goods at truly affordable prices. That's why we've gone directly to the source to develop our own line of premium products made from the very best all-natural ingredients at a fraction of the usual price.

Finally, you don't need to choose between cost and quality, taste and health, value and your values. If it has the Thrive Market seal, you can trust that you're getting the highest quality product possible at the best price possible. Shop our premium, organic, and fair-trade certified virgin coconut oil, spices, nuts and dried fruit, tomato sauces, ghee, and sprouted grains today!

Thrive Market, Organic Crushed Red Pepper