will jalapenos turn red on the vine?

Left on the plant (and even after picked) green jalapeños will eventually turn red. So red jalapeños are older than green jalapeños. The red ones can be pretty hot, especially if they have a lot of striations, but they are also sweeter than the green.

The same…but different. Jalapeño peppers are hands down the most popular hot pepper around, but most don’t know that it comes in different shades. That’s right – there are green jalapeños and red jalapeños. What’s the difference? Is one spicier than the other? Do they taste different? Are the red versions hard to find? Let’s break down what makes these two hot pepper options tick in this PepperScale Showdown: red jalapeño vs. green jalapeño.

The big difference between these two peppers is simply age. They are the same pepper, just a green jalapeño is picked early in the ripening process, while a red jalapeño is left on the vine to mature. During the ripening, jalapeños, like other chilies, turn red. The process takes time so many jalapeños end up multi-hued, various shades of green and red during the aging process. And the same pepper plant may have some green, some red, and some various hues of each.

It typically is. The additional ripening on the vine means more capsaicin in the pepper itself. Capsaicin is the compound that gives hot peppers their spiciness. Now that’s not to say a ripened red jalapeño is going to jump out of its typical range on the Scoville scale (2,500 – 8,000 Scoville heat units). It’s not. You’re not about to get one that’s as hot as a serrano. It is, though, likely to sit at the top level of that spread compared to a younger green-colored jalapeño.

All peppers are full of vitamins and antioxidants, so every type is good for you. But there is something to be said for eating hot peppers that have been longer on the vine. The longer a chili has to mature, the more of these healthy compounds they have.

So a red jalapeño, with its increase in capsaicin (known for great health benefits), vitamins, and antioxidants, is going to have some added health benefits compared to the green versions.

There is a slight taste difference. A green jalapeño has a fresh, grassy, and crisp taste whereas a red jalapeño has a bit more sweetness to it. This can make a difference in recipes. Some prefer red jalapeños in hot sauces. In fact, Sriracha Hot Sauce, one of the most famous hot sauces in the world, uses red jalapeños as its base.

And the green jalapeño flavor makes it a favorite with sandwiches and salads. It pairs so well with other greens, and that fresh flavor makes them amazing for pickling, too.

Here's a quick tip for choosing jalapeños that can help you decide which ones to pick.

As they age, some peppers develop white lines and flecks, like stretch marks running in the direction of the length of the pepper. The stretch marks are also indicative of the amount of stress the pepper plant has endured.

A pepper plant that is stressed, having the soil get dry between infrequent waterings, appears to have an impact on the the hotness of the pepper.

The older the pepper, and the more stress the plant has been under, the more white lines you'll see, and the hotter the pepper will be.

The smoother the pepper, the younger, less stressed, and milder it is.

Left on the plant (and even after picked) green jalapeños will eventually turn red. So red jalapeños are older than green jalapeños. The red ones can be pretty hot, especially if they have a lot of striations, but they are also sweeter than the green.

If you are trying to avoid the hottest jalapeños (say for a stuffed jalapeno dish), pick the chiles without any striations. If you are looking for heat, find a red or green one with plenty of white stretch marks.

Note that this is just a guideline. There is still plenty of variation among individual peppers. Make sure to taste test a chili before using it in a recipe!

Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chiles their heat, is concentrated around the seeds and in the ribs. The flesh of the chile that is closer to the seeds will be hotter than the flesh near the tip.

So the best way to taste a potentially hot chili is to cut off a small piece at the tip and have a nibble (you'll have less chance of burning your tongue if the chili is really hot).

If you’re a spicy food lover like me, then jalapenos are a necessity in your groceries. But have you ever wondered at some point why jalapenos turn red with time?

If they’re considered ripe when they’re red, wouldn’t it make sense to pick them and sell them when they turn red? It seems like the logical move, right?

Yet, jalapenos are picked when they’re green. You mostly find green jalapenos in stores with no red ones in sight. Why is that? Let’s find out!

Jalapenos turning red simply means they’re at the final stages of ripeness and maturity.

That doesn’t mean that green jalapenos aren’t ripe; they’re simply in different stages of ripeness.

They start reaching maturity after 5-6 months from planting. The green color is the beginning of its ripening journey, and it grows riper (and increasingly red) from there.

Jalapenos are among many other kinds of chili and can be picked when they’re green or when they’re red. They change into the red color you’re familiar with whether they’re left on the plant or picked up when they’re green and left at home.

If you plant them yourself, keep in mind to pick them up as soon as possible when they turn red on the plant.

Otherwise, the peppers will go from red to wine red, and eventually black. This means they’re rotten and not suitable for cooking or eating.

Jalapenos can stay fully ripe for a few weeks, but the earlier you pick them up, the better.

In most cases, red jalapenos are spicier than green ones because the older the plant gets, the spicier it becomes.

Jalapenos are commonly used in Tex Mex Pastes

Fun fact: even though red jalapenos are spicier, they’re actually sweeter than green ones. This is because the plant is fully ripe when it has its red colors.

If jalapenos are ripe when they’re red, shouldn’t we just pick them when they’re red? The short answer is no.

Picking jalapenos when they’re green is ideal because they give people time to figure out which taste they want to go for since red jalapenos are spicier and sweeter.

If you pick them red, there’s no going back. You’re stuck with the sweet and spicy taste.

Another fun fact about jalapenos is that when the plant gets stressed, it tends to grow lines that resemble stretch marks. These lines can be a good indicator of whether the plant is spicy or not because the more stressed the plant is, the spicier it becomes and the more lines and marks it’ll have.

So if you’re looking for good pepper with average spice, go for the green ones that don’t have a lot of marks on them.

If you’re looking to get a spicy taste, go for the red ones that have a lot of marks on them. These have an extremely spicy taste so be sure to eat them reasonably.

Jalapeno peppers are harvested at different stages of ripeness depending on where they’re grown.  The best way to reduce the heat is to remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper.

Jalapeno peppers may be harvested when they are green and about 3 inches long.

When green Jalapenos are fresh and crisp, but rather mild. As time goes on they begin to turn red. Now they get a little hotter and some varieties also get sweeter.

Jalapeno peppers will ripen from green to red at different rates depending on where they grow. They’re harvested when they reach a certain color, which varies by variety.  With good water and sunlight, they will change from green to yellow to red.

However, if Jalapenos are picked when they are green they will typically not turn red. The best way to have a ripe one is to let them stay in the plant until they turn red.

The lines on a jalapeno pepper are called stress lines or some people refer to a very cracked one as having “scales” because they look like scales. The older the jalapeno they usually have more lines.

If you are new to growing peppers, you will probably need some help knowing when to pick jalapeños. Jalapeños are fairly slow-growing, and therefore it can be tough to know when they are ready for harvesting.

In this article, we will cover all of the steps to harvesting jalapenos the right way. It is very easy, and with our guidelines and questions answered, you will be confident that you are doing it right!

In This Article

When growing jalapenos, there are several easy-to-spot signs that a pepper is ready for harvest. In general, jalapenos should be 3-5 inches in length, firm to the touch, and have a deep green or red (more mature) color.

The color will depend on the pepper’s age, but many people prefer to pick jalapenos before they turn red.

The most obvious signal that a jalapeno pepper is ripe is color. During the growing season, you will watch your peppers turn from light green, to darker green, to almost black, and finally to bright red.

Jalapeños are traditionally picked before they turn red, but allowing them to ripen to red will increase both heat and sweetness in the peppers. Yum! Nothing like a red jalapeño pepper diced up and added to some fresh salsa.

However, some gardeners prefer to pick jalapeños early. Green jalapeños are more crisp and crunchy, great for pickling.

Another clear sign that a pepper is maturing is the pepper’s size. Jalapeños will grow from a tiny pea-sized bud to around 3-5 inches long when mature. The length will depend on the exact pepper variety, along with growing conditions. If your plant has not had full-sun exposure, the peppers may be smaller and take longer to mature.

One other good sign of maturity in jalapenos is called corking. These are the small, white lines that can develop on the pepper’s skin. This is completely safe to eat, and is actually a desirable characteristic to most Pepper Geeks!

Is it too early? Can I pick that pepper now, or is it not ready yet? To put it simply, once a jalapeno pepper has reached full size and a mature coloration (deep green or red) the pepper can be picked. Whether you want to leave it on the plant longer to allow it to mature further is up to you.

We recommend picking peppers as soon as they are at the desired color to allow the plant to produce more peppers before the end of the season.

Leaving peppers on the plant for longer than is necessary can slow down the growth of other, younger peppers and lead to smaller yields.

Learn more about maximizing yields in our article here.

Once your peppers are ready to be picked, it’s time to harvest. The process is simple, but it is important not to damage the plant when picking. Here, we outline our method for safely picking jalapeno peppers off the plant.

Another option is to use a sharp pair or scissors or pruning shears. See our recommended harvesting supplies here.

Why do jalapenos turn red? Are red jalapenos safe to eat? Many people are shocked when they see that their green jalapenos have started turning red late in the growing season.

One of the most common questions for jalapeno growers is, “Are red jalapenos hotter than green?” They appear to be more spicy thanks to the bright red color, but are they hotter?

Simply put, jalapeños may be slightly more spicy when they mature to a red color. All hot peppers continue to produce capsaicin as they age, and red jalapenos are more mature than green.

The reason that older peppers are usually hotter is that capsaicin, the compound responsible for spiciness, continues to form in peppers all season long. So, as the peppers grow and mature, more and more capsaicin is being produced inside.

There are other factors that determine how much heat is produced, but time is certainly a big one.

If your jalapenos were picked when green, you may wonder if they will still turn red over time. The answer depends on whether the peppers had begun the final stage of ripening while still on the plant.

If the pepper was beginning to turn red when you picked it, then the pepper will continue to ripen to red off the plant. However, if you picked an under-ripe pepper with a light green color, it will almost certainly not turn red, no matter how long you wait.

If you want red jalapenos, allow the peppers to ripen on the plant. As long as there is no risk of frost, the peppers will continue to mature until the end of the growing season.

Tip: Place your jalapenos in a brown paper bag and close it. This is a method for speeding up the ripening process for most fruits and vegetables.

Now that you have your bountiful jalapeno harvest, it is time to use them! We have a lot of resources for storing and using fresh jalapeño peppers on Pepper Geek.

Here are our favorite methods for storing peppers:

In addition to storing your peppers, you should consider saving the pepper seeds for planting next season! This is a super easy way to save money on seeds for the next growing season. But make sure you do it right!

Check out our guide to saving pepper seeds here.

Once the season has drawn to a close, and you have harvested all your jalapeños, it is time to get rid of your plant.

Or is it?

If you prefer to buy new plants each year, it is easiest to just toss your plant into the woods or compost pile, soil and all. A pepper plant is entirely organic and biodegradable. The decaying vegetation will provide nutrients to the forest, and will eventually become soil.

It is also possible to keep your jalapeño plant over the winter (overwintering). This involves heavy pruning and then keeping the plants alive for a few months indoors.

Without a grow light and an ideal location (to avoid bringing insects and pests into your home), overwintering can be a challenge. As a result, most people prefer to simply toss out the plant and start over next season.