Sandia Chile Powder

Fire-engine red Sandia Chile Powder is fruity, with a brisk sweetness and a straightforward, traditional New Mexico chile flavor that is wide open to a variety of uses. The heat in a Sandia pepper increases as the pepper matures, so the vibrant red color of our Sandia Chile Powder indicates that these peppers were picked at their peak maturity, and their peak heat. The heat in the Sandia falls in the medium range, measuring roughly 5,000-7,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This makes it about three times hotter than a jalapeño.

The Sandia pepper was cultivated at the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. A hybrid of the Anaheim pepper and the NuMex #9 cultivar, Sandia peppers have taken their place at the table since 1956. Their thin skin makes them ideal for drying and grinding into powder; a secondary hybrid, the Sandia Select, has a thicker skin and is more suited for roasting and stuffing.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Mix Sandia Chile Powder in with ranchero sauce for crazy-good huevos rancheros. Liven up breadings for chicken tenders—or chicken-fried steak—with a tablespoon of Sandia pepper in the flour. Sprinkle some Sandia Chile Powder on avocados for kick-in-the-pants guacamole, or drizzle watermelon with lime juice and Sandia Chile Powder for a surprising take on a summer favorite.

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