Chile de Arbol

Chile de árbol is a top choice when it comes to turning up the heat on Mexican salsas, soups, adobos, and more.

Chile de árbol (Spanish for “tree chili”) is the name given to this slender pepper, referring to the long wood-like stem. It is also known by other names, like rat’s tail chile.

Chile de árbol packs some serious heat, coming in at 15,000 to 30,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville Scale. However, peppers vary greatly in their spiciness. There have even been reports of arbol chiles reaching 65,000 SHU!

For a point of reference, a typical arbol chile is about 3–6 times hotter than your average jalapeño pepper or slightly milder than cayenne pepper.