Ask Difference

Chili vs. Pepper — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 13, 2024
Chili refers to spicy fruit pods, while pepper encompasses a broader range of both spicy and mild varieties.
Chili vs. Pepper — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Chili and Pepper

ADVERTISEMENT

Key Differences

Chili, or chili pepper, specifically denotes the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, known for their spicy heat derived from capsaicin. Peppers, on the other hand, include a wider variety of fruits from different genera, such as Capsicum (which includes chilies) and Piper (black, white, and green peppercorns), offering a range of flavors from spicy to sweet.
The term "chili" often implies a certain level of spiciness and is commonly associated with dishes that have a significant heat level, like chili con carne. Peppers, however, can range from the intense heat of habaneros to the sweet bell peppers, showing a broader culinary use from spicy dishes to salads and stuffed peppers.
Chilies are integral to many cuisines around the world, especially in Latin American, Asian, and Indian cooking, where they are celebrated for their heat and depth of flavor. Peppers, due to their diversity, are used worldwide in various culinary traditions, from the peppercorns in European cuisine to the sweet peppers in Mediterranean dishes.
While chilies are typically used in their whole, dried, or powdered form to add heat and flavor to dishes, peppers like bell peppers are often consumed fresh, cooked, or roasted, contributing to a dish's flavor profile without necessarily adding heat.
In terms of nutritional content, both chilies and peppers are rich in vitamins and minerals, but chilies have the added benefit of capsaicin, which is known for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, whereas sweet peppers are particularly high in vitamin C.
ADVERTISEMENT

Comparison Chart

Definition

Fruit of Capsicum plants, known for heat
Includes fruits from Capsicum and Piper, varying from spicy to sweet

Spiciness

Generally spicy due to capsaicin
Ranges from spicy to sweet

Culinary Uses

Adds heat to dishes, used in various cuisines
Used worldwide in a variety of dishes

Common Forms

Whole, dried, powdered
Whole, fresh, ground (as in peppercorns)

Nutritional Benefits

Rich in vitamins, capsaicin (anti-inflammatory)
High in vitamins, especially vitamin C in sweet peppers

Compare with Definitions

Chili

A spicy fruit pod from the Capsicum family, containing capsaicin.
She added dried chili to the sauce for an extra kick.

Pepper

A term that encompasses a wide range of both spicy and mild fruits from different plants.
She ground fresh black pepper over her salad.

Chili

Predominantly used to add heat in Latin American, Asian, and Indian dishes.
The curry was flavored with fresh green chili for authentic taste.

Pepper

Used globally in various forms, from seasoning to main ingredient.
Stuffed bell peppers are a popular vegetarian dish.

Chili

Available whole, dried, or as a powder.
He sprinkled some chili powder over the dish for added spice.

Pepper

Rich in vitamins, especially sweet peppers, which are high in vitamin C.
Bell peppers are a great source of vitamin C, even more than oranges.

Chili

High in vitamins A and C, and capsaicin, which has health benefits.
Eating chili can help boost metabolism, thanks to its capsaicin content.

Pepper

Includes whole peppers, fresh or dried, and ground pepper.
For the steak, all you need is salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Chili

Central to many cultural cuisines for its heat and flavor.
In Mexico, chili is a staple ingredient in traditional dishes.

Pepper

Used across many cuisines for flavoring, from peppercorns in European dishes to sweet peppers in Mediterranean cuisine.
Peppercorns are an essential spice in French cooking, often used in blends like quatre épices.

Chili

The pungent fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum, used especially as a flavoring in cooking. Also called chili pepper.

Pepper

A perennial climbing vine (Piper nigrum) native to India, widely cultivated for its long slender spikes of small fruit.

Chili

A stew made of meat or beans (or both) and usually tomatoes, spiced with chili peppers or chili powder.

Pepper

A pungent black or white spice produced from the dried fruit of this plant, used as a condiment.

Chili

(countable) The pungent, spicy fresh or dried fruit of any of several cultivated varieties of capsicum peppers, used in cooking.
Chili pepper

Pepper

Any of several other plants of the genus Piper, such as cubeb, betel, and kava.

Chili

(uncountable) Powdered chili pepper, used as a spice or flavouring in cooking.
Chili powder

Pepper

Any of several tropical American, cultivated varieties of capsicum, having podlike, many-seeded, fruit.

Chili

(Indian Chinese cuisine) A spicy stew of chicken or paneer, capsicum and onion, eaten as an appetizer.

Pepper

The podlike fruit of any of these plants, varying in size, shape, color, and degree of pungency, with the milder types including the bell pepper and pimiento, and the more pungent types including the habanero.

Chili

A dish made with chili peppers and other ingredients, such as beans and beef.
Chili con carne

Pepper

Any of various condiments made from the more pungent varieties of capsicum, such as cayenne pepper, tabasco pepper, and chili. Also called hot pepper.

Chili

(Cincinnati) Cincinnati chili.

Pepper

Any of various other plants producing pungent fruits, such as the Szechuan pepper.

Chili

A kind of red pepper. See Capsicum

Pepper

(Baseball) A warm-up exercise in which players standing a short distance from a batter field the ball and toss it to the batter, who hits each toss back to the fielders. Also called pepper game.

Chili

Ground beef and chili peppers or chili powder often with tomatoes and kidney beans

Pepper

To season or sprinkle with pepper.

Chili

Very hot and finely tapering pepper of special pungency

Pepper

To sprinkle liberally; scatter
Peppered the confetti over the street.

Pepper

To strew something over
"Large splinters and chunks of timber peppered the ground" (John Guy).

Pepper

To strike with small missiles or gunfire.

Pepper

A plant of the family Piperaceae.

Pepper

(uncountable) A spice prepared from the fermented, dried, unripe berries of this plant.

Pepper

A bell pepper, a fruit of the capsicum plant: red, green, yellow or white, hollow and containing seeds, and in very spicy and mild varieties.Surely "pepper" covers all varieties as in most of this definition, while "bell pepper" and "capsicum" only refer to the large roundish mild varieties specifically

Pepper

(baseball) A game used by baseball players to warm up where fielders standing close to a batter rapidly return the batted ball to be hit again
Some ballparks have signs saying "No pepper games".

Pepper

(cryptography) A randomly-generated value that is added to another value (such as a password) prior to hashing. Unlike a salt, a new one is generated for each value and it is held separately from the value.

Pepper

(transitive) To add pepper to.

Pepper

(transitive) To strike with something made up of small particles.

Pepper

(transitive) To cover with lots of (something made up of small things).
After the hailstorm, the beach was peppered with holes.

Pepper

(transitive) To add (something) at frequent intervals.
He liked to pepper his conversation with long words.

Pepper

To beat or thrash.

Pepper

A well-known, pungently aromatic condiment, the dried berry, either whole or powdered, of the Piper nigrum.

Pepper

The plant which yields pepper, an East Indian woody climber (Piper nigrum), with ovate leaves and apetalous flowers in spikes opposite the leaves. The berries are red when ripe. Also, by extension, any one of the several hundred species of the genus Piper, widely dispersed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the earth.

Pepper

Any plant of the genus Capsicum (of the Solanaceae family, which are unrelated to Piper), and its fruit; red pepper; chili pepper; as, the bell pepper and the jalapeno pepper (both Capsicum annuum) and the habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense); . These contain varying levels of the substance capsaicin (C18H27O3N), which gives the peppers their hot taste. The habanero is about 25-50 times hotter than the jalapeno according to a scale developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. See also Capsicum and http://www.chili-pepper-plants.com/.

Pepper

To sprinkle or season with pepper.

Pepper

Figuratively: To shower shot or other missiles, or blows, upon; to pelt; to fill with shot, or cover with bruises or wounds; as, to pepper him with buckshot.

Pepper

To fire numerous shots (at).

Pepper

Climber having dark red berries (peppercorns) when fully ripe; southern India and Sri Lanka; naturalized in northern Burma and Assam

Pepper

Any of various tropical plants of the genus Capsicum bearing peppers

Pepper

Pungent seasoning from the berry of the common pepper plant of East India; use whole or ground

Pepper

Sweet and hot varieties of fruits of plants of the genus Capsicum

Pepper

Add pepper to;
Pepper the soup

Pepper

Attack and bombard with or as if with missiles;
Pelt the speaker with questions

Common Curiosities

Are all peppers spicy?

No, peppers range from very spicy, like habaneros, to sweet, like bell peppers.

Can I substitute chili for pepper in a recipe?

It depends on the recipe and desired heat level; they can sometimes be substituted, but the flavor profile will change.

What's the difference between black pepper and chili pepper?

Black pepper comes from the Piper genus and is mild to moderately spicy, while chili peppers come from the Capsicum family and are usually hotter.

What makes chilies spicy?

Chilies contain capsaicin, which gives them their characteristic heat.

Are chili peppers good for health?

Yes, they're high in vitamins and capsaicin, which has health benefits.

Are green, yellow, and red bell peppers different plants?

They are the same plant; the color differences are due to varying ripeness levels.

Is paprika the same as chili powder?

Paprika can be made from sweet or mild peppers, whereas chili powder is typically made from spicier peppers.

Why are bell peppers called peppers?

They were named by early European explorers who likened their flavor to that of black pepper from the Piper genus.

Are peppercorns actually fruits?

Yes, peppercorns are the dried fruit of Piper nigrum.

Is white pepper the same as black pepper?

White and black pepper come from the same plant, but white pepper is the seed with the outer fruit removed.

Can sweet peppers be used in spicy dishes?

Sweet peppers can add flavor to spicy dishes without adding heat.

Can eating too much spicy food be harmful?

In some cases, excessive consumption of very spicy food can lead to digestive issues.

What is the hottest type of chili?

The Carolina Reaper is currently recognized as the hottest chili.

How can I reduce the heat of a chili dish?

Adding dairy products like yogurt or milk can help mitigate the heat.

Why do some cultures eat more spicy food?

It can be due to historical availability of spices, climate, and cultural preferences.

Share Your Discovery

Share via Social Media
Embed This Content
Embed Code
Share Directly via Messenger
Link
Previous Comparison
Boil vs. Broil

Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

Popular Comparisons

Trending Comparisons

New Comparisons

Trending Terms