While many of us crave extra spice, some of us are brave enough to tackle some of the hottest peppers on the planet.

You don’t have to reach for extra hot peppers!

There’s another pepper out there that some believe is the perfect mix of sweetness and spice. It’s called the banana pepper, but this one doesn’t taste like a banana at all. Banana peppers actually get their name because they’re shaped a bit like the fruit, and they’re also more of a yellowish hue. This might be where the similarities end.

Banana peppers are related to chili peppers, but they’re not actually very hot at all. In fact, they’re similar in taste to a bell pepper, but a bit tangier. While a bell pepper is zero on the Scoville Scale, the banana pepper is around 500 SHU. If you want a hint of spice but aren’t yet ready for a hotter chili, banana peppers provide an alternative. The ripest ones are usually the sweetest. You can slice them up and put them in your sandwich or use them to top off a pizza. Banana peppers are also used in Greek salads and are often pickled. If your recipe simply calls for peppers, you can dice them up and mix them in.  

Banana peppers still contain a healthy dose of capsaicin, even if they don’t have as much as some of the other super-hot peppers out there. Banana peppers also contain several healthy vitamins and minerals. A cup of banana peppers gives you about four grams of fiber. That can help you feel fuller longer, plus getting enough fiber can also help with heart health and digestion. We all know that oranges are packed with vitamin C, but a cup of raw banana peppers actually exceeds the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for adults. That can help your body make collagen and support your immune system.