Cayenne pepper is the best spice if you are looking for some warmth in your food. The earthy dust is competent to blow your taste buds with 30,000-50,000 Scoville heat units (SHU).
Here are 10 mouth-watering cayenne pepper substitutes that bring the heat and can come in handy when you run out of cayenne pepper in your kitchen.
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is a deadly combination of famous Tabasco pepper, vinegar, and salt. It is an excellent substitute for cayenne pepper in dishes where it is used as a wet spice.
serrano peppers
Serrano peppers offer an excellent kick of flavor along with great health benefits. They are the second popular choice, next to jalapeno, when it comes to adding heat to a dish.
Jalapeño peppers
The spicy pepper originating in Mexico has a large number of variants that have traveled the world. Jalapeno peppers can be sprinkled over salads or blended into a smoothie.
Chipotle powder
If you are looking for a hot, smoky flavor from cayenne pepper, you can put your bets on chipotle powder. You can easily find variants of chipotle powder in your local store.
Fresh Thai peppers
Fresh Thai peppers offer benefits to your eye health as well as boost your immunity. Try them out as a substitute for cayenne pepper in spice roasted potatoes!
Gochugaru
Gochugaru is popularly known as Korean chili pepper. If you want the sweet-spicy and smoky flavor in your dish, just swap cayenne pepper with gochugaru.
Black pepper
If you are looking for a milder substitute, black pepper can serve the purpose. The heat level of black pepper is lower than cayenne pepper but it never fails to add warmth to the dish.
Red chili flakes
Red chili flake or powder is a common ingredient found in every household kitchen. You can add it while you are cooking or just as a seasoning for a dish.
Paprika
Paprika is a specific red chili that has two variants: sweet paprika and hot paprika. Red hot paprika acts well as a milder substitute for cayenne pepper.
Spice mixtures
When you run out of cayenne pepper and do not have any of the above-mentioned substitutes, a spice mixture containing cayenne pepper may become the substitute.
Chili flakes, black pepper, fresh Thai chili, and red chili powder can be used as good cayenne pepper alternatives, but the quantity used will be more significant to attain the required level of heat.