Paprika
Paprika is a ground spice made from dried, ripe red peppers. It adds color and a sweet, warm flavor, and can be mild, hot, or smoked.
Say it: pə-pree-kə · IPA /pəˈpɹiːkə/
Also called: Pimentón, Colorau, Pimentão doce, Red paprika
By Andrew Cooks · Updated · 12 min read
At a glance
Paprika is a ground red spice made from dried, ripe chili peppers of the species Capsicum annuum (the same species as the bell pepper and cayenne pepper), milled to a fine, brick-red to scarlet powder. It ranges from sweet and mild to hot, and from plain and bright to deeply smoky (the smoked paprika style) depending on the pepper variety and how it is dried. Most everyday paprika is sweet paprika, prized more for its warm, fruity flavor and glowing red color than for heat, while hot paprika carries real chili warmth. It is the defining spice of Hungarian and Spanish cooking: goulash, chicken paprikash, chorizo and paella all lean on it; and a near-universal seasoning and natural food coloring. Read paprika as ground ripe red pepper: color, sweetness and gentle warmth in a spoonful.
What it does for you
Paprika does three things at once: it colors, it sweetens and it (sometimes) warms. Its most dramatic effect is color: a spoonful turns stews, rice, sauces, deviled eggs and dry rubs a glowing red-orange, which is why it is used as much for looks as for taste.
Cook's tip
Bloom paprika off the heat by stirring it into warm oil or butter for a few seconds, then add liquid right away. Its sugars scorch fast and turn bitter, so never fry it hard in a very hot pan.
Kitchen trivia
Did you know the mild, sweet paprika most of us cook with was only made possible by a Hungarian breeding breakthrough, and that vitamin C was first isolated from paprika peppers?
See the answerKey facts
- Flavor
- Warm, sweet, fruity and faintly bitter with a peppery depth; heat ranges from none (sweet) to pungent (hot); smoked types add woodsmoke
- Heat
- Ranges widely: sweet paprika is essentially 0 SHU, hot paprika roughly 500 to 2,000+ SHU depending on the peppers
- Origin
- The peppers are native to the Americas; the spice tradition developed in Hungary and Spain
- Type
- Ground spice made from dried, ripe red peppers
- Scientific name
- Capsicum annuum (family Solanaceae)
- Weight
- 1 tbsp weighs about 6.8 g
Common uses
Paprika seasons and colors an enormous range of dishes. In Hungarian cooking it is the soul of goulash, chicken paprikash, pörkölt and lecsó; in Spanish cooking it flavors chorizo, paella, patatas bravas, romesco and countless stews. It is dusted over deviled eggs, potato salad and hummus for color, rubbed onto roast chicken and grilled meats, and stirred into dry rubs, sausages, marinades, cheese spreads and salad dressings.
Smoked paprika brings a bacony, barbecue depth to beans, lentils, roasted vegetables and vegetarian dishes; hot paprika adds warmth to stews and rice. It is a workhorse in spice blends and appears in everything from Cajun and curry powder mixes to seasoned flour for frying. Because it colors so well, paprika is also used as a natural food coloring in sausages, cheeses and snacks.
Treat paprika as a fat-loving spice, not a heat spice. To get its color and flavor into a dish, bloom it: take the pan off the heat, stir a good spoonful into the warm oil or melted butter with your onions, let it dissolve for a few seconds, then add your liquid. Do this off the direct flame: paprika's sugars scorch quickly and burnt paprika turns acrid and bitter, which is the single most common way to ruin a goulash.
Buy it fresh and in modest amounts, because paprika fades fast: bright red powder means live flavor, dull brown means it is past it. Keep it cool and dark, away from the stove's heat and steam. Choose the type for the job: sweet paprika for color and mellow flavor, hot paprika when you want warmth, smoked paprika for a smoky, barbecue depth, and remember a little smoked paprika goes a long way.
Measure and nutrition
Pick an amount to see what it weighs and its nutrition.
1 tbsp of paprika weighs about 6.8 g (0.24 oz) and has about 19 calories.
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Weight | 6.8 g (0.24 oz) |
| Calories | 19 kcal |
| Total fat | 0.88 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.15 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 4.6 mg |
| Carbohydrate | 3.7 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g |
| Total sugars | 0.7 g |
| Protein | 0.96 g |
Nutrition and weights from USDA FoodData Central, Spices, paprika. Values are estimates.
Cooking with paprika tonight?
Save any recipe from any website, video or family recipe card into one recipe box, then cook from it step by step.
Save your recipes in Cooked.it, freeMore about paprika
Paprika is a spice consisting of dried, ripe red peppers of Capsicum annuum ground to a powder. The peppers are a New World crop, but the spice as we know it developed in the Old World, above all in Hungary and Spain, each of which grows and grades its own paprika. Depending on the pepper variety, ripeness and processing, paprika ranges from sweet and mild (sweet paprika) to pungent (hot paprika) and from air-dried and bright to oak-smoked (smoked paprika).
It is distinct from the fiery ground cayenne pepper (a single hot chili) and from chili powder (a Tex-Mex blend of ground chile with cumin and oregano): paprika is a single-ingredient ground red pepper, usually chosen for color and sweetness first. Hungarian and Spanish paprikas are the two great traditions, each with its own graded types.
Paprika is a fine, dry powder ranging in color from bright orange-red through vivid scarlet to a deep brick or rust red, depending on the peppers and the grind. Good paprika is intensely colored and almost stains the fingers; it has a soft, slightly oily feel from the natural pepper oils and a warm, sweet-peppery, faintly fruity aroma. Poor or stale paprika fades to a dull brownish tan and smells flat and dusty.
The powder clumps a little in humidity and dissolves into fats and liquids to tint a whole dish red. Smoked types carry a visible depth of color and a distinct woodsmoke smell; hot types look much like sweet paprika but bite on the tongue. It is sold loose in tins, jars and bags, usually as a soft, free-flowing powder rather than coarse flakes.
Its flavor is a warm, sweet, faintly bitter, fruity pepperiness that rounds out and deepens savory dishes; sweet paprika adds this with no heat, while hot paprika adds chili warmth from capsaicin, and smoked paprika layers in woodsmoke. Because paprika's color and flavor live in fat-soluble compounds, it blooms best when stirred briefly into warm oil or fat, which releases its color and aroma into the dish, but it scorches and turns bitter fast over high heat, so it is added off the heat or into liquid, not toasted hard like a whole spice. A little goes into countless spice blends, rubs and sausages for body and hue.
Forms and grades
Fine powder: sweet, hot and smoked types; graded Hungarian and Spanish pimentón; a component of many spice blends and sausages. Made from: ripe red fruit (pericarp), dried and milled to a powder; seeds and stalks usually removed.
Storage and shelf life
Store cool, dark and airtight, away from the heat and steam of the stove; buy in small amounts and use while bright.
- Pantry
- Best within about 6 to 12 months; color and aroma fade steadily after that.
- Fridge
- The fridge or freezer can extend color retention for long-kept paprika, though airtight cupboard storage is usual.
- Freezer
- Freezing airtight preserves color for longer-term storage; bring to room temperature before opening to avoid condensation.
Substitutions
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| sweet paprika or Hungarian paprika | 1:1 | The standard mild paprika for color and flavor; Hungarian is the graded, higher-quality version |
| smoked paprika (for a smoky version) | Start with less | Adds a strong woodsmoke flavor on top of paprika's color; can dominate, so use less |
Swaps that don't work
- cayenne pepper or chili powder (NOT a direct swap): Cayenne is far hotter; chili powder is a spiced blend. Neither gives paprika's mild sweet color
Common mistakes
- The biggest mistake is burning paprika: its sugars scorch at high heat and turn harshly bitter in seconds, so it should be bloomed gently in warm fat off the heat or stirred into liquid, never fried hard in a screaming-hot pan.
- The second is using old, faded paprika: it loses color and flavor within months, so dull brown powder gives you little but dusty bitterness; buy fresh, bright red paprika in small amounts and replace it often.
- People also treat all paprika as the same: sweet paprika, hot paprika and smoked paprika are quite different, and swapping smoked for sweet can overwhelm a delicate dish, while sweet where you needed hot leaves it flat.
- Confusing paprika with cayenne pepper or chili powder causes trouble too: cayenne is far hotter and chili powder is a spiced blend, so neither is a straight swap.
- Finally, using paprika only as a garnish dusted on at the end wastes its flavor, which needs a little fat and gentle heat to bloom.
Product picks
- Hungarian sweet paprika (édesnemes grade)See it on Amazon: Hungarian sweet paprika (édesnemes grade)
- Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera)See it on Amazon: Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón de la Vera)
- An airtight spice tin to keep paprika freshSee it on Amazon: an airtight spice tin to keep paprika fresh
History
The peppers that paprika is made from are native to the Americas and were carried to Europe after Columbus's voyages as part of the Columbian exchange. They reached Hungary largely through the Ottoman Turks, who spread the plant across the Balkans, and by the 18th and 19th centuries ground red pepper (paprika, from a Slavic word for pepper) had become the national spice of Hungary, grown especially around Szeged and Kalocsa. In Spain, peppers brought back from the New World were dried and ground into pimentón, with the oak-smoking tradition of the La Vera valley in Extremadura giving rise to the famous smoked pimentón.
For a long time most paprika was hot, since the peppers naturally carry capsaicin; the mild, sweet paprika that dominates today was made possible partly by a 20th-century Hungarian breeding breakthrough that produced pepper plants low in capsaicin, letting growers make a bright red spice with little heat.
Is it still used today?
Paprika is a global staple, on spice racks and in kitchens everywhere. Hungary and Spain remain the reference producers and exporters, but paprika is grown and milled across the world, and most supermarket paprika is generic sweet paprika used for color and mild flavor. Smoked paprika has surged in popularity well beyond Spain as cooks reach for its barbecue depth in everything from vegan cooking to grilling rubs, and single-origin and graded paprikas (Hungarian paprika and Spanish pimentón de la Vera) are prized by enthusiasts much as single-origin peppers and coffees are.
It remains essential in spice blends, sausage-making and commercial food coloring. From the shaker of paprika over a plate of deviled eggs to a serious spoonful in a pot of goulash, it is one of the most-used red spices in the world.
Questions people ask
What is paprika made from?
Paprika is made from dried, ripe red peppers: fruits of the species Capsicum annuum, the same species that gives us the bell pepper, cayenne pepper and many chilies. Ripe red peppers are harvested, dried (by air, sun or oak smoke), usually deseeded and destalked, and then ground to a fine red powder. The variety of pepper and how it is dried decide whether the paprika is sweet or hot, plain or smoked paprika.
Most everyday paprika is sweet paprika, made from mild, low-heat peppers and prized mainly for its color and warm, fruity flavor rather than heat. So although paprika comes from 'peppers', it is a single ground spice, not a blend, and not the same as the hotter cayenne pepper or the spiced chili powder mix.
What is the difference between paprika, cayenne and chili powder?
They are three different things. Paprika is ground dried red Capsicum annuum peppers, usually mild and chosen for color and sweet flavor; even hot paprika is gentler than cayenne. Cayenne pepper is a single, specific hot chili ground to a fine powder, much hotter, used in small pinches for heat.
Chili powder, at least in American usage, is a spice blend built on ground chile but mixed with things like cumin, oregano, garlic powder and salt, made for chili con carne and Tex-Mex cooking. So if you want color and mild flavor, reach for paprika; if you want heat, reach for cayenne; if you want a ready Tex-Mex seasoning, reach for chili powder. They are not interchangeable spoon for spoon, and swapping cayenne for paprika in particular can make a dish far too hot.
Why did my paprika turn bitter?
Almost certainly because it burned. Paprika is full of natural sugars and its color and flavor live in fat-soluble compounds, so it scorches very quickly over high heat and turns harsh and bitter, a classic way to spoil a goulash or a rice dish. The fix is to bloom paprika gently: take the pan off the heat (or turn it right down), stir the paprika into warm oil, butter or fat for just a few seconds to release its color and aroma, then immediately add your liquid to stop it cooking further.
Never fry paprika hard in a smoking-hot dry pan the way you might toast whole spices. Adding it to liquid early, or off the heat, protects it. Stale paprika can also taste flat and faintly bitter, so if yours is dull brown rather than bright red, it may simply be old.
What is smoked paprika and can I use it instead of regular paprika?
Smoked paprika is paprika made from peppers dried over smoldering oak, which gives it a deep, smoky, almost bacony or barbecue aroma on top of paprika's usual sweet-fruity flavor; the Spanish pimentón de la Vera is the classic example. It is wonderful in beans, stews, rubs and vegetarian dishes where you want a smoky depth. You can use it in place of regular sweet paprika for color, but be aware it will add a strong smoky flavor that can dominate a delicate dish, so use a little less and taste.
Going the other way, sweet or hot paprika will give you color and warmth but none of the smokiness, so it is not a true substitute where the smoke is the point. Many cooks keep both sweet and smoked paprika on the shelf for different jobs.
How should I store paprika and how long does it last?
Store paprika in an airtight container somewhere cool and dark, away from the heat, light and steam of the stovetop, which fade it fast. Like all ground spices it does not spoil dangerously, but it loses color and flavor steadily; most paprika is at its best within about six months to a year and grows dull and lifeless after that. Bright red powder with a warm, sweet smell is fresh; dull brown, flat-smelling powder is past its prime and worth replacing.
Because it fades, buy paprika in modest amounts you will use up rather than a giant tin that sits for years. For long keeping you can store it airtight in the fridge or freezer to slow the fading, letting it come back to room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense in it.
Is paprika spicy?
Usually not very. Most paprika you meet is sweet paprika, made from mild peppers bred to be low in capsaicin, so it adds color and a warm, sweet, fruity flavor with little or no heat, you can use it generously. Hot paprika is a different grade, made from or blended with hotter peppers, and it does carry a real chili warmth, though it is still milder than cayenne pepper.
So whether paprika is spicy depends entirely on the type: reach for sweet paprika when you want flavor and color without heat, and hot paprika when you want some warmth. Because the two look almost identical as red powders, it is worth checking the label, adding a big spoonful of hot paprika where you expected sweet can make a dish surprisingly fiery.
Trivia answer
For most of paprika's history the spice was hot, because the red peppers it is ground from naturally contain capsaicin, the compound that makes chilies burn. The gentle, sweet paprika that now dominates spice racks around the world is a relatively modern achievement: in the early 20th century Hungarian growers and breeders developed pepper plants that were naturally low in capsaicin, and later a grafting-and-breeding shortcut let them produce mild, sweet red peppers reliably, so a cook could add a big, colorful spoonful of paprika for flavor and hue without setting a dish alight. Hungary's obsession with the pepper had another, Nobel-worthy payoff.
In the 1930s the Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Györgyi, working in Szeged (one of the two great centers of Hungarian paprika) used the local red peppers as a rich and convenient source to isolate and study vitamin C (ascorbic acid), work for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937. Paprika peppers turned out to be packed with the vitamin, and the humble spice of goulash quietly played a part in one of the landmark discoveries of nutritional science. So the bright red powder in your cupboard is both a triumph of plant breeding and a footnote in the history of medicine.
Origin and background
- How it spread
Peppers carried to Europe after 1492 (Columbian exchange); spread to Hungary via the Ottoman Turks and the Balkans; now grown worldwide.
- Where it's popular
Hungary and Spain above all; also the Balkans, the Americas and worldwide as a general spice and coloring.
- Cuisines that use it
Hungarian (goulash, paprikash, pörkölt), Spanish (chorizo, paella, patatas bravas), Balkan, Portuguese and much of world cooking.
How it's made
- How it's produced
Ripe red peppers are harvested, dried (air-, sun- or oak-smoke), the seeds and stalks removed, and the flesh milled to a fine powder; graded by color, sweetness and heat.
- From the same source
Sweet, hot and smoked paprika are the same species processed differently; cayenne pepper is a hotter ground Capsicum; chili powder is a paprika-based blend.
Growing and season
- Season
Peppers are harvested and dried in late summer and autumn; the ground spice is available year-round.
- Growing zones
The peppers are a warm-season annual, grown roughly USDA zones 4 to 11 as a summer crop; frost-tender.
- Climate
Peppers need a warm, sunny growing season to ripen fully red; dry harvest weather aids drying and grinding.
Possible allergens
Not a common allergen; hot and smoked types can irritate; large amounts of capsaicin (hot paprika) can upset sensitive stomachs.
Diet notes
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free; a natural source of red color and carotenoids.
Important: Allergen information is provided for general information only. We cannot guarantee it is complete or accurate, and ingredients and manufacturing practices vary by brand and change over time. Always read the label on the product you are using. If you have a food allergy or a medical condition, consult your health care provider.
Related
- Sweet paprika
- Hot paprika
- Smoked paprika
- Hungarian paprika
- Pimentón de la Vera
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Chili pepper
- Bell pepper
- Chorizo
- Sweet paprika
Sweet paprika is the mild, everyday paprika: ground dried red Capsicum annuum peppers with little or no heat, prized for their warm, sweet, fruity flavor and glowing red color rather than for spice. 'Sweet' here means not hot, not sugary: it is made from low-capsaicin peppers, so you can add it generously without setting a dish alight.
- Hot paprika
Hot paprika is paprika with real chili warmth: ground dried red Capsicum annuum peppers that keep their capsaicin, so the powder carries a genuine spicy heat on top of paprika's warm, sweet, fruity red-pepper flavor and glowing color.
- Smoked paprika
Smoked paprika is paprika made from red chili peppers that are dried over smoldering oak before being ground, so the powder carries a deep, smoky, almost bacony flavor on top of paprika's warm, sweet red-pepper taste.
- Hungarian paprika
Hungarian paprika is the paprika of Hungary, where ground red pepper is the national spice and is grown, dried and graded with unusual care, above all in the regions of Szeged and Kalocsa.
- Pimentón de la Vera
Pimentón de la Vera is the famous Spanish smoked paprika from the La Vera valley in Extremadura, western Spain, made from red chili peppers slowly dried over smoldering oak before grinding, a method that gives it a deep, distinctive woodsmoke flavor.
- Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper is a thin, hot, red chili pepper, and, more familiarly, the fiery red powder ground from it that lives in almost every spice rack.
Cooking with paprika tonight?
Save any recipe from any website, video or family recipe card into one recipe box, then cook from it step by step.
Save your recipes in Cooked.it, free