Purple Tiger Pepper: Heat, Flavor, Ingredient Pairings

The Purple Tiger pepper is a beautiful and unique pepper with variegated green, white, and purple leaves. It produces small, tapered pods that start green, turn purple with stripes, and finally ripen to a deep red. This pepper boasts a medium heat, with a Scoville Heat Unit rating of 5,000 to 10,000, making it hotter than a jalapeno but not as intense as some of the hottest peppers. It’s known for its slightly sweet, fruity flavor and is a versatile ingredient in various dishes. The Purple Tiger pepper grows well in containers and is also admired for its ornamental qualities.

How hot are Purple Tiger peppers?

Purple Tigers have a very eatable medium heat, 5,000 to 10,000 Scoville heat units SHU). That’s very comparable to the spiciness you get from a jalapeño pepper (2,500 to 8,000 SHU). At its height, the Purple Tiger hits the same as the mildest possible serrano pepper (10,000 to 23,000 SHU). 

How does it compare in heat to other ornamental chilies? It’s much more moderate than most. Ornamentals are grown to accentuate their looks, and that often comes at the cost of heat (typically much hotter than expected or lacking in noticeable spiciness) and flavor (typically neutral “peppery” in taste.) For instance, the popular Bolivian Rainbow ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 SHU and the Prairie Fire pepper hits from 60,000 to 80,000 SHU. In comparison, the Purple Tiger sits at a spicy sweet spot for eating. 

What do Purple Tiger peppers look like and taste like?

The Purple Tiger pepper grows to a maximum size of about one inch at maturity with a conical shape that tapers to a point. They start off green, then turn purple with amazing striping, and eventually ripen to red. It’s a beautiful, colorful ornamental pepper, but don’t overlook the plant itself, too. Its leaves are arguably just as beautiful, taking on striated shades of blue, green, purple, and white. Altogether, it’s a winning combo of colors that are perfect for bringing vibrant life to any container or garden.

In terms of taste, as mentioned ornamentals tend to lack in depth as their grown to focus on their beauty, but the Purple Tiger pepper does provide a slight sweet fruitiness to its bite. It’s a welcome amount of flavor (though not very nuanced) that, along with that very eatable medium heat, provides plenty of culinary use cases for this chili. 

How can you use these chilies?

Given the Purple Tiger’s eatable heat and lightly fruity flavor, it’s an ornamental that you’ll actually enjoy using in the kitchen for more than just “color pop”. But, of course, it offers that, too. You can easily reach for the Purple Tiger as an alternative to green or red jalapeños in most use cases. The sweetness will be more akin to a red jalapeño than the bright, grassy bite you get from green, but the swap works in both cases. Purple Tigers, in particular, work very well in salsas and salads to give that aforementioned color pop that you don’t get from culinary chilies. 

Purple Tiger pepper plant pairings

Plant pairings for Purple Tigers will either accentuate their colorful beauty or protect your pepper plants from pests. Some provide both. 

To accentuate the visual appeal of your edible landscaping:

• Marigolds: Their vibrant orange and yellow hues contrast beautifully with the deep purple of the peppers, creating a striking visual effect that brightens the garden.
• Zinnias: Available in a variety of colors, zinnias can add a cheerful pop of color that complements the unique purple of the peppers while attracting pollinators.
• Snapdragons: With their tall, spiky flowers in shades of pink, red, and white, snapdragons create vertical interest and a textural contrast to the bushy growth of the Purple Tiger peppers.
• Petunias: Their soft, trailing growth and wide range of colors can soften the garden’s edges while harmonizing with the purple tones of the peppers.
• Lavender: The soothing purple blooms of lavender echo the color of the peppers, creating a cohesive look while also providing a delightful fragrance.
• Cosmos: These flowers add a whimsical touch with their feathery foliage and bright blooms, offering a lightness that balances the robust presence of the peppers.
• Coleus: Their bold foliage in various colors, including purples and reds, can enhance the garden’s overall color palette, making the peppers stand out even more.
• Sunflowers: Tall and cheerful, sunflowers can provide height and a sunny contrast to the peppers, creating a visually dynamic garden space.

To protect your Purple Tigers from pests (and often provide more edible landscaping options)

• Basil: Basil not only enhances the flavor of peppers in culinary dishes but also attracts beneficial insects like pollinators and predatory wasps that help control pest populations.
• Nasturtiums: Nasturtiums act as a trap crop, luring aphids away from your peppers while their edible flowers and leaves add vibrant color and a peppery flavor to salads.
• Chives: Chives can deter aphids and other pests while providing a delicious herb that complements the flavors of peppers in various dishes.
• Garlic: Planting garlic nearby can help repel a variety of pests due to its strong scent, and it can also be harvested for culinary use alongside your peppers.
• Calendula: Calendula attracts beneficial insects and can help suppress certain pests, while its edible flowers can be used in salads and as a garnish.
• Thyme: Thyme not only repels certain pests but also serves as a flavorful herb that pairs well with peppers in cooking, enhancing your edible landscape.
• Oregano: Oregano can deter pests and provides a flavorful herb that complements many dishes featuring peppers, making it a practical and tasty companion.

Must-read related posts

• The Hot Pepper List: We profile 160+ chilies (both culinary and ornamental), providing detail on spiciness, flavor, use cases, pairings, and more.
• Colorful Peppers Guide: Discover more ornamental peppers that provide real color pop to your garden.
• Can You Eat Ornamental Peppers? Sure, the Purple Tiger is edible, but are all ornamentals?