Habanada Red – habanero flavour without the heat
What makes Habanada Red special
Habanada Red is a very special chilli – it looks like a classic habanero, smells like a habanero and tastes like a habanero… but without the burning heat. This is an essentially completely mild chilli that lets you enjoy the iconic habanero aroma without having to worry about the strength. Perfect for anyone who loves the flavour but wants to be able to use it generously.
Background and name
Habanada was originally developed through a breeding programme led by plant breeder Michael Mazourek (Cornell University), where the aim was to keep the aromatic profile of the habanero but remove the capsaicin that gives heat. The result was Habanada – a breakthrough variety among mild chillies. Habanada Red is the red-ripening variant, developed for an even deeper flavour and a somewhat sweeter character compared with the orange original variety.
Appearance and growth habit
The plants are medium-sized, usually 70–100 cm tall, with a stable and well-branched habit. The pods are typically habanero-shaped – slightly wrinkled, lantern-like and about 4–6 cm long. They ripen from green to deep red, which often gives a fuller and rounder flavour compared with the paler variants.
Estimated Scoville heat
0–100 SHU
Habanada Red is in practice considered completely mild. Any trace of heat is negligible and hardly noticeable even to the sensitive.
Flavour and uses
This is where Habanada Red really shines. The flavour is tropical, fruity and slightly floral, with clear notes of citrus, mango and red fruit. Because there is no heat, you can use large amounts of chilli in your food – something that is otherwise impossible with ordinary habaneros.
It suits excellently in:
-
salsas
-
sauces
-
stews
-
salads
-
fish and seafood dishes
-
fermenting
Many use Habanada Red precisely to ‘build flavour’ rather than heat.
If you want the same fruity habanero character with classic heat, Habanero Red is a natural step up.
Ways to use Habanada Red
Chop it raw into salsa or pico de gallo for maximum aroma. It is also fantastic lightly roasted in the oven and blended into a mild, fruity chilli base for sauces. If you want to make child-friendly chilli, tacos or BBQ sauce with real chilli flavour – Habanada Red is hard to beat.
How to grow Habanada Red
Habanada Red belongs to Capsicum chinense. This means it is slower to start than annuum varieties. Sow your chilli seeds between January and March for the best results. It does best in a greenhouse or a very warm, sheltered spot outdoors. With the right conditions it gives a generous harvest over a long season.
The price is for 6 chilli seeds
Sow in moist seed compost and keep warm, at about 25–30°C for best germination. The compost should be moist but not wet. A propagator helps to keep the air humid. Once the seedlings have grown a little and developed their second pair of leaves, you can lower the temperature to about 20°C and take them out of the propagator. They do well on a sunny windowsill, in a greenhouse and outdoors in summer. For best results, soak the seeds in growhelper for 12–24 hours before sowing.
