Aji Cristal Pepper

Aji Cristal peppers are small, spicy chili peppers (30,000 Scovilles) native to Curico, Chile. Most aji peppers are local to South America, and are used in many different cultural dishes. These peppers are not typically grown in the area.

Aji Cristal peppers grow up to 4 inches long. They are wider at the stem and taper to a smaller, round end. The peppers start light green in color, then ripen to yellow and finally a vibrant orange-red color.

The most common use for aji cristal peppers is for making a famous Chilean condiment called “Pebre”. Pebre is Chile’s answer to pico de gallo., and is quite delicious, made with aji peppers, olive oil, garlic and cilantro.

You can cook with these peppers as you cook with any peppers, by chopping and cooking them up as part of your main dish, as part of the mire poix. Use them to spice up soups and stews, pots of chili, or pretty much any dish.

They are small, so not ideal for stuffing. But, because of the vibrant color and spicy heat, I love them for making fresh salsas or for dehydrating and grind them into chili flakes or chili powders.

I have grown these peppers in my garden and can attest that the plants are easy to grow and are quite prolific. If you want a lot of peppers, grow aji cristal peppers!