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Paprika

Spices & seasonings · Chillies & peppers

Paprika

Ground dried red peppers, from sweet and mild to hot or smoked; adds colour and gentle pepper flavour.

Also called: sweet paprika, smoked paprika, pimentón, tatlı toz biber

A kind of spices

127 recipes with it

Read the full spice guide: flavour, history and how to use it

Photo: Marcosgarrido88, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Paprika is made by drying and grinding red capsicum peppers. Plain or sweet paprika is mild, sweet and brick red; hot paprika has some chilli heat; smoked paprika (pimentón) is dried over oak smoke. It is much milder than cayenne or chilli powder, so they are not swapped one-for-one.

Capsicum annuum

How it’s used

  • Hungarian goulash and chicken paprikash
  • Spanish chorizo, patatas bravas and paella
  • Turkish dishes and dips
  • Rubs and roasted vegetables
  • Colouring oils and dressings

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet, fruity pepper; mild unless labelled hot.
When cooked
Burns and turns bitter quickly in very hot fat; add off the heat or with liquid.
Sold as
ground
Cooking uses
Mainly a seasoning

Varieties

  • Sweet
  • Hot
  • Smoked (pimentón)
  • Hungarian édesnemes

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Cool, dry and dark. Airtight jar away from light; colour turns brown and flavour dull as it ages.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
282 kcal
Protein
14.14 g
Carbohydrate
53.99 g
Fat
12.89 g
Fibre
34.9 g
Sugars
10.34 g

USDA FoodData Central: Spices, paprika.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Related ingredients

Recipes with paprika

See all 127

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