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Ground Cayenne Pepper Recipe (+ Substitutes)

The cayenne pepper is a spicy red pepper. It is a common ingredient in its ground form – a fine ground chilli powder with a bright red colour. But if you've run out of cayenne pepper powder, you can make your own ground cayenne pepper from dried cayenne peppers or use another spicy red chilli for a ground cayenne pepper substitute.

Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings: 2 tablespoons
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 10 dried cayenne peppers* , or another spicy dried red pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. If your chiles are only semi-dried, pierce them with a pairing knife and leave them in a sunny spot until crisp and fully dried. Or place them in your oven at its lowest setting to dehydrate.
  2. Remove the stem from your dried red peppers and shake out the seeds. Then place the dried red pepper flesh in a spice grinder and grind until super fine.
  3. You can use this ground chile as a ground cayenne pepper alternative. Or, for better results, use a fine mesh strainer to separate the ground chilli pepper into fine powder and chile flakes.

Notes

  • The type of chile pepper you use will determine the heat and flavour of your ground red pepper. Using dried cayenne pepper will make actual ground cayenne pepper. But spicy dried red peppers like chile de árbol or Thai red chillies make excellent dried cayenne pepper substitutes in this recipe.
  • If you don't own a spice grinder, see the full blog post for the best cayenne pepper substitutes from other hot pepper powders.