What Are Jalapeños?

Jalapeños, a member of the nightshade family along with tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes, get their heat from capsaicin, a chemical compound concentrated in the white pithy ribs of a pepper. Like most hot peppers, jalapeños vary in spiciness based on many growth factors, including the amount of sunlight and the pH level of the soil. Jalapeño peppers register between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville heat units on the Scoville scale. Most commonly associated with Mexican cuisine, they fall between poblanos and habaneros on the heat index and are typically among the least expensive of the fresh peppers at the grocery store.

An average-sized jalapeño pepper contains about 4 calories but delivers 18.4% of the daily value for vitamin C.1 They contain vitamins A and K, as well as B6 and folate. Jalapeños also provide dietary fiber, and minerals magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, and manganese. Capsaicin, the chemical compound responsible for the heat, may help speed up metabolism and reduce hunger, relieve pain, aid digestion, and even lower blood pressure.