Red Pepper Flakes
A pinch of red pepper flakes can transform an everyday dish into something with real backbone and warmth.
In a nutshell
Red pepper flakes are dried, crushed chili peppers — seeds and all — that deliver a punchy, lingering heat to almost any savory dish. They’re a pantry staple in American and Italian-American kitchens, shaken over pizza and stirred into sauces without a second thought. A little goes a long way, and they’re as useful in a slow braise as they are on a finished plate.
Nutrition
≈ 38 Calories and 1.9g fat per tablespoon.
Because you’re using red pepper flakes by the pinch rather than the cupful, the per-100g numbers aren’t how most people will experience them — but the profile is worth knowing. Dried chili peppers are surprisingly high in fiber, and they pack a notable amount of plant-based protein for a spice. The real nutritional star is capsaicin, the compound responsible for heat, which has been studied for its potential to support metabolism and reduce inflammation. Red pepper flakes are also a meaningful source of vitamins A and E in their dried form; vitamin C degrades significantly during the drying process, so fresh chili peppers are a far better source of it. They also contain antioxidants such as carotenoids that survive drying reasonably well. The sodium listed reflects the natural mineral content of the dried peppers themselves, not added salt. Nutrition per 100g via Spoonacular.
Culinary uses & pairings
Red pepper flakes are most at home stirred into hot olive oil at the start of cooking — that blooming in fat technique coaxes out fat-soluble capsaicin and sends the heat through the whole dish rather than leaving it in isolated flecks. Use them this way for pasta sauces, sautéed greens, shakshuka, or the base of a soup.
They’re equally useful as a finishing spice sprinkled over pizza, roasted vegetables, hummus, avocado toast, or a fried egg. Toss them into dry rubs for chicken and ribs, whisk them into salad dressings and vinaigrettes, or stir them into compound butter for a slow-melting kick over grilled steak or corn on the cob.
Pairs well with
Substitutions
Buying & storage
Look for red pepper flakes with a bright, deep red color — faded, brownish flakes have lost much of their flavor and heat along with their looks. A good jar should have plenty of visible seeds mixed in with the crushed flesh; the seeds carry some heat, so a fuller blend means more punch per pinch. Smell the jar if you can: it should have a warm, slightly fruity, peppery aroma rather than a dusty or stale smell. Generic grocery-store flakes are perfectly fine for everyday cooking, but specialty and Italian import brands — often labeled peperoncino — tend to use higher-quality dried peppers with more nuance.
Types
- Standard crushed red pepper: The familiar grocery-store blend, typically made from cayenne-type peppers. Medium heat, all-purpose use.
- Italian peperoncino flakes: Made from specific Italian chili varieties; slightly fruitier and more aromatic than standard American blends, used throughout southern Italian cooking.
- Gochugaru: Korean sun-dried chili flakes that are coarser, redder, and milder with a subtle sweetness — essential for kimchi and Korean stews.
- Aleppo pepper: A Syrian variety with moderate heat, earthy-fruity flavor, and a natural oiliness; increasingly popular in American restaurant kitchens as a finishing spice.
- Calabrian chili flakes: From Calabria in southern Italy — brighter, fruitier, and notably hotter than standard flakes, with a slight brininess.
Recipes using red pepper flakes
4 recipes across our recipe sites use red pepper flakes. A few favorites:
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History & origin
Chili peppers arrived in Europe and the Mediterranean from the Americas in the late 15th century after Columbus’s voyages, and Southern Italian and Balkan cooks were among the first to dry and crush them as a shelf-stable seasoning. In the US, red pepper flakes became closely tied to Italian-American cuisine — particularly pizza and pasta — through immigrant communities in cities like New York and Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The shaker of red pepper flakes on the pizzeria table is so ingrained in American dining culture that it’s almost invisible, yet it represents a centuries-long culinary journey from the Americas through Europe to Main Street.
How it’s made
Red pepper flakes are made by drying whole chili peppers and then crushing or coarsely grinding them, seeds and skin included. Most commercial production uses cayenne-type peppers harvested at full red ripeness, then dried by hot air, sun, or kiln until the moisture content drops to a stable level. The dried peppers are run through a crusher or hammer mill to produce the characteristic irregular flakes — coarser than ground cayenne but not so coarse as to be unwieldy. The seeds are retained intentionally because they contribute heat and add textural variation. No additives or preservatives are needed when the peppers are properly dried.
Good to know
- The seeds in red pepper flakes aren’t the hottest part — the white pith (placenta) attached to the inner wall holds the highest concentration of capsaicin; seeds absorb some of it from the pith but are considerably milder on their own.
- Capsaicin doesn’t actually burn tissue — it binds to heat receptors (TRPV1) in your mouth and tricks your brain into perceiving heat that isn’t there.
- Dairy products like milk and yogurt relieve chili heat far better than water because casein, a milk protein, surrounds and rinses away fat-soluble capsaicin molecules.
- The US is one of the world’s largest consumers of crushed red pepper, most of it destined for pizza and pasta sauce applications.
- Red pepper flakes can lose a significant portion of their volatile aroma compounds and heat intensity over time — storing them properly and replacing them within one to two years helps ensure the best flavor and punch.
