Aji Pineapple Peppers – A Productive and Tasty Chili
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If you live in North America, you likely haven’t tried a pepper from the Capsicum baccatum species. There are countless varieties within this species, so where should you even start?
Well, I think the aji pineapple makes for the perfect introduction to the C. baccatum species of peppers. The plants are small, yet super productive, the peppers are a medium heat level, and they have great flavor.
In this article, I’ll share all the info you need about the aji pineapple pepper. I’ll cover the heat level, flavor, and planting tips. Let’s get started!
About the Aji Pineapple
| Name | Aji pineapple |
| Type | Heirloom |
| Species | Capsicum baccatum |
| Heat Level (Scoville) | 20,000-30,000 SHUs |
| Flavor | Tart, citrus, floral |
| Color | Green to yellow when ripe |
| Uses | Hot sauces, fermentation, dried powder |
| Light | Full sun or afternoon shade |
| Watering | Evenly moist, good drainage |
| Seeds | Bohica Pepper Hut or Caribbean Garden |
In Spanish, “aji” translates to “chili pepper.” So, saying aji pineapple pepper is somewhat repetitive. In South America, there are countless aji varieties, many of which are from the C. baccatum species.
The aji pineapple gets its name from its unique flavor among baccatum types. Many of these peppers have a mild, sweet and fruity flavor. However, the aji pineapple has a much more tart, citrusy, and floral taste.
The peppers are typically between 2-3″ long, with a flattened, oblong shape. They ripen from green to a bright yellow, and the plants are highly prolific.
How Spicy Are Aji Pineapple Peppers? (Scoville Scale)
When it comes to heat, the aji pineapple is no show stopper. However, this makes the peppers appealing to a much wider audience, perfect for making medium-heat hot sauces.
The aji pineapple rates between 20,000-30,000 SHUs on the Scoville scale. They offer a decent punch, a bit hotter than a typical serrano pepper.
If you’re looking to grow something with more kick, browse the many pepper varieties that you can grow at home. Even within the baccatum species, there are some hotter ajis, like the sugar rush peppers.
Aji Pineapple Flavor
While the name may be a bit of a stretch, aji pineapples do taste quite good. In my opinion, they do not taste as delicious as fresh pineapple, but the citrusy, bright, fresh flavor is still pleasant.
Pair that with a good amount of kick, and you’ve got a great base for making fermented hot sauce. I used up the last harvest of aji pineapples by making a simple 2% salt fermented mash.
Aji Pineapple Seeds and Plants
One of the great benefits of growing aji pineapple peppers is high productivity. Generally speaking, as a pepper’s size gets smaller, plant productivity gets higher. Since aji pineapples are on the small side, each plant can produce dozens, even hundreds of pods in a single season.
As with most C. baccatum species plants, the peppers can take a long time to fully mature. However, I noticed the aji pineapples matured more quickly than our nearby aji amarillo and aji fantasy peppers.
Compared to some of our other C. baccatum plants, the aji pineapple plant was also much more compact. It remained fairly small, about 1.5 feet tall and 2 feet wide. In contrast, our aji fantasy plant grew over 3 feet tall and wide, sprawling across the garden in all directions.
Tip: Why not combine aji pineapple with…pineapple? Try our pineapple habanero hot sauce and swap out some of the habaneros for aji pineapples – yum!
Other C. baccatum peppers:
Overall, I would recommend growing the aji pineapple if you want to try something new. These peppers work well in a variety of dishes, and are excellent for making homemade hot sauces!
Calvin
One of the original Pepper Geeks! When Calvin isn’t gardening or learning more about peppers and botany, he might be traveling new places or playing some music.
I have been growing Aji Pineapple for the 3rd year. This year I have one plant that one stem is growing larger peppers, different shape and they are turning red. Cross pollination on just 1 stem normal or something else happening?
Definitely not normal, but there is a possibility that it is a “sport.” Basically, a plant can mutate and send off a branch that is genetically different from the rest of the plant. If it is cool, it can be propagated in water to grow into another plant! Here’s how
I received 3 aji pineapple plants this past Spring from a restaurant owner friend of mine. While I know this pepper is absolutely the aji pineapple, my plants grew 3′ tall amd 4′ in diameter. Also, my peppers are 2x the heat of any serrano I’ve ever eaten. Perhaps it’s my soil, climate, etc.. I live in central N. Carolina and have a 3000 sf fenced garden where my wife (she has the green thumb) and I grow a year’s worth of produce for us every year.
Amazing! Caring for the soil makes a massive difference in the outcome. Glad to hear you had success with these plants, and it’s inspiring to hear that you and your wife grow basically all of your own food.
Is whitehotpeppers.com the only source you have for these seeds? I hate to spend more on the shipping, than the seeds. I would like to find a vendor where I can get numerous varieties and “spread” the shipping. Also, what Habanero variety do you prefer? Thank you in advance.
…keep up the good work….
I grow several different hot peppers. Habanero is almost more than I can handle. I grow them for pleasure, dry and crush some into very small pieces for cooking. The rest I give away. I live in northwest WY, zone 5….we have had May 13 frost, 28 to 30 deg… so peppers are a challenge. I am going to go for the thermostat controlled heat pad. I dont think my “cheapie” pad may not put out enough heat. Looking forward to try your AJI peppers. I have gardened for years, I am 85 yrs old and my garden is my “entertainment.”
This looks so similar to the lemon drop, is it similar in taste? Because I hated the lemon drop. I found it tasted like potpourri or something. It’s one of the few I’m not going to grow again this year. I just want to make sure the aji pineapple isn’t similar so I’m not disappointed.
I probably wouldn’t risk it – these did have a bit of a floral flavor, so that may be the potpourri flavor you mention.