Americans search Google for “ghost chili” about 60,500 times a month, and in scout's TikTok sample of 6,091 videos the 46 that mention ghost peppers had about 38 million views. You can buy it three ways: whole dried pods, ground powder for cooking, or seeds to grow your own.
Price tables: SpicyExtreme foods
At a glance
| Product | Claim | Lowest eBay | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
 Dried Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolokia) | 855,000 to 1,040,000 SHU | $9.49 | Check price |
 Ghost Pepper Powder | ground ghost pepper | $9.95 | Check price |
 Ghost Pepper Seeds | Capsicum chinense | $3.00 | Check price |
How the ghost pepper challenge works
The format is the same one later used for the Carolina Reaper:
- Eat one whole ghost pepper, fresh or dried, on camera.
- Start a timer and hold off on milk or water as long as you can.
- Say how it feels every minute until the burn fades.
Do it safely
- Wear gloves to handle pods or powder, and keep them away from your eyes.
- Have milk, yogurt or bread ready; stop if you feel chest pain, vomit or feel faint.
- Not for children.
Ghost pepper products
Dried Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolokia)
Whole dried pods, the form most challenge videos use. Wikipedia lists the ghost pepper at 855,000 to 1,040,000 Scoville units, so one pod is enough to heat a big pot of chili.
Ghost Pepper Powder
The same pepper ground fine, for cooking rather than daring. Check the label for pure ghost pepper, not a seasoning blend.
Ghost Pepper Seeds
Grow your own. The ghost pepper is a Capsicum chinense, like the habanero; Wikipedia says the Indian strain varies a lot in fruit size and yield.
We earn a commission on purchases through these links. eBay prices (item + shipping) read from our latest check; Amazon links open a search, so check the price there. Listed in no particular order. Each figure is the maker’s or the named source’s claim, as of 2026-11-11.
How hot is that?
Scoville heat units on a log scale: each step right is a multiple, not an addition.
Pepper Sauce or candy On this page
- Tabasco sauce
2,500 to 5,000 SHU · source - Jalapeño
about 5,000 SHU · source - Blair's Mega Death
550,000 SHU · source - Blair's Ultra Death
1,100,000 SHU · source - Carolina Reaper
1,641,183 (average) SHU · source - Blair's Crystal Death
2,000,000 SHU · source - Hot Ones The Last Dab
2,000,000+ SHU · source - Pepper X
2,693,000 average SHU · source - Lil' Nitro gummy bear
9,000,000 (extract rating) SHU · source - Mad Dog 357 Plutonium No. 9
9,000,000 SHU · source - Toe of Satan lollipop
9,000,000 (extract) SHU · source - World's Hottest Chocolate Bar
9,000,000 (extract) SHU · source - Blair's 16 Million Reserve (sold out)
about 16,000,000 SHU · source
Good to know
- Figures from Wikipedia's Ghost pepper page (edited 26 September 2026): 1,041,427 SHU in a 2004 HPLC test; 855,000 SHU reported in 2000.
- Search figure: Google Keyword Planner, average monthly US searches for “ghost chili”, 2026-11-11. TikTok figure: scout's pulls through 2026-11-10.
Watch the ghost pepper challenge
▶Ghost Pepper Chilli ShowdownGuinness World Records · YouTube · 2021
▶The Ghost Pepper ChallengeGood Mythical Morning · YouTube · 2013Videos open on YouTube. We don't make or endorse them; they show what the challenge looks like.
More extremes
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Sources
- Wikipedia: Ghost pepper, read 2026-11-11: “In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce.”