The exotic. The unique. A tempting spice that’s never been sampled before.  I’m talking about hot peppers that you could never find at your local grocery store. To get the sensations that a true heat seeker craves, we sometimes have to take extra steps. Maybe a recipe needs a twist that can’t be faked. Maybe another pepper needs checked off the scoville bucket list. Good news heat seekers: there are sources that do ship fresh chile peppers online!

Below are online retailers that specialize in shipping hot fresh chile peppers. Just be aware that many sellers only offer fresh chile peppers while they are in season. That means in the US, it starts as early as April through most of  October, depending on where they are grown. Warmer climates and places that don’t have frost may have peppers available longer. There can also be periods during the season when no peppers are available due to the natural cycle of the plant.

Purchasing frozen peppers (see The Chile Guy, below) makes them available year-round.

TIP: Have your fresh chile peppers delivered to somewhere where you will be able to receive them in person. The last thing you want is your peppers to be baking in the sun on your porch or, worse, in a hot mailbox. That would be no good for your spicy nuggets!

Remember, this is fresh produce being shipped all over the country. Sometimes, one or two peppers may be lost to rot or get damaged if the post office gets a little too frisky with the package. It’s not common, but it can happen. Returns or exchanges are typically also not allowed since these are perishable items.

Note: many chile pepper sellers will only ship on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays because Priority mail takes 2-3 business days. This is to ensure that the peppers are not sitting for any extra time at mail sorting facilities over the weekend.

Please explore the following companies shipping fresh chile peppers across the U.S.! Wanting to purchase fresh chile peppers online in Europe? Check out PepperWorld Hot Shop below.

ChilePlants.comJanie and Fernando are a husband and wife team with a small nursery, Cross Country Nurseries, located in rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey. They have been growing chiles since 1993, and offering their products by mail order since 1997. They offer several of the hottest peppers in the world year-round, plus pepper plants, seeds, and much more.

Since 1989, Pepper Joe’s has been selling super hot pepper seeds from all over the world. This June Pepper Joe’s will begin offering fresh super hot peppers for sale at PepperJoes.com. With nearly 100 super hot varieties, Pepper Joe’s give you the opportunity to try out these exotic peppers. In addition to fresh peppers, Pepper Joe’s offers live plants (when in season) and seeds for purchase.

GhostPepperFarmsGhostPepperFarms is a father & son farming operation located in central Florida. They grow one of the hottest pepper species in the world, including one of my personal favorites: the Ghost pepper (aka Bhut Jolokia). Chiliheads out there can order fresh ghost peppers starting in June or live ghost pepper Chile plants (April – June). Wholesale purchases also welcome.

Baker's PeppersLocated in Florida, Baker’s Peppers offers fresh peppers delivered to your door when in season, which is in the Spring. They currently state around April 1st their peppers should be available for sale. Baker’s Peppers specializes in fresh, super hot peppers like the Reapers and Scorpions. They also offer pepper plants, seeds, dried peppers, and seasonings

Bohica Pepper Hut LogoLocated in South Carolina, Bohica Pepper Hut offers fresh peppers delivered to your door when in season. Shipments begin approximately late June / early July. Free shipping always on every order. Jason Tate, owner, founder, farmer, etc…started his first Super Hot pepper plants about 6 years ago.  He now currently is growing over 250 varieties in his garden and all over his property. Bohica Pepper Hut offers a large variety of pepper seeds, fresh and dried pepper pods to customers all across the United States.

A&M Farms LogoLocated in Alabama, A&M Farms offers fresh peppers delivered to your door when in season. Mixed boxes are available according to crop production. Each mixed box may include any of the following: Carolina Reaper, 7 Pot Primo Yellow, 7 Pot Primo Red, Red Ghost, Red Scorpion, Dragon Cayenne, Habanero, Serrano, Hot Lemon. Additional varieties will be added for online ordering as they are harvested. They also offer sauces, seeds, spices and powders

Looking for non-dried, chopped and frozen New Mexico and certified Hatch Green Chiles? The Chile Guy is for you! Available in packages of 5, 10 and 25 pounds. For commercial customers they can also send pallets or even whole truckloads. Also available: dried chile peppers, powders, & pepper flakes.

Located in Illinois, Ghost Pepper Store offers fresh Ghost Pepper Storehot chile peppers delivered to your door while in season. Their peppers should be available for sale by July. Ghost Pepper Store mainly specializes in a good variety of fresh super hot peppers. They also offer dried peppers, smoked peppers, powders and seeds.

Homesweet HomegrownLocated in Kutztown, PA, Homesweet Homegrown was started by Robyn Jasko, founder of Grow Indie. Be part of the world’s first chile pepper CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and get a share of their chile pepper harvest. Each month during the growing season, you’ll get a box of 18 hot peppers ranging from the mild to the blazing hot, shipped to your door. Each shipment includes a detailed history of each pepper, recipes for making your own hot sauce, storage info, and more!

PepperWorld Hot ShopLocated in Germany, PepperWorld Hot Shop ships fresh hot peppers across Europe. They offer Carolina Reapers, Trinidad Scorpions, Bhut Jolokia, 7 Pot Primo, fresh Cayenne Peppers, Hot Lemon, many habanero varieties, Peter peppers, and much more. They offer a huge assortment of gourmet foods, pepper seeds, pepper plants, sauces, spices and more.