Chili pepper vs. Cayenne pepper — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Cayenne pepper is nearly eight times higher in calories than chili pepper. Cayenne pepper contains 318 calories, while chili pepper provides 40 calories per 100g. Cayenne pepper is considered a high-calorie food, but because people consume it in a tiny amount, calories can be neglected.

Fats

Cayenne pepper has 17.3g of fats per 100g, while the same amount of chili pepper provides less than one gram.

Both cayenne pepper and chili pepper do not provide cholesterol.

Carbs

Cayenne pepper contains 56.6g of carbs per 100g, whereas chili pepper provides only 8.8g of carbs. Once consumed in small amounts, cayenne pepper and chili pepper are not considered foods with high carbohydrate amounts.

Minerals

Cayenne pepper contains more calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and copper.

Chili pepper contains less sodium.

You can check the mineral comparison chart below.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Chili pepper

1

100 g 300 g 1 pepper - 45g0.5 cup, chopped or diced - 75g

Cayenne pepper

9

100 g 300 g 0.25 tsp - 0.5g1 tbsp - 5.3g

Contains less SodiumSodium

-70%

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+560.9%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+957.1%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+525.5%
Contains more IronIron	+657.3%
Contains more CopperCopper	+189.1%
Contains more ZincZinc	+853.8%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+581.4%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+969.5%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+1660%

Vitamins

Cayenne pepper is significantly higher in vitamins A, E, K, B1, B2, B3, and B6.

Chili pepper is higher in vitamin C. It provides two times more vitamin C than cayenne pepper.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Chili pepper

2

100 g 300 g 1 pepper - 45g0.5 cup, chopped or diced - 75g

Cayenne pepper

9

100 g 300 g 0.25 tsp - 0.5g1 tbsp - 5.3g

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+88.1%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+∞%

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+4235.4%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+4223.2%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+355.6%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+968.6%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+599.4%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+384.2%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+473.6%
Contains more FolateFolate	+360.9%
Contains more CholineCholine	+372.5%

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Pain relief

Cayenne pepper and chili pepper contain capsaicinoids, but capsaicin is the most abundant in peppers (3). It binds with pain receptors making them insensitive to any form of pain (4). You should consider that the desensitization effect is not permanent: according to a study, pain receptors were reversed three days after capsaicin consumption stopped (5).

Antioxidants

Both cayenne pepper and chili pepper are rich in antioxidants. These are compounds fighting against oxidative stress, cancer, and inflammation.

Cayenne pepper is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that may have anticancer effects and promote heart health (6) (7).

Chili pepper contains capsanthin - the primary carotenoid in them. It has powerful anti-cancer properties. It also provides ferulic acid, which may help protect against various diseases.