Let’s talk about a popular cooking staple and the different types of paprika you need level up your kitchen game. All paprika comes from dried and ground red chili peppers, and the difference between sweet, hot, and smoked paprika depends on the variety of red chili used to make the spice blend – let’s get into it.
What is Paprika?
Paprika is a powdered spice that comes from ground red peppers. It’s a popular ground spice used to flavor recipes like eggs, meat, poultry, stew, fish, soup, vegetables, rice, and creamy sauces. While you can reach for generic paprika at the grocery store, you should know about the different types of paprika and how to use them.
Different Types of Paprika
While paprika is a widely used spice, many don’t realize there are several distinct types, each with a unique flavor profile and culinary use. Maybe you are following a recipe that requires a specific kind of paprika and want to know the difference. Similar to my collection of recipes using garam masala, check out the different types of paprika and recipe ideas for how to use them:
1. Sweet Paprika
When shopping or making a recipe that calls for paprika, and it is unspecified, it’s likely referring to sweet paprika. Recipes often use the mild version of the ground spice to garnish dishes like deviled eggs, butter bean hummus, and potato salad. Home cooks also use it to add color to meals such as grilled tandoori chicken without altering the flavor.
2. Hot Paprika
Hot paprika, spicy or piquant paprika, is made from spicy chile peppers such as cayenne or jalapeño peppers. The ground spice can add a fiery kick to dishes and bring the heat, depending on where producers source them.
Rindsgulasch
Thick cuts of tender beef simmer to perfection in a rich and flavorful gravy infused with traditional hot and sweet paprika and peppery caraway – finish our rindsgulasch recipe with butter-infused egg noodles or mashed potatoes for the ultimate comfort meal.
If you enjoy this article, try one of these homemade spice blends!
3. Smoked Paprika
Dry and smoke red peppers to make smoked paprika. Smoked paprika producers use sweet and spicy red peppers, but if your container is not labeled hot or spicy, you can assume it contains smoked sweet peppers. Add the smoky flavor to roasted jerk chicken or baked tandoori chicken without smoking or cooking them over an open flame or grill.
Peruvian Chicken
Pollo a la brasa, or Peruvian chicken, marinates in vinegar and traditional spices before roasting in the oven until golden brown. Serve the spatchcocked chicken with spicy serrano crema.
Air Fryer Sausage Patties
Evenly browned and cooked to perfection, hand-mixed sausage patties feature ground turkey, fresh garlic, olive oil, and warm spices like smoked paprika.
4. Hungarian Paprika
Hungary is a source for paprika all over the world. Hungarian paprika, in particular, is one of the main ingredients for some of the country’s most popular meals, including paprikash and Hungarian Goulash. The ground spice comes in eight grades, each with its flavor profile and heat level.
Austrian Goulash in the Instant Pot
Austrian goulash features boneless short ribs simmered Viennese-style in a paprika-spiced gravy until the beef is fork-tender.
5. Spanish Paprika (Pimentón)
Pimentón is a type of paprika from Spain. The smoked ground spice comes in three varieties: dulce (sweet), agrodolce (bittersweet or mild), and Picante (hot). Pimentón de la vera is the chile used to make paprika in Spain. The peppers are dried and smoked over burning oak wood, as is tradition to flavor Spanish meals like paella and chorizo.
Spanish Chicken Bake
Hearty Spanish chicken bake is easy to prepare and boasts comforting, earthy flavors in this healthy one-pot meal.
Photo Credit: My Pocket Kitchen
Vegetable Paella with Halloumi
Vegetable paella with halloumi features vibrant vegetables cooked with Spanish rice and flavorful spices.
Photo Credit: J Cooking Odyssey
Paprika Substitutes
If you don’t have paprika, here are a few suggestions for what to use when you’re in a pinch. When a recipe calls for hot paprika, use cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or Aleppo powder. If you need a smoky option, try red chili powder, chipotle powder, or ancho chili powder. Kashmiri chili powder is a popular Indian spice to try instead of sweet paprika.
How Can I Use Paprika
- Create marinades for meals like oven baked drumsticks using olive oil, fresh garlic, smoked paprika, and other spices.
- Use the ground spice to make creamy sauces such as BBQ aioli.
- Paprika is the perfect addition to spice blends, including Jamaican jerk seasoning and blackened seasoning.
- Use the ground spice to deepen the color and enhance the flavor of soup and stew dishes like kedjenou.
Storage
Store paprika in a cool, dry place in an airtight container. Spices lose their freshness over time, so it’s best to use paprika within six months for best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is paprika spicy?
Paprika comes in three main types: sweet, mild, and spicy. It’s safe to assume that the paprika in grocery stores will be sweet rather than spicy unless the packaging says otherwise.
Where does paprika come from?
Dried peppers are ground into a powder to make paprika, a spice to flavor popular meals. The most common pepper used to make paprika is the capsicum annuum, a pepper cultivated in Central and Southern Mexico. Thanks to trade routes, paprika is one of the most commonly used spices in kitchens around the world.
Recipes Using Different Types of Paprika: