The Common Veggie Paprika Is Made From Might Surprise You

There's actually a lot that you need to know about paprika if it's a go-to spice in your day-to-day cooking at home. For instance, there are different types with varying levels of smokiness, spiciness, and even sweetness. But out of all of the facts a bonafide home cook might want to know about paprika, the relatively common vegetable that the spice is procured from might be the most surprising: Red bell peppers.

That's right, the red bell peppers that you likely use in dishes like vegetable stir fry are often turned into paprika. To dive deeper, varieties of paprika are made from ripened red bell peppers because they have a milder flavor and spice level compared to hotter varieties — plus they give it that color we all recognize. However, the spice can actually be made from various peppers that are also part of the capsicum annuum plant family. This category also contains other peppers, like chilis, which are used to make hot paprika for more spice in your food.

So how does the bright red bell pepper turn into that powder spice that's in your kitchen cabinet? It starts with ripened peppers that are dried for at least several hours and up to a couple of days to dehydrate them. They can sit out and take quite a while to dry, or the process can be sped up with an oven, dehydrator, or even an air fryer. For smoked paprika, specifically, the peppers are roasted over an oak fire.

After the red bell peppers (or other pepper variety) are finished dehydrating, the vegetable is finely ground with a spice grinder. For mass-produced paprika, the prepared spice will likely be combined with a preservative to keep it fresh and to keep the granules separate for easy use. The result is the smoky, spicy, or sweet paprika that you have likely tasted many times. Depending on if a bell pepper or another variety is used, the finished product could be Hungarian, Spanish, or regular paprika.

And now that you know what exactly is in that jar in your spice cabinet, use it to give a pop of color and flavor to your next dish of deviled eggs or to give layers of flavor to smoky romesco sauce — all thanks to the varieties of peppers that we all eat quite often.