Natural form

Crushed red pepper flakes: deep red skin fragments and pale cream seeds mixed together.

Shows the defining physical form — irregular flakes of dried chili skin combined with round seeds — so readers instantly recognize the product.

Spices

Red Pepper Flakes

Crushed dried chili for a sprinkle of heat anywhere

Flaky and fiery, crushed red pepper sprinkles heat over pizza, pasta, and roasted vegetables, with little flecks of seed and skin. Keep them airtight and dark.

Red pepper flakes — crushed red pepper — are dried, coarsely crushed chilies, flecks of skin and seeds that scatter a bright, building heat over pizza, pasta, and roasted vegetables. Most pizzeria-style flakes are a blend of cayenne-type chilies; the heat comes from the chili’s placental membrane, fragments of which (along with capsaicin-coated seeds and skin) end up in the flakes. Unlike a fine powder, the flakes give visible specks and a slightly slower, textural burn. They bloom beautifully in warm oil — the base of many a quick aglio e olio or chili-oil drizzle — and finish a dish with a sprinkle. A pantry staple for casual, adjustable heat.

Measured in: g
Storage: Airtight

Find it in

Spices Seasoning

Types & varieties

Pizzeria crushed red pepper

The classic cayenne-blend flakes with seeds.

Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)

Coarse, fruity, mild-to-medium; for kimchi and Korean dishes — not interchangeable.

Aleppo or Maras pepper

Fruity, mild Middle Eastern flakes with a hint of oil.

How to use

Sizzle red pepper flakes in warm oil at the start of a sauce — aglio e olio, arrabbiata, chili oil — to bloom and spread their heat, or sprinkle them over a finished pizza, pasta, or pizza of roasted vegetables. The flakes build heat as they sit in a hot dish.

Bloom in warm oil for sauces and chili oil
Sprinkle to finish for adjustable heat
Most of the heat is in the seeds

Know your flakes

Generic crushed red pepper is hot and seed-heavy; specialty flakes like gochugaru, Aleppo, and Maras are fruitier and milder with their own character. Match the flake to the cuisine rather than swapping blindly.

Common uses

Pizza and pasta (arrabbiata, aglio e olio)Homemade chili oilRoasted vegetables and broccoli rabeMarinades and dry rubsSausage and meatball seasoningStir-friesPickles and giardiniera