47 Spicy Recipes to Make You Sweat
Were you one of those kids who wouldn’t touch spicy recipes with a 10-foot pole? Buffalo wings, hot pickles, tomato sauce with even a pinch of red pepper flakes—you didn’t want a drop of heat. Well, did you know spice tolerance isn’t inflexible? Quite the opposite, it’s more like a muscle that wants to be exercised in order to grow strong. (Some parents have known this all along.) Start slow, work your way up to actually hot hot sauce, and pretty soon you’ll be emptying a jar of homemade chili crisp on your eggs in the morning and adding mashed-up chiles to your fruit salad. From there you’ll be ready to make your own pickled chiles and harissa for topping all sorts of dishes.
And if you’re here because you already carry hot sauce in your bag (three types, each made from a different variety of chile)—well, you came to the right place. Here are our favorite tongue-tingling spicy recipes.
Photograph by Scott Semler, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Erica Lutz1/47Spicy Salmon Hand Rolls
If you’re new to gochugaru, Korean red chile flakes, we suggest heading to your nearest Asian market to get some. Then make this spicy recipe, which is a good way to discover how deliciously fruity, sweet, and smoky gochugaru can be. (Seriously, prepare to be forever changed.)
Photograph by Cody Guilfoyle, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie, Food Styling by Thu Buser2/47Spicy Kimchi Sujebi
Making your own noodles doesn’t need to be arduous. Sujebi is a great one for beginners since the dough is torn, not painstakingly shaped, and it gets tossed into bubbling broth to cook.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie4/47Spicy Tomato Feta Pasta
Remember the baked feta pasta that went viral on TikTok back in 2022? We thought it was missing something, and that something was heat. So, we added Calabrian chile paste, which melts right into the dish.
Photograph by Matthew Keough, food styling by Drew Aichele, prop styling by Emma Ringness5/47Kung Pao Tempeh
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Frances Boswell, prop styling by Sophie Strangio6/47Burnt Masala Wings
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell, Prop Styling by Suzie Myers8/47Slicked and Spicy Lamb Noodles
The heat in this weeknight pasta recipe comes from crushed red pepper flakes, which bloom in hot oil with cumin seeds and smoked paprika.
Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca10/47Hot-and-Sour Fruit Salad
Photograph by Cody Guilfoyle, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie, Food Styling by Thu Buser12/47Hot-Oil-Seared Biang Biang Noodles
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Jesse Szewczyk, prop styling by Hazel Zavala and Caroline Newton13/47Chile-Cheese Cookies
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski15/47Pickled Hot Chiles
Keep a jar of these pickled chiles in your fridge to toss on Italian hoagies, sheet-tray nachos, or any kind of taco you’re making next Tuesday.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht17/47Spicy Salmon Roll Bowl
There are two layers of heat in this spicy recipe: chile-flecked shichimi togarashi, a Japanese pepper blend, and an oil-based chile crisp such as Lao Gan Ma.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Sean Dooley, Food Styling Emilie Fosnocht18/47Extra-Saucy Baked Chicken Wings
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams19/47Spicy Shrimp Endive Spears
Gochujang has entered the chat. Mixed with mayo to make a spicy sauce for chopped shrimp, the fermented red chili-bean paste is what makes these veggie spears such enticing cocktail party appetizers.
Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca20/47Sri Lankan–Style Black Pork Curry
Ted Cavanaugh21/47Sweet and Spicy Bacon Kebabs With Scallion-Ginger Relish
Can’t you just imagine what an ice-cold martini would be like with these salty, crispy bacon skewers? These ones with boneless pork shoulder would work too.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones23/47Mala Beef Hot Pot Broth
This fiery red broth is a labor of love, but it’s worth it—your hot pot spread depends on a rich, flavorful base.
Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca24/47Spicy Beef Noodle Soup With Mushrooms
What’s not to love about a spicy recipe that leaves you with leftovers of a dried bird chile condiment? You can use it to wake up your scrambled eggs and avocado toast the next morning.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kendra Vaculin, prop styling by Emma Ringness25/47Ginger-Garlic Fire Cod
Modeled after Hunan-style steamed fish, this fiery, weeknight-friendly dinner is rounded out with a cucumber salad and steamed white rice. But more about the fiery part: We swapped traditional duò jiāo for Calabrian chile paste, a more readily available fermented chile product.
Photograph by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen28/47Creamy Chili Crisp Pasta
Spaghetti, Greek yogurt, salt, water, and chili crisp—we like the Lao Gan Ma brand for its funky fermented soybeans—are all you need to make this ever-so-slightly spicy food.
Photograph by Alex Huang, Food Styling by Tiffany Schleigh, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro29/47Italian Long Hots With Tahini Yogurt
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Judy Kim, prop styling by Nicole Louie30/47Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones31/47Spicy-Sweet Sambal Pork Noodles
Store-bought ramen—we like Sun Noodles, manufactured in Carlstadt, New Jersey—soak up fiery, tangy-sweet flavors of pad kee mao (a.k.a. drunken noodles) and meaty tomato sauce.
Eva Kolenko32/47Fresh-Chile Hot Sauce
Once you have the basic method down, experiment in the kitchen with the chiles and flavors you love the most. (Habanero and mango, anyone?) And speaking of spicy sauces, here are some of the best ready-made BBQ sauces, in our humble opinions.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich33/47Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
The concentrated heat from the garlicky sambal oelek finds harmony with rice and crisp lettuce, both of which help cool off your tongue between bites.
Photo by Alex Lau34/47Spicy Grapefruit Shandy
When you’re craving a refreshing cocktail that’s low ABV, think of the shandy. This version gets its kick from pickled ginger to turn light beer into your favorite warm-weather sipper.
Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou35/47Spicy Braised Tofu
Not that you really need convincing, but this recipe is reason enough to stock up on a few packages of tofu. It will quickly go into your weeknight supper rotation. (And then there are all of these tofu recipes too.)
Alex Lau36/47Kimchi Udon With Scallions
Kimchi comes in a range of heat levels, so those looking for a little punishment with their comfort food should opt for super spicy kimchi.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Gerri K Williams37/47Chipotle-Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime38/47Spicy Braised Eggplant Noodles
A few store-bought pantry items such as gochujang, tomato paste, and miso will help you get this vegetarian pasta dinner on your table (and in your belly) tonight.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Aneta Florczyk39/47Hot Honey Wings
Photo by Alex Lau, , Food Styling by Sue Li42/47Shrimp and Basil Stir-Fry
Don’t let the sweet basil fool you—this shrimp recipe means business. The sauce, which comes together after a whirl in the blender, turns a deep brick red in the pan and clings to the seafood so you get heat in every bite.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco, prop styling by Emily Eisen44/47Spicy Pork Bowl With Greens and Carrots
This easy weeknight dinner will make you the household hero. By leaning on inexpensive pork tenderloin and store-bought sambal oelek and gochujang as your spice elements, you’ll have dinner ready in the time it takes to cook your rice.
Photograph by Shawn Michael Jones, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca46/47Salsa-Grilled Chicken Thighs
Photograph by Vanessa Granda, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua47/47Green Chile Pasta
