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July 3, 2022 · Date Modified July 11, 2022

How Hot is Wasabi? Spiciness on the Scoville Scale Explained

Wasabi, or Japanese horseradish, is a common ingredient used to add heat and an umami flavor to many dishes. You may have even been dared to eat a big spoonful of it at a restaurant (or maybe that’s just me). So naturally, you may be wondering, how hot is wasabi? 

The short answer…anecdotally, wasabi causes more discomfort than a Bell Pepper or Poblano Pepper. And a similar level of discomfort as most Jalapeño Peppers. 

wasabi on a spoon.
how hot is wasabi?

Chili peppers like jalapeños are measured with specific units of heat, and wasabi isn’t measured on the same scale. But let’s dive a bit deeper. 

We’re going to take an in-depth look at the spiciness level of wasabi, peppers and other spicy foods you’ve probably tried.

For more info and a spiciness comparison chart (for all of you who are visual learners), keep on reading! 


Jump To: hide
1 What is wasabi?
2 Why is wasabi spicy?
3 Why are chili peppers spicy?
4 What is the Scoville Scale?
5 How spicy is wasabi?
6 Comparing wasabi’s heat to chili peppers’ heat
7 Other Wasabi Questions
8 Summary

What is wasabi?

If you’ve ever been to a restaurant that serves Japanese cuisine or a Sushi Restaurant, then you’ve probably been served wasabi alongside ginger and soy sauce. 

Served in North America, wasabi is almost always a mixture of horseradish and green food coloring.

Wait what…?

Yes, real wasabi, or Wasabia Japonica, is actually a rare ingredient that is tricky to grow. Genuine wasabi plants are native to Japan. The plant is grown globally, but the supply often can’t meet the demand. 

wasabi rhizomes.
Wasabi Rhizomes

The rhizome, or the root-like part of the plant, is what is grated into the wasabi we know and love.

  • When grated, fresh wasabi actually loses its pungency in about 15-20 minutes.
  • The strong taste of genuine wasabi is fresh, clean, earthy and unmatched (unlike imitation wasabi). 
  • Wasabi is usually sold as a rhizome, in powder form, or as a ready-to-use bright green paste that’s a similar consistency to tomato paste. 
wasabi paste in a white bowl.
wasabi paste

Why is wasabi spicy?

The wasabi paste you’re probably familiar with (vs. true wasabi) comes from a plant similar to spicy mustard, radishes, and horseradish, which produces a chemical called ‘allyl isothiocyanate’.

This chemical creates a heat different from chili peppers:

  • When the plant is cut or grated, it releases chemicals which can be quite irritating to your nose and eyes and creates a burning sensation.   
  • Because wasabi and peppers have different chemicals that affect our taste buds, the spiciness of wasabi is a different sensation than the spiciness of peppers.
horseradish.
horseradish

What kind of heat is wasabi?

Wasabi has a different type of heat than peppers.

Similar to horseradish, the burning sensation from wasabi is shorter in duration, only lasting a few moments.

The chemicals in wasabi create an aromatic effect, and thus, have a reaction located in the nostrils more than the back of the throat or the mouth. The burning sensation often clears your nasal passages. 

Compare this to a hot pepper, where the burning sensation can last minutes or more and is usually located in the mouth. 


Jalapeño Peppers
Jalapeño Peppers

Why are chili peppers spicy?

Peppers contain a chemical compound called capsaicin which causes the sensation of spiciness.

The capsaicin is found in the white membranes and on the seeds (which contact the membranes) of the pepper. 

The heat level of peppers is measured on the Scoville Scale.
graph of common spicy foods.
How Hot is Wasabi?

What is the Scoville Scale?

The Scoville Scale was developed as a way to measure the spiciness of chili peppers. The scale has a number rating in Scoville Heat Units (or SHUs). These Scoville Units measure the capsaicin content in the peppers. 

Wilbur Scoville created the Scoville Scale in 1912. If you’d like to learn more about the origins of the Scoville Scale, you can read more about it in this Masterclass Article.

The modern Scoville Scale

Scoville Heat Units are used today to compare the heat level of different hot sauce brands and chili peppers like Jalapeños and Habanero peppers. Compared to other peppers on the scale, Jalapeños are actually considered mild! See below for the chart of the most common peppers are their heat rating:

chili peppers.
chili peppers

How spicy is wasabi?

Wasabi Scoville Value

Because wasabi is not a pepper (and doesn’t contain any capsaicin content), it’s not on the Scoville scale.

So, since it’s not on the Scoville Scale, how do we compare wasabi’s heat levels to other foods we know and love? 

Different Types of Heat

As we just mentioned above, the different types of heat are created by different chemicals. Below are common foods and the chemical that creates the burning sensation it’s associated with:

Food GroupChemical
Wasabi, Horseradish, RadishesAllyl Isothiocyanate
Chili PeppersCapsaicin
Peppercorns (like Black Pepper)Piperine
GingerGingerol
Onions & GarlicAllicin

Each chemical creates a different burning sensation. We can compare these various sensations by creating heat attributes and descriptors.

Heat Profile and Descriptions

There are 5 attributes that are often used to describe the heat profiles of chili peppers (and other foods).

We can use these attributes to help compare where wasabi’s heat falls in relation to these other foods.

Heat AttributeDescription
1. DevelopmentImmediate reaction or delayed by 5, 15, 30s or longer
2. DurationSensation lasts for a short time, or for many minutes or hours
3. LocationWhere the heat is felt: nasal passage, lips, front of mouth, tip of tongue, mid-palate, or the throat
4. FeelingSharp pin pricks or flat sensation as if the heat is being smeared with a brush
5. IntensityDescribed in Scoville Heat Units or commercially labeled mild, medium, hot, or extra hot
Source: Science Direct

Let’s take a look at the Habanero Pepper’s heat attributes as an example.

  • In general, chili peppers have a delayed flat heat, that lingers in the back of the throat or the tip of the tongue.
  • Wasabi’s heat, on the other hand, is said to develop rapidly, last for a brief duration, and have a sharp sensation located in the nasal passage.

Comparing wasabi’s heat to chili peppers’ heat

As we’ve mentioned before, Wasabi is not a pepper and cannot be measured on the Scoville Scale. All we have to go on are subjective approximations. Wasabi is said to have a heat level similar to Jalapeño Peppers which fall between 2,500 SHU and 8,000 SHU .

Given that range, let’s take a look as some common chili peppers, and approximate if wasabi is hotter than said pepper.

Bell peppers
bell peppers.
bell peppers
FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Bell Pepper≈ 0 SHUNo
Banana peppers
banana peppers.
banana peppers
FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Banana Pepper≈ 100-500 SHUNo
Jalapeño peppers
jalapeño peppers.
jalapeño peppers
FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Jalapeño Pepper≈ 2,500 – 8,000 SHUMaybe

habanero peppers
habanero peppers.
habanero peppers

FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Habanero Pepper≈ 100,000 – 350,000 SHUYes
ghost pepper
ghost pepper.
ghost pepper.
FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Ghost Pepper≈ 850,000 – 1,040,000 SHUYes
Carolina Reaper
carolina reaper.
carolina reaper
FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Carolina Reaper≈ 1,600,000 – 2,200,000 SHUYes

Ted-Ed Video of Spiciness Explained

Watch this Ted-Ed video to learn the science behind spiciness!


Other Foods:

Even though other foods like black pepper and ginger contain different chemicals than peppers, their heat sensation is closer to chili peppers than wasabi. So, we can more accurately approximate where they fall on the Scoville Scale.

Fresh Ginger
fresh and ground ginger.
fresh and ground ginger
FoodScoville ScaleHotter than Wasabi?
Fresh Ginger≈ 60,000 SHUYes
Ground Ginger≈ 160,000 SHUYes
Black Pepper
black peppercorn in a bowl.
black peppercorn
FoodScoville RatingHotter than Wasabi?
Black Pepper≈ 100,000 SHUYes
Tabasco Hot Sauce
tabasco in a jar.
tabasco sauce
FoodScoville RatingHotter than Wasabi?
Tabasco Peppers≈ 30,000-50,000 SHUYes
Tabasco Hot Sauce≈ 100 – 8000 SHUMaybe

Other Wasabi Questions

What is wasabi?

Genuine wasabi plants are native to Japan. The plant is grown globally, but the supply often can’t meet the demand. 

Is most wasabi fake?

Served in North America, wasabi is almost always a mixture of horseradish and green food coloring.

What makes wasabi spicy?

The wasabi paste you’re probably familiar with has chemical called ‘allyl isothiocyanate’ which irritates our nasal passages.


Summary

  • Spicy foods cause different reactions in our bodies because they contain different chemicals.
Food GroupChemical
Wasabi, Horseradish, RadishesAllyl Isothiocyanate
Chili PeppersCapsaicin
Peppercorns (like Black Pepper)Piperine
GingerGingerol
Onions & GarlicAllicin
  • Spiciness of chili peppers is measured on the Scoville Scale.
  • The heat levels of onions and garlic are measured on the Pyruvate Scale.
  • Wasabi isn’t on either of these scales, so its heat can’t be compared directly to chili peppers or onions and garlic.
  • Wasabi’s heat is sharp, shorter in duration, located in the nasal passage, and relatively mild.
  • Chili peppers often have a delayed flat heat, that lingers in the back of the throat or the tip of the tongue.
  • It’s been said that wasabi’s heat is similar to Jalapeño Peppers (2,500-8,000 SHUs).
how hot is wasabi compared to peppers.
how hot is wasabi?
Sources:
  • Masterclass, ‘A Guide to the Scoville Scale: How Spicy Peppers Are Ranked’
  • FieryFlavors, ‘What Is Horseradish?’
  • Pepper Scale, ‘Pepper Heat Vs. Horseradish Heat: PepperScale Showdown’
  • Science Notes, ‘Scoville Scale for Peppers and Other Hot Chemicals’
  • Science Direct, ‘Sensory properties of chile pepper heat – and its importance to food quality and cultural preference.’

Posted In: Food Tips, Resources · Tagged: food tips, scoville scale, wasabi

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