Apart from adding spiciness and heat to the recipe, hot paprika will also act as a colorant to make your dish or sauce look more appetizing.

The use of capsaicin oleoresin extends beyond the culinary realm, as it is also utilized in various non-food applications. In the pharmaceutical industry, capsaicin oleoresin is used in topical creams and ointments for its potential analgesic properties, providing relief for muscle and joint discomfort. It is believed to work by desensitizing pain receptors in the skin, offering a warming sensation and temporary relief from minor aches and pains.

To recreate the spice of hot paprika, the best substitute is another dried chilli, like ground cayenne, aleppo pepper powder, crushed red pepper flakes, red chilli powder, or even a dash of hot sauce. If your recipe calls for smokiness and sweetness, try chipotle chilli powder or ancho pepper powder. Chipotle powder has a smoky taste, but is hotter than paprika with a more earthy flavour, lending itself to barbecue sauces, rubs and chillis. Due to the difference in heat, use a ¼ teaspoon of chipotle powder for every teaspoon of paprika and adjust depending on your taste buds.

If you’re looking to replicate the flavour of sweet paprika add a pinch of sugar or some honey. Adding mild chilli powder or tomato powder works too. Bell peppers are another great substitute for sweet paprika and they come from the same Capsicum annuum family. Mild, sweet and aromatic, bell peppers give the same delicious taste and aroma, while adding a splash of colour too. When buying your bell peppers, make sure they’re nice and ripe.

One of the best substitutes for paprika is cayenne pepper. It’s a spicy chilli pepper, used to flavour many different cuisines and quite similar in colour. It’s a lot stronger and hotter than paprika, so if you’re using it as a substitute in your cooking, make sure you use a lesser quantity. If you have a lower tolerance to spicy food, you can add salt, cream, chopped tomatoes or more liquid (water or broth) to try and dial down the heat.

Like paprika, chilli powder packs a lot of flavour and is another worthy substitute. It’s also not as spicy as cayenne pepper, so you can use the same quantities.  The same goes for cajun spices. A combination of black and white pepper, plus other herbs and spices, it can work as a good substitute for smoked or sweet paprika, offering a similar flavour. But you won’t get the same beautiful red colour – more of an orange, warm hue.

You can also use cumin instead of paprika. But it’s a lot hotter, so go easy on the quantities. Like cajun spices, you won’t achieve the gorgeous red colour of paprika, as cumin has more of a yellowy-brown colouring, but you’ll still get an earthy flavour with hints of bitterness and sweetness.

Paprika is Hungary’s national spice; you’ll find it on tables right next to the salt and pepper, and you can’t make time-honored Hungarian food, like goulash, without a heaping helping of paprika. Paprika peppers are grown all over the country though Kalocsa and Szeged, cities located in southern Hungary, are two of the most important regions for paprika production. 

Red paprika has a sweeter and milder flavor. It may be smoked, which will give it a different flavor altogether. Additionally, Hungarian sweet paprika is milder than Hungarian hot paprika. The hot variety can be hotter than jalapeno. Spanish paprika comes in mild, medium and hot variants.

Be sure to finely mince your garlic and grate your ginger (keep them separate)

Oleoresin Capsicum is available in various concentrations, typically measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which quantify the level of spiciness or heat in a pepper or pepper-derived product. The higher the SHU value, the greater the spiciness.

Another important factor to consider is the smoking process itself. High quality smoked paprika is made by slowly smoking the peppers over a wood fire, which imparts a deep, smoky flavor to the powder. A reputable exporter will use traditional smoking methods to ensure that the paprika retains its authentic flavor and aroma.

Now, to use cajun spice as a substitute for paprika, add it gradually to your recipe. Make a taste test before adding more. I usually start with one-eight of a teaspoon for every teaspoon of paprika the recipe calls for.