Golden Cayenne
Also known as Yellow Cayenne · Cayenne Golden
Golden Cayenne is a Capsicum annuum cayenne type that ripens gold instead of red. Slim, mostly smooth pods are used fresh, in sauce, and dried for yellow flakes and powder.
Growing
~80 days to maturity
Fruit size
8–15 cm
Flavor & Use
Sharp cayenne heat with a sweeter, more citrus edge than the usual red type.
Culinary
About
Pods run 4 to 6 inches, slim and tapered, often with a slight curl. They start green and ripen to golden yellow, with smoother skin and thinner walls than many red cayennes. Heat is hot, with a familiar cayenne bite plus a little sweetness and citrus. Plants are productive and open-pollinated. Compact commercial strains stay about 18 to 24 inches. Garden strains can reach 3 to 4 feet and may need a stake.
Backstory
Catalogs treat Golden Cayenne as a U.S. garden line with no published breeder. USDA listed a United States accession under that name in 2005, with no pedigree attached. The packet name now covers open-pollinated garden seed and compact commercial strains. It is not the same pepper as Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnamese yellow cayenne Fedco introduced in 2007.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreNothing reputable documents a pedigree for this pepper.
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Golden Cayenne?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 30,000–85,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
- What does Golden Cayenne taste like?
- Sharp cayenne heat with a sweeter, more citrus edge than the usual red type.
- How do I grow Golden Cayenne?
- Golden Cayenne: about 80 days to maturity, temperate climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Golden Cayenne?
- Cayenne