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🌶️ 5th-gen Hatch Valley farm🧊 Roasted, frozen, jarred year-round✓ 100% Certified Hatch chile📦 Buy more, save up to 30%★ 4.7 · 31,800+ verified reviews
What "Hatch Green Chile" Actually Means
Hatch chile isn't a single variety — it's a geographic designation. The Hatch Valley is a 40-mile stretch of mineral-rich Rio Grande bottomland in Sierra and Doña Ana counties, southern New Mexico, where high-alkaline desert soil, elevation, intense summer sun, and wide day-to-night temperature swings produce a flavor profile distinctly different from peppers grown anywhere else. The variety determines the heat level — Big Jim, Sandia, Lumbre, and others, all developed at NMSU. The valley determines the flavor.
Our family has farmed this valley since 1917, when great-great-grandfather Joseph Franzoy planted the valley's first commercial chile crop. After harvest, pods go to our packing shed in Garfield, NM for cleaning and grading; frozen products are processed at Amigo's Mexican Foods in Deming, NM, a family-run facility in operation since 1978. Every product is Certified Hatch — nothing imported, nothing relabeled, nothing blended with off-valley peppers.
Heat levels range from Mild (1904, Joe Parker, NuMex 6-4) through Medium (Big Jim, ~6,500 SHU) and Hot (Sandia Select, ~9,500 SHU) to X-Hot (Lumbre, 12,000+ SHU). The three varieties below — Sandia, Big Jim, and the fresh harvest — are the backbone of what we ship nationwide.
Sandia: New Mexico's Original Hot Chile
Sandia is the variety Hatch Valley growers have planted since 1956, when NMSU breeder Dr. Roy Harper crossed New Mexico No. 9 with an Anaheim-type cultivar to create a pepper built for drying into the dark-red ristras and powders that define red chile cooking. The name was simplified from "Sandia A" to just Sandia in 1967 — a nod to the Sandia Mountains east of Albuquerque, whose peaks glow watermelon-pink at sunset (the Spanish word sandía means "watermelon").
At approximately 6,500 Scoville Heat Units per NMSU CR706, Sandia delivers the kind of direct, confident heat that locals expect when they answer "Red or Green?" and mean it. Our family has grown Sandia on Franzoy land in the Hatch Valley for generations — connected by both soil and blood to the Biad family, whose seed program helped NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute develop NuMex Sandia Select, a thicker-walled successor with 40% higher yields and the same reliable heat.
The Sandia Select restoration took eight years (2001–2014) at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center under Dr. Paul Bosland — "the Chileman" — and researcher Danise Coon, who planted 450 plants of commercially drifted Sandia seed and selected for thicker fruit walls, longer pods, and consistent heat. The result, released in 2014 and published in HortScience, came in at 9,500 SHU — hotter than the original — and roasted and peeled as cleanly as any green chile variety on the market.
For the full Sandia deep dive — eight thousand words on Dr. Harper, the Franzoy and Biad families, the Formulo sisters, and why Sandia Select rebuilt New Mexico's hot chile — visit our dedicated Sandia collection.
Big Jim: The Chile That Put Hatch on the Map
Big Jim was developed in 1975 at New Mexico State University by Dr. Roy Nakayama and Hatch Valley grower Jim Lytle — a son-in-law of Joseph Franzoy, the valley's first commercial chile farmer. Big Jim once held the Guinness World Record for the largest chile pepper on Earth, with pods stretching past thirteen inches.
Its thick, meaty walls and approachable Medium-tier heat (approximately 6,500 SHU per NMSU CR706; our pods often run a touch milder than the cultivar mean) made it the definitive relleno chile and a staple in kitchens across New Mexico. Where the original Sandia's thin walls were built for drying, Big Jim was built to stuff — pods large enough to hold cheese, smooth enough to peel clean, and warm enough to taste like New Mexico without overwhelming the palate.
Every Big Jim product in this collection is Certified Hatch — grown in the same Hatch Valley soil where Lytle and Nakayama first tested the variety nearly fifty years ago — and flame-roasted, frozen, or jarred within days of harvest.
Fresh Hatch Chile: The Brief Window That Defines the Year
Fresh Hatch chile is what every other version of Hatch chile aspires to be. Picked at peak ripeness, packed within hours of harvest, and shipped directly from our family farm in Hatch, New Mexico — fresh chile is only available during the brief late-July to early-October harvest window. If you're roasting yourself, fresh is the only way; if you'd rather we roast it, flame-roasted frozen carries that same flavor year-round.
How Much to Order for Home Roasting
- 5 lbs — Tasting quantity. Roughly two enchilada pans.
- 10 lbs — A few months of cooking for a household.
- 25 lbs — Standard "freezer stocking" amount for one family. Roast and freeze for the year.
- 50 lbs — Big family or two-household freezer share.
Pick Your Heat
- Mild (1904, Joe Parker, NuMex 6-4) — gentle, kid-friendly (around 900–1,500 SHU).
- Medium (Big Jim, Charger) — the New Mexico default; warming, not spicy (Big Jim ~6,500 SHU per NMSU CR706; our pods often milder).
- Hot (NuMex Sandia Select, ~9,500 SHU) — real heat for chile-heads.
- X-Hot (Lumbre, 12,000+ SHU, varies year to year) — for serious capsaicin fans only.
Roast Now or Roast Later?
Most fresh-chile customers buy in bulk during harvest, roast at home or have us roast for them, then freeze in 1-lb portions. Roasted chile keeps full flavor 12+ months in a 0°F freezer — which is how generations of New Mexicans have stockpiled a year's supply on a single September weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Hatch chile and regular green chile?
"Green chile" is a category — it covers any unripe chile pepper used as a vegetable. "Hatch chile" means green chile (or dried red chile) grown specifically in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. The geographic growing conditions — alkaline soil, elevation, day/night temperature differential — produce a flavor that's noticeably more complex and roasted than generic green chile from California or Mexico. The name is not legally protected, so some brands use "Hatch-style" or even "Hatch" loosely — ours is grown on actual Hatch Valley farms. Learn more at What Are Hatch Chiles?
How do I choose between the different heat levels?
Our Hatch green chile spans four heat tiers: Mild (1904, Joe Parker, NuMex 6-4 — ~900–2,000 SHU), Medium (Big Jim, Charger — Big Jim measures ~6,500 SHU per NMSU CR706; ours often runs a touch milder than the cultivar mean), Hot (Sandia Select — ~9,500 SHU), and X-Hot (Lumbre — 12,000+ SHU, varies year to year). If you're new to Hatch chile or cooking for mixed heat tolerances, start with Big Jim — it's our most popular and the everyday workhorse. If you enjoy real heat, Sandia Select is the classic chile-head choice. Lumbre is for serious chile-heads only — significantly hotter than a jalapeño. Our Heat Level Guide has a full comparison.
Should I buy frozen roasted chile or fresh?
Fresh Hatch green chile is only available during the August-September harvest season. Frozen roasted chile is available year-round and is already roasted and peeled — it's the practical choice for most home cooks. The roasting is done at peak season, so the flavor holds well frozen. If you want to roast your own from fresh pods, we have a guide at How to Roast Hatch Chiles.
Are your green chile products gluten-free?
Plain frozen chile, powders, most sauces, and salsas are naturally gluten-free. Prepared products — chimichangas, tamales — contain wheat. Products made with green chile tortillas also contain wheat. Check individual product labels for full allergen information if you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
How long does frozen Hatch green chile last?
At 0°F or below, frozen Hatch chile maintains quality for 12 months. Once thawed, use within 3 days and do not refreeze. Ship and store frozen — our frozen products arrive cold with dry ice or gel packs.
Can I substitute Hatch green chile for Anaheim, poblano, or canned green chiles in recipes?
Yes for Anaheim and most canned green chiles — same pod shape, similar applications, better flavor. Hatch green chile is generally hotter than Anaheim and has a richer roasted profile. For poblano substitutions, note that Hatch chile is typically thinner-walled, so stuffed preparations work best with whole frozen strips or fresh pods. Canned green chile can almost always be replaced with frozen Hatch chile, thawed and drained.
What's the difference between green chile and red chile from the same plant?
Green chile and red chile are the same plant at different stages of ripeness. Green chile is harvested before the pod ripens, roasted fresh, and eaten as a vegetable with its characteristic grassy-roasted flavor. Red chile is the same pod left on the plant until it fully ripens and turns red, then typically dried — producing a darker, smokier, more concentrated flavor used in red chile sauce and dried preparations. Some varieties, particularly Sandia, are commonly grown for both applications.
Why 500,000+ Customers Keep Coming Back
Cheese grits with hatch chillieslyle h · Verified
Astounding! I absolutely can't believe the night and day difference between this product and the lackluster flavor of what I have been buying in cans from my grocery. I wasn't prepared for the smoky intensity of these freshly roasted jarred chilies. Honestly, a spoonful tossed with some cheese and ranchero sauce in a tortilla could turn me vegetarian. And wait until you top a burger with it!Brian C · Verified
Great chopped peppers with mild heat-very tastyJack G · Verified
The best Hatch green chile we have found. We tried many brands and nothing comes close. Delicious at breakfast, lunch and dinner.Susan S · Verified
Anyone that loves green chili will absolutely love this stuff. It’s so good so authentic so reasonably priced highly recommend recommended.Don S · Verified
My order arrived on Tuesday and on Wednesday, i made Mexican Lasagna and Chicken Chorizo/Vegetable soup. I will take both dishes to my eye doctors office. One of the staff members is planning a trip to NM in May...including Hatch and White Sands. I used the pure green chili...medium.A nice bite and fair on the kick. Recipes from Southwest cookbooks.Prudence D · Verified
We love the fresh hatch peppers and once we eat all those we turn to the jar ones. Very delicious we highly recommend!. We ordered once to try these and keep ordering every year!Lisa S · Verified
Excellent! Just pure chili without onion and / or garlicRaechel K · Verified
Excellent, tasty chunks of hatch and good spicealfonso t · Verified
Always enjoy whatever I order from Hatch. It is the best Chile I've ever tasted. Things are a little pricey, but worth every penny. I tell everyone about Hatch.Ronald S · Verified
We love to eat them for our evening meal with Street Taco Tortillos and cheese and bacon or other kinds of meat. Very good quality and excellent in taste when cooking a Mexican Food dish,Frank F · Verified
We can't imagine how we ever went without a jar of these chiles in our pantry. We use them on eggs, hamburgers, in meatloaf, tacos, nachos....everything but on our breakfast cereal! Wonderful flavor.Elssa G · Verified
My husband loves Hatch Pure Green Chile roast. He puts it in stew, soups, on burgers, spagetti, sandwiches and even in creamy salad dressings. His variety of choice is HOT. We've gifted some to my nephew also and his family also loves it. I prefer medium, but it sells out fast.Roscoe S · Verified
Never received. Myrna worked to replace the missing delivery. Thank you.Brenda O · Verified
Just as good as I remember. Great flavor will be ordering more down the roadCynthia C · Verified
I have gone through the first 6 ars I ordered and have just received the 2nd shipment of 6// These chiles are very good . Cooked some in with my chicken to make green chili sour cream enchiladas.. They were the best I ever madeEva K
Hatch Green Chile — Frequently Asked
Fresh Hatch chile is only available during harvest — late July through early October — and ships same-day on harvest mornings, arriving within 24 hours of being picked. Outside the harvest window, we offer flame-roasted frozen Hatch chile year-round, which preserves the same smoky-sweet flavor for 12+ months in a 0°F freezer.
Joe Parker (~900 SHU per NMSU's CR706) and 1904 (~1,000–1,500 SHU) are our Mild varieties — gentle enough for kids. Big Jim (~6,500 SHU per NMSU CR706; our pods often run a touch milder than the cultivar mean) is the Medium workhorse: thick-walled, large-podded, the definitive relleno chile, developed at NMSU in 1975 by Dr. Roy Nakayama and Jim Lytle. The original Sandia (~6,500 SHU, Harper 1956) and the improved NuMex Sandia Select (~9,500 SHU, Bosland & Coon 2014) sit in our Hot tier — direct, confident heat with earthy depth; Sandia Select is the cultivar we ship today, with the original heirloom reserved for sun-dried ristras. Lumbre (12,000+ SHU, varies year to year) is our X-Hot extreme variety for serious capsaicin fans — significantly hotter than a jalapeño but well short of habanero. All are grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico — not Anaheim, not California, not relabeled imports.
Both work. If you want the smell of green chile filling your kitchen on a September afternoon — and the satisfaction of doing it yourself — order fresh during harvest and roast on a propane tabletop roaster, an outdoor grill, or under a broiler. If you want the same flavor year-round with zero prep, our flame-roasted frozen chile is roasted within hours of harvest by people who do this for a living, then flash-frozen to lock in flavor. Both options ship from our farm in Hatch.
Roasted frozen Hatch chile lasts 12+ months at 0°F without significant quality loss — this is how most New Mexicans stockpile their annual supply and enjoy Hatch chile year-round. We recommend portioning into meal-sized bags and pressing out as much air as possible before freezing.
All frozen products ship Tuesdays and Wednesdays in insulated, recyclable containers packed with dry ice. We ship from distribution centers in both New Jersey and California so ground shipping reaches most U.S. addresses in 1–5 business days. Fresh chile (July–October only) ships same-day on Wednesdays, arriving within 24 hours of harvest.
Every product we sell is Hatch Chile Association certified — your guarantee that the chile was grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, not Anaheim or imported chile relabeled under the Hatch name. Our family has farmed the Hatch Valley since 1917 when our great-great-grandfather Joseph Franzoy became the first commercial chile farmer in the region. Five generations later, we still farm 300+ acres and grow 10+ cultivar varieties including Big Jim, Sandia Select, and Lumbre.