What is the Difference Between Red Chilli Powder and Kashmiri Mirchi Powder?

22, Dec 2025

Spices are known for their aromatic flavour and amazing taste throughout the world. In every corner of the world, people love to add spices to their regular meals because it adds life to the food items. As we know that there are many spices available in our country and other countries too, such as cinnamon, clove, cardamon, red chili, etc. Every spice has its own flavour and properties that are used in food preparation and medicinal use also.

Many types of spices are cultivated in our country. We can proudly say that India is blessed with places that cultivate many precious spices on the land and give a huge bundle of flavours to the entire world. There are several states of India that produce spices, which are Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujrat.

All these states have different spice farms and cultivate aromatic spices like Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, and Cloves produced in Kerala where Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are famous for Ginger and Chili. Same as other states, like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana is famous for Chili and Ginger. Rajasthan and Gujrat are the main hub of Cumin, Coriander, and Fennel.

Among all the flavourful spices, today we will talk about the main hero of the spices, which is red chili. Just as every spice has many varieties, red chili also has several varieties with different tastes and aromas. It can be found in different distinct areas of India. The main types of chilli are guntur, kashmiri, byadgi, bhut jolokia, Bird’s Eye, Mathania, sankeshwari, and boriya.

Every chili has a different taste and a different spice level; some chilis have very lower spice levels whereas some have very high spice levels. Let’s talk about regular red chili powder and Kashmiri red chili powder. Both chili powders are famous for their unique flavour and spicy taste. But both have major differences that make them unique and remarkable.
Let’s see how both chili powders are different, why these are famous and how we use them in different types of food. Firstly, know what Red Chili Powder and Kashmiri Chili Powder then we will go for their characteristics. In this way, you can learn deeply about the difference between both of them.

Red Chilli Powder

Red chili powder is a regular powder of dried chilis that adds taste, zest, and hotness to the cuisine. The regular Red Chili Powder is a blend of Guntur Chili. It is cultivated in many states of India, such as Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka. It is a versatile, finely ground spice from dry red chilis. It is a regular red chili powder, mainly used in Indian cooking like dals, curries, vegetable dishes, snacks, etc.

Kashmiri Chilli Powder

Kashmiri Chili Powder is very popular for its colour, and mild flavour. It is cultivated in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and also in other states like Goa. The main cultivation time of these chilis is winter. Due to its high demand from the whole country, the government has increased the production and provided a huge amount of Kashmiri Mirchi.

Now, we come to the characteristics of both chili powders. Hope it will help you to understand both the chili powders easily.

Characteristics of Red Chili Powder

Heat: It is spicier than Kashmiri Chili Powder, hence it is mainly used to give spicy punch to your meal.

Colour: Its colour varies from orange red to reddish brown. It is less vibrant than Kashmiri Chili Powder.

Flavour: Its flavour is sharp, spicy, usually smoky notes based on the blend of chilis.

Primary Use: It can help to add heat and spice to the meal.

Common Use: Many savoury cuisines are prepared with this chili powder, such as dals, curries, biryanis, meat dishes, etc.

Characteristics of Kashmiri Mirchi Powder

Heat: It has very mild heat, adding only flavour not adding high spice punch to dishes.

Colour: It has a bright, rich red colour, used only to add zest and red colour to the dish.

Flavour: It is smoky, earthy, and with a few fruity notes too.

Primary Use: It adds vibrant colour and a subtle depth of taste without intense other ingredients.

Common Use: It is mainly used in tandoori cuisines, gravies, marinades, paneer dishes, etc.

As both the above paragraphs depicted the characteristics of both the chili powders. This makes clear the difference between both the chili powders. Hope, now you understand the difference in both of them. The regular Red Chili Powder is mainly used to make your food spicy and tasty, where Kashmiri Chili Powder is used to add only vibrant red colour and mild spice to the dishes.

So, now if you want to make Tandoori dishes, non-veg and veg marinades, sprinkling dishes, use only Kashmiri Red Chili Powder. If you are going to make savoury dishes with spicy zest, use regular Red Chili Powder to make spicy and hot flavour-based food items like Biryani, Vegetable dishes, Dals, Snacks, and so many Indian flavoured food items.

In this blog, I tried to differentiate two chili powders by their taste, colour, and properties. So, if you are a foodie and used to making various dishes often. This blog will be very helpful to prepare flavoursome food for you and your loved ones.