29 Spicy Dinner Recipes That Bring The Heat

Last updated December 19th, 2024

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We’re bringing the heat with these 29 spicy dinner recipes! If you like a little glow in your mouth, these recipes are for you.

If you scroll through this whole page, you’ll notice a color scheme that stands out among these recipes: a bright and vibrant reddish orange. A great signal that you’re in the right place if you are looking for some spicy dinner ideas and recipes!

A good spicy dish has the right balance of flavor and heat. So with these dinner recipes, you’ll get tons of delicious flavor without it being overshadowed by spice. And if you’re cooking for someone who has less of a spice tolerance than yourself, you can easily adjust the amount of spicy ingredients – or make easy substitutions – to make these dinners more palatable for everyone.

Spicy shakshuka for two in a skillet.

1. Shakshuka For Two

Shakshuka is the definition of comfort food. This saucy, spicy, flavor-packed stew is made for a cozy night. So grab some fresh bread to scoop up all of that deliciousness, settle in, and enjoy a wonderful evening. And if you are looking for some solo shakshuka, check out our recipe for shakshuka for one.

Shakshuka For Two
2 people
40 minutes
416 kcal
Get the recipe
A bowl of spicy dumpling soup with chopsticks and a spoon

2. Spicy Szechuan Dumpling Soup

This spicy Szechuan dumpling soup is one of our readers’ favorite dinners. And why wouldn’t it be? With some homemade pork dumplings in a spicy broth that’s honestly closer to a sauce, this soup makes for a warm, cozy, comforting meal any time of year.

Spicy Szechuan Dumpling Soup
4 cups
55 minutes
506 kcal
Get the recipe
A spicy homemade chicken bacon ranchero pizza fresh out of the oven

3. Chicken Bacon Ranchero Pizza

We’ve spiced up a classic with this specialty pizza. You’ve likely heard of chicken bacon ranch pizza, but we want to introduce you to our fiery version: chicken bacon ranchero pizza. By replacing the ranch dressing with our homemade ranchero sauce, we’ve created a base of spice. And while that wouldn’t be enough to make this a truly spicy pizza, we’ve added jalapeno slices to truly take it up a notch.

Chicken Bacon Ranchero Pizza
8 slices
40 minutes
305 kcal
Get the recipe
Spicy creamy butter chicken.

4. Spicy Butter Chicken

If you’re looking for heat, Indian cuisine is always a safe place to start. While butter chicken isn’t always spicy, we like to give ours a kick with some extra kashmiri red chili powder. We recommend serving this dish with some basmati rice and homemade naan to help cool your mouth down. Or if you want all of the heat, the rice and naan make perfect vessels to sop up all that extra curry. 

Spicy Butter Chicken
4 servings
4 hours 25 minutes
745 kcal
Get the recipe
Pasta with a spicy gochujang sauce.

5. Creamy Gochujang Pasta

Korean Italian fusion isn’t something you see every day. But the wonderful heat and flavor of gochujang just makes such a great addition to a pasta sauce. This dish is very similar to a penne alla vodka, but with the addition of spice from the previously mentioned gochujang. Together they create a creamy, comforting, spicy pasta dinner that is sure to keep you on your toes.

Creamy Gochujang Pasta
2 servings
15 minutes
797 kcal
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An Asian rice bowl with chicken.

6. Gochujang Chicken Rice Bowl With Pickled Cabbage

This gochujang chicken rice bowl with pickled cabbage is perfect meal prep for lunches and dinners all week long. Each major part of this recipe (grilled chicken, rice, pickled veggies, and bibimbap sauce) can be made ahead of time for easy reheating. So when you know it’ll be a busy week and plan ahead, you’ll be thanking yourself all week long as you enjoy this spicy, saucy, comforting chicken and rice recipe.

Gochujang Chicken Rice Bowl With Pickled Cabbage
6 bowls
4 hours 55 minutes
554 kcal
Get the recipe
A spicy sausage and pepper pizza on a serving tray

7. Spicy Sausage And Pepper Pizza

Are you looking to spice up your next pizza night? Then we have the perfect recipe for you. This fiery take on the classic sausage and pepper pizza features hot Italian sausage, fresno peppers, and hot cherry peppers. Add that heat to a spicy pizza sauce and a three cheese blend, and you’re sure to find a little fire in every bite. (Note: this pizza should probably come with a warning label.)

Spicy Sausage and Pepper Pizza
8 slices
43 minutes
274 kcal
Get the recipe
Spicy Indian style tomato soup in a bowl.

8. Spicy Indian Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is a classic for a reason, but we wanted to put a spicy twist on it. Inspired by our favorite Indian flavors (and hot peppers), this spicy Indian tomato soup will be sure to warm you up on even the coldest of nights. We recommend serving this with some cheesy naan to replicate your favorite tomato soup and grilled cheese meal.

Spicy Indian Tomato Soup
7 cups
40 minutes
164 kcal
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A plate of roasted vegetable risotto

9. Roasted Vegetable Risotto

We know risotto can be a daunting recipe to make. But it really isn’t that hard. We have a whole post on how to make risotto, where we walk you through each and every step. Use it as a guide to attack this roasted vegetable risotto, which takes it up a notch by adding some extra flavors and spices. Once you make this recipe you’ll wonder why you haven’t been enjoying risotto at home your whole life!

Roasted Vegetable Risotto
3 servings
40 minutes
283 kcal
Get the recipe
A cheesy shredded buffalo chicken slider sandwich

10. Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders

These buffalo chicken dip sliders are everything you’re looking for. Cheesy? Yup. Easy to make? Of course. Comforting? Duh. Saucey? Absolutely. Spicy? You betcha. Like we said, these have it all. Make these buffalo chicken dip sliders next time you’re looking for some spicy comfort food for dinner and they’ll hit the spot 100% of the time.

Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders
9 sliders
40 minutes
202 kcal
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A spicy black bean southwest slider

11. Vegetarian Black Bean Southwest Sliders

Did you just read about how amazing those buffalo chicken dip sliders are and wish there was a vegetarian version? While this recipe isn’t quite the same, these vegetarian sliders still check all of the boxes. Made with store-bought spicy black bean burgers, your spicy saucy comforting dinner will be ready in just 20 minutes.

Vegetarian Black Bean Southwest Sliders
8 sliders
20 minutes
213 kcal
Get the recipe
Grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and roasted red peppers.

12. Grilled Chicken Sandwich With Roasted Red Peppers Spread

Grilled chicken sandwiches are always one of our favorite dinners, partially due to how many different ways you can dress them up. One of our favorite grilled chicken recipes is this one. Featuring a roasted red pepper spread inspired by our patatas bravas sauce, this chicken sandwich packs a flavorful and spicy punch. Add in pepper jack cheese, lettuce, and tomato and you have yourself one awesome sandwich.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich With Roasted Red Peppers Spread
2 sandwiches
40 minutes
488 kcal
Get the recipe
A serving dish of shredded crockpot chipotle chicken

13. Crockpot Chipotle Chicken

Who doesn’t love letting dinner cook itself? This spicy chicken can cook all day long while you’re at work or taking care of other tasks. And when you’re ready, you’ll have dinner for the night and plenty of leftovers for the week. Serve it with rice, turn it into tacos, or make it into a sandwich (check out the next recipe below!).

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken
8 servings
4 hours 10 minutes
187 kcal
Get the recipe
A pulled chipotle chicken sandwich on a serving board

14. Shredded Chipotle Chicken Sandwich

Once you make some of this delicious crockpot chipotle chicken, you’ll have to make it into a sandwich. Take this sandwich to work for the perfect lunch, or more fun, take it on a picnic! Easy to make, pack, and enjoy anywhere, this saucy, spicy sandwich is great for any occasion.

Shredded Chipotle Chicken Sandwich
1 sandwich
10 minutes
517 kcal
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Two plates of spicy gnocchi made with calabrian chili peppers

15. Spicy Calabrian Chili Gnocchi

Looking for a spicy date night dish? Then look no further. This decadent gnocchi is made with a sauce primarily composed of Calabrian chili peppers. And since it only takes 10 minutes to whip up, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy dinner along with whatever else your spicy night has planned.

Spicy Calabrian Chili Gnocchi
2 servings
10 minutes
511 kcal
Get the recipe
Indian tikka masala with cauliflower.

16. Cauliflower Tikka Masala

Cauliflower tikka masala is the perfect recipe for enjoying this rich and flavorful curry for vegetarians and meat lovers alike. Packed with tons of flavors and no lack of heat, you won’t want to let any sauce go to waste. So make sure to enjoy this delicious dinner with some basmati rice and freshly made naan for the best experience.

Cauliflower Tikka Masala
4 servings
30 minutes
455 kcal
Get the recipe
A bowl of shakshuka pasta with a fried egg and fresh bread on the side

17. Shakshuka Pasta

We love shakshuka so much, we decided to turn it into a pasta recipe. This was surprisingly easy to do as the brunch stew is almost like a tomato sauce on its own! But instead of enjoying shakshuka with fresh bread, now you get a fun new dinner recipe of spicy shakshuka and pasta. 

Shakshuka Pasta
3 servings
30 minutes
455 kcal
Get the recipe
A bowl of restaurant style Thai drunken noodles with veggies and chicken

18. Restaurant Style Thai Drunken Noodles

Next time you’re craving takeout, make these restaurant style Thai drunken noodles instead! We love making takeout dishes at home because it allows us to make them healthier, cheaper, and tailor them to our tastes. Whether that’s changing up the veggies used or making it extra spicy, we can make the dish exactly how we want it. So next time you’re in the mood for some drunken noodles, give this recipe a try!

Thai Drunken Noodles
4 servings
22 minutes
370 kcal
Get the recipe
Shredded slow cooker chicken tinga in a serving dish

19. Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga

Chicken tinga is the perfect saucy, spicy chicken for so many different dinners. From tacos to tostadas to burrito bowls, this chicken works in any Mexican recipe. You can even mix it up and make a chicken tinga sandwich or simply enjoy it with some rice and beans. And thankfully, since this slow cooker recipe makes so much, you’ll get the chance to enjoy it all week long in all your favorite recipes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga
8 servings
6 hours 5 minutes
610 kcal
Get the recipe
Shredded buffalo chicken tacos.

20. Shredded Buffalo Chicken Tacos

We love adding spice to our tacos, but these are a little bit different from traditional tacos! We’ve taken one of our favorite flavors and turned it into one of our favorite meals: buffalo chicken tacos. These saucy, spicy, cheesy, tacos will keep you coming back for more. Flour tortillas stuffed with shredded buffalo chicken, lettuce, red onion, cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing creates a recipe you just can’t get enough of.

Shredded Buffalo Chicken Tacos
9 tacos
46 minutes
163 kcal
Get the recipe
A carnitas burrito with verde sauce.

21. Carnitas Burritos Verde

Our carnitas burrito features our spicy verde sauce that’s made with the leftover cooking liquid from our slow cooker carnitas. And by features, we mean that the burrito is absolutely smothered in this spicy flavor-packed sauce. But don’t let the green sauce fool you! Just because these burritos aren’t bright red like the rest of this list doesn’t mean they won’t have you sweating by the end of the meal. If you are truly a heat lover, we recommend adding a habanero or two to the spicy verde sauce for extra flavor and spice.

Carnitas Burritos Verde
3 burritos
30 minutes
578 kcal
Get the recipe
Crispy General Tso's chicken served in a bowl with white rice and chopsticks

22. General Tso’s Chicken

Another classic takeout dinner that can be made at home is General Tso’s chicken. We love making this spicy, crispy chicken recipe for Friday date nights at home. After all, what’s better than some delicious home cooked Chinese food and a movie?

General Tso’s Chicken
3 servings
45 minutes
891 kcal
Get the recipe
A bowl of chicken tortilla soup.

23. Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Our chicken tortilla soup has a secret that we think you love… Instead of using a chicken broth as the base, we opted for something a little more flavorful: Modelo Especial or your favorite Mexican lager. We highly recommend this slow cooker meal for whenever you’re craving a warm and cozy meal, or if you’re expecting company.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
6 servings
6 hours 10 minutes
267 kcal
Get the recipe
Sweet potato black bean enchiladas in a casserole dish

24. Vegetarian Sweet Potato And Black Bean Enchiladas

These vegetarian enchiladas are stuffed with sweet potatoes, black beans, and pepper and then smothered with spicy ranchero sauce and Mexican cheese. Thanks to the tender sweet potatoes and beans, you’ll never even realize they’re vegetarian. Make a whole batch for dinner and you’ll have delicious leftovers for lunch all week long.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
14 enchiladas
1 hour
290 kcal
Get the recipe
A spicy ghost pepper burger topped with a jalapeno popper.

25. Firecracker Burger

Topped with habanero jack cheese, ghost pepper hot sauce, and jalapeno bottle caps, this firecracker burger sure lives up to its name. We wanted to use three kinds of hot peppers to make sure the heat just keeps on coming. Plus, this burger comes with a nice topper – a cheddar-stuffed jalapeno popper! While this specialty burger requires a good amount of work, it’ll be sure to impress all of your heat seeking friends.

Firecracker Burger
2 burger
50 minutes
616 kcal
Get the recipe
A plate of homemade chicken burritos ranchero with rice and beans
Taken May 2022

26. Chicken Burritos Ranchero

If you love going to Mexican restaurants like us, then you’re going to love this chicken burritos ranchero recipe. Based on one of our favorite restaurant meals, this burrito is stuffed with shredded salsa-marinated chicken, cilantro lime rice, refried beans, and Mexican cheese and then smothered with our homemade ranchero sauce. Serve with a side of guacamole and a spicy mezcal margarita and you’ll have a fiery restaurant dinner in the comfort of your home!

Chicken Burritos Ranchero
4 burritos
40 minutes
623 kcal
Get the recipe
A chunky chili made with sweet potatoes and black beans in a bowl

27. Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Is there anything cozier than a warm bowl of chili on a cold fall or winter day? We sure don’t think so. And this vegetarian chili packs a good amount of heat, only adding to that cozy factor. We made this recipe a slow cooker meal so that you can get it started in the morning before work, or perhaps on a snow day, so that when you come in from the cold, there’s a nice big pot of warm chili waiting for you.

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili
6 servings
6 hours 15 minutes
275 kcal
Get the recipe
Udon stir fry with vegetables in a serving bowl with chopsticks

28. Spicy Udon Noodle Vegetable Stir Fry

We love making udon stir-fry because it allows us to use up any extra produce we have laying around before it goes bad. This means that our stir fry is a little different every time we make it. Generally we love to add hot peppers, onion, and baby bok choy as our base, then add in whatever else we’re feeling like carrots, snap peas, or even meat for added protein. But if you don’t know where to start, follow our recipe and then ad-lib from there! The key to this delicious recipe is the spicy sauce, so don’t skip out on that.

Spicy Udon Noodle Vegetable Stir Fry
6 servings
40 minutes
447 kcal
Get the recipe
Vegetarian bibimbap served in a cast iron pan family style

29. Easy Vegetarian Bibimbap

Bibimbap is another one of our go-to recipes when we need to use up produce that’s on its last legs. In case you aren’t familiar with bibimbap, it is a crispy rice dish served in a hot stone pot (we use a cast iron skillet for our recipe) with an assortment of fresh produce, proteins, and sauce. And since this dish is Korean, you know it’s going to bring the heat thanks to a gochujang sauce! Make this easy vegetarian bibimbap for a delicious and fun family-style dinner when you’re craving some spice.

Easy Vegetarian Bibimbap
4 servings
35 minutes
365 kcal
Get the recipe

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