How To Make Food Less Spicy

We’ve all been there: gone too hard on the jalapeños or been ham-fisted with the curry paste. Thankfully, all is not lost if you’ve dumped in too much cayenne or poured a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon of hot sauce into your stew. You can neutralize spicy food and more with a few simple strategies.

Why do we like spicy food?

Chilis contain chemical compounds called capsaicinoids (with capsaicin being the most abundant), which are responsible for your brain’s perception of spiciness. Capsaicinoids make the pain receptors on your tongue (and in other mucus membranes in your mouth) react to the spicy food as though it’s physically hot. Though they produce a feeling of heat, they’re not actually burning your mouth. But, this reaction in turn causes the body to produce adrenaline—the chemical that makes your heart race and prepares the body for “fight or flight” responses. Scientists believe that endorphins are also released by the body in response to this process, which could explain why some people seem nearly addicted to eating spicy food.

6 ways to make your food less spicy

Balance the heat with acid

There’s a reason that so many spicy foods from curries to tacos are served with a wedge of lime. Not only does acid brighten the other flavors, it neutralizes capsaicin’s alkaline properties. Stir citrus juice or vinegar or yogurt into foods that are too fiery for your taste. If you don’t want to add one of these foods to the dish, drink an acidic beverage alongside your meal.

Add a dollop of dairy

Capsaicin molecules have a non-polar molecular structure, which means that they can bind with other similar molecules. While it can be tempting to wash spicy food down with a big gulp of water or dilute a spicy stew with water, it’s better to use dairy, since it can bind with capsaicin’s molecular structure. All this means that if you’ve made something too spicy, a glug of milk, a dollop of yogurt, or a handful of grated cheese will neutralize the heat. If you choose an acidic dairy product (like sour cream or yogurt) you’ll get the double benefit of neutralizing the alkaline oil.

Neutralize the spiciness with something sweet

It is possible that consuming sugar alongside capsaicin will reduce the perception of burning in the mouth. The problem is, not every food can tolerate a teaspoon of sugar, or another sweet food. If that’s the case, chase the bites of spicy food with a sweet beverage. Make it sweet, acidic, and dairy-based and you’ve got a winner—think of the mango lassi popular in Indian cuisine.

Change the ratios

Dilute spicy liquids or bulk up on other ingredients to help make spicy foods less intense. If you’re making a curry, add more coconut milk or more of the protein you’re using. For a chili, add more ground beef, vegetables, and/or beans. The goal is to make it so that the spice--[-= already cooked into the dish becomes smaller in proportion to the other ingredients.

Serve spicy food with something mild

Not only does spooning a batch of fiery food over rice or potatoes change the ratio of the dish, the food acts as a physical barrier to the receptors on your tongue, making it less likely they’ll come in contact with the capsaicin.

Add garnishes that counteract the heat

Finish a serving of your super spicy dish off with a variety of toppings that will tame the heat. For example, a bowl of overly fiery chili could benefit avocado, cheese, sour cream, radishes, and cilantro. Or, spoon raita over a too-hot dal and serve with lime wedges and cilantro. 

There are many ways to neutralize spicy food if you’ve gone too far with the chilis. If you’re sensitive to heat, start with just a fraction of what the recipe calls for. It can also help to cut the white seeds out of chili peppers before proceeding with a recipe. A good rule of thumb is: You can always dial up the fire, but it’s much harder to pull it back.

FAQs

Does drinking or adding water help make food less spicy?

No—and this is one of the most common mistakes people make. Water doesn't dissolve capsaicin, the compound in chiles that makes foods taste spicy. Capsaicin has a non-polar molecular structure, which means it repels water on a chemical level. When you pour water into a spicy soup, or drink a big glass of water after a fiery bite, you're not neutralizing the heat—you're just spreading those capsaicin molecules around. More surface area, more burn. Skip the water and reach for something fatty or acidic instead. Dairy, citrus juice and vinegar all do what water can't. If you’re suffering after eating a very spicy bite, swish some milk in your mouth to soothe it. 

Can you cook the spiciness out of a dish if you simmer it longer?

Unfortunately, no. Capsaicin is remarkably heat-stable. It doesn't evaporate, it doesn't degrade, and it doesn't break down under sustained heat the way some flavor compounds do. In fact, the opposite tends to happen: simmering a spicy dish longer causes the liquid to reduce and the flavors to concentrate, which means the capsaicin gets more intense, not less. If your dish is already too hot, more cooking time won't fix it. You need to change the ratio of ingredients—add dairy, acid, fat or more of the base ingredients to dilute the heat.

Are certain dairy substitutes effective for taming spice if you are vegan?

Yes, and two options work especially well: coconut milk and nut butters. They don't contain casein—the milk protein that makes dairy so effective at binding capsaicin—but their high fat content acts as a similar counteragent to heat. Fat molecules and capsaicin molecules are both non-polar, so fat binds to capsaicin and pulls it away from your tongue. A splash of full-fat coconut milk stirred into a spicy curry, or a spoonful of almond butter worked into a spicy sauce, can noticeably soften the heat without changing the flavor profile too dramatically.

Sources:

Helmenstine, Anne. “How to Make Hot Peppers Stop Burning.” Science Notes and Projects, 14 Aug. 2015, sciencenotes.org/how-to-make-hot-peppers-stop-burning/.

“Why Do We like Spicy Food?” BBC Bitesize, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zvsgr2p.