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Sweet paprika measures 500 to 1,500 Scoville heat units, making it a very mild pepper indeed. Hotter varieties of paprika can approach 30,000 to 50,000 heat units, which is basically equivalent to pure cayenne pepper. So if your recipe explicitly calls for hot paprika, you could substitute cayenne pepper.

I hope this article has helped you learn the differences between paprika, chili powder, and cayenne. These spices are all delicious and useful in the kitchen, and we never let ourselves run out of stock. Happy cooking!

I also would like to mention that there's a type of hot paprika popular in Europe: the Hungarian variety. It is also available in different coarseness and heat levels, so hot paprika is often called Hungarian paprika.