Every summer, an unmistakable aroma begins to waft through grocery store parking lots and restaurant patios across the Southwest: the smoky, sweet, slightly earthy scent of roasting Hatch green chiles. For those who know, this is not just another seasonal crop—it’s a signal, a short but celebrated season mid-July through September when a particular New Mexican pepper takes over menus, farmers markets, and culinary imagination.
In Dallas, Hatch pepper season is marked by a surge of pop-up roasters, limited-time restaurant specials, and shoppers filling bags with pounds of the bright green pods. But where do these peppers come from, and why have they achieved such near-mythical status?
Hatch chiles are named after Hatch, New Mexico—a small town nestled along the Rio Grande Valley in the southern part of the state. The region’s unique climate and soil, along with centuries of agricultural knowledge, make it one of the most ideal chile-growing environments in the world. While green chiles are grown in various parts of New Mexico and beyond, only peppers grown in and around Hatch can legally carry the name.
The pepper itself is part of the larger Capsicum annuum species and is closely related to the Anaheim chile. But Hatch chiles are different, and that distinction comes down to terroir—a term usually reserved for wine, but entirely appropriate here. The high desert days of intense sunlight and dramatic nighttime cooling create a pepper with a balanced flavor profile: a mild to moderate heat that complements a roasted sweetness and a distinctive earthy backbone. These aren’t peppers that aim to overwhelm with spice; they aim to round out a dish, to deepen flavor without dominating it.
Hatch peppers come in several varietals, each with its own heat level, ranging from the very mild ‘NuMex Heritage 6-4’ to spicier cultivars like ‘Sandia’ and ‘Big Jim.’ They can be eaten raw, but roasting them over flame is what unlocks their true potential. The skin blisters, the flesh softens, and the sugars in the pepper caramelize, creating an unmistakable depth of flavor.
Buying Hatch Peppers in Dallas
In Dallas, Hatch season typically runs from early August through mid-September, though you’ll start seeing promotions and signs as early as late July. Central Market, the upscale grocery concept from H-E-B, arguably sets the gold standard for Hatch celebrations in Texas. Their annual Hatch Festival is a full-fledged event, complete with in-house roasting stations, specialty baked goods, sausages, tortillas, and even ice cream infused with Hatch peppers. Customers can buy the peppers raw by the pound or have them freshly roasted on-site, with various heat levels clearly labeled.
Whole Foods locations across Dallas also offer Hatch peppers during the season, hosting in-store roasting events or selling pre-roasted batches from local purveyors. Fiesta Mart and local farmers markets like Dallas Farmers Market are good sources for raw Hatch chiles, often priced more affordably than premium retailers. You can also find small-scale roasters setting up on weekends in parking lots throughout suburbs like Plano, Richardson, and Garland—often family-run operations bringing in peppers directly from New Mexico and selling them by the bushel.
For those planning to cook with them throughout the year, the best practice is to buy in bulk during peak season, roast (or buy roasted), and freeze in airtight bags for use in stews, casseroles, enchiladas, and eggs.
Where to Eat Hatch in Dallas
Beyond the markets, Dallas restaurants embrace Hatch season with an enthusiasm usually reserved for holiday menus. Velvet Taco routinely rolls out a Hatch-themed special, often combining roasted chiles with brisket or pork in their signature global-meets-Tex-Mex style. At Snuffer’s, you’ll find Hatch green chile cheeseburgers that lean into the pepper’s smoky character without burying the burger’s juicy core.
El Fenix, the long-running Tex-Mex institution, occasionally introduces Hatch pepper enchiladas or stuffed rellenos, while Haywire in Uptown has been known to add Hatch chiles to cornbread, prime rib hash, or their bison chili during the height of the season. At more elevated spots like CBD Provisions, Hatch finds its way into rotating specials that use the pepper’s flavor complexity to enhance local meats or fresh masa.
Even dessert menus get creative: Local creamery Melt Ice Creams has released a Hatch chile and honey flavor in years past.
Hatch season isn’t just a culinary trend—it’s a brief agricultural window that connects North Texas diners to centuries of New Mexican farming and flavor tradition. The peppers themselves are a lesson in balance: spicy but not searing, sweet but not saccharine, and always versatile. For Dallas chefs and home cooks alike, Hatch peppers are a chance to work with an ingredient that offers intensity without aggression—a pepper that elevates instead of dominates.
The season doesn’t last long, which is why it’s celebrated so intensely. Whether you’re stocking your freezer, grabbing a few pounds from a neighborhood stand, or tracking down a restaurant special, Hatch peppers offer something rare: a taste that is both rooted in place and adaptable in the kitchen. And for a few short weeks, that taste belongs to Dallas too.
