Make your own ghost pepper hot sauce at home with this recipe, which includes plenty of chopped ghost peppers, tomatoes, vinegar and salt. Big flavor, big spice! With a pleasant blast of heat. Drizzle it over everything!
Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe
Ghost pepper hot sauce coming at you, baby! You GOTTA have some ghost pepper sauce in the fridge for times when you need that extra bit of heat.
Our ghost pepper plants weren't quite as productive as our 7-pot plants this year, but we still got plenty of pods for whipping up some hot sauce.
Hot sauces are one of my favorite foods to make. I've become a bit fanatical about it, really. I've come to need a big variety on hand for all the different types of meals I make. You can tell by the growing collection of Hot Sauce Recipes on the web site.
I've been moving into making flavors and combinations of all different sorts, but we're keeping it super simple with this sauce. Sometimes simple is best.
With only 7 ingredients, you can make this sauce in about a half an hour, not including chopping time. Most of the time is spent watching the ingredients simmer to cook down a bit and let the flavors meld.
How to Make Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce - The Recipe Method
In a nutshell, your cooking steps include: Chopping, Cooking, Simmering, Processing, Bottling. Done! Easy!
The unfortunate part of this recipe is that it is best to wait a few days or even longer to let the flavors mingle and mellow slightly in the bottle. Of course you can eat it right away, but I like the flavor that much more after waiting.
So have a little patience, will ya?
The flavor is spicy for sure, but somewhat fruity from the ghosts and savory with the tomatoes. This is one of my very favorites.
Safety Advice
When working with hotter peppers, including superhots, it is important to wear gloves when handling the peppers both in raw and dried forms. The oils can get on your skin and cause burning sensations. See above.
Need help? How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn On Your Skin.
Also, the fumes from the chili peppers and/or the fine powders may get into the air if you are not working in a well ventilated room, so you may want to wear a mask and goggles. Superhot chili peppers, truly, are called superhots for a reason.
Here are some answers based on the many comments I get on other sauces. Here goes:
How long will this hot sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It's all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors.
I have not measured the ph of this sauce, but I won't have it around very long anyway. If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
Where'd you get that hot sauce bottle?
I find them locally sometimes, but I also order through Amazon. Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
What should I do with hot sauce?
Aside from drizzling it over anything you please, here's a post I did about How to Cook with Hot Sauce. As if you need even MORE reasons to eat hot sauce. I hope you find it helpful!
Can You Die from Eating Ghost Peppers?
It is possible to overdose on capsaicin, the chemical that makes chili peppers hot. However, the only way you can die from eating ghost peppers is if you eat them in sufficient quantity.
A study performed in 1980 calculated that it would take consuming 3 pounds of superhot pepper powder, like ghost pepper powder, to kill a person weighing 150 pounds.
It is highly unlikely anyone could consume that amount, as their body would react before reaching such a limit.
Ghost Pepper Flavor
Ghost peppers offer a an intense sweet pepper flavor that is quite fruity. The heat is more of a blooming heat, taking 30 seconds or longer to kick in.
As they measure over 1 Million SHU, you can imagine that is quite hot. The burning generally rises in intensity over the next 10-15 minutes, then subsides after 30-40 minutes.
Check out These Related Recipes:
- Homemade Ghost Pepper Chili Hot Sauce
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Pineapple-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Ti-Malice - Haitian Creole Hot Sauce
- Caribbean Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Caribbean-Style Sweet Chili Sauce
- Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce
- Fresh Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
- Fresh Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Jelly
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
Got any questions? Ask away! I'm happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce - Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 bhut jolokia peppers ghost peppers, chopped
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped (I used Black Krims from the garden)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan and add peppers and onions. Stir.
- Add tomatoes and stir. Cook about 10 minutes.
- Add vinegar, salt and water. Simmer 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
- Transfer contents to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Transfer to a container. Seal and refrigerate until ready to use.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Howie says
I'm reading about everyone asking about canning this recipe. I don't want to can. Surely this can just be bottled and used correct. I go through hot sauce pretty quick.
Love how this is a great base to experiment with.
Mike Hultquist says
Howie, yep! This is really meant to be used at home, right away, no canning needed, and yes, a perfect base to start with. Enjoy!
Wayne Halperin says
hi
if I would like to make more. Do I double up
Mike H. says
Hey, Wayne. There is a handy tool in the recipe hard that allows you to see the amounts based on the servings increase. Check it out.
Vonda says
I made this and took some to work and people can't get enough of it. It is so good! Without a doubt, the best hot sauce I've ever had. The only change I made was, I used one extra tomato. Sadly I think my ghost pepper plants will die over the winter but hopefully they will come to life again next spring.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you loved it, Vonda! I hope you can bring them back!
Erika says
Love the sauce, added a tablespoon of brown sugar it’s a keeper
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!! Thanks, Erika!
Debora says
The best ghost pepper sauce recipe. I made it with canned tomatoes since I didn’t have enough fresh tomatoes. It turned out well. So delicious I will use it in every meal. Easy recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Great!! Glad you like it, Debora! I just picked a load of 7 Pots, so I'll be making a sauce like this one with them. Thanks for sharing!
Scott Shaw says
I use this recipe as a base for my hot sauce. I’ve switched it to Scotch Bonnet peppers and add pineapple, clove and lemon. In my opinion, clove is the secret ingredient to any pineapple recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds like perfection to me, Scott! Very nice.
KAREN KEEN says
would really love to know your measurements as I want to add mango. Great hot sauce, once I had found my gloves and a ...
Mike Hultquist says
Karen, I have this recipe you can review with mango and pineapple. You can just use mango for both fruits: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/pineapple-mango-ghost-pepper-hot-sauce/
Tammy says
What is the canning time for this? I cannot find any times, I assume it would be pressure canned?
Mike Hultquist says
Tammy, I didn't include that information. I have a page you can refer to, as times can vary depending on technique and equipment. See: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/canning-or-jarring-chili-peppers/ -- I hope this helps!!
Sharon says
Hello, what would be the best way to process this recipe? water bath or pressure can?
Mike Hultquist says
Sharon, you can use the water bath recipe, but check the acidity. Shoot for 4.0 or lower for home processing. You can add in a bit more vinegar or citrus if needed. Or just pressure can as-is.
sharon says
Thanks. If I were to pressure can, I would use the 35 minute time, being that the peppers are canned for the longest time for ingredients, correct?
Mike Hultquist says
I have some information here you can refer to, Sharon, but it's best to review your canner literature: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/canning-or-jarring-chili-peppers/
Heather says
Can this be canned? I’d like to make this for Christmas gifts for a couple of friends.
Mike H. says
Absolutely, Heather. Just be sure to use proper canning safety procedures.