Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce – Recipe
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 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.
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
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!
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
- 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.
- 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
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Heat oil in a pan and add peppers and onions. Stir.
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Add tomatoes and stir. Cook about 10 minutes.
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Add vinegar, salt and water. Simmer 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
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Transfer contents to a food processor and process until smooth.
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Transfer to a container. Seal and refrigerate until ready to use.
Recipe Video
NOTE: The flavors will grow more intense the longer you wait.
Heat Level: VERY HOT. Ghost peppers are one of the hottest chili peppers in the world, so beware.
Makes about 2 cups of hot sauce.
85 comments
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Subbed 3 serrano for 3 ghost peppers (I only had 3 :c), subbed apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar, and added maybe a tsp of raspberry balsamic vinegar. Has a nice slow but gradually increasing burn, and a whisper of tart fruitiness from the balsamic and ACV. Going to try following the exact recipe after I get more peppers, but the modified version is pretty good too ^_^
Thanks for the recipe!
Excellent, JC! I love it!
Outstanding sauce! This was my first attempt at hot sauce and after altering just a bit (I was afraid of the heat) I ended up with something fantastic! I made a quintuple recipe adding to it 2 red bell peppers, 50 baby carrots and using apple cider and red wine vinegar plus three table spoons of lime juice. I needed higher acidity as I am planning to can this and give as Christmas gifts. Anyway, the smell while cooking was mouthwatering and the final result… addictive. I kept a small amount out of the canned supply because it smelled so good! We put this-hot from the batch- on fajitas… amazing! Fruity and extremely flavorful followed by heat at the end. Will be making a batch with Carolina Reapers tomorrow. Thank you for a great recipe!
Thanks, Anna! Super happy you enjoyed it!!
Fantastic hot sauce! Checks all the boxes for flavor followed by heat! I adjusted a bit only because I was afraid of it… I made a quintuple recipe, added two red peppers, 50 baby carrots, and used apple cider and red wine vinegar plus a little lime juice because I want to can it for storage. It smelled outstanding during the cook and tasted great on grilled cheese sandwiches (we kept a tiny bit aside for immediate use- curiosity killed the cat). Tomorrow I take on the Carolina Reaper- using a combination of this recipe and your super hot recipe. Thank you! As a first time hot sauce maker, I now know I can create something delicious with all our beautiful peppers!
Thanks, Anna!!
Hi Mike,
My husband is pepperhead like you so this year I decided I was going to grow some hot peppers for him. Unfortunately the ghosts and Carolina’s never came in 🙁 the plants are big and beautiful and tons of flowers, but no fruits. The habaneros however came in really good so I was going to use them for a sauce instead. I was just wondering how many you would reccomend using? For my husband, the hotter the better. I’ve never made a hot sauce before so I thought I’d ask your opinion first. Thanks a bunch! 🙂
Sorry to hear, Ashley. Bummer. You can make this exact sauce with habaneros. You can easily double or even triple the habaneros in the recipe. It calls for 6 peppers, but the more the merrier! It will be thicker, so you can thin it out a bit with more vinegar and/or water if you’d like. Or check out my Hot Sauce Recipes page. I have a number of Habanero Hot Sauce Recipes you can try. Let me know how it comes out for you!
oh, lawdy……a friend just gave me a bushel of ghosts…….and i hadn’t a clue what to do with them…and here we go……………….lol
Haha, good luck! Enjoy!
I’m reading this recipe and can’t wait to try it. I have two fully loaded Thai Chili pepper plants that I’ll use, and a few tomatoes left over from my garden. I’m also going to make one adding peaches, like another recipe on this page. AWESOME STUFF!
Awesome, JDUB! Let me know how they turn out for you!
Great recipe – thanks.
I used homegrown chillies,which were a little small, so upped the quantity to 18 (mistake) and doubled the other ingredients.
This recipe seems to scale really well, if (currently) a little vinegary for my taste, so I will add more of the tomato/onion base and reduce the heat enough for my wife to try it, otherwise I have a huge amount of this lava to consume by myself.
I flame roasted the tomatoes (to peel them), and used a 50/50 mix of cider/red vinegar, and the addition of an apple (peeled, cored & diced) for an extra fruity tang.
Really good results, so I will be adapting this recipe for other chilli crops on the way.
That’s GREAT, Mark. Thanks! I love the addition of the apple as well. Glad you enjoyed it.
I followed your recipe. But as usual I added some things. 2 cloves of garlic, a Carolina reaper, an Italian red hot, and an Italian fryer. from my garden. plus 1/2 cup of my favorite October fest beer. Thanks Mike!
I love the addition of the beer. Perfect!
getting ready for the cold that is soon to come to us here in Minnesota, This will keep me warm all winter. Planted ghost peppers for the first time this year,they produced like crazy,needed something to use them in…..WOW!!! thanks for this recipe,,,,at least 2 more batches are in the future…Worst part of the recipe is waiting a few days
Perfect, Johnnie! Thanks! Yeah, this will warm the winter bones.
How much sauce did this recipe actually make? I’m planning to can my sauce in small batches but need to know how many bottles you got out of this one recipe before I start multiplying it. Thanks in advance! Sherry
Sherry, this will make you about 2 cups of sauce, though can depend on the size of the tomatoes used. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Question….I love the heat BUT can it be tamed down juuuust a little by subbing a few of the ghost peppers with a red bell pepper or would that throw off the flavor?
Sascol, absolutely. Ghost peppers are pretty darned hot, so you can very easily substitute some of them with milder peppers. You’ll still get good flavor and a heat level you prefer. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Just made this with 5 ghost peppers, 5 reapers, and 5 seven pot bubble gum! Amazing sauce
Great, Hunter! Thanks!
Just made this yesterday, and it turned out great! The tomatoes and onion i used were a little bigger that what was listed here, so i threw a couple extra ghost peppers in to compensate. Not sure i needed to do that because man this stuff is HOTTT! Will definitely be making this again! Thank you for helping me enter the wonderful world of superhot recipes!!!
Awesome, Kyle! Glad you loved it! YES, You’ll DEFINITELY get some heat with this hot sauce. Enjoy!
At the end of every year I take three leftovers from the garden. Smoke them all and make hot sauce. Carrots onions all the leftover peppers whether they be green or ripe.
Every year is different and every year I’m so happy.. problem is the neighborhood waits for that batch and I’m almost always running out by June!
That’s great, Bob. I do the same with many of my unripened peppers at the end of the season. Great stuff!
Can you make this with reapers?
Absolutely! I’ve done this with Reapers and it is AWESOME. Let me know how you like it. Check out this recipe, with superhots – The Hottest DA** Hot Sauce I Ever Made – Recipe.
Wow, this sauce is seriously hot. It has a great aroma and taste for about 1 second before it starts to set your mouth on fire ????. Thanks Mike for another great recipe.
Thanks, Scott! Glad you enjoyed it! Yep, definitely plenty of heat.
Into my 20 minute simmer. The house smells fabulous and spicy! I tasted one tiny drop of the juice that dripped off the spoon and it is exactly what I was looking for. I just might grow more ghost peppers next summer. Thank you for the recipe. Now to make myself wait a few days after I bottle it!
That’s GREAT, Anne. Thanks! Super happy you like it! Waiting is the hardest part.
My wife and I grow a lot of different types of peppers and are alway looking for new recipes to try. We doubled the recipe in order to use our ghost peppers both brief and fresh and WOW.! This is hot! Great flavor and excellent heat!
Thanks for sharing. We can’t wait to try more.
That’s GREAT, Paul! I’m glad you loved it. Thanks!
My sauce came out very vinegar-y. It smells and tastes just like vinegar. Does that fade with time? Did I not let it simmer long enough? I only used 2 tablespoons
Paul, if it is too vinegary for your tastes, I would cook down some more tomato and/or peppers and process them with the finished sauce to dilute the vinegar. Then cool and bottle it back up. Let me know how that turns out for you. I don’t believe the vinegar flavor will fade much otherwise.
I only have 2 Ghost Peppers ripe on the plant, but I have 1 Carolina Reaper and 1 Trinidad Scorpion also ready. If I use those to replace some of the Ghost peppers and also a couple of Scotch Bonnet do you think that will work with the same of everything else?
Thanks
Keith, absolutely. Subbing in a reaper and scorpion would totally work. Just expect some extra heat! I’m actually sort of jealous. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Michael,
After writing I left for a 9 day trip and when I returned I had 3 Ghost peppers ripe, 3 Carolina Reaper and 4 Trinidad Scorpions, 20 Scotch Bonnet. Along with about 55 other peppers of various kinds. I made the Ghost pepper Sauce with a half recipe. The Scotch Bonnet Sauce, The hottest sauce with the reapers and scorpions, the Chili Oil and the Pique. All the peppers, Basil and Culantro instead of Cilantro was from our garden. I have to say they are great and hot. THANK YOU! Had to post on Instagram and show off the sauces from your recipes.
Thanks, Keith! I love it! Super happy you enjoyed them.
Hey Mike –
I am wanting to make this but had a quick question. I was gifted three bags of dehydrated peppers (2 bags of ghosts and 1 bag of scorpions) and was wondering if you had a good method for rehydrating them?
Thanks!
Hi, Joe – Great gift!! I’m jealous! Here is a page that can help you: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-rehydrate-dried-chili-peppers/ — Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
Getting ready to make this sauce. Question? I’m looking to make about 8 bottles of 5.5oz and don’t wanted to be extremely hot what should I do?
Hey, Joseph. If you’re concerned about the heat, try dialing back on the ghost peppers and sub in an equivalent amount of milder peppers. You could easily make this with half ghost peppers, half red bell peppers. Let me know how it turns out for you.
My second time making this recipe now. I substitute IPA for water and throw in some poblanos. It’s dankness to the max. My eyes are burning in the living room.
L
Im making my own ghost pepper sauce can I have feedback on the prep and ingredients?
8 stemmed dried ghost peppers Ingredients & Instructions
7 diced jalapeno chile pepper
2 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ cup diced onion
2 teaspoons garlic
6 anaheim chile peppers stemmed, halved
9-10 habanero peppers, stemmed, halved
2 teaspoons tabasco
1 pound tomatoes, diced (about 3 cups)
4 ½ teaspoon lime
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 ½ teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon Cholula
3 1/2 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Preparation
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, chile peppers, habaneros to taste and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium. Add tomatoes, vinegar, salt and sugar to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.
Carefully transfer the tomato mixture to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot ingredients.) Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl; pour the pureed mixture through the sieve, pushing on the solids with a wooden spoon to extract all the liquid. (Discard solids.) Let the sauce cool to room temperature, about 1½ hours.
REPLY: I think this sounds great! — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
thank you very much! It was very nice taste.
Outstanding!
Really tasty, DELICIOUS! It’s winter so there is no getting fresh ghost peppers or fresh tomatoes that have flavor so I had to utilize Dave’s Gourmet Whole Ghost Peppers that I foundonline and a 14.5 oz. can of Hunts diced tomatoes and this still rocked. I can’t wait to have some fresh produce. Now I will allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a few days to come to its full potential.
Note: I had to add some additional water and I could not resist adding a clove of garlic.
Thanks for the recipe brother!!!
Awesome, Todd! Thanks! Glad you loved it.
Just made this with 7 Ghost, 5 truss tomatoes and apple cider vinegar can’t wait to taste the finished sauce.
I did make the mistake of eating some of the chilli before it went into the pan… DAMN !!! those chilli’s are HOT.
Dave, Gold Coast, Australia.
Nice. Glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, maybe not the best thing to eat some of it before it went into the pan! Haha!
I need a source to either get 5oz bottles from or co packer that can bottle my sauce up and out my artwork on it for a reasonable price. Amy pointer to get me in the right direction. Also the shelf life of the suave should be a few months correct , with all the acidity and fresh garden items I used.. p.s. I am making a Trinidad scorpion moruga hot sauce and found raw coconut vinegar at the store so did a mixture of that along with red wine vinegar and it works out really well to give greatflavor in the beginning before the scorpion sticks you with his venom lol. Thanks for any help anyone can give me on my questions
REPLY: Chef Barret, try Endorphin Farms – http://wp.bottle-my-sauce.com/. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Just made this sauce with a few substitutions. Instead of black vinegar, I used 4 tsp of cold brew coffee concentrate, and for mustard I used a lemon tarragon dijon that I had in the fridge already. BANGIN’ SAUCE. The smell of the ghost peppers roasting was intoxicating. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome, Mangry. I’ll bet it was great!
If following the recipe exactly, how would this keep? I assume in fridge? “Canned” in mason jars? Cold cellar? BTW my son & made this last… he likes it, but would prefer double or triple the peppers!
REPLY: Phranq, I keep mine in a sealed bottle in the fridge. You can process it if you want to keep it longer. And YES, add more peppers! Spice that baby up! — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Hi Mike…I love your recipes!
Could I substitute the Ghost Peppers for Thai Hot Dragon peppers instead and how many should I use?
REPLY: Hanif, absolutely. Curious how it will turn out for you. I would go by weight and use about 2-3 ounces of peppers, though you can easily include more for this recipe. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I made this sauce the other day and have to say, it is THE BEST. Great heat and taste.
I am going to make some more this week
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed it!
How much Hot Sauce will this recipe yield?
REPLY: Larry, depending on the size of the tomatoes, this should yield you about 2-1/2 cups of hot sauce or so. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
can i put 10 ghost peppers or is that overkill?
REPLY: C, surely you can, though be prepared for the heat! =) — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
SIX bhut jolokia to 2/3 C salsa? And this is not tongue in a glass of ice cubes hot??? I’ve been warned @ burning myself. Found Trinidad Scorpions for first time @ Asian Mkt. & they told me use only “one 1/2 Scorpion to 2 gallons salsa,” which Was already made with 1:1 tomatoes: peppers (avg. 100k Scoville) and was simmering @ home on the stove totally mild. Defiantly, I added a whole Scorpion. Barely more heat. So how many Bhut Jolokias (or frozen Trinidad’s) should I add to the 6 remaining quarts of salsa, while I’m also trying your Ghost Pepper Salsa recipe today?
REPLY: Hard question, Colleen! If you’re worried it will be too hot, don’t add much, maybe 1 for the whole thing and test. Definitely do testing to find your preferred heat levels. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I’ll try your recipe with Carolina Reapers. Can you use apple cider vinegar?
REPLY: Stephen, yes, you can use apple cider vinegar. You will have a fruitier flavor that way. Let me know how it turns out. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Hi,
Can I use white vinegar instead of red? Also will wine tomatoes test same as farmer markets ones in the sauce. I never tried ghost peppers sauce friend of mine just gave me and I saw your sauce recipe. Looks delicious can’t wait to try.
REPLY: Seema, yes, you can use white vinegar, as well as substitute other tomatoes. You will have some flavor variation, but it won’t be a massive change. Let me know how it turns out for you. Send a pic! — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I (16YO) made this recipe (22 fl oz) for my family to complement my signature burritos. My mother generally doesn’t do excessively spicy foods, but she can’t stay away from it. My brother will love this when he comes to visit. Thanks for the amazing recipe!! 10/10
Thanks, Joseph! Let me know how your brother likes it! Curious to hear!
The tomatos you used in the recipe are a lot larger than the normal tomatos people grow around here. I was wondering about the size and weight of yours.
REPLY: Mike, go with anywhere from 1-1.5 pounds of tomatoes, which would yield you a good amount of hot sauce. You can test and adjust to your tastes from there. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I am planning on making this today…super pumped! Question though: do you leave the pepper seeds in?
REPLY: Erin, I do leave them in, though you can remove them if you wish. The seeds tend to float in the sauce, so many people like to remove them. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I always put the saucepan on the grill outside to avoid the ventilation issues. I’ve tried other recipes in the house and always end up coughing my brains out
Smart move, Bill. Yeah, the fumes can really get you for sure.
My wife is allergic to onions. What’s a good substitute?
Thanks
REPLY: Bro, you can omit the onions if needed. Try adding more peppers, more tomato, or add in a carrot to round out the substance. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Will the cooking process be harsh? What I mean is, do I need protective goggles or something?
REPLY: Megan, I would be sure to have good ventilation in the room. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Do you use a whole small yellow onion for this recipe? Using a whole, small onion seems like a lot to me.
REPLY: Gerry, yes, I did, but you can cut back to your personal tastes. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Any idea on the weight o “6 bhut jolokia peppers”? The peppers which come off my plants are usually either way bigger or way smaller, so “6 peppers” doesn’t help much, weight would be way easier to work with.
REPLY: Jeff, an average ghost pepper weighs between 7-9 grams, so figure accordingly. From my experience, this recipe is easily adaptable and you can vary the amount of peppers by a great deal, depending on your preferred heat level. Same goes with the tomatoes. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
How much does one batch make?
REPLY: Adam, it should make you a couple of cups, depending on the size of your tomatoes. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
I have a good crop of cayenne peppers but they have not gone red because of our short growing season at 53 degrees north in England. Will they work as well as red chillies whilst green or do you recommend another recipe? I have used ‘Basket of Fire’ chillies to great effect with this recipe
REPLY: Jeremy, you CAN use this recipe, though the flavor will be more “green”, unripened flavor. I think it could still work, though. You might balance some of that out with other ingredients, like garlic and onion. Let me know how it turns out. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
At the end of every year I take three leftovers from the garden. Smoke them all and make hot sauce. Carrots onions all the leftover peppers whether they be green or ripe.
Every year is different and every year I’m so happy.. problem is the neighborhood waits for that batch and I’m almost always running out by June!
That’s great, Bob. I do the same with many of my unripened peppers at the end of the season. Great stuff!
When finished, my sauce was really a paste. Whats the best way to thin it out, water, vinegar, a combo of both, or something else?
Thanks, Tony
REPLY: Tony, yes, just add in a bit of water and thin it to your desired consistency. Or, you might try a bit more vinegar. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
When I was little my mother prepared the tomato sauce, never hot, but it is a great idea, especially for me that I love spicy food.
Now you can really spice it up!
Where can I buy these fresh – online?
REPLY: Bill, click “Resources” at the top menu and select either Plants or Seeds and see if any of those sellers can provide you with fresh pods. If you have trouble, email me and I can put in you in touch with some potential resources. — Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.