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.
More Ghost Pepper Recipes to Try
- Homemade Ghost Pepper Chili Sauce
- Roasted Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Fresh Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Jelly
More Hot Sauce Recipes to Try
- 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
- Fresh Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
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
Derek S Miller says
I made it and yes a nice kick. For me it needed a little more salt, and a little more acid. I added some salt at the end. I may add a little more vinegar to give it that balance, that FOR ME a hot sauce needs, salt, heat, acid.
Thanks for your website, it is the most comprehensive site since pepper fool shut down.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Derek. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, always best to adjust to personal taste. Thanks!!
Ann Recotta says
Hi there! I'd like to try this, but instead of tomatoes, I want to use blackberries and peaches. Would this work - I'm thinking about acidity and balance. Or maybe blackberries and citrus? Thanks for your help!
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Ann! Yes, that WILL certainly work. I can't vouch for the flavors, as I haven't tried it, but I definitely think it's worth trying it. It could be delicious! Let me know how it turns out!
Jeremy says
I had one of my plants that didn’t make it but had several green peppers on it, if I use them in this recipe how will it affect the taste? I’m sure the heat will be less but flavor still ok?
Mike Hultquist says
Jeremy, you can use green pods for hot sauce. The flavor will be less ripe, more vegetable, but a good verde. Enjoy!
Adam says
Hi Mike, I have a bunch of white ghost peppers, just want to confirm they would be good for this recipe as well? Could I ferment the peppers and onions in this recipe and add the remaining ingredients post ferment? Would there be any adjustments to the recipe needed?
Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Adam. Yes, you can use them in this recipe, no problem. Curious how it will look! Yes, you can ferment them with the onions. No adjustments really. Let me know how it goes!
Cynthia says
Hello can I use dried pepper for this recipe? I grew a bunch this year but I dried them for keeping
Mike Hultquist says
You sure can, Cynthia. I have a post on that here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/
Mark says
have made this sauce several times with very good results. I have just done a batch adding a couple of cloves of garlic to the frying stage and some honey to the simmer stage. its the dogs bollocks mate
Mike H. says
Haha, thanks, mate - enjoy!
Sharon says
Hello how long would you water bath this? 4 oz, 8 oz or 16
Mike Hultquist says
Sharon, 10 minutes is typically enough, though high elevations may need up to 20 minutes.
Arista says
Hi, do you leave the seeds in?
Mike H. says
Arista, you can do that if you'd like, but I usually just leave them in.
Craig says
Hi , do you remove the seeds from the ghost chilli when you chop them ?
Mike Hultquist says
You can if you'd like, Craig. I usually just leave them in.
Wm Wells says
Can I follow this recipe using Carolina Reapers in place of Ghosts? I cook with most hot peppers except jalapeños which I prefer raw. But depending on the dish (and who else might want a bite) cayenne, ghost and reapers are my favorites.
Mike H. says
Yes, you can do that and will still achieve a very spicy and flavorful sauce. Just keep in mind that Carolina Reapers are even hotter than Ghosts, so it's going to be fiery!
Donna Lane says
☺️ Hi
My French Creole Native American family (especially my brother) loves
Hot and extra spicy
My brother makes a Hot sauce with a combination of 3 types of peppers
Cayenne, habanero, jalapeno
But I wanna make a milder version of it. My great-nieces and great nephew can't eat it because it's way too hot for them
Do you have any suggestions for this?
Mike Hultquist says
Donna, you can use the exact same recipe, but just swap in milder peppers, or use a mixture of them. Works great.
Peter Nekos says
Great shot man
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks! Great stuff!
Scott Sternig says
I made a variation of this sauce, and it turned out great. I added some mandarin oranges and cut a little water and little vinegar from the recipe. turned out top notch.
Mike Hultquist says
Great! Glad you enjoyed it, Scott!
Jessica says
Can’t wait to try it! I have a bunch of Chocolate Ghost peppers so can I use them and will the flavor still be the same? Thanks! Jessica
Mike Hultquist says
Chocolate ghosts will work great here, Jessica! Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out.