Ghost Pepper Chili Sauce Recipe

Spicy Chili Sauce

If you've made my ghost pepper hot sauce and want something different - thicker, richer, more of a cooking sauce than a condiment - this is it.

That recipe is made for drizzling straight out of the bottle. This one goes a different direction. Canned whole tomatoes, red bell pepper, and onion give it a deep, savory body that holds up in a pot of chili, spooned over tacos, used as a marinade, or stirred into braised meat. It's less about heat-forward punch and more about heat with substance.

Ghost peppers (Bhut Jolokias) bring on the real heat. We're talking over 1 Million Scoville Heat Units, roughly 200 times hotter than a jalapeño, so don't let the tomato base fool you. This sauce is hot. The sweetness and body just give it somewhere to hit.

Seven ingredients, one pot, about 40 minutes. Let's get into it.

Ghost Pepper Chili Sauce Ingredients

• Ghost Peppers.
• Red Bell Pepper.
• Whole Tomatoes. Canned.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Apple Cider Vinegar.
• Sugar. Or you can use honey.
• Salt.

What Makes This a Chili Sauce (Not a Hot Sauce)

This is closer to a chili sauce or a spicy tomato-pepper sauce than a traditional hot sauce. It's the version you want when you're cooking, not just finishing a dish.

Most hot sauces, including my classic ghost pepper hot sauce, are created around vinegar and peppers. They're thin, acidic, and made for pouring. This is something else. The canned tomatoes give it a thick, almost chunky body before it hits the blender. The red bell pepper adds sweetness and volume. The onion and garlic simmer down into the base and round everything out.

How to Make Ghost Pepper Chili Sauce

• Add all ingredients to a large saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer about 20-30 minutes to soften.
• Transfer contents to a food processor and process it as smooth or as chunky as you like. A longer blend gives you something closer to a pourable sauce. Pulse it briefly and you've got more of a chunky salsa consistency that's great as a topping.
• Transfer to a container. Seal and refrigerate until ready to use.

NOTE: The flavors will grow more intense the longer you wait.

Serving Ideas

This sauce works differently than a thin hot sauce. Think of it less as a finisher and more as an ingredient. Stir it into chili or black beans while they cook. Use it as a taco topping straight from the jar. Mix it with a little oil and use it as a chicken or pork marinade. Thin it out with a splash of broth and use it as a braising liquid for short ribs or brisket. And yes, you can drizzle it on eggs, but it'll hold up to a lot more than that.

See my post on How to Cook with Hot Sauce.

Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.

Storage Information

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. If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.

The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.

More Ghost Pepper Recipes to Try

• Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce
• Ghost Pepper Salsa
• Sweet Ghost Pepper-Pineapple-Pear Hot Sauce
• Ghost Pepper Candied Bacon
• Crispy Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings

Looking for something thinner and more vinegar-forward? My Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce is the classic drizzle version. Same heat, different texture and use.

Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions

Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:

Where'd you get that 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 You Make it With Other Peppers?

I've made versions of this particular chili sauce recipe with other peppers and it always turns out because of its simplicity. It works with habanero peppers, Scotch Bonnets, larger sweet peppers, Serrano peppers, jalapeno peppers, though I tend to lean toward the more Caribbean style peppers that are sweeter.

It also works with dried chili peppers if those are all you have on hand. Just be sure to rehydrate them as needed.

Can You Can This Sauce?

This sauce makes a great canning project if you're working through a big ghost pepper harvest and want something shelf-stable with real depth of flavor.

Yes, and this recipe is well-suited for it. The tomato base means you're already working with higher acidity than most pepper-only sauces. A few things to keep in mind:

Check your pH before canning. Target below 4.6 for shelf stability, closer to 4.0 or below if you're home canning and want a safety buffer. Add more apple cider vinegar a tablespoon at a time until you hit your target. I recommend a pH meter from Thermoworks for accuracy.

Use proper water bath canning procedure with sterilized jars. Process 8-ounce jars for 10 minutes at a full boil, adjusting for altitude if needed.