A thick, tomato-based ghost pepper chili sauce built for cooking. Spoon it over tacos, stir it into chili, use it as a marinade. Big heat, rich body, ready in 40 minutes.
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.
Safety Advice & Heat Factor
Heat Factor: VERY HOT. Ghost peppers pack a GREAT amount of heat. Enjoy.
When working with very hot chili peppers peppers, including superhot chili peppers, 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, pepper fumes may get into the air if you are not working in a well ventilated room, so you may want to wear a mask and possibly eye goggles. Superhot chili peppers, truly, are called superhots for a reason.
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.
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 Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 bhut jolokia peppers ghost peppers, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 14- ounce can whole tomatoes
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar (or use honey)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- 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 until chunky or smooth to your preference.
- Transfer to a container. Seal and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
NOTE: This page was updated on 4/14/26 to include new information, including FAQs and serving ideas. The recipe was not changed.
Vernon the Northern Chili head says
If you have no tomatoes but have tomato juice, can that work?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Vernon, yes, you can use tomato juice with this recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you.
David M. Alicea says
OMG!! The ghost peper make this truly wicked. I just made a batch and tasted a drop from the side of the bottle and YES!! HOT!! I did tweak a bit by adding about q tsp of cumin powder and regular vinegar but tastes great so far. THANK You. GRACIAS!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, David! Glad you enjoyed it!!
David M. Alicea says
Just made a second batch but added 1 cup of fresh mango to change it up and it works! This is a new go to recepie!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Making hot sauce is fun, isn't it? I love the addition of the mango. Nicely done. Enjoy!
Stephen says
It states to add water how mutch do i need to put in thanks ste
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Stephen, just a tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you prefer. Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Jason says
Mike,
First, this looks amazing as usual. I need to make some ASAP. I love all of your recipes and have a hard time picking what to go with because there is soooo much to chose from and it all gets me salivating and my taste buds excited to find out what they're instore for next.
Now my question(s):
When you say a small onion and small bell pepper, what do you really mean? This is always one of those things that I debate and ruminate over as it can dramatically affect the outcome of any recipe. Onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. come in such a range of sizes and what one person considers small is medium or even large to others that tend to use less because of particular taste. Many people compare fruits and veggies to things like a baseball, tennis ball or even and apple but even apples come in many sizes and if you don't have a good mental picture of a baseball you could end up using 10% to 20% less or more onion which can made a dish, sauce or whatever taste completely different than intended if not make it completely inedible to some. I am starting to try to move toward using a digital kitchen scale like I did when I lived in Germany because it allows for so much more accuracy and allows for faithful reproduction of a recipe which you can then experiment with later. Most recipes that I have made or read that come from Europe specify weight in grams and milliliters for volume. This appeals to me big time because I am a scientist by trade LOL! I tend to approach a lot of cooking like a chemistry experiment. I much prefer to try my best to make a recipe as faithfully as possible the first time unless I have to make a substitution or omission because I just don't have an ingredient.
As always, thanks a ton for all of your work, advice and delicious recipes! You sir are royalty when it comes to the spicy heat of chili peppers.
Jason
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jason. I know I do specific weight measurements with recipes that require more precision, like baking or fermenting, but with general cooking, I consider it a bit more of an art. If you're looking for a good rule of thumb, it's good to cook recipes like this with equal amounts of onion and peppers, a 1:1 ratio. Figure a small onion should weigh about 4 ounces (113 grams), or yield about 1/2 cup chopped onion. Then you can adjust to your personal preferences. Let me know if this makes sense.
Lynn says
Can you process and seal with either the swing top or hot sauce bottles you recommend?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lynn, if you are going to process the sauce for longer storage, I recommend using Ball jars with the metal rings and caps that can withstand the hot water bath.
Gretchen Danish says
I always use Carolina Reapers for this recipe, since I always have abundance of them (guess they like NJ shore heat and humidity) and I do bottle it. I have used this recipe before and it worked out great. The longer the bottles mature, the hotter it gets.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Gretchen! Nice!
Cody says
My go to recipe for hot sauce!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Cody!!
Sabrina says
I didn't boil the ingredients. I just threw them in the blender, is that bad?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sabrina, not at all. Fermented peppers are great to enjoy on their own without the cooking part. I like to cook my ingredients down to let them mingle more, but it's not necessary. Let me know how you like it.
Drew says
I made this for my Chinese wife who is a real pepper head and she loved it. I added two less ghost peppers and added one Carolina Reaper. I also added a carrot for some sweetness and extra garlic.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Drew. Glad she enjoyed it. I love the inclusion of the carrot. Definitely adds some sweetness and body. Nice!
Jane Allen says
Made this with a scorpion and a viper pepper with some others given to me and OMG it was soooo good! Extra garlic of course. got some more peppers and making some more
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Jane! Super happy you loved it! Nice move on the extra garlic. Sweet!
Noah says
This may sound weird but do you have to wear a gas mask when making this? Is there any protective measures I should take such as opening windows?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Noah, I suggest working in a well ventilated room when working with ghost peppers and other hot chili peppers. Gloves are a good idea as well. Some people like to work with a small mask to avoid the fumes.
Andrew says
Hi. I made this sauce yesterday and it didn't turn out hot at all. I followed the recipe and even added an extra pepper just cause that's what I had on hand. I saw in a previous comment that this should make about 20oz and I not knowing how much water to use I got about 48oz out of it. Is this the reason for the low heat levels? Can I do anything to it to make it hotter like making a super concentrated version and mix what I have with that and re-bottle or do I need to just chalk it up to beginners mistake and just try again later? It definitely smells like a stronger flavor from overnight but don't get an intense heat/pepper smell. I didn't really get that sense from the peppers when I chopped them in the first place.
Thanks
Andrew
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Andrew. This is super surprising, as ghost peppers are very hot. The cooking process won't temper the heat in this recipe at all, so it makes me wonder about the ghost peppers themselves. Do you have any left? Are they hot? Definitely not a beginner mistake. I would take a look at those peppers. Let me know.
Andrew says
Unfortunately I do not have any left. I bought them at my local produce store. There were 7 in the plastic clam shell package and the brand was Melissa's (cannot find the peppers on their website). The peppers were multiply colors. They didn't appear to be going bad or too immature as far as I could tell. I buy habaneros in bulk from the same store and they have always been good. I am tempted to go back and get more and try again, but taste a little bit of the peppers before hand to check for heat levels. I will be growing my own so that way I should get better product!
The sauce has gotten little bit hotter but not by much. I eat mouthfuls at a time from the bottle and get some heat but once I put it on food I get nothing just a watered down version of a store bought mild salsa. Oh well, no big deal. Live and learn.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sorry to hear. You can always add in some spicy chili powder with your sauce to heat it up. I would pour it into a pan with other seasonings and let it simmer a bit, then cool and bottle it back up.
mary says
should i include the seeds or not? did you
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Mary, you can remove them if you'd like, though it isn't required. I do not remove them. Some people feel the seeds can be a bit bitter. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Dave says
I made this today with our chilles
From the garden and boy oh boy it is hot! Going to use it as spice in my curries and frozen in ice cube trays
Buran says
114 ounces of tomato = 3 kilograms? Is this correct data?
REPLY: Buran, the recipe calls for 14 ounces - one 14-ounce can. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.