A homemade hot sauce recipe made with roasted red jalapeno peppers, garlic, tomato and red wine vinegar. This is one of the most addicting hot sauces I've ever made. I already need another batch!
Happy New Year, friends! This is a very important post. It is the first of 2016, a brand new year, and there were so many possible recipes for us to post. As food bloggers, we think about food ALL THE TIME. It's just what we do, and we LOVE it. We're sure you could tell.
But! What to post?
We considered posting something light and healthy to kick off the new year with good eating habits. Nothing wrong with that. We like the watch our waistlines and what better time to recommit?
We also considered posting a Blood Mary recipe. Patty is an UH-MAZING Bloody Mary mixologist. Believe me when I say that. She has some homemade mixes coming up very soon. Can't wait for those! See Spicy Mexican Style Bloody Mary Recipe. Oh yeah!
In the end, we decided that the best recipe to kick off 2016 with a BANG is this - Roasted Red Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce.
Yes!
A great homemade hot sauce epitomizes everything we are at Chili Pepper Madness. Of course we love chili peppers, but we love everything bold and spicy and zingy and zesty and delicious! Insert more positive foodie words here.
Seriously! We love it.
This is one of my personal favorite hot sauces. It's SO simple, a Louisiana style sauce with a few extra ingredients added in to round it out.
Take a peek at it. YUM!
Let's talk about how we make it, shall we?
Roasted Red Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Red Jalapeno Peppers.
- Yellow Onion. Chopped.
- Garlic Cloves. Chopped.
- Tomato Sauce.
- Red Wine Vinegar.
- Lemon Juice.
- Salt.
How to Make This Homemade Hot Sauce - The Recipe Method
First we're going to roast our peppers. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stems. Set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the skins blister.
Remove the peppers and cover with aluminum foil or a towel to allow them to steam. Peel off the skins and toss them, or keep them to make this Homemade Roasted Jalapeno Pepper Seasoning. So good!
Set the peppers into a food processor.
Next, heat a small pan to medium heat and add chopped onion and garlic with a splash of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes to soften.
Add the remaining ingredients and heat through. Into the food processor they go.
Process the sauce until smooth. You can also use a food mill if you’d like your sauce to be thick and consistent. Test for salt and serve!
Recipe Notes
I made mine a bit thicker so that it drips slowly from the bottle. It will coat the back of a spoon or stick to a chip if that is how you want to enjoy it. You can serve it as a finisher sauce to dazzle up just about anything savory, or you can use it to swirl into soups or stews to bring home the flavor.
Even consider this homemade hot sauce recipe as a starter for pasta sauces or even for dips. TOTALLY one my faves.
If you like your hot sauce a bit thinner, add in a bit of water or a bit more red wine vinegar. Just be careful not to overdo the balance of the vinegar flavor.
I like it thicker, but it works thinned out as well, and it will last longer.
Roasted Red Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe Bonus!
It's a great thing to make foods from scratch, isn't it? It is something we strive for here at Chili Pepper Madness, to work with fresh, healthy foods and turn them into bold and powerful flavors.
Ring in the New Year right with your own homemade hot sauce. Start here! Enjoy.
Safety Advice
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.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
How long will this 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. 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.
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 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:
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Pineapple-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Green 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
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
- Datil Pepper Sauce
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Roasted Red Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound red jalapeno peppers
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the jalapeno peppers in half lengthwise and remove the stems. Set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes, or until the skins blister.
- Remove from heat and cover with aluminum foil or a towel to allow them to steam. Peel off the skins and discard.
- Set the peppers into a food processor.
- Heat a small pan to medium heat and add chopped onion and garlic with a splash of olive oil. Cook about 5 minutes to soften.
- Add all remaining ingredients and heat through. Into the food processor they go.
- Process the sauce until smooth. You can also use a food mill if you’d like your sauce to be thick and consistent.
- Test for salt and serve!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
This post was updated on 8/6/18 to include new photos and a video. It was originally posted on 1/1/16.
Terry says
Hi Mike, not all of my jalapenos on my plants have turned red yet. I have around 11 ounces of red jalapenos. I would have had more, but I ate them! Could I roast these 11 ounces, peel them and then hold them in the fridge in a zip lock until I can roast the rest? Also, I don't have a dehydrator and unable to invest in one right now. Can I dry the roasted skins in the oven at 150 to make the roasted red jalapeno spice? Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Terry. Yes, you can roast them and refrigerate until you get more. You may want to freeze them if you need to wait longer than a week. Yes, you can dry in the oven, though do watch the heat and keep some air flow going. You may need to crack the door a bit. Let me know how it goes.
Gentry Madeja says
Huge word of advice: give this recipe at least 5 or 6 days in the refrigerator before realizing it's full flavor profile. I thought it was ok on day one, but I'm on day 6, and holy cow...what a difference! Let this beauty age a bit before making up your mind on your opinion!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Gentry. Yes, pretty much any hot sauce will benefit from letting it sit for the flavors to mingle and fully develop.
Taylor says
Great sauce I added a few ghost peppers too. I just finished it and had it warm on some seared pork chops was delicious can’t wait a couple days for all the flavours to really develop.
Curious I used tomatoes and wondering if In the future you can still add mango or would it throw that flavours off ??
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Taylor. Sure, you can combine tomato and mango. It's really a personal preference. Let me know how you like it if you make it that way.
Lamzalo.com says
Process the sauce until smooth. You can also use a food mill if you d like your sauce to be thick and consistent.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes, a food mill works great. I use mine quite often, actually.
Jessica says
Hi! I’m looking to add a fruit to this jalapeño sauce, which would you suggest? Wondering if I should replace the tomato sauce in this case...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Jessica. Different fruits would be interesting here. I prefer more tropical fruits, like pineapple or mango, which produce silkier, smoother sauces. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Michelle Riggott says
Hi Mike,
Great recipe ! I use mine for a great spicy meatloaf. I use the sauce to replace the tomato sauce and WOW, best meatloaf ever!
Thanks,
Michelle
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Michelle! I love that you used it for meatloaf instead of tomato sauce. NICE! I'm going to have to try that. You just made me hungry!!!
Mel says
Hi Mike,first thing,thanks for a GREAT site...I'm interested in this recipe but I haven't grown Jalapenos this year..What I have got is Cherry Bomb growing like mad,but as it is late November they are not ripening to red very well.(I live in Corfu Greece)I was thinking of doing this sauce with green ones,following the recipe otherwise..Do you think this could work ? I want to get them off the plants before they start rotting,as we have had a lot of rain in the last two weeks
12 inches ! 6 inches in one day dumped by Cyclone "Victoria" !!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Mel. Absolutely, you can use this recipe for your cherry bombs. No problem at all. Let me know how it turns out for you! Good luck with the cyclone! Whoa! That's a lot of rain.
Brian Storey says
Good sauce but don't split the peppers first. Getting those skins off sucked. Roast them whole over flame or broiler.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You can do it that way, Brian. I've never had any issues with the oven roasting method, but of course whatever works best for you. I roast over an open flame all the time. Not everyone has that option, unfortunately. Glad you like the sauce.
Happy Gazoo says
AAAH-mazing!! I ended up using 8 very large green jalapenos and apple cider vinegar (didn't have red wine vinegar). This sauce is PERFECT - very spicy but just enough that you keep wanting more and more. LOVE! Just found your website this week and it's so beautifully done. Thank you for opening my eyes to the world of hot sauce, presenting easy instructions and not making a newbie like me feel intimidated. Have a gorgeous weekend!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much! Super happy you enjoyed it!
Theresa Bettison says
I am making it now and was wondering what the shelf life is, I wanted to include a small bottle to each of the Christmas boxes I give out every year to a few co workers and friends. Would it require refridgeration once made or will it be ok to leave on shelf till Christmas . I will be using the shrink wrap bottles. Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Theresa, I have not measured the pH of this particular sauce, but it's all about the acidity. You want the pH to be 3.5 or lower, so be sure to use enough vinegar and/or citrus. If it is low enough, you can process the bottles or jars in a water bath for 10 minutes. If the pH is not low enough, you can use a pressure canner. Otherwise, keep refrigerated. Sauces can last a long time, but it is safer to process them for longer storage before opening.
Teresa says
Sorry! Meant to add that, because I was in a rush with the first batch, I didn’t deseed the peppers or peel them. But I did strain the sauce before pouring it into bottles. I dried what was strained out in my dehydrator , ground it and use it as a seasoning. I also processed the sauce in a water bath and we’re still using it. Great recipe and no waste!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
So perfect! I usually also dry any strained pulp and grind it into a powder for seasoning. Perfect use! You're a PRO!
Teresa says
This is a truly outstanding sauce. Made it last year and substituted half Serrano as I didn’t have enough ripe jalapeños. It was so good I made another 3 batches and am growing more jalapeños this year just for this sauce! Thank you so much for all of the extremely helpful advice on your site.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
This is GREAT to hear, Teresa. I love it. It's definitely one of my favorite hot sauces. I make it all the time. glad you love it!
Pieter says
Hi Mike
Decided to give your sauce a go. Picked the peppers from my wife’s garden. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough for what the recipe says, so I added red Paprika peppers - about 50:50.
At first I thought: just another spicy burning pepper tasting mash. It tasted like raw green peppers leaving you with a burning mouth.
To my surprise, a day or two later it tasted quite different. The flavors had time to develop and I couldn’t stop eating. The strong raw pepper taste disappeared and was really delicious. I use it on hot dogs, hamburgers. Delicious in Italian sauces on pasta.
Another ingredient I changed was I used sun dried tomato pesto instead of straight tomato sauce. One thing I battled a bit with was to remove the skins. Roasted in the oven for 20 minutes and followed the recipe. Some skins just stayed stuck to the flesh and was rubbery.
Thanks for the recipe. Will make another batch when next crop of peppers are ripe & red.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Pieter. Most sauces will develop if you let them sit and mingle for a day or two. Glad you are enjoying it. You can always roast the peppers longer, or steam them after they come out of the oven to loosen the skins. Temps can vary from oven to oven. Good luck with your next batch!