Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce is fruity, hot, sweet, and incredibly easy to make! A mix of bold Jamaican seasonings compliment the natural flavors of the peppers in a beautiful way. Serve this sauce with chicken or seafood to really elevate your meal!
Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
Scotch Bonnet peppers are some of my favorites! In fact, I grow them myself because I just can't get enough of them. They have a good level of heat, very similar to a habanero pepper, along with the duo qualities of being both fruity and somewhat sweet.
It’s the ideal trifecta for me, really – fruity, spicy, and slightly sweet. Yeah, baby! Give me that combo any day of the week. This is a recipe that begs to take your chicken or seafood to the next level.
It's a particularly fiery sauce takes you straight to the Caribbean in the most delicious way!
Ingredients in Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce
- Scotch Bonnet peppers (learn all about these famous spicy peppers HERE)!
- White onion
- Carrot
- Chayote
- Cucumber
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Garlic
- Jalapeño peppers
- Cumin
- Salt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Lime juice and zest
How to Make Jamaican Hot Sauce
Blend, boil, simmer, serve. This recipe couldn't be easier to make!
Blend the ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until nice and smooth.
Boil, then simmer. Transfer the blended sauce to a large pot and bring to a quick boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour to let the flavors mingle.
Enjoy! Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer to a container and seal. Refrigerate for at least 1 day to let the flavors develop.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Adjust the heat level. If you’d like to dial back the heat level, skip the habanero pepper. You can also reduce or skip the serranos, and go with jalapeño peppers only. You’ll still get a nice kick from them.
- Use a good sauce bottle. 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.
- Use it in a variety of ways. You can use it as a marinade for your chicken or fish, or as more of a finishing sauce, or both! It’s also great for swirling a few tablespoons into soups, stews or other sauces to give them a bit of a fiery kick and blast of flavor.
- Let it chill for a while. I let my Jamaican hot sauce sit in the fridge at least a day before using, allowing the flavors to mingle even further.
Storing
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.
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.
Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 Scotch Bonnet peppers chopped
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 1 small carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 chayote peeled and chopped
- ½ cucumber chopped
- 1 mango peeled and chopped
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup pickled jalapeno peppers chopped
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Juice from 2 limes plus lime zest
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until nice and smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a large pot and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour to let the flavors mingle.
- Cool, then transfer to a container and seal. Refrigerate at least 1 day to let flavors develop.
Notes
Nutrition Information
ML says
I’m sitting here staring at two Carolina Reaper peppers contemplating adding them to this recipe which I doubled. I’m nervous. Should I or shouldn’t I?
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, ML. Well, reapers are very, very hot! Roughly 6 times the heat in Scoville Units. It really depends on how hot you like it. You'll never know until you try, though! If you DO add them in, you can always reprocess the entire batch and combine it with another that is much milder in order to dilute the overall heat. Let me know how it goes if you give it a go.
ML says
Thanks for the advice Mike! I’m on my third batch of hot pepper sauce this summer and want you to know this is my favorite recipe.
I am going to divide this batch and add 1/2 of a Carolina reaper to it. It will go to my grandson who is the only family member who can tolerate VERY hot food.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds wonderful!!! Thanks, ML!
Jenn says
This is literally the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Making it a second time tonight, hoping it’s as good as the first!! Thank you!!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Awesome! I love to hear it. Thanks, Jenn.
J says
So we are not peeling the cucumbers?!?
Mike Hultquist says
You can peel them if you'd like. Personal choice.
Garry says
Hi Mike. How would you compare the heat of this sauce to you Garlic Habanero? which I make quite often with many variances. I grew a whole bunch of Scotch Bonnets this year as i find the flavor of these peppers in hot sauces to be very noticeable. Which is great for flavor.
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Gary. Habaneros are Scotch Bonnet peppers are roughly equivalent in heat level, so that will translate to the final sauces. Should be pretty close. I hope you enjoy it!
Paul Eaton says
Hot Damn Old Son; this is a definite ring ping maker. great though. I have tried some of your other hot sauces and wasn't disappointed. You are the KING of HOT etc Barry.
Thank You Very Much,
Paul Eaton, Calgary AB
Mike Hultquist says
Haha, thanks, Paul!
Barry says
How long can you keep Jamaican hot sauce in refrigerator unopened?
Mike Hultquist says
Barry, this will last 12 months or so in the refrigerator because of the acidity from the vinegar and citrus. Just keep an eye out for any signs of spoilage. Enjoy!
Connie says
I love this sauce! I keep it in a glass mason jar in the fridge and it lasted a LONG time (many months). I love it drizzled on quesadillas, in tacos, for marinating chicken, etc.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you love it, Connie! Definitely a favorite here!
Mary Dante says
Can this recipe be canned?
Mike Hultquist says
Mary, you can process this in a water bath, but make sure the pH is 3.5 or lower for home canning. Or, look into pressure canning.
Kris says
Do you recommend leaving the seeds in?
Mike Hultquist says
Kris, I usually do, but you can remove them if you'd like. Most of the heat is in the pepper innards, so removing the innards will tame that heat.
Robert says
Awesome!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Robert!
Sydney says
Hi there!
Would it be horrible to omit the pineapple from this? Would you recommend subbing more mango or leaving as is? Just debating, also dont love sweet salsas but since ive never tried this recipe i dont want to misassume the sweetness ratio, thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Sydney. Not horrible at all. You can skip it and replace it with mango or more peppers. No problem at all. Make it your way for sure! Enjoy.
Imtiaz says
Fresh, fruity and kicks like an Ox!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Thanks for your rating! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jen says
This is the best hot sauce I've ever tasted. I followed the recipe but used half the salt, twice the vinegar and extra mango.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Boom! Thanks, Jen!
Jesse says
I like this recipe but I find the cumin is overwhelming. Is there something I can do after the fact to dilute that.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jesse, sorry to hear. Dilution is the best way, really. You can make another batch without cumin, then combine them. Or, add in some other ingredients to balance it.
Shane says
Hey I have a question can you ferment the scotch bonnets or is this better without doing that? I usually ferment my peppers so not sure if that’s something necessary with this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Shane. I do not ferment them when making this sauce, but you absolutely can use fermented peppers. I think it would add a very interesting dimension. Let me know how it goes. I'd love to hear it!
Patrick Hofstetter says
Hello Mike,
I have to say that I just completed this recipe with a few of my own tweaks and it is amazing. The two changes I made were simple, I used Zucchini in place of the Chayote and added 1/4 cup of Coconut Sugar to reduce the overall heat.
The sugar also helped with the fact that the mango I used wasn't completely ripened.
I would not say the heat level is that strong on the palate, but blends well with the other flavors.
Thank you for posting this as I needed a great base, and this is it. I would highly recommend this recipe.
I'll be trying it as a marinade tomorrow for some chicken, so I will post the results later as an update.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Patrick! Thanks!
Amy Hansen says
Hi Mike,
I had an abundance of Scotch Bonnet peppers and was lucky enough to stumble across this recipe which I doubled because of how many peppers I had. I took a taste as it was simmering and after it cooled. Although the heat was tamed a bit after cooling, I can tell I will be the only one in the family enjoying this due to the heat level. Do you think adding brown sugar will help tame the heat?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Amy. Yes, usually a bit of sweetness can help tamp the heat a bit, or at least make it more palatable. Not a ton, but it does help. Let me know how it goes.
Vicki says
I'm a Scotch Bonnet Snob, Habaneros are hot like Scotch Bonnet but they do not have that extra flavor that you taste in Jamaican dishes. My friend got me a bag full on Amazon and they are truly Scotch Bonnet peppers. I have not tried this recipe yet but I will. My sister made Scotch Bonnet sauce that is more of a relish consistency and since I am not a mayonnaise lover the relish makes any can of tuna taste good! Commenters: Try Amazon for SB Peppers!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Vicki. I hope you enjoy it. Yes, definitely a flavor difference. I love my Scotch Bonnets. I grow them often.
Sue says
What can I sub for the chayote? Not sure I can find that here on my little island lol
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sue, you can use zucchini or yellow squash.
Mike says
I would give this 6 stars.. Followed recipe exactly and what happened.. One of the best sauces I've ever had. And not just me. Anyone I have this through went through their jar in a week. They are asking for more! So much flavour and nice kick.. What a sauce should be!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Mike!
monique H says
How do you work out the calories for your recipes? I would love to be able to do that
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Monique, it is part of my recipe card software. There are many online calculators you can try as well.
Linda McCall says
Can I cut up a couple and add them to hot pepper vinegar?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
A couple peppers, Linda? Yes, of course. Many people make hot vinegar this way.
Joe says
This will be my first try at growing around 15 plants so anyway to help me use them is a godsend!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad to be helpful! Good luck with the plants!
Dennis Ramdeen says
Mike, my Mom has been making a simple scotch bonnet pepper sauce for decades that family and friends swear by - a must have when travelling abroad to visit family.
Hers is mustard based and includes vinegar, garlic and salt. We've talked about commercializing it for a long time, and 2020 will see it launched in Trinidad through a small batch set up. You will see from our website that we are actually an advertising agency called pepper, a name that was inspired by my Mom's talent with turning peppers into something really special. We will add info on our sauces to the website once we launch.
We also plan to do seasonal versions that take advantage of an abundant variety of fresh fruits and spices on our island.
We don't plan to add any preservatives, so it will need to be refrigerated. In T&T we love pepper sauce and some people even have food with their pepper sauce, rather than the other way round.
Thanks for your passion for pepper. Will let you know how it goes.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds wonderful, Dennis! Yes, please keep me informed of your progress. The sauce sounds great. Good luck with your endeavors!
Ducky says
I substituted with butternut squash no cucumber about 13 Scotch bonnets that I harvested from my garden last week before the freeze some green most yellow one ghost pepper and some jalapenos from my garden too frozen mango canned pineapple (added the juice) came out excellent ! I got more peppers in those green bags I'm gonna make more!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Ducky! Glad you are enjoying it!
Trina says
I really want to make this but is there a substitute for chayote? I can't find it anywhere near me here up north, and I'm kinds skeptical about ordering it from eBay .
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Trina, try a summer squash as a good substitute. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Chuck says
Made this with bonnets and Serrano’s stripped of seeds and membranes. Used a ripe banana vs pineapple.
Outcome was a semi hot fruity sauce that was fantastic on chicken and with chips
Making a second batch today will leave seeds and membranes to heaven it up a bit.
Fantastic
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding! Thanks, Chuck.
labf says
Great combo and recipe BUT COOK IT ALL WHOLE!!!! Then put in a blender at the end. That is how we do it on the island but I hear you. Great combo and pairing, Chayote DEFINITELY underrated yet very needed!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great! I appreciate it!
Jasn says
This looks fantastic!!! I made something similar recently but I used Ghost peppers and habaneros as I didn't have Scotch Bonnets. I've never even seen them around here aside from bottled in a sauce in the local groceries. The recipe I found was posted by Chris De La Rosa his channel, carribeanpot on YouTube (Traditional Caribbean Peppersauce (hot sauce) Recipe). I made a half batch so about 2 cups of chopped peppers and I used 6 to 8 (I can't remember exactly at this point...I have to write this stuff down) Ghost peppers and rest was a about 3/5 chopped Habaneros and the other 2/5 was a mix of chopped red, yellow and orange sweet bell peppers. The sauce is super simple, chopped hot peppers, culantro (I used cilantro as I didn't have culantro as suggested), crushed garlic cloves, juice of a lime (I didn't halve this) and a teas. of sea salt (didn't halve this either) and just a 1/2 cup of white vinegar. The chopped veggies were run through a vintage Mince-O-Matic 7 that I picked up from a local second hand peddlers mall for $2.50 and it produced the perfect consistency without having to gauge pulsing and stirring to make sure it wasn't just a soupy puree. I let it sit in a jar on the counter for about 2 days and then a week and a half in the fridge before touching it other than a very small taste and HOLY COW this stuff is hot! It has soooooo much flavor too. It has a very fruity flavor but the heat is crazy. I've used it to add to a chilli I made recently It was canned beef chilli, canned diced tomato and canned black beans (drained). None of them was spicy at all. I just opened the cans, poured them into a pot and got them bubbling hot. I added 1 teas. to a hearty bowl and WOW that's some good stuff. It totally turned a quick average, OK tasting guilty treat into a tasty, sweat inducing meal and seconds were in order for sure. I've repeated the same thing chilli/sauce mix again and it was just as amazing.
I have made a second batch and it's larger and less bell peppers and more Ghosts and I will need to temper it down a notch as it is like lava in a jar. It used 3 cups of peppers and there were 12 to 16 Ghosts in that, more Habaneros and very little bell peppers. I will tone that down a bit and I'll fill some hot sauce bottles and can it to store long term. It's my first really successful hot sauce and I'm proud. It'll make a great base for serious salsa with just tomatoes or tomatillos and onion.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds quite awesome!
Jason says
It is! I have more than enough to last me. I need to find someone to give a bottle too but I don't know anyone around here that likes heat like this. I might can some. I'm sure it will just get better with time. If mailing it was reasonable I'd send you a bottle HAHA!
One of the best things about your site and the others that are somewhat similar is being able to share ideas and recipes and the general love of all things spicy.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jason! I do love keeping it spicy! Have a good one!
Jgreene343@gmail.com says
I made a pico with ghost pepper before! So hot I almost threw away! My 19 year old has a iron gut!
Mike M says
This sounds so good, I will use pickled jalapeno peppers that I have canned. My question is can I can this recipe, can bath, maybe 15 min.? Think it will stay good ? Should I add a little more vinegar to be safe? Any comment would be appreciated,
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Mike. Yes, I believe you can can this recipe, but I would check the PH first. For home use, it's best at 4.0 or below. Let me know how it goes!
Nancy says
Hello,
I'm anxious to try your scotch bonnet hot sauce recipes. My favorite hot sauce of all time was one I bought in Jamaica called MyDad's Scotch Bonnet pepper sauce. It was available one time in CA but I can't find it anymore. I would LOVE to replicate it. Have you ever had it by chance?
Thanks,
Nancy
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nancy, I've never had it, but surely wish I did!
Nancy says
Michael,
I'm excited about trying this one! I'll probably leave out the pickled jalapeños though. I'll let you know how I like it. Nothing beats Scotch Bonnet peppers for taste to me. Well, I love Serranos too. ????
Can't tell you how much I enjoy this site!!
Nancy
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Nancy! I appreciate it! YOU ROCK!!
Lee says
Hi there, I'd like to make this sauce but can you advise how long it will keep in the refrigerator?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lee, this sauce should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. The 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. I hope this helps!
Brian says
Hi Mike,
I really want to make this but all I have left from the garden is ghost & habanero peppers. Would either work with this recipe or is it best with scotch bonnet?
Thanks
REPLY: Brian, this recipe will work great with habaneros. Let me know how it turns out for you! -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Larry Brooke says
Do have a recipe for Bajan hot sauce (Barbados's)
REPLY: Larry, I'll have to work on that soon. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.