This aji chili sauce recipe is hot and sweet, made with a variety of fresh aji peppers from my garden, along with onion, cayenne peppers and more. Very easy to make.
Who's ready for a quick and easy chili sauce recipe? I am! My garden has exploded this year, my friends. I have chili peppers coming out of my ears!
What a great problem to have, isn't it? I have hot sauce recipes galore on this site, as well as all sorts of chili sauces and pepper sauces, and this particular recipe is a quick variation that focuses mostly on aji peppers.
I grew a variety of aji chili peppers this year. There is a large variety of aji peppers in the world, and the plants are extremely productive. They are so easy to grow. Aji types offer a big range of heat, from very mild and sweet to a good mid-level heat, so they're perfect for making sauces and hot sauces.
This particular recipe I'm calling Aji Chili Sauce, as it includes both aji dulce peppers and aji cito peppers. Aji dulces are mild and sweet, while aji citos are pretty much the hottest of the aji varieties, measuring up to 100,000 Scoville Heat Units. Nice heat!
I rounded out the sauce with some lomback cayenne peppers that I also grew, along with sweet onion, garlic, brown sugar and honey for sweetness, salt and a bit of water to thin it out.
This is more of a finishing chili sauce, not so much a hot sauce, though it is extremely versatile. You can use it however you want to use it.
Let's talk about how we make the chili sauce, shall we?
Easy Aji Chili Sauce Ingredients
- Chili Peppers. I’m using aji dulce, lombeck cayenne peppers and aji cito peppers.
- Medium Red Onion. Chopped in half.
- Garlic Cloves.
- Honey.
- Brown Sugar.
- Salt.
- Water. Or use stock.
How to Make Aji Chili Sauce - the Recipe Method
First, add the peppers, onion and garlic to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until everything softens.
Drain, then add them to a food processor or blender and process until a thick paste forms. You’ll have about 3 cups of thick sauce at this point.
Next, add the honey, brown sugar, salt and water or stock. Process until smooth.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve if desired. Adjust for salt. You can skip the straining if you want to serve it more like a salsa or a thick sauce.
Makes 1.5-2 cups of strained sauce, about 3 cups of unstrained sauce.
Boom! Done! Easy recipe, isn't it? Sweet-Hot Aji Chili Sauce is ready to enjoy.
See my post on "Does Hot Sauce Need to be Refrigerated?"
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Chili Peppers. This was made with a bunch of peppers from my garden – aji dulce, aji cito, and lomback cayenne, with a focus on the ajis. However, this recipe works with any chili peppers. Use your favorites. Mix them up for a balance of sweet, heat and flavor. It's fun to experiment Think of it as more of a sauce making method than a recipe.
- The Sweet Factor. I wanted a sweeter sauce to compliment the natural sweetness of the ajis, so I added both brown sugar and honey to the mix. You can skip them or reduce the amounts to your own preference.
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your Aji Chili Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 2-4 weeks. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate it promptly.
Serving Suggestions
- Finishing Sauce. Use the sauce as-is for spooning onto sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, sausages or any grilled meats or fish. It gives a nice pop of heat and flavor.
- Salsa. Skip the straining and serve it with tortilla chips for an extra spicy salsa. So good!
- Hot Sauce. Add vinegar to make it more of a traditional hot sauce, or serve it as-is like any other hot chili sauce.
- Soups and Stews. Swirl it into any soups or stews for some extra flavor and heat.
- Dips. Spoon a few tablespoons into 8 ounces of sour cream, crema, yogurt or quark to make a delicious spicy dip or cream sauce.
- Pasta Sauce. Toss the sauce with noodles in place of your next past sauce, or mix it with tomato sauce for pasta. So good!
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy the aji sauce. It really is very easy to make. Let me know how you like it, and how you wind up using it. Enjoy!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
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.
Easy Aji Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 ounces chili peppers I’m using 10 ounce aji dulce, 5 ounces lombeck cayenne peppers, 1 ounce aji cito peppers
- 1 medium red onion chopped in half (4 ounces)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup water or use stock
Instructions
- Add the peppers, onion and garlic to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until everything softens.
- Drain, then add them to a food processor or blender and process until a thick paste forms. You’ll have about 3 cups of thick sauce at this point.
- Next, add the honey, brown sugar, salt and water or stock. Process until smooth.
- Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Adjust for salt.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/18/20 to include new information. It was originally published on 9/10/19,
Paulette Salisbury says
Mike
Love this recipe. Second time is even better than Oct. 2022.
The latent heat is very sensuous and because I didn't strain it after blending, it is creamy and smoothe, more like catsup. Here is what I did to modify your wonderful recipe. I used Cherry wood smoked sea salt. Whiskey Smoked Brown Sugar, and 1/2 cup cooking water to dilute and blend in to make more creamy.
You are my hero. Hope you have wonderful holidays.
Mike Hultquist says
I love it, Paulette! Glad you're enjoying it! Yes, happy holidays!
Judy says
I just found your site an am so excited to try the chili recipes! I have a lot of peppers that I plant and I'm looking for recipes to use them up other than my usual pickled or canned! (I got pickled peppers coming out my ears!)
My question is if I am going to use this recipe to make a hot sauce...how much vinegar to I add? Would I substitute the water for vinegar right away or add vinegar along with the water?
Thanks! Can't wait to try it this summer when my Ali's ripen!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Judy! You can definitely use just vinegar. I would start with 2-3 tablespoons, then adjust to taste and thickness with more vinegar and/or water. For longer keeping, you'll want to shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower. Let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!
Nikki says
I was going to make this with lemon Aji but then had a heap of other chilies needing used. It’s way too hot for me, I have now made a batch of ketchup in the same blender jug which is nicely spicy but I still have a lot of hot hot chili sauce to use, any ideas to use it up or lower its heat?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nikki, you can make another batch with very mild peppers, like bells, then combine them. That will distribute the heat more evenly.
Wendy Parker says
I was so excited when I was able to grow Aji and Chili Peppers. I was even more excited when I found your recipe for easy chili sauce. It was easy and delicious!
Theresa says
Just found your site and I love it! We have had some good luck with our Aji Roho pepper this summer - a new one for me. Can you freeze this in small batches (think zip lock bags 🙂 to be used throughout the fall/winter months? Would it work to add some vinegar after it thaws to make a hot sauce out of it. How long do you think that would keep in the fridge. Sorry for all the questions, I'm just so excited to not waste any of these beauties! Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Theresa. Yes, you can freeze this sauce, no problem. Also, yes, you can add in some vinegar and use it as a hot sauce. It will help keep it longer as well. Enjoy!!
Husker says
Hey, can you process in a waterbath?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Husker, for a water bath, you'd need to introduce an acid to get the pH down to 3.5 or lower ideally. Use vinegar or citrus. Otherwise, you can use a pressure canner.
Alex says
Hi Michael, can you use frozen chillies? I had a glut and froze some.
TIA Alex
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Alex, yes you can. Just thaw them first and proceed per the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Andy says
Thanks for the great website! Any idea how long this sauce will keep in the refrigerator?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Andy, this should last a week or so, covered in the refrigerator. If you'd like it to last longer, use vinegar instead of water or stock.