A hot sauce recipe with plenty of zing and smoky flavor, this ancho-jalapeno hot sauce is made with jalapeno peppers, carrots, garlic, ancho powder and more. Drizzle it over anything for extra flavor.
Ancho-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
If you're like me and love a good hot sauce with bold flavor and just the right amount of kick, you're going to want this one in your rotation.
We're talking Ancho-Jalapeño Hot Sauce, a fiery blend of smoky dried anchos, fresh jalapeno peppers, and tangy vinegar that hits all the right notes. It’s thick, zesty, and seriously addictive, perfect for drizzling over tacos, eggs, grilled meats, you name it.
I love how the deep, earthy richness of the ancho peppers balances the bright heat of the jalapenos. It’s easy to make, easy to customize, and once you try it, you’ll wonder how your fridge ever survived without it. Let’s fire it up!
To Ferment or Use Fresh Peppers?
This is a fermented hot sauce recipe. If you're not comfortable with fermenting (you SHOULD be, though), you CAN make this hot sauce with fresh jalapeno peppers. Just skip steps 1-4 in the recipe.
Start by processing the peppers in a food processor, then jump to step 5 and make your jalapeno hot sauce.
It will still be a good hot sauce, for sure, but you'll have a fresher, greener flavor that is not quite as developed as you would achieve by fermenting.
Check out my page on How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash to learn more about why you should be fermenting chili peppers.
Fermented hot sauces are mellower and have a deeper flavor, so I've been fermenting a LOT of chili peppers the past several years for making my own hot sauces.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- After you strain out the solids to thin out the hot sauce, you can throw the solids away, OR dehydrate them and use them for seasoning. See How to Make Seasonings from Strained Hot Sauce Pulp.
Storage & Leftovers
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 3.5 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.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
Recommended Hot Sauce Bottles
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.
Uses
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!
Patty's Perspective
I’ve been seeking out fermented foods a lot more since I have IBS. I am looking for any way to incorporate them into my regular eating. Well, guess what? Mike loves making fermented hot sauces. YAY! And problem solved, it’s always in the fridge ready to add to any meal. I love this one more than a lot of other hot sauces.
I typically gravitate to the green jalapeno hot sauces regardless, but there is something about this one. It seems to pair with more foods than any other one we have in the fridge. And as you can imagine, we have a LOT of Hot Sauce in our Fridge.
Try Some of My Other Popular Jalapeno Sauce Recipes
Check out Some of My Other Popular Hot Sauce Recipes:
- The Hottest Hot Sauce I Ever Made
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Sweet Habanero Chili 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
- Get more Jalapeno Pepper Recipes
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
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.
Ancho-Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound jalapeno peppers chopped
- 4 ounces carrots peeled and chopped
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- First, roughly chop the peppers, carrots and garlic. Pack them into a large jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The mixture may rise a bit when fermenting.
- Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the mixture to cover it, pressing them down a bit as you go. It is important to keep the mixture covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
- Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. I fermented for 8 weeks. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash”, for further instruction.
- After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
- When satisfied with your fermenting time, pour the contents, including brine, into a pot along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cool, then process with a food processor until nice and smooth.
- Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Refrigerate and enjoy. Tastes even better if you leave it mingle a week or longer.
Notes
Nutrition Information
paul says
I made hot sauce following this recipe I put it in a bottle with an air lock and did not see any bubbles for 2 weeks maybe the seal was not tight enough so I dont know if it fermented so I just went ahead and finished the recipe it is great I strained off some of the liquid because it looked runnier than your picture next time I will be smat enough to save that for a tabasco consistency sauce
THANKS
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Paul. It's possible it was just a quiet ferment, which is common. You can usually tell by the smell, which is someone tangy after fermenting.
Ethan says
Thank you so much for giving us all these great recipes. I've enjoyed making numerous ones and experimenting with them.
Do you think I could use liquid smoke instead of the ancho chili powder?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Ethan. I've never made this with liquid smoke, but I'm sure you can make a similar sauce with it. The ancho powder is so good, though! Let me know how it goes if you try it.
TheRealPinky says
So I started my fermenting journey in late December. Couple questions.
My ferment of jalapeno and garlic was cloudy but has now gone clear. Still okay?
My other one is just now developing Kahm yeast on the surface.
With adding fruit should I use a hgher salt mixture?
Thank you Kindly,
TheRealPinky
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
A clear ferment is OK, as sediment may have settled to the bottom, though it can become cloudy. Kahm yeast is fairly normal. You can scrape it off if you'd like. You don't need more salt with fruit, but fruit does ferment faster, so keep an eye on that. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Chris H says
Currently starting the fermentation process, this is my first time, and wanted to know if I need to put anything in jar to weigh down the peppers in the brine? Looking forward to the end result. Thanks for all of the recipes.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Chris, yes, when fermenting, it is very important to keep everything beneath the brine or you risk contamination. Use a glass weight, a baggie with water, or something else, such as a cabbage leaf. Good luck.
Julie says
I started this recipe yesterday with a mix of hot peppers. I am trying the fermentation process for the first time. I think I may have chopped my peppers and carrots too big. Is this an issue?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Julie, no, not an issue at all. You just won't be able to fit as many peppers in the jar, but no problem at all.
Terry says
Hey Mike, I put this recipe together as written but after one week I have no fermentation occurring. No pressure building up in the jar. No activity.
Do you have any hints for me? Any idea how to save this batch?
Thanks!
BTW - I am enjoying the site. Great info and recipes!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Terry, it is possible fermentation just didn't start. You may need to get a fermentation starter, or you can try another batch and combine them. Let me know how it goes. Thanks!
Christian Gael says
Thus was my first time making fermented hot sauce and it is delicious. To the fermentation I added a bit of ground coriander and cumin, pinch of smoked paprika and the zest of one lemon. Instead of ancho, I used dried smoked chipotle chilis because I had some on hand. Also, I kept it chunky instead of blending so it’s more like a chutney. Divine added to a poached egg on a bed of sautéed greens.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Christian! Glad you enjoyed it!
Todd says
Made this awhile ago and it was a hit. Decided to make another batch and read through the recipe real quick and threw it together. Then realized I miss the part about adding the rest of the ingredients AFTER fermenting. So with the vinegar and salt in there, will it ferment?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Todd, it probably will not ferment with the vinegar, though it can still be blended into a sauce, even if you let it mellow together for a while. When ready to make it, just process it until smooth, then heat through, and cool. Strain if desired. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Dana says
How will fermenting time effect the flavour? Will a longer ferment be more flavourful? More acidic? Saltier?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dana, fermenting really mellows the peppers and often gives a bit of a tangy flavor. You will develop more flavor with a longer ferment. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Brian says
I am in the process of fermenting peppers for this recipe. Deos the 15 minute simmer stop the fermentation process?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Brian, yes, cooking will stop the fermenting process. Let me know how the sauce turns out for you.
Brian says
ok, I will let you know. I was given a random bag of peppers...half pound of jalepenos, 1/4 pound of habenieros and 1/4 pound of cayennes with a couple fresnos thrown in.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I look forward to hearing!
Lola Jeanne says
Since the heat kills off the probiotics I feel the fermentation serves no real purpose for hot sauce.
However, that being said, this sounds wonderful for escabeche-style chiles.
Awesome combo. Thank you.
Lola
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lola. For some, fermentation impacts flavor, though it's not for everyone.
Brandon says
For the non fermented version. do you still add the vinegar to pot when you boil it? I know it says to add water but I'm guessing the water takes place of the brine from the fermented version. Also, do you strain this sauce? I thought there may be a lot of jalapeno seeds. Thank you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Brandon, yes, add the vinegar with the water and peppers and bring to a boil. You can strain the sauce if you'd like a thinner consistency, or just leave it as is for a thicker sauce. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Brandon says
I have made 6-7 hot sauces of this website and I think this is my favorite. I used a mix of jalapeños and red Fresno peppers and it came out with a fair amount of heat . The garlic, carrots, and spices gave it an unique and deep flavor. My go to sauce right now.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Brandon! Glad you like it! Happy to help.
Steve says
Can't rate the recipe as I'm just kicking off the fermentation on the mash, but it looks fantastic and I can't wait. I am considering using a #14 sieve on it so I can retain some texture but make it more "fluid".
I have made a lot of beer and some wine in my time and am curious about if (and if so what) steps you take with respect to cleanliness and/or sanitation. Scrub the chilis/carrots before pureeing them? Sanitizing the jar? Or are we concerned that the lacto and other bugs won't get a foothold if we do too much of that?
Cheers!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Steve, soap and water and good enough with this type of fermentation. I do clean all of my peppers and other fruits/veggies, as well as the equipment I'm working with, but there isn't the need to sanitize like there is with brewing beer. That reminds me, I need to get on my next batch of beer!