This Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce recipe (Cherry BOOM!) is bursting with bold, tangy flavor - made with vibrant red cherry peppers, a touch of bourbon, and just the right balance of sweet and heat. Easy to make and perfect for hot sauce lovers!
New hot sauce recipe dropping! You're going to love this one, my spicy food loving friends. This one is made with a mix of piquant cherry peppers that I grew in my garden this year.
Cherry peppers are medium heat peppers, about as hot as jalapenos, perfect for just a touch of spiciness. I'm calling it "Cherry BOOM Hot Sauce". It's so good! I think I should label this one.
I've combined the chilies with a balanced mix of garlic, shallot, red wine vinegar, and just a touch of bourbon to bring it all together, though you can also use cherry juice if you'd like (which I've also tested and quite enjoy).
It's super easy to make, too! You'll have this hot sauce done in no time, ready to pour it into anything and everything. It's the perfect every day hot sauce.
Let's get cooking, my friends! It's hot sauce time.
Cherry Bomb Hot Sauce Ingredients & Notes
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cherry Peppers. Cherry peppers are small, round chili peppers with vibrant red flesh and spicy heat on par with the jalapeno pepper. I love them for sauce making. If you don't have cherry peppers on hand, use other red chilies available to you.
- Bell Pepper. For flavor and milder flavor. This will make it perfect for those who prefer mild heat with big flavor.
- Shallot.
- Garlic.
- Red Wine Vinegar. You can use other vinegars, but red wine vinegar is more mellow and works perfectly here.
- Bourbon. Bourbon adds rich depth and subtle caramel notes. No booze, just bold flavor. Use cherry as an alternative, which boosts the fruity tang and sweetness.
- Honey. Or use agave nectar, for just a touch of balancing sweet.
- Salt and Black Pepper. To taste.
Mike's Recipe Tips & Notes
- Want to Spice It Up? Skip the bell pepper and use more cherry peppers, or use hotter peppers for real heat, like red habanero, fiery ghost pepper, or superhots. For just a touch more heat, include 1 tablespoon hot paprika or hotter cayenne powder.
- Let it Rest. Give the finished sauce at least 24 hours in the fridge before using. The flavors settle, deepen, and somehow get meaner overnight.
Serving Suggestions
- Drizzle over grilled chicken or pork for a sweet-heat kick.
- Spoon onto burgers or sandwiches to add bold, tangy flavor.
- Top off tacos or quesadillas for a fruity, fiery twist.
- Swirl into dressings or vinaigrettes for a spicy-sweet salad boost.
- Splash on eggs or breakfast burritos to wake up your morning.
- Drizzle over pizza for a sweet-spicy upgrade.
- Use as a dipping sauce for shrimp, nuggets, or fried snacks.
Storage Information
This hot sauce will last many months in a cool, dark place due to the acidity, even longer in the refrigerator. Store in cleaned or sterilized glass bottles with sealable caps.
See my post - Does Hot Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my hot sauce recipe! Let me know your thoughts if and when you make it!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Tools Used For This Recipe
Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack with Flip Top Caps - Includes Stainless Steel Funnel and 3 Extra Flip Top Caps!
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Superhot Hot Sauce. This hot sauce brings the REAL heat and pain.
- Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe. You'll get nice heat with a vibrant fruity finish - manageable, but still nice and fiery.
- Devil's Tongue Hot Sauce. Made with devil's tongue chilies, for serious heat with unique flavor.
- Pure Devil Juice Hot Sauce. This homemade hot sauce recipe brings a mix of umami, earthy sweet, and vibrant heat for big, bold flavor that lingers like the devil's kiss.
- See all of my Hot Sauce 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.
Cherry Boom Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz red cherry peppers stemmed and chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper roasted and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon optional, or use 2 tbsp cherry juice or omit
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup water to thin as needed
- 1½ teaspoon honey or agave optional, for sweetness
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine cherry peppers, bell pepper, garlic, shallot, vinegar, bourbon, salt and pepper, and water. Simmer 10 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the honey and simmer 2 more minutes.
- Carefully transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Add more water or vinegar to reach desired consistency.
- Adjust salt, vinegar, or sweetener to your liking.
- Chill and transfer to glass bottles or a jar. The flavor gets even better after 24 hours in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Lyneen Smith says
This looks like an amazing recipe! Can you bottle it, or any other sauce using the little bottles and shrink wrap? Trying canning hot sauce this year and know those little plastic caps won't withstand the high heat of waterbath or steam canning
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Lyneen! For longer term storage or shrink wrapping for selling directly, it's still best to water bath, so you might look into metal caps or other bottles/jars. I didn't test for pH, so you should do that, too. Shoot for 3.5 or lower for home canning.
Matt says
Will be giving this a go! My Cherry Bomb's are grown from seed from two years ago.
There still green here in the southeast of the UK! Should be good to go by the end of August
Mike H. says
Sounds great, Matt. Enjoy!
Dan says
Do you leave the seeds in when you chop the cherry peppers up?
Mike Hultquist says
Dan, I leave them in, but you can core out the peppers for milder heat. The heat is in the whitish innards. The seeds are edible, but some people don't like them floating around in their hot sauce. Enjoy!
Shelley McLeod says
Hi Mike! Another hot sauce recipe! Yay! My question is can I use pickled cherry peppers as I can't get fresh ones where I live. I love pickled cherry peppers straight out of the bottle! I was just wondering if these would work. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Shelley, yes, that will work, as we're mixing in vinegar anyway. You won't get the exact same flavor as from fresh, but it should still be tasty. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Lorna Wiens says
Does the red pepper add a lot of extra flavour or could I just increase the number of cherry peppers? And instead of bourbon, can I add whiskey?
Mike Hultquist says
Lorna, you can increase the cherry peppers instead of the red pepper, yes. You'll get a bit more heat that way. Also, YES to whiskey. Works great! Let me know how it turns out! I love this sauce.