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Home » Recipes » Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe

Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe

by Mike Hultquist · May 15, 2024 · 66 Comments

Jump to Recipe Save Saved!
Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe

This jalapeno hot sauce is bright and citrusy, made with fresh jalapenos and lime juice, perfect for drizzling over your favorite foods, easy to make with only 6 ingredients.

Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe

Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe

Let's make jalapeno hot sauce, my friends! Are you ready for a spicy kick? This hot sauce is very easy to make, and it's perfect for drizzling onto just about anything you like for a burst of flavor and heat.

A good hot sauce can bring life and pizzazz to even the blandest of dishes. If you love a good verde sauce, this recipe will absolutely deliver.

It's one of Patty's favorites. She LOVES a good verde sauce.

What You'll Love About This Hot Sauce

  • This hot sauce hits all the flavor notes - it's spicy, savory, citrusy, and salty.
  • It's very easy to make with only 6 ingredients! You'll have this ready to enjoy in very little time.
  • It's very customizable, so you can add in any of your favorite spices or herbs to make it your own.
  • You can scale the recipe up to make larger batches. More hot sauce is a good thing!

Let's talk about how to make jalapeno hot sauce, shall we?

Jalapeno Hot Sauce Ingredients

The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Fresh Jalapeno Peppers.
  2. White Onion. You can also use shallot, or yellow onion.
  3. Fresh Garlic.
  4. White Vinegar.
  5. Fresh Lime Juice.
  6. Salt.
Jalapeno Hot Sauce Ingredients

How to Make Jalapeno Hot Sauce - the Recipe Overview

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

This is an easy hot sauce recipe! All you need to do is process all of the ingredients together in a blender or food processor.

You can make it as thin or chunky as you prefer. If it feels too thick, add a bit more vinegar, citrus, or water to thin it out to your preference.

Check out the vibrant green color. It already smells so good, nice and fresh.

Freshly processed jalapeno hot sauce ingredients, then simmered and bottled

Then, simmer the jalapeño hot sauce very gently for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Be careful to not use too high of heat, as it can darken your sauce.

This is OK, but it may lose some of its visual appeal.

Boom! Done! Your jalapeno hot sauce is ready to serve. Bottle it up, my friends, or store in a mason jar, after you let it come to room temperature.

I think it's much better the next day, after the flavors have properly mingled.

Easy enough to make, isn't it? You can pour this on just about anything for a spicy kick and burst of citrus flavor.

Mike holding a bottle of Jalapeno Hot Sauce

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • Make it your own! Try other hot peppers like serrano for a spicier version. Tomatillos are a nice addition. A green chili powder is nice, too, like Hatch or green habanero, or your own personal blend. Also, try fresh cilantro, though it won’t last as long.
  • You can strain the hot sauce for a thinner sauce, but you’ll have less hot sauce. You can dehydrate the strained solids to use as a seasoning.
  • You can process the ingredients, then simmer per the recipe, or simmer them all first to soften, then puree them. The recipe works either way.
  • Consider roasting or smoking the jalapeno peppers first for a great flavor variation.
  • For thicker hot sauce, use half of the liquid ingredients and adjust from there.

Storage

Hot sauces like this will typically last 6 months out and 12 months in the refrigerator, due to the acidity. A pH of 4.6 is considered shelf stable, though I recommend 4.0 or lower for home cooks.

It is best to use a good pH meter to measure acidity. I recommend Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today (affiliate link, my friends). I am a happy affiliate.

See my post - Should Hot Sauce be Refrigerated?

You can also freeze it up to 6 months.

Heat Factor

Mild-Medium Heat. Jalapeno peppers do have a nice kick, but they are on the milder end of the Scoville Scale, measuring in at around 5,000 Scoville Heat Units.

You can make this recipe with hotter peppers, or include a spicy chili powder.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this jalapeno hot sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

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!)
The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook - Fiery, No-Fuss Meals, by Michael Hultquist

Where'd You Get That Hot 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.

Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Roasted Red Jalapeno Hot Sauce
  • Creamy Jalapeno Hot Sauce (Salsa Doña)
  • Homemade Tabasco Sauce
  • Habanero Hot Sauce
  • Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
  • Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
  • Sambal Oelek
  • Chili Oil Recipe (How to Make Chili Oil)

Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.

Mike holding 2 bottles of Jalapeno 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.

Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe
Print

Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe

This jalapeno hot sauce is bright and citrusy, made with fresh jalapenos and lime juice, perfect for drizzling over your favorite foods, easy to make with only 6 ingredients.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: hot sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: jalapeno, lime
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Calories: 7kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 24 tablespoons
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 22 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces jalapeno peppers chopped (about 4-5 large jalapenos or 8 average sized)
  • 1 ounce white onion chopped
  • 1 ounce garlic chopped
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • ¼ cup lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
  • Pour the mixture into a small saucepan. Heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Cool slightly. (NOTE: The color will darken if you use too high of heat.)
  • Taste and adjust for salt and lime juice. Strain if desired.
  • Pour into bottles and enjoy. The flavors are better after they’ve combined for a day.

Notes

Makes 1.5 cups unstrained.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 7kcal   Carbohydrates: 1g   Protein: 0.2g   Fat: 0.04g   Saturated Fat: 0.01g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g   Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g   Sodium: 25mg   Potassium: 33mg   Fiber: 0.3g   Sugar: 0.5g   Vitamin A: 103IU   Vitamin C: 12mg   Calcium: 4mg   Iron: 0.05mg
Jalapeno Hot Sauce Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Reader Interactions

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Toni says

    July 10, 2025 at 11:34 am

    5 stars
    yum, and thanks Mike!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      July 10, 2025 at 11:59 am

      Sure thing! Thanks, Toni!

      Reply
  2. Barry says

    June 28, 2025 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars
    I have 12 Earth Boxes that are dedicated and divided to different varieties of sweet(Green, Purple sweet peppers and colored mini peppers) and hot peppers(Jumbo Jalapenos, Anaheim, Habenero and tabasco peppers) as well as 3 varieties of Cherry Tomatoes(red & yellow) and 2 full-size Yellow and 2 Red tomatoes.
    I just tripled the recipe and used the jalapenos that I grew. The remains in the pan tasted really good. Can't wait to retaste it after the individual flavors have melded.

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      June 30, 2025 at 5:26 am

      Exciting! Enjoy, Barry! =)

      Reply
  3. Christie says

    April 19, 2025 at 11:03 am

    5 stars
    Doubled the recipe. Tastes great already without waiting a day! Lol
    Cant wait to try it tomorrow!
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      April 19, 2025 at 11:36 am

      Great! Glad you enjoyed it, Christie! Hot sauce on everything!

      Reply
  4. Nancy says

    February 27, 2025 at 5:40 pm

    5 stars
    Another amazing recipe. Perfect. I can't leave well enough alone. I just added a few springs of cilantro and a pinch of cumin, a little less vinegar. You are the Boss of chili's. Forget Bobby Flay!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      February 27, 2025 at 7:17 pm

      Wow, awesome!! Thanks so much, Nancy!!

      Reply
  5. Rick Weber says

    October 27, 2024 at 9:21 am

    Hi Mike, Could this recipe work with fermented jalapeños?

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      October 27, 2024 at 10:26 am

      Absolutely, Rick. It works great! Adds to the flavor. Enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Sun Time Farm says

    October 19, 2024 at 2:12 pm

    5 stars
    So Yummy! I doubled the recipe and used all fresh ingredients. Followed the recipe exactly except added a touch more vinegar to make sure the ph was good and a little extra salt. Turned out great! Just what I was looking for! Thanks for your recipe!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      October 19, 2024 at 2:23 pm

      Excellent! I love it!! Thanks for sharing. =)

      Reply
  7. Debi says

    October 19, 2024 at 11:00 am

    5 stars
    Hi Mike - Do you use regular vinegar or pickling vinegar (7% acetic acid)? Our family is really enjoying your recipes both online and from your book. Hoping to score some jalapeño's at our farmers market this Saturday.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      October 19, 2024 at 11:06 am

      Hi, Debi. I use regular vinegar, the vinegar you typically have in your kitchen for eating with other foods. It's plenty acidic enough. Happy hot sauce making!

      Reply
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