This Jamaican jerk sauce recipe is made with fiery Scotch Bonnet peppers, aromatics and spices, a must for spicy sauce lovers, great with chicken or shrimp! It's a flavor blast of the Caribbean!
Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe
We're working our way into Caribbean cuisine today, my spicy food loving friends. When it comes to spices and big flavors, the Caribbean has you covered, particularly Jamaica.
This part of the world doesn't shy away from cooking with spicy chili peppers, like the wonderfully fiery Scotch Bonnet pepper that rivals the habanero pepper in both heat and flavor.
With such a lush location and prime growing conditions, the freshest of the fresh ingredients are the norm, the hot peppers are abundant, and the spices are in bloom. I greatly enjoy visiting the Caribbean just for the food.
Case in point - Jamaican Jerk Sauce. This is a recipe you'll like to print and keep in your back pocket for those moments when you want that flavor punch of the Caribbean.
It's a warming and rather fiery Caribbean jerk sauce, though it's also easy to customize to your own preferred levels. I'll discuss how you can do that below.
It's also key to Jamaican Jerk cooking.
What is Jerk Cooking?
Native to Jamaica, jerk cooking is a cooking method where meat is either marinated or dry-rubbed with a mixture of seasonings and ingredients referred to as Jamaican Jerk Spice. Jamaican jerk sauce is integral to authentic Jamaican jerk food.
Chicken or pork are the most common foods cooked this way, though it's great with seafood as well, just without any low and slow cooking.
Jerk sauce is so important to Jamaican cuisine that the Jamaican government wants to copyright the term "Jamaican Jerk". They say that "just as Mexico is known for its Tequila, and France for Champagne, Jamaican Jerk is protected internationally from misrepresentation."
I have my own personalized Jamaican jerk recipe that I'm sharing with you that includes a nice level of that heat and spice, as well as a number of other fresh ingredients and other components that make it one of my favorites. It's definitely the best.
For now, let's discuss how to make Jamaican jerk sauce, shall we?
Jamaican Jerk Sauce Ingredients
Jamaican jerk sauce consists of a number of ingredients that can vary from cook to cook. These are my preferred ingredients and ratios, with some ranges to consider depending on your personal tastes.
- Scotch Bonnet Peppers. An important element for flavor and heat.
- Other Vegetables. Red onion, garlic, scallions or green onions.
- Liquids. Soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, olive oil. Pineapple juice is a popular addition I sometimes uses.
- Spices. Ginger, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, thyme, salt and black pepper.
There are variations, of course, but these are the ingredients I use.
How to make Jamaican Jerk Sauce - the Recipe Method
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender - scotch bonnet peppers, red onion, garlic cloves, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, olive oi, lime juice, ginger, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, thyme, and salt and pepper.
Blend until smooth, or until you achieve the consistency you desire.
Boom! That's it. Very easy, right? It's a great recipe. Jamaican jerk sauce is an easy recipe to make.
Use immediately.
Storage and Leftovers
Store any leftover Jamaican jerk sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Use within 2 weeks.
You can also freeze it in freezer containers for up to 6 months. I like to freeze it in smaller portions.
The Taste of Jamaican Jerk Sauce
This sauce is rather piquant and will certainly bring the spice. Aside from the obvious heat, the broad mixture of spices are fresh, so you'll get plenty of bite and fresh flavor.
It is quite herbal and notably Caribbean with the use of nutmeg, allspice and fiery scotch bonnets. You can cook the sauce to blend the flavors more, though they will be more mellow when merged.
Adjust Heat Factor & About the Peppers
This is a fairly hot sauce recipe. I rate it as medium-high because of the inclusion of the Scotch Bonnet peppers. Scotch Bonnet peppers offer quite a bit of heat. They range from 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) which is anywhere from 12 to 140 times hotter than a jalapeno pepper.
Use habanero peppers as a substitute.
If you'd like a milder version of this recipe, either reduce the amount of Scotch Bonnets used, or replace with with milder peppers. I think this is great with just about any aji chili peppers. Or, try it with the more commonly found milder banana peppers or any colorful sweet pepper.
Of course if you're looking for something even hotter and spicier, you can incorporate hotter peppers, like ghost peppers or the crazy wildly hot Carolina Reaper. Yes!
Or just add in some spicy chili flakes or powder to achieve the spice level you desire.
Safety When Handling Hot Peppers
When working with hot chili peppers, it is important to wear gloves when handling them both in raw and dried forms. The oils can get on your skin and cause burning sensations.
Need help? How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn On Your Skin.
Also, the fumes from the chili peppers and/or the fine powders may get into the air if you are not working in a well ventilated room, so you may want to wear a mask and goggles.
Serving Ideas for Jamaican Jerk Sauce
- Slather this Jamaican jerk sauce on wings, or chicken of any type, pork, or seafood. Jamaican Jerk Chicken is an amazingly flavored dish, as are Jamaican Jerk Wings.
- I love it slathered over shrimp or pretty much any whitefish. It's wonderful with mahi mahi or swordfish.
- It's also an integral part of making a Jamaican Jerk Marinade with the addition of orange juice or pineapple juice.
- Swirl it into soups or stews for a flavor blast. Mix it with sour cream or crema for a simple spicy dip. So many ways to use it.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your jerk sauce! Keep it spicy for me! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
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 Jerk Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-6 Scotch Bonnet peppers chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 4-6 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 stalks scallions end trimmed
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup vinegar (optional - use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, to your preference)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Juice from half a lime
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or use fresh, if available
- Salt and pepper to taste I usually use 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor. Process until smooth, or until you achieve the consistency you desire.
- Use immediately. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 8/25/23 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 4/22/19.
Scott Dibble says
Dude, I loved your TV show. It was very professional and you guys do fantastic work. I love this recipe blog I could spend all day every day twice on Sunday preparing all these recipes you put out there. I’ve been making them from time to time and they are fantastic man. I love the spices. I love the way you blend the spices together. I would’ve never guessed from watching your TV show that you were such a fantastic cook, but go ahead, brother. I’m glad I joined your community.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Scott. What TV show? Do you mean my Youtube channel? I've had a number of comments where people say I look like someone else. Glad you're enjoying the recipes!
Holly says
Hi there, I’m going to try this tomorrow on drumsticks. Would I baste them while cooking?
Looks amazing
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Holly. You can follow my Jerk Chicken Recipe if you'd like: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/jamaican-jerk-chicken/. You CAN baste if that's what you're used to. I didn't with this recipe and it came our perfect for me!
Steve L says
Initial foray. Didn’t include the brown sugar. Normally don’t but also didn’t have it on hand. Easy to make. Looks really good. Thanks.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Steve! Definitely customizable. I appreciate the comments!
Brenda B says
closest I've come to the real thing, a wonderful recipe. Thankyou very very much!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Thanks, Brenda!
Rhonda Laird says
I am horrible at leaving comments after trying a recipe but THIS ONE!! This is so good. Flavorful and super easy to make. I have made it a bunch of times and we love it EXACTLY as written. I have tried several of your recipes and I always know they will be good. Keep them coming!!
Mike H. says
Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment, Rhonda. I really appreciate it!
Steve says
Thank you. Really nice recipe. Just like in yard. I used 4 “super hots” and is fiery—just like Jamaica!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Thanks, Steve! Fire it up!
Brenda B says
I have made this sauce several times now, love it! I use this one both as a marinade and save some to use as a sauce. So far with chicken thighs. Beautiful, flavorful sauce that I'd been searching for.
Mike Hultquist says
I appreciate the comments, Brenda! Glad you like it! I make this one often, as we both love it as well. Making jerk chicken again very soon!
Rhonda Laird says
we have made this several times. it's great on chicken, pork or fish. I double the recipe so we can marinate it and use it as a sauce.
Mike H. says
Love hearing it, Rhonda - sounds great!
Neena Choeltte says
The 1/4 cup vinegar/apple cider vinegar shows as optional here, do you add this in order to water-bath can the marinade?
For your jerk sauce, the vinegar/apple cider vinegar does NOT show as optional.
Why the difference between the 2 recipes?
Thanks Mike - love your recipes!!
Mike Hultquist says
Neena, they're super close to being the same, with the amount of liquid making them different. I like the flavor of the vinegar. I just had many requests for a marinade, I decided to make them 2 separate recipes to make them easier to find. I appreciate it.
Shawn says
Do you put it on the wings before or after they are cooked?
Alexandria Scott Kling says
OK,I have always just bought Jamaican jerk,and I must say that Scotch bonnet isn't the easiest ingredient to find in the middle of the Black Forest but........People,well worth it!
As a vegan,probably tastes are even more important than for 'real people',if you know what.
This takes a puppy to a whole different universe!
Thankyou and take care...Alexandria
Do you reckon it would be freezer friendly?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Alexandria! Yes, this is definitely great for freezing.
Jim says
I'd like to make this into a marinade, how much orange juice would you recommend?
Mike Hultquist says
Jim, use 3/4 cup. Check out my Jamaican Jerk Marinade Recipe here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/jerk-marinade/