Name: Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 11 min
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)

Jump to Recipe Save

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!

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 easy 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?

Mike holding a bowl of Jamaican Jerk Sauce

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

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.

Processing all of the ingredients in a food processor to make Jamaican Jerk Sauce

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.

Safety Note: 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 very hot 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.

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, like an ice cube tray.

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 the Heat

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.

Serving Ideas for Jamaican Jerk Sauce

There are many ways to use jerk sauce. It's a very versatile recipe. Here are some ideas:

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

Jamaican Jerk Sauce in a bowl, ready to serve

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

This Jamaican jerk sauce recipe is made with fiery Scotch Bonnet peppers, aromatics and spices, a Caribbean flavor blast, great with chicken or shrimp! A must for spicy food lovers.

Save Recipe

Course: Main Course, sauce

Cuisine: American, Jamaican

Keyword: jamaican jerk sauce, jamaican jerk sauce recipe, jerk sauce recipe

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 11

Calories: 63kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings:

Tap or hover to scale

5 from 21 ratings

Leave a Review

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

Heat Level: Medium-Hot. You will get a good level of heat from Scotch Bonnets, which are very comparable to habanero peppers in both heat and flavor.

You can bring up the heat by incorporating more Scotch Bonnet peppers, or by using hotter peppers or chili flakes. Bring down the heat level by reducing the Scotch Bonnets, or by replacing them with milder peppers.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 63kcal Carbohydrates: 6g Protein: 1g Fat: 3g Sodium: 408mg Potassium: 74mg Sugar: 4g Vitamin A: 105IU Vitamin C: 9.8mg Calcium: 21mg Iron: 0.5mg

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.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 2/18/26 to include new information, and to review photos, and current video.

Jamaican Jerk Sauce

What is Jerk Cooking?

Jamaican Jerk Sauce Ingredients