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Home » Recipes » Jerk Marinade - Bold Jamaican Flavor

Jerk Marinade - Bold Jamaican Flavor

by Mike Hultquist · Apr 29, 2019 · 69 Comments

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Get a blast of Caribbean flavor with this Jamaican jerk marinade recipe made with fiery scotch bonnet peppers and a blend of piquant seasonings.

Jerk Marinade Recipe

Jamaican Jerk Marinade Recipe

When it comes to flavors of the Caribbean, Jamaica brings it. Jamaican cuisine is filled with so many wonderful and piquant spices that combine to make big and bold dishes.

And the chili peppers! Jamaicans love their scotch bonnet peppers, which offer a spicy heat on the same level as the habanero pepper. It's definitely a cuisine to satisfy the cravings of my spicy food loving friends. Which is a big reason I love it so much.

Spicy and big on flavor.

This particular recipe encapsulates everything that Caribbean flavor is about. We're talking Jerk Marinade, my friends, and it's absolutely in your spicy food loving wheelhouse. It's super easy to make. I love easy.

Let's discuss!

The Benefits of a Good Marinade

Marinating is all about building flavor. A good marinade, such as this popular Jamaica jerk marinade, will add flavor above and beyond the food you are marinating. It also helps to add moisture as well as tenderize tough cuts of meat.

Popular foods for marinades include thin cuts of steak, pork, chicken, and many seafood items. You don't need to limit yourself to marinating only meats, however. Vegetables can also benefit from a flavorful marinade.

Plus, many marinades can be turned into a sauce to finish your meal, though it is important that you do not try to make a sauce out of USED marinade. To make a sauce, take half of your unused remaining marinade and heat it in a pan. Bring it to a quick boil, then simmer it until it reduces to your preferred thickness.

Once your meal is done, use this sauce as an additional flavor enhancer.

You'll see that this jerk marinade is, in fact, very similar to this Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe.

What Ingredients Are in Jerk Marinade?

Jerk Marinade Ingredients
  • Scotch Bonnet peppers
  • Red onion
  • Garlic
  • Scallions 
  • Soy sauce
  • Vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Orange juice
  • Lime juice
  • Ginger
  • Brown sugar
  • Nutmeg
  • Allspice
  • Cinnamon
  • Thyme
  • Salt and pepper

There are other possible ingredients and variations, of course, depending on the cook. These are my preferred ingredients.

How to Make Jerk Marinade

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender.

Jerk Marinade Ingredients in a food processor

Process until smooth.

Jerk Marinade processed in a food processor

Use immediately to marinate your chicken, pork, seafood or vegetables.

Jerk seasoning is essential to making a great Jamaican jerk chicken, so be sure to keep this recipe in your back pocket, my friends.

Jerk Chicken marinating in a bowl

How to Use Jerk Marinade

To use the marinade, simply toss your meat or vegetables with the jerk marinade to cover as much of it as possible. It is best to coat the food completely. Cover and refrigerate to let the flavors permeate.

Marinating time will vary based on what you are marinating. Light seafood such as flaky white fish or shrimp, and most vegetables, will only need 1 hour or less to benefit from the marinade flavor. Tougher cuts of meat will need several hours and can even be left overnight to optimize flavor.

Making Jerk Chicken

Use this marinade to make this popular Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe by rubbing down and submerging the chicken in your jerk marinade. Get as much of the chicken covered as possible. Keep it in a large bowl or a plastic bag.

Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least 4 hours, though overnight is best for maximum flavor. You can use any type of chicken for this, either bone-in or boneless chicken.

When you're ready to cook, remove the chicken and discard the marinade. Then, cook the chicken through either on the grill or in the oven per your recipe.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken on a serving platter

WHY IS IT CALLED “JERK”?

Jerk refers to the style of original Jamaican cooking. It is the process of poking holes into meat so it can be permeated with more flavor. This is called “jerking”.

“Jerk” became associated with the particular spice rub used to spice up those meats, and the name stands today. Jerk can refer to jerk spice blends, jerk marinade, and the cooking technique in general.

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • If you are unable to find scotch bonnet peppers, use habanero peppers instead.
  • If you prefer a milder jerk marinade, dial back on the scotch bonnet peppers, or core them out and remove the innards.
  • Wear gloves when handling hot chili peppers to avoid the dreaded chili pepper skin burn from the oils. If you do experience burning skin, see How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.

Try Some of These Other Marinades

  • Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade
  • Jacked Up Steak Marinade
  • London Broil Marinade
  • Sweet and Spicy Teriyaki Marinade
  • Carne Asada Marinade
  • Zingy Pork Chop Marinade
  • Pork Tenderloin Marinade
  • Shrimp Marinade

Try Some of My Other Jamaican Recipes

  • Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
  • Jamaican Jerk Sauce
  • Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings
  • Jerk Salmon
  • Jerk Rubbed Grilled Corn on the Cob
  • Jamaican Curry Powder
  • Jamaican Rice and Peas
Jerk Marinade Recipe

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.

Jerk Marinade Recipe
Print

Jamaican Jerk Marinade Recipe

Get a blast of Caribbean flavor with this Jamaican jerk marinade recipe made with fiery scotch bonnet peppers and a blend of piquant seasonings.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course, sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: jamaican, marinade, scotch bonnet, spicy
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute minute
Total Time: 11 minutes minutes
Calories: 63kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 8
Tap or hover to scale
4.96 from 23 votes
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 (use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar to your preference)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice from 1 large orange about ¾ cup (orange juice)
  • Juice from half a lime lime juice
  • 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.
  • Use immediately to marinate your chicken, pork, seafood or vegetables.

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
Jerk Marinade 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.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Christopher David says

    June 20, 2025 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    trying this tonight to marinate chicken to cook in a day. I doubled and cam out a little thin. is the marinade thinner more than thicker?

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      June 21, 2025 at 6:17 am

      It can be a bit thin, Christopher. You will still get great flavor from marinating. You can strain a bit if needed if you prefer a thicker marinade. I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Chris says

    December 07, 2024 at 8:43 pm

    I have been making Jerk marinade for years using a recipe i got from a Jamaican lady, but i'm curious to try your version to try something different, and find out which one i prefer.

    I usually make large batches which i then freeze in 1 cup portions. Could you indicate approximately how much your posted recipe yields in volume?

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      December 08, 2024 at 8:29 am

      Chris, this should make about 2+ cups, depending on the size of the veg. I hope you enjoy it.

      Reply
  3. Charles Pascual says

    October 25, 2024 at 12:49 pm

    5 stars
    I've made this a few times now, exclusively on chicken - until last night (I didn't purposely restrict it to chicken - it just turned out that way). Last night, we had two nice snapper fillets, great grilling weather, and looking for a preparation idea. I remembered I had some extra marinade from what I made two weeks ago still in the fridge (so now we know it will keep that long). So, I brushed some on the fish while the grill was coming to temp and then basted the fillets with marinade each time I flipped them. Perfect! Thanks, Mike.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      October 26, 2024 at 7:40 am

      I love to hear it, Charles! Thanks so much!

      Reply
  4. john mcwilliams says

    June 09, 2024 at 3:45 am

    can this be frozen?

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      June 09, 2024 at 7:27 am

      Yes, absolutely. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. Tami Bishop says

    March 30, 2024 at 10:41 am

    4 stars
    So good, a little sweet for us….suggestions to cut it a bit? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 30, 2024 at 10:52 am

      Tami, cut back on or omit the brown sugar.

      Reply
  6. Alex says

    March 28, 2024 at 3:33 am

    5 stars
    Lovely jerk marinade. Used it lots of times . I do a lage batch about 2 litres and freeze in 250/300 ml portions. 16 scotch bonnets went in the last one.

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      March 28, 2024 at 5:17 am

      Oh wow. That's amazing. Thanks for the review and enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Martin Schlining says

    March 19, 2024 at 2:31 pm

    5 stars
    I had an abundance of habanero peppers from my garden. I made several batches of this marinade and canned them. It is the best tasting jerk marinade I’ve ever made.

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      March 19, 2024 at 3:32 pm

      Thanks so much, Martin! Yes, great way to preserve them. I love to hear it.

      Reply
  8. Rodney says

    February 26, 2024 at 3:49 pm

    5 stars
    How long can I marinate salmon in this recipe

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      February 26, 2024 at 3:50 pm

      1 hour is all you need, though you'll get good flavor penetration with 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

      Reply
  9. Dee says

    February 07, 2024 at 7:27 pm

    After use.. can & how long will leftover last jarred in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Mike H. says

      February 08, 2024 at 5:57 am

      Dee, the marinade should last easily a week.

      Reply
  10. Dustin says

    February 05, 2024 at 10:07 pm

    Quick clarifying question, the recipe calls for a red onion, but in the pictures it looks like you use a yellow onion. Can you clarify? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      February 06, 2024 at 7:01 am

      You can use either, Dustin.

      Reply
      • Dustin says

        February 06, 2024 at 9:40 pm

        Thank you for the quick reply, Mike!

        Reply
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