Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce
This roasted ghost pepper sauce recipe roasts several ghost peppers with carrots and garlic to make a very spicy yet also sweet sauce that can be used to enhance many dishes.
More ghost pepper recipes, my friends! This time in the form of HOT SAUCE! Super excited.
Hot sauces always excite me. There isn’t a better condiment out there. Hot sauces can be used to flavor and spice up practically every food there is – we’re talking breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack time, come on! When DON’T we need hot sauce?
Don’t answer that. Because I always need a good hot sauce on hand to add that pizzazz we all crave.
If you want to cook with ghost peppers, you need to be ready for the heat. Ghost peppers, aka Bhut Jolokias, top out at over 1 Million Scoville Heat Units, which is roughly 200+ times hotter than an average jalapeno pepper.
Learn more about ghost peppers here.
Hot sauces are one of my favorite things to make. I’ve become a bit fanatical about it, really. You can tell by the growing collection of Hot Sauce Recipes on the web site.
I’ve made a number of different ghost pepper sauce and hot sauce recipes on the web site – I’ll link to those below – but for this sauce I’m oven roasting the ghost peppers first along with garlic and carrots to bring a unique and satisfying flavor.
Wait, Carrots? YES!
Carrots have an innate sweetness that brings that quality as well as substance to the finished sauce, especially when they’re roasted. You’ll be surprised at the flavor of the finished sauce.
Let’s talk about how we make this particular ghost pepper sauce, shall we?
How to Make Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce – The Recipe Method
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the ghost peppers in half lengthwise (be sure to wear gloves!) and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
I removed the seeds from my ghost peppers, but you don’t have to.
Next, peel and slice the carrots in half and set them on the baking sheet.
Slice the ends off of the garlic cloves and set them on the baking sheet. This will let them squeeze out of their skins easily.
Bake the veggies for 20 minutes, or until the carrots have sufficiently softened.
Remove and give the carrots and ghost peppers a rough chop. Set them into a food processor.
Squeeze the garlic out of their skins into the food processor.
Add in a bit of apple cider vinegar, lemon extract, salt to taste and about a quarter cup of water. Process until smooth. It should be fairly thick at this point.
Adjust the consistency of the sauce with a bit more water to your personal preference. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Ghost Peppers. The recipe calls for 2 ounces of ghost peppers, which is roughly 5-6 average weight pods. However, you can add more of them if you’d like more heat and more pronounced ghost pepper flavor.
- Add Sweetness. If you’re looking for a sweeter version of this sauce, add in a bit of honey or agave nectar to the mixture. Fruits are also great for this. Brown sugar would be an interesting addition as well.
- Flavor Adjustments. You can also round out flavors to your preference with fresh or dried herbs, other chili peppers, and/or powders.
- Water Alternatives. Instead of water, consider broth or beer, but I would simmer the sauce about 15 minutes first to let those flavors meld.
Safety Advice
When working with hotter peppers, including superhots, it is important to wear gloves when handling the peppers both in raw and dried forms. The oils can get on your skin and cause burning sensations. See above.
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. Superhot chili peppers, truly, are called superhots for a reason.
Here are some answers based on the many comments I get on other sauces. Here goes:
How long will this hot sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or lower, to account for errors. I have not measured the ph of this sauce, but I won’t have it around very long anyway. If you’re concerned, add more vinegar or a citrus to lower the ph.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
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
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
What should I do with hot sauce?
Aside from drizzling it over anything you please, here’s a post I did about How to Cook with Hot Sauce. As if you need even MORE reasons to eat hot sauce. I hope you find it helpful!
Try Some of My Popular Ghost Pepper Recipes
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Ghost Pepper Chili Hot Sauce
- Sweet Ghost Pepper-Pineapple-Pear Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Chicken Curry
- Fresh Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Jelly
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce – The Ultimate Guide.
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.
Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce – Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces ghost peppers about 5-6 average sized ghost peppers
- 6 ounces carrot about 1 medium sized carrot
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract or use the juice from 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup water for thinning, or use more as desired
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice the ghost peppers in half lengthwise (be sure to wear gloves!) and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
- Peel and slice the carrots in half and set them on the baking sheet.
- Slice the ends off of the garlic cloves and set them on the baking sheet. This will let them squeeze out of their skins easily.
- Bake the veggies for 20 minutes, or until the carrots have sufficiently softened.
- Remove and give the carrots and ghost peppers a rough chop. Set them into a food processor.
- Squeeze the garlic out of their skins into the food processor.
- Add the apple cider vinegar, lemon extract, salt to taste and about a quarter cup of water. Process until smooth.
- Adjust the consistency of the sauce with a bit more water to your personal preference. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
44 comments
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I’m just wondering if you would be able to can this in a water bath process
Pamela, yes, you surely can. Check the pH first, though. Shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for home jarring.
Sounds great. How long will this sauce last in the refrigerator ?
Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin, this hot sauce should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level pH for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 pH, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 3.5 or so, to account for errors. If you’d like it to last even longer, add more vinegar or a citrus (such as lemon juice or lime juice) to lower the pH. Enjoy!
Hey Mike. I was just wondering if I’d be able to used dry peppers. I dont know where to find fresh peppers this time of year in Minnesota. Thank you!
Hey, Christopher. Yes, you can absolutely use dried peppers for making this or any hot sauce. Just don’t roast them in the oven, as they will burn. Instead, lightly toast them a couple minutes in a dry hot pan. You can rehydrate them then in hot water before making your sauce, or they will rehydrate in your liquids when you simmer everything. Let me know how it turns out for you. I made this sauce using dried pods, so review that one for some extra tips: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/cilantro-habanero-hot-sauce/
I was thinking of using apple cider beer like angry orchard instead of water. Do you think that will have a weird taste with the apple cider vinegar?
Hi, Mark. I think it would be very interesting to try apple cider beer in a hot sauce. I cook with beers all the time and they add excellent flavors. I say give it a go and see how it comes out for you. It’s fun to experiment and play with new flavors. Good luck and enjoy!
Well. Not to bad with the apple cider beer. I stuck with the apple cider vinegar. And 9 ghost peppers. Lol. Oh I threw in some maple syrup. Made it really sweet!!! Thank you for the recipe!!!!
Great to hear, Mark! Nice touch with the ghosts!
Mike, first time trying to make hot sauce and we are picking yours! Sorry for the ignorance, but can we simply store the sauce in the bottles or do we need to prep the bottles before hand? I noticed one of your recipes mentioned sterilized bottles,,, ????????♀️ Can’t wait to give it a try! Thanks! Lynne
Lynne, you can store the sauce in bottles, no problem. I like to wash them thoroughly before using with hot water. If your goal is longer term storage, then I would boil them or at least run them through a hot cycle in the dishwasher. Really just practice good sanitary practices. Let me know it turns out for you!
Have you tried throwing in a small piece of pineapple for sweetness? Just wobdering if i should tey or will it ruin my whole batch.
Suzi, absolutely. I add fruits to my hot sauces all the time, especially pineapple. Check out some of my other hot sauce recipes on the site that use pineapple. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Excellent recipe Mike. Thank you. Love what roasting does for the flavor profile.
Where did you find that very cool bottled pictured? I’ve seen it a few times on your site. I checked the links you provided but didn’t see it.
Thank you!
Mike
Thanks, Mike! I appreciate it. That bottle was actually recycled from a bottle of rum someone gave me. I kept it because it looks so cool! Haha. Great for photos.
Really an excellent hot sauce and so easy to twist the flavoring a bit if you’re into that.
I’m going with Reapers, Monkey Face, Bhut and a few Habaneros. Hot but flows like water at work where we are a few chili aficionados.
Thanks for the recipe!
Outstanding, Kasper! I love to hear this. Let the hot sauce flow!!! Thanks for the comments!!
This sauce is awesome! I removed most of the seeds from all but one pepper and the sauce lit up my mouth wonderfully. Added roasted 1/2 an onion, doubled the vinegar and added a couple teaspoons of honey. Scaled back on the water to make a thic sauce. Loved it!
Great, Nicholas! Great news!!!
Hello Michael. It took a few years to figure out growing superhots. Now that I have peppers coming out my ears you’ve shown me some great ways to tame them.
This recipe is killer. I used 15 ghosts and 4 carrots in a batch today for two 8 oz. bottles.. It is excellent tasting and outrageously hot. The peppers really shine through and the carrots add just the right amount of sweet.
Thanks again. Your cooking rocks. Tomorrow we try the pineapple mango fatali sauce.
Excellent! I love to hear this, John. I greatly appreciate the comments, and I’m super happy you’re able to cook with your superhots! Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it.
First time growing ghost peppers this year. Been trying out a lot of your recipes. Subbed some homemade black garlic for regular garlic and it was amazing. Thanks for all the great ideas.
Excellent, Alex! Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Just curious why the recipe calls for lemon extract instead of lemon juice/zest?
Didi, extract has more pronounced lemon flavor, but you can use zest instead if you’d like.
Hello Mike!
Quick question: I take it this is supposed to be a thicker/chunkier type of hot sauce. Would adding more vinegar to it to thin it out ruin it? And if so, would you recommend more ACV or white? I’m looking to make it into a thinner “Tabasco sauce-like” consistency.
Thank you!!
Karoline, you can add vinegar, no problem. You can also strain it to get a thinner sauce and thin it with water if you’d like. For vinegar, both are good. Just use a top quality for flavor. Let me know how it goes.
20 ghost peppers is way more than 2 ounces this must be a typo !!!!
My Ghosts are almost an ounce each , what is it 2 peppers or 20 peppers ? Big diff LOL
Tommy, yes, an average ghost pepper weighs about 1/3 ounce, so it’s really 5-6 average sized pods. This recipe CAN take up to 20 of those, though. Still, it sounds like you have some good sized pods, so I would use 2-3 of them for the first time around, then adjust accordingly for the next batch. Let me know how it goes. I adjusted the recipe to make this clearer. Thanks!!
Mike ,
I have some beautiful peppers this year , the best crop ever !! I used 6 ghosts and it came out great ! Yes it is hot but the smoky garlic flavor reall pops. Thanks Mike looking forward to trying some more of your recipes as I have at least 100 Ghost Peppers and a huge crop of Habaneros . All grown in NYC by the way .
Thanks, Tommy! Glad to hear the crops are popping! Such a wonderful thing.
Hi Mike, what about smoking the peppers instead of the oven?
That would be outstanding, and I would be super jealous because I would want some!!!
Hi Mike. I have loads of frozen Naga morich peppers from last year’s harvest. This sauce seems like a good way of using them up. Do you think it is ok for me to roast peppers that have been frozen?
Andrea, yes, you can roast those. Just make sure the pods are dried as much as possible after thawing. You can also pan cook them. Let me know how it turns out!
I want to produce this sauce in large quantity for bottling and selling in my small local shop.
To increase the volume do I just do a multiplication of all ingredients? I am looking at making 5 ltr (+-34 US Fluid Ounces) for bottling in 250ml bottles (+-8 Ounces)
Curt, yes, just multiply the ingredients to scale up. You might start with a smaller batch to test, then increase as needed. Let me know how it turns out for you.
I’ll try it with grilled carrots, orange habaneros and onions. (with a few smoke flavour)
I hope it will be delicious. thanks the recipe!
Great, Kevin! Sounds awesome.
Tried this with Carolina reapers and birds eye chilies it’s amazing
Excellent, Bryan!
Thanks heaps for the recipies! Ypu are lucky having ghosts on tap as i have difficulty finding exotic hot chillies. I grow my own organics, they have nice flavour but not insane heat. Maybe for the best as what i consider mild others consider, if not torture then really uncomfortable! Anyhoo, thanks heaps for the recipie ideas, i dont follow them exactly, just find inspiration and run with it! Cheers.
Jerry
That’s great, Jerry! Thanks for stopping in!