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?
Roasted Ghost Pepper Sauce Ingredients
- Ghost Peppers. 2 ounces, about 5-6 average sized ghost peppers.
- Carrot. 6 ounces, about 1 medium sized carrot.
- Garlic Cloves. 6 ounces.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. 2 tablespoons.
- Lemon Extract. ¼ teaspoon or use the juice from 1 lemon.
- Salt. To taste.
- Water. ½ cup for thinning, or use more as desired.
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 & Notes
- 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.
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
. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack
.
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 Information
Stanislav Dimitrov says
Great exotic hot sauce!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Stanislav!
Lesley Brown says
I believe I used your recipe for ghost pepper sauce last year, it included carrots and I thought the veggies were sliced and cooked on stovetop, not roasted ?
Mike Hultquist says
Lesley, I'm not sure which recipe - I have a number of hot sauce and sauce recipes that might be the one you made. Try looking through the Hot Sauce and Sauce Recipe sections.
JONESCRUSHER says
Where can I find a hot sauce recipe that starts off with 2 POUNDS of ghost peppers? I want to make a sauce/salsa that will rip a person's head off.
Do you remember being in high school. There was always a guy( usually a jock) who bragged that he a "REAL MAN".
I want to make a salsa that will rip a "REAL MAN"'s head off.
Mike Hultquist says
If you're looking for EXTRA HOT, use hotter peppers, like reapers or other superhots.
Jim Schmidt says
I love your roasted pepper sauces and this one is no exception. Just to play around a bit, I doubled the ghost pepper and smoked them, while the other veggies were roasted. Like your other roasted sauce recipes, this one really captures the full complexity of ghost pepper flavor. I also add enough apple cider vinegar to get the pH below 3.6, and then I pasteurize and bottle the sauce for long-term storage. Thanks for your excellent recipes!
Mike Hultquist says
So great to hear! Thanks, Jim! Very happy you enjoyed this one.
Brianna Evans says
I love your recipes and that you use to HOT peppers that most people are afraid to touch! I can hot peppers from our garden, and I would like to try something like this recipe in bulk. I have a ton of reaper peppers that I will exchange for ghost for now, until my ghost pepper plants start producing. Should I multiply this recipe times the number of half pint jars I’m wanting to make or is this just a small batch recommendation??
Mike Hultquist says
Brianna, thanks! Yes, you can easily just multiply for larger batches. Enjoy!
Sue says
I’ve made this once and turned out amazing. Curious how this would taste with Green Ghost peppers. We cleaned out the garden and have tons of greenies.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Sue. You'll get more of a "raw" flavor with green pods, but doable! Enjoy!
nancy says
I have been making hot sauces for a many years. I started following recipes on chili pepper madness and I find that I can't handle the heat from the peppers any longer. It there a way I can water down the sauce so its not so hot where it can enjoyed again?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nancy, you can water it down, or make another batch of this with really mild peppers, like bell peppers, then combine the two to balance it out. Or add other ingredients, like tomato, to dilute the heat. Let me know how it goes for you.
Mimi says
This is my first attempt at growing pepper plants - doing them for my hubby. I have Reapers, Ghost, Orange Trinidad Scorpions, cayenne, purple cayenne, casabella, Anaheim, jalapeño, Serrano, habanero and poblanos. They have all grown like crazy and I’m fermenting, pickling and canning them as fast as I can. Do you “can” your hot sauces? This is my first time doing this and would love any advice. My hubby’s favorite is your Reaper hot sauce recipe. We have to clear out the house when I roasted the peppers
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds great, Mimi. Enjoy the peppers. Nice selection. I don't can or process mine in a water bath, as I use them up pretty quickly and they last a long time because of the acidity. See my section on How to Make Hot Sauce (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce/) for more information on that. Enjoy the sauces!!
Derek T says
Making now with 2 scorpions, 2 ghosts, 5 habaneros, 3 (spicier than average) jalapeños, and a dozen or so serranos! I have not eaten yet (as it is melding in the fridge for the next day or so), but the sample before I closed the jar was delicious! Thanks, as always, for the inspiration!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesomeness, Derek! I love it! Nice choice of peppers. I have a bunch mellowing in my fridge right now as well. Enjoy!
Peter B. says
Holy Crap!!!! This is sooo good. I smoked the ghost peppers & roasted everything else. Do you think if I made it in bulk it would keep in the freezer? Smoked with pecan chips by the way.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Peter. Thanks for sharing. Yes, you can freeze this sauce. Glad you enjoyed it! Nice touch with the pecan chips.
Ken Moore says
Who is gonna keep it in the fridge for 4 month?. Delumcious
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I hear you, Ken! So good!
Raphael says
Soooo tasty!
I really love this Ghost Pepper recipe because the taste of the sauce nearly is like a fresh pod!
And btw, your site is just great!! 😀
kind regards
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Raphael! Glad you enjoyed it.
Matt M says
I love this one and use it as the base for my junk drawer ghost recipe. I do as Mike describes above, and then add in whatever looks great in the garden. For this one, I added 25 basil leaves (sweet and lemon), threw in a few reapers and a few serranos (always use ghosts as my base). It's amazing how much better this sauce tastes when it rests in the refrigerator for a week. Thanks, as always Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Sounds perfect, Matt!
Pamela Porosky says
I'm just wondering if you would be able to can this in a water bath process
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Pamela, yes, you surely can. Check the pH first, though. Shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for home jarring.
Kevin McKeown says
Sounds great. How long will this sauce last in the refrigerator ?
Thanks,
Kevin
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!
Christopher says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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/
Mark Ryan Crouch says
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?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!
Mark Ryan Crouch says
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!!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear, Mark! Nice touch with the ghosts!
Lynne beadle says
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
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!
Suzi says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Mike says
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
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Kasper says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding, Kasper! I love to hear this. Let the hot sauce flow!!! Thanks for the comments!!
Nicholas Keller says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Nicholas! Great news!!!
John says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Alex says
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.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Alex! Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
Didi says
Just curious why the recipe calls for lemon extract instead of lemon juice/zest?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Didi, extract has more pronounced lemon flavor, but you can use zest instead if you'd like.
Karoline says
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!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Tommy says
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
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!!
Tommy says
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 .
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Tommy! Glad to hear the crops are popping! Such a wonderful thing.
Michelle says
Hi Mike, what about smoking the peppers instead of the oven?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That would be outstanding, and I would be super jealous because I would want some!!!
Andrea says
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?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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!
Curt Jones says
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)
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
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.
Kevin says
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!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Kevin! Sounds awesome.
Bryan says
Tried this with Carolina reapers and birds eye chilies it’s amazing
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Bryan!
Jerry Johnson says
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
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Jerry! Thanks for stopping in!