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
John says
I've been making this for many years now. I jar or can mine properly and have aged this sauce, with obviously a couple of tweeks, for 5 years. The depth of flavour developed is awesome. I in fact just opened my last jar of a batch I made 6 years ago.
Mike H. says
Amazing, John. Enjoy!
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!