Basic Jalapeño Hot Sauce

Here’s an excellent easy jalapeño hot sauce recipe that is a good beginning sauce for some culinary experimentation. It’s not overly hot (jalapeños are a milder medium-heat chili), so it’s a good one to make to spice up a summer family party or a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Keep some handy in the fridge to add a splash of heat to any meal.

When it comes to experimenting, you have many options. First, you could swap out those fresh jalapeño peppers for a hotter chili. Serrano peppers would give you a comparable bright flavor, but with double the heat. Or you could go for a much hotter chili, like habaneros. Though, to go along with that extra-hot heat, there will be both a flavor change (has have a sweet, fruity flavor) and a color change to the hot sauce.

Another option is adjusting the vinegar to your liking. Want it tangier? Add a bit more? Less tangy? Add less. And, you could try adding some sugar to the hot sauce to even out the tanginess and deliver a sweet-heat twist.

There are also many ways to add unique tastes to our basic jalapeño hot sauce, just with common spices from your cupboard. Spice likes cumin, chili powder, and dried coriander are interesting adds, but there’s an entire world there to try. Fresh herbs are great for exploration, too.

See it being made:

Like this hot sauce recipe? You’ll love these too:

• Basic Habanero Hot Sauce: Same idea, but a much hotter starting point and a different set of ingredients that work well with the hab’s natural flavor.
• Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce: Like a lot of vinegar tang? This one is for you. Just three ingredients.
• Garlic Habanero Hot Sauce: This recipe uses both garlic and carrots, for a earthy-sweet and pungent twist.

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Basic Jalapeño Hot Sauce

A delicious, medium-heat hot sauce – great for experimentation

4.23 from 121 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings 30 servings

Calories 6 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 20 jalapeño peppers sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Saute the oil, jalapeño peppers, onions, garlic, and salt in a sauce pan over high hight for 4 minutes.
• Pour water into the mix and cook, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
• Take pan off heat and let the mixture cool down to room temperature.
• Puree the mix in a food processor until it’s completely smooth.
• Keep the processor running and add in the distilled white vinegar until completely mixed.
• Place into a jar or bottle.

Notes

Hot sauces will keep for many months (6 months +). It’s best to refrigerate the hot sauce to help preserve it and keep its flavors intact.

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcalSodium: 59mgPotassium: 28mgVitamin A: 100IUVitamin C: 11.4mgCalcium: 3mg

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