Basic JalapeƱo Hot Sauce

Here’s an excellent easy jalapeƱo hot sauce recipe that is a good beginning sauce for some culinary experimentation. It’s not overly hot (jalapeƱos are a mild-medium 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.

Basic Jalapeno Hot Sauce

When it comes to experimenting, you have many options. First, you could swap out that jalapeƱo 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 spice up our basic jalapeƱo hot sauce with common spices from your cupboard. Spice likes cumin, chili powder, and dried coriander are interesting adds, but there’s a whole world there to try. Fresh herbs are great for exploration, too.

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Basic Jalapeno Hot Sauce

Basic JalapeƱo Hot Sauce

A delicious, medium-heat hot sauce – great for experimentation
4.24 from 99 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 30 servings
Calories 6 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 20 jalapeƱo 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, jalapeƱo 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
Did you make this?Mention @PepperScale or tag #PepperScale so we can see what you made!

UPDATE NOTICE: This post was updated on April 10, 2022 to include new content.
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Torontogal

Can I make this with a variety of peppers? Also what is the consistency? I am looking for something thick that would be in a jar and require a spoon.

Jim

would it make sense to roast the peppers and remove the skin?

Abbygail

4 stars
Taste is there but we were coughing up a storm while making it. Made the air in my house spicy.

Melissa

How many bottles does this make and can you freeze them?

Sue Lennick

Can I process this and seal it?

Mamabarks

4 stars
There needs to be a heat warning on this recipe along with a do not make indoors…lol. while cooking the jalepenos I started laughing a little but it was bad enough to wake up my mom with Alzheimer’s caughing and get her out of bed actually walking. We had to go outside and air put the house for a couple hours before we could return.

A local Mexican restaurant has a green sauce that they warn is hotter than the gates of hell. My brother says we found the recipe.

I will say though that it is easy and delicious.