Smoky Homemade Hot Sauce Recipe for Homemade Flavor

This roasted jalapeño hot sauce recipe has a wonderful smoky flavor. If you like spicy foods, you’re going to want to spoon this on everything.

Fans of all things hot sauce will want to try this fermented hot sauce, too!

Originally published in November 2015; this post has been updated.

Roasted Jalapeño Hot Sauce Recipe

My youngest son is a Tabasco sauce fiend; he loves his food spicy. So I thought, why not try my hand at homemade hot pepper sauce? Maybe a smoky hot sauce recipe? I was inspired by this recipe, though I changed the ingredients up a bit to increase the acidity.

“It’s the perfect level of heat,” my son said after a couple of sample tastes. “It reminds me a little of chipotle peppers.”

We have a winner! He adds dollops of it to just about anything he eats. I use it to flavor dishes like enchiladas or chili. And I’ll give a few jars away, one in particular to the same friend who set me off on this exploratory adventure!

Ingredients

Hot peppers — Jalapeño peppers are prolific in my garden, so they show up in a lot of my recipes. They’re not the only pepper that works here, though. The medium heat level of jalapeño peppers makes them a good base for the hot sauce; serrano peppers would be another acceptable option. You can add additional heat by incorporating hotter peppers. 

Lemon juice — For that little bit of tanginess. You could also use lime juice.

Apple cider vinegar — Another acidic ingredient, I like the combination of this with the lemon juice. 

Sugar — Add just a little bit of sweetness. I prefer organic sugar. 

Making this Jalapeño Sauce

I suggest wearing gloves to protect your skin from the hot capsaicin oil found in these peppers. 

Remove the stems of the peppers and halve. Place cut peppers on a baking sheet and broil until the skins are blistered. 

Combine peppers with remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; pulse and then process until all ingredients are pureed (or reach desired consistency). 

Serving this Green Sauce

Use this spicy sauce as you would any of your favorite hot sauces: Drizzle on tacos, serve over scrambled eggs, or stir into soups and stews to add a little bit of heat.

Storage

Transfer hot sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for 1-2 months. You can use a Mason jar or any airtight recycled glass jar.

Related: Homemade Chile Pepper Flakes 

Ready to DIY your pantry with more wholesome ingredients? Check out my new book from National Geographic! Attainable Sustainable Pantry is filled with delicious recipes for some of your favorite condiments, snacks, and toppings, along with an entire section on home food preservation. It’s the guide you need to start skipping packaged products and embrace homemade.

30+ DIY Condiments to Make at Home

This smoky hot sauce recipe is just one great condiment you can make yourself! Why not try your hand at making more? 

Making sour cream at home requires just two ingredients — and a little bit of patience. It’s great to make in a pinch to avoid a trip to the store, and DIYing can really cut down on the number of plastic tubs you bring home. Get the recipe here.

You might be surprised to discover just how easy it is to make mustard at home! Another two ingredient recipe, this one has many variations to suit your taste buds. Get the recipe here.  

Whip up a batch of homemade mayonnaise with pantry ingredients! This recipe results in a flavor similar to our favorite jarred mayo and can be ready in just a minute. Get the recipe here.

See the entire collection of homemade condiment recipes you can make at home here!

★ Did you make this homemade hot sauce recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

Smoky Jalapeño Hot Sauce Recipe

This homemade hot pepper sauce has a wonderful smoky flavor.

4.40 from 23 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 48 servings

Author: Kris Bordessa

Ingredients

• 15 jalapeño peppers or other hot peppers
• ½ cup water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Consider using disposable gloves to protect your hands if your peppers are "very, very hot." And for the love of Pete, don't touch your eyes while you're making this.
• Remove stems from peppers and slice each in half. The inside membranes and seeds are the hottest part of the pepper; depending on how hot you want your sauce to be, you can leave membranes and seeds in or remove them.
  15 jalapeño peppers
• Place pepper halves, skin side up, in a cast iron skillet or baking dish. Broil for about five minutes, until skin begins to blister and brown.
• Use tongs to move peppers into the bowl of your food processor or blender. Add all remaining ingredients and puree. Avoid breathing the fumes of the peppers.
  1/2 cup water, Juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar
• Pour hot sauce into a recycled glass jar or portion into smaller containers for gift giving. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

• The color of the finished hot sauce will vary depending on the peppers you use.
• This recipe makes about a half pint of hot sauce, but you can easily double it if you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1teaspoon | Calories: 2kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.4g | Protein: 0.04g | Fat: 0.02g | Saturated Fat: 0.004g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 47IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.01mg

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