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.

homemade hot sauce recipe in a jar, green, from above.

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.

hot peppers in process to make homemade hot sauce

Related: Homemade Chile Pepper Flakes 

The Handcrafted Pantry

Ready to DIY your pantry with more wholesome ingredients? Check out my ebook, The Handcrafted Pantry! Filled with delicious recipes for some of your favorite condiments, snacks, and toppings, 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? 

homemade sour cream in a green bowl.

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.

spicy mustard in a jar.

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.  

homemade mayonnaise in a glass dish.

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!

homemade hot sauce recipe - green - in a jar from above. Teal/wood background

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

homemade hot sauce recipe in a jar, green, from above.

Smoky Jalapeño Hot Sauce Recipe

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

This homemade hot pepper sauce has a wonderful smoky flavor.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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 Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 18Unsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 123mgCarbohydrates: 4gSugar: 2g

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

14 comments… add one
  • John Carston Feb 15, 2022 @ 13:14

    I appreciate that you explained that there are infinite possibilities when making hot sauce. My family loves hot sauce and my father told me that he is hoping to taste a new one, and he asked if I have any idea what is the best option to do. Thanks for the idea, I’ll be sure to tell him that we can try a well-known Canadian-made hot sauce.

  • Michelle Mar 24, 2018 @ 19:23

    Super easy to make. I’ll make this again.

  • Curtis Mar 12, 2018 @ 5:04

    The placenta in the pepper is what’s hot, not the seeds. If anything, the seeds will give it a bitter taste, but does nothing in regards to the heat.

    • Kris Bordessa Mar 24, 2018 @ 13:28

      I stand corrected.

  • Heather Coen Nov 1, 2017 @ 5:09

    Do you think this could be processes for canning?

    • Kris Bordessa Nov 14, 2017 @ 8:00

      It’s not a “canning approved” recipe and I’m hesitant to do so without that stamp of approval.

  • Liz Jul 8, 2017 @ 5:55

    Just made this sauce – used combo of homegrown jalapeños, cayennes, New Mexico heirlooms & a couple Thai chiles. CRAZY GOOD and SUPER HOT (even after taking out nearly all of the seeds). It was a snap to make, too. This will not see the end of the weekend! Thank you

  • [email protected] Sep 1, 2016 @ 5:32

    I made this today and recipes this fantastic shouldn’t be so easy!!! Thanks, Kris.

    • Kris Bordessa Sep 1, 2016 @ 7:11

      Oh, I’m glad you like it, Susan!

  • Faye Aug 20, 2016 @ 15:52

    Thank you so much. I have 1 pint in the fridge that I made 2 days ago and we are eating on …. and tonight I canned 12 – ½ pints and 1 – ¼ pint. And it is HOT! 😀 My husband and I love it.

  • Steven May 11, 2016 @ 7:44

    Thanks for the great tips!

  • Chelsey Mar 28, 2016 @ 10:33

    How long does this keep for? I’m trying to eat more homemade stuff without all the preservatives but the trouble is preservatives are handy lol. I’m finding that stuff keeps going bad before I can use it and my freezer is not very big.

    • Kris Bordessa Mar 28, 2016 @ 10:50

      We kept it for about 6 weeks or so, at which point it was used up. Not sure how much longer than that it would last.

  • Angi @ SchneiderPeeps Dec 3, 2015 @ 12:51

    oh my, this sounds delicious! I can’t wait for next years tomato crop.

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