Any green hot sauce lovers out there? If so then this easy Jalapeno Hot Sauce recipe is a good option for your next homemade batch.
If you’re new to homemade hot sauce I think you’ll find it surprisingly easy to make — just keep in mind that you’ll need extremely high doses of acidity and heat to give each drop that familiar tangy zip.
How To Make Jalapeno Hot Sauce
This batch relies on a single pound of fresh Jalapeno peppers.
That turned out to be 11 of these medium-sized beauties:
We’ll start by sweating 1/2 onion and 2 whole, peeled garlic cloves over medium heat in some oil.
Once the onion is starting to brown you can add:
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican Oregano?
1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
some freshly cracked black pepper
Briefly cook and then add:
the rinsed, de-stemmed jalapenos
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Bring to a simmer and then add everything to a blender along with:
8-10 sprigs cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
And now give it a good whirl!
I usually leave it a bit chunky but you can always blend it thinner if you want.
Hello fireball Jalapeno Hot Sauce!
Give it a taste but keep in mind it has real zip, so maybe a small taste only 🙂
If all went according to plan then even the smallest of tastes should have:
Fiery sharpness from the jalapenos
Lip-smacking tang from the vinegar
Hint of sweetness from the browned onions
A bit of extra flavor and depth from the Mexican oregano
It’s got a fresh, vibrant flavor that you won’t get from store-bought hot sauces. Awesome 🙂
And with the amount of vinegar in each bottle it should keep for at least a month in the fridge. (Note: instructions not designed for long term canning or preserving.)
A pound of jalapenos will make enough hot sauce for three 5 oz. bottles.
For storage you can either save your old hot sauce bottles, buy some for a buck each on Amazon, or simply use a small Mason jar.
This Jalapeno Hot Sauce will work anywhere you employ your normal hot sauce, with a special nod to egg dishes. That’s definitely one way to wake up in the morning 🙂
And if you like the idea of making your own hot sauce on a regular basis then here are two other options on the site to consider:
Both of those are just as easy to make as this one. And yes, there is something quite satisfying about making a hot sauce that beats the pants off the watered down versions that have become the norm 🙂
Buen Provecho.
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Jalapeno Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb. jalapeno peppers (approx. 10 jalapenos)
- 1/2 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- 8-10 cilantro sprigs
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Give the jalapenos a good rinse and de-stem them. Be sure to wash your hands after handling them. More info on handling hot chiles.
- Saute a roughly chopped 1/2 onion and 2 whole, peeled garlic cloves in a glug of oil over medium heat.
- Once the onion is browning you can add 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional). Briefly cook until fragrant and then add: the de-stemmed jalapenos, 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and then add everything to a blender.
- Add 8-10 sprigs cilantro and the juice of 1 lime to the blender. Combine well or to your desired consistency. I usually leave it a bit chunky but you can always blend it thinner.
- Add mixture to three 5 oz. bottles or a small Mason jar. Store in the fridge where it will keep for at least a month.Â
Notes
Disclaimer: Yes, there are affiliate links on this page. That means I get a small percentage of the sale if you decide to try out one of the linked products, at no additional cost to you. But my opinion is not for sale and I only recommend products that I actually use and trust. Email me if you have questions about this.
Want to see the latest recipe? It’s this awesome Birria de Res:
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Tanner
So I have one comment and what’s the carb count for something like this
Patrick
Hi Tanner. I just checked and it’s 38g carbs for the whole recipe. So if you’re using it a few drops at a time it should be well under 1 gram carbs per serving. Cheers.
Laura
We love hot sauce, and this recipe is spot on! We have a large jalapeño plant that produces super hot peppers, so we follow this recipe exactly, but with 8 or 9 oz of peppers partially seeded, and it’s plenty spicy! We now put this sauce on a lot more foods – eggs, seafood, and almost anything savory or fried. Thank you for sharing this!!!
Patrick
Thanks Laura! So glad to hear you have plenty of fresh jalapenos for this recipe. Cheers.
Clif
Made this today and it’s great!
Patrick
Thanks Clif!
Lizette du Preez
I can’t find Mexican oregano in South Africa, can I use normal oregano?
Patrick
Hey Lizette! I would probably just omit it as you can still get a good result without it. Cheers.
Sydney
Hi Patrick – this looks like an awesome sauce and I’ll definitely be making it for my dad’s birthday. I just have a quick question though. Your recipe is for fresh sauce that will last a month or so, but do you think it would can well also? I want to give it all to him but he won’t eat three bottle in one month, I imagine!
Patrick
Hey Sydney! I haven’t tried any long term preserving with this recipe so it’s tough for me to say how well the flavor will hold up, sorry I can’t give a better answer! Cheers.
John
How long is this sauce good for?
Patrick
Hi John, it’ll keep for at least a month when stored in the fridge. Cheers.
Debbie
Patrick, can this sauce be frozen?
Patrick
Hey Debbie! Technically yes, but I have to admit that I don’t really freeze sauces like this as I’m usually disappointed with the results. Cheers.
Tricia Draze
We LOVED it!!!! we made it AS IS and it was excellent. Since jalapenos are sometimes hot and sometimes not, I opted for seeding half. It had plenty of heat. Since I love cumin. I used it too. Its a keeper…
Patrick
Thanks Tricia, so glad this one was a hit for you. Cheers.
Maya Luna
how many cups does the recipe yield ?
Patrick
Hey Maya! With medium-sized jalapenos you’ll get a heaping two cups worth of sauce, or enough to fill three of those hot sauce sized bottles. Cheers.
B R
Excellent! I had some jalapenos to use up from the garden, and this did the trick. I will make this recipe again and again. Thanks!
Patrick
Thanks much BR!