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Easy Homemade Jalapeño Hot Sauce

A corked bottle of jalapeño hot sauce.

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4.9 from 9 reviews

This easy recipe for homemade Jalapeño Hot Sauce requires only 5 simple ingredients and tastes so much better than store-bought.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound jalapeño peppers or other hot peppers
  • 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup white vinegar, to taste
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Remove the stems from the jalapeños and slice each in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the seeds for less heat if desired.
  2. Add the jalapeños to a blender along with the garlic, salt, 2 tablespoons vinegar and water.
  3. Blend on high until totally smooth. This may take several minutes depending on your blender. Taste and add more salt and/or vinegar if desired.
  4. Transfer hot sauce to a jar and refrigerate for up to 3 months.
  5. If desired, you can ferment the hot sauce by leaving the jar out at room temperature, covered, for about a day. This will give it a deeper, more interesting flavor. Refrigerate after fermenting.
  6. You can also cook the hot sauce for a milder, more mellow flavor. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the color changes to a deeper, duller green; about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring to a jar.
  7. All three methods produce excellent results. Experiment with them until you find what flavor works best for you!

Notes

  • Wear gloves when handling hot chilies or the capsaicin can stay on your hands for hours and be quite painful.
  • Chili peppers can vary widely in their heat. If your jalapeños are especially hot, remove the seeds and ribs with a spoon before blending.
  • Be sure to thoroughly blend the hot sauce so it is very smooth texture. If there are still some chunks or if you prefer a thinner hot sauce you can pass it through a fine mesh sieve or strainer.

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