This recipe is from my book Hot Sauce Cookbook for Beginners.
A spicy Jamaican-style hot scotch bonnet pepper sauce recipe designed for the true spice lovers! This easy hot sauce recipe will add big flavor to anything it touches.
Few things beat from scratch, homemade hot sauce and this scotch bonnet pepper sauce is no exception! With a delicious flavor, creamy consistency, and heat rating that is up there on the scoville scale, this is a truly delightful condiment you’re certain to turn to again and again. Enjoy!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It’s rich, flavorful and spicy.
- Designed for the true spice lovers!
- Carries a touch of the Caribbean islands.
- Works well with a large variety of dishes.
- Naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free + no added sugars.
How to Use
- If you aren’t a vegetarian like myself, this sauce is known for pairing well with chicken and seafood dishes.
- It makes a great vegetable, tofu or tempeh marinade or finishing sauce.
- Drizzle on tacos, enchiladas, burritos and quesadillas.
- Sprinkle on eggs or toast.
- Pair with other Caribbean foods like Jamaican Rice and Peas, gallo pinto or pan de yuca.
- Top off pizza, soups, fries and more!
Ingredient Substitutions
Onion: Use any white or yellow onion variety.
Chiles: Scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers are very similar and can work interchangeably in this recipe. Alternatively, if you do not like very spicy foods but still want to try out the flavor of this hot pepper sauce, you can use milder chiles such as Fresno peppers or red jalapenos instead.
Vinegar: Regular white vinegar is the traditional choice, but feel free to use any vinegar you have on hand. Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar and rice vinegar all work well.
Frequently Asked Questions
This will vary based on tolerance, but for most people, scotch bonnet pepper sauce is considered very spicy.
This should be based on personal preference. Contrary to popular belief, the spicy components of chiles do not reside in their seeds, but rather their pith (the white spongy part of the flesh).
Chayote is a fruit from the gourd family, popular in Caribbean and Latin American cooking.
More Hot Sauce Recipes
Learn more about Hot Sauce Cookbook for Beginners!
Hot Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 6 carrots chopped
- 2 chayotes peeled, pitted, chopped
- 10 allspice berries about 1 teaspoon
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 1-inch knob fresh ginger root peeled, cut into 1/8" slices
- 8 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers stemmed and chopped
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Method
- In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the oil and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 10 minutes.
- Add the carrots, chayotes, allspice, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the allspice is fragrant.
- Add the chiles and vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chiles soften, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked mixture to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, leaving a vent open to allow steam to escape.
- Using a fine-mesh strainer, strain the mixture, reserving the liquid and discarding the solids. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated using a third-party calculator and is an estimate only.
My son loved this sauce, it’s just like what we had in the Islands when we visited a little spiciness that gave it just the right heat!
Wow, Fantastic Recipe!! Thanks, Kristen for sharing this!
As a island girl this is a MUST in our household. You did a great job attempting such a complex sauce 🙂
This was the spicy kick I was looking for. It was easy to make and so much better that any store-bought hot sauce! Love it!
Wow, we made this sauce a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it with a range of different things by now. Rally great with just pizza or potato wedges, but we also love it with Mexican dishes! Great sauce!
Complex and flavourful, if you want a “caribeña hot sauce” follow everything but use 50% Scotch Bonnet peppers minimum by volume. Don’t use Habanero most people say they are close/interchangeable but there is a huge difference in the finished product if you are looking for a really spicy sauce instead of a sauce with a bit of heat.