This easy Jalapeno Sauce is one of those sauces that you want to put on everything. It's not for the faint-hearted, as it has a serious kick to it. But, if you are serious about your chilli sauces, then you should try this homemade version. Dip tortilla chips in it, or drizzle it over tacos - this sauce has so many uses.
This vibrant green chilli sauce makes a delicious dip or sauce to add to your meals and it would definitely get your guests talking at a dinner party. Jalapenos are far from the spiciest chilli out there, but this is still a pretty spicy sauce because of the amount of peppers we have packed in to it. We grew our own jalapenos this summer and because we had so many of them, we were always making this sauce so none went to waste.
Just 7 ingredients, this is such a quick and easy homemade sauce to make and it tastes SO much better than store bought. If you are looking for some other way to use jalapenos, then why not try our Loaded Chicken Nachos, or Mexican Pasta Salad.
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Why you should try it
- Easy to make - Once you have cooked the chillies and shallots, you just blend everything together.
- Stores well - This is a fresh sauce, so it doesn't store quite as long as a store bought sauce, but it does keep well.
- Adaptable - We love our chilli sauce HOT! But if you don't like it that hot, then you can use less chillies.
- Just a few ingredients - Once you buy the fresh a jalapenoes, you probably have all the rest of ingredients that you need to make this jalapeno sauce.
Ingredients needed
- Olive oil - This is what the jalapenoes and the shallots are cooked in.
- Jalapenos - This is the star of the sauce. Always use fresh jalapenos here. If you want the sauce to be less spicy, then remove the seeds from them.
- Shallots - These add a nice sweetness to the sauce.
- Salt - Season to taste
- Garlic - Fresh is always best, but you can use frozen to save some time.
- Water - This is what loosens the sauce up.
- Vinegar - We used white wine vinegar, and because it is an acid it allows it to be stored for longer. It also adds flavour.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make jalapeno sauce - Step by step
One: Slice up all the jalapeños.
Two: Heat the oil in a pan and add the shallots, garlic and jalapenos and gently cook for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.
Three: Allow the mixture to cool and then pour in to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
If there is one thing we are absolutely made about in our house, it's sauces! You only have to look at the top shelf of our fridge to see that. We love trying out anything new on the market, especially if it is spicy.
I would guess about 10% of our monthly shopping budget goes on sauces, and that's kind of crazy. So, in a bid to not have to re-mortgage to be able to afford our sauce habit, we have been making our own sauces and we make a lot of chilli sauce. This is why we came up with this jalapeno hot sauce recipe.
Storage
Store: This sauce will keep in an air tight container for around 5 days for maximum freshness. If you won't be able to get through all this in that amount of time, then you can always adjust the quantities. This makes a nice batch size to serve as a dip at a party.
Freeze: We don't recommend freezing this sauce.
How to use jalapeno sauce
Just try and stop yourself from eating it with a spoon! But for those of you that don't love chilli sauce quite that much, then there is SO much that you can do with this sauce.
It makes a great dip for some tortilla chips and you will feel the full effect of the spice that way. Why not try our Baked Tortilla Chips or Air Fryer Tortilla Chips.
It's great drizzled over tacos and enchiladas or even vegetables to liven them up a little. Oh, and on burgers, or stirred in to mac and cheese. SO much that you can do with it. Here are some Mexican recipes that it goes perfectly with:
- Vegetable Fajitas
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
- Beef Burrito Bowl
- Salmon Tacos
- Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Fish Tacos
Frequently asked question
If you want a creamy jalapeno sauce, then take a few tablespoons of this and stir it through some sour cream or Greek yogurt. It makes it a much milder sauce, bumps up the calories somewhat, and makes it non-vegan (unless you use a vegan alternative).
Yes, this is vegan.
As long as you make sure there is no cross contamination, then this sauce can be gluten free.
This is pretty spicy, which is how we like it. To make it less spicy, you can either use less chillies, or remove the seeds from the chillies.
We like it to be a drizzly sauce consistency. However, if you want a thicker sauce, then you can just use less water.
Yes, you don't have to use jalapenos. It will work with something like habaneros too, although the spice levels will vary.
More sauce recipes
If you’ve tried this jalapeno hot sauce recipe, or any other recipe on the blog, then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Jalapeno Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 jalapenos
- 3 shallots - peeled and finely diced
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves - crushed
- 200 ml water
- 100 ml white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Slice up all the jalapenos.
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the shallots, garlic and jalapeños and gently cook for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to cool and then pour in to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
Notes
- Add some extra flavour to this sauce by throwing some fresh coriander in to the food processor just before blending.
- If you love a creamy dip, then add a couple of spoonfuls of this to some sour cream of Greek yogurt - it will be a much milder dip.
- If you want all of the flavour from the jalapenos, but not as much of the spice, then de-seed the jalapenos first.
- Add a little bit more of fresh flavour to this chilli sauce with a squeeze of lime juice in it.
Emmeline
This looks like my kind of sauce! Definitely trying it out but am a bit afraid I will get addicted!
Kelly Anthony
We love spicy hot sauce so this will be perfect for our next fajita night. Thanks for sharing!