Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce (with Roasted Garlic & Carrots)
This Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce is mind blowing! The flavours are phenomenal, it is made with roasted garlic and carrots and goes perfectly with everything!
This Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce. Mind-blown. That may be literally from the heat and the amount I’ve consumed, but I’m sure it’s also because this was an outstanding hot sauce recipe. Scotch Bonnet Peppers, of the species capsicum chinense, are local Jamaican/Caribbean hot peppers. For comparison, they are 40 times (actually) hotter than jalapeños on the Scoville scale. Chopped up, it’s a perfect heat source in any meal. These beautiful peppers makes up this entire, mouthwatering, breathtaking Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce. You need to try this. Without a doubt, you’ll be making it again and again and again.
This was one of the best weeks/weekends of my life. Apart from twisting my ankle again, and injuring my shin and knee, of course. It started with being a guest lecturer for a group of 4th year (food) hospitality management students to teach me food styling (YES!) which I mentioned earlier here. Then, this Saturday, I did my first ever speech on behalf of Jessica in the Kitchen about my journey of ‘beauty through health’. I’ve done lots of presentations and speeches, but this was so special because it’s been 11 months since I made the big leap to doing this full time, and because I was so passionate on the topic.
The speech went amazingly and the audience was SO receptive. Honestly, pure fun, excitement and a lot of ‘I-won’t-limp-despite-this-excruciating-pain’ smiling. I also know this Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce was a big part of this week because I literally put it on EVERYTHING. Savoury. I. Ate.
This Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce is for the books. As in, when I come out with a printed cookbook (whenever that is) this is going in my all time favourite recipes section. The Mr. is a pepper addict if you remember, and he has been pouring this baby on everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out he was drinking it from the bottle when I wasn’t looking. It’s that good. Flavour bomb.
It’s also insane how easy the process to make this Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce is.
Most hot sauces I see require a two day process of sitting then boiling or some mix of that process. You actually boil this entire recipe together first, and then you blend it together. It saves so much time and can be used immediately. Personally? WAIT two days if you have the patience before using it in a big dish. Have a bit now, enjoy, then wait two days. The difference is EXTRAORDINARY.
I got the recipe from Happyolks and essentially just changed portions to my own preferences. The carrot addition is just pure genius. As I’m learning, carrots are a super versatile ingredient and contributes to the body and gorgeous colour of the sauce. Scotch bonnet peppers actually age from green, to yellow, to bright and dark reds, so you could use red peppers if you’d like or even yellow for a different colour. I used a combination of yellow and dark orange in mine. You can also use habanero peppers, which are the same heat level of scotch bonnet peppers, or even mix. The world is your (veg) oyster. LIVE. IT UP.
We brought this hot sauce to our family dinner with my mom, dad and two brothers. Needless to say, this was a favourite at family dinner. We brought *drumroll* chickpea curry as our contribution and a brand new fried goat cheese salad that I can’t wait to share with you. This tastes absolutely divine in my chickpea curry, so I would suggest there as the perfect starting point.
Or a sandwich. Or a dip. Slathered on bread. Anything your heart desires. Just try this baby.
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce (with Roasted Garlic & Carrots)
Ingredients
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce (with Roasted Garlic & Carrots)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 11 scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers, stems removed and sliced in half
- 7 garlic cloves
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cups water
- 1.5 tablespoons sea salt
- 1.5 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large lime, juiced
Instructions
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce (with Roasted Garlic & Carrots)
- In a skillet (I use a cast iron skillet) add the garlic, with the skins still on, and allow to blacken on both sides (flipping in between) until roasted, about 10 minutes.
- Once blackened, remove from skillet and peel the skins off the cloves. Add the (now peeled) cloves back to skillet and add all the other ingredients except the lime.
- Stir together. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes, stir infrequently.
- Remove from heat and pour into your blender. Squeeze in the lime juice. Blend together in a high powered blender for 3 minutes, or in a regular blender until very, very smooth. If you'd like your sauce thinner, feel free to add more lime juice to thin out and blend again. I liked mine spoonable and not thin.
- Pour into a clean, sterilized jar and screw tight. You can use it immediately, but after 2 days the flavours meld together wonderfully. Add to anything and enjoy!!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I made this while waiting for my first ferments complete. It’s excellent! Notes: I sautéed the veg and got a bit of a blackening before adding the liquid. I took out the seeds and pith I added a sweet red bell pepper and arrived at an absolutely delicious sauce at the upper limits of my tolerance level. I used red onion which was a mistake. Scotch bonnets are my new favourite pepper! I added about an inch of ginger, but that’s just me.
Hi Elisa thank os much for this incredible review, we’re happy that you like it. We love how you’ve made this recipe your own.
Hi, I’m so excited about this recipe. I started a garden last fall and my scotch bonnet plant is pretty prolific. I LOVE the flavor of this pepper and use it in my curry chicken but my spice tolerance frankly isn’t that high. Is there an adjustment that I can make to your recipe that will make it milder heat-wise without losing its awesome flavor?
Hi Ariane! We love it too. The only adjustment we can think of is to ensure that you are completely seed free. That should drop the heat a couple Scoville.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. How can I change this recipe so as not to reduce the heat of the peppers? We are super spicy sauce lovers!
Hi Fran! Thanks so much for reading! As long as all the seeds of the pepper remain in the recipe it will remain very spicy. I hope this helps.
I just made this fiery sauce today with mainly orange scotch bonnets and I like the way it turned out. Pretty good if you enjoy the capsaicin!
Thanks Jon we’re happy that you like it. We love your review.
I made this with 8 Scotch Brain peppers last night. I followed some of the suggestions and added a knob of ginger and a bit of turmeric. This was the first hot sauce I’ve ever made and it was absolutely delicious!! I will absolutely be making this again
We’re so happy that you like it Justin!
My other half LOVES this sauce. In fact, he’s putting it on everything. I found it way too hot, so we froze one jar of it, which he’s now almost finished. He asked me to make it again, which I’m now planning.
I think I’ll also make a 2nd batch with the seeds removed? Hopefully I can enjoy it too. Thank you for a wonderful recipe. 🌶️🌶️❤️🌶️🌶️
Awesome! We’re happy you both love it Gwen!
I love this recipe. It’s so easy to make and adds the punch I need to spice up my meals.
Question, once canned does it have to go in the fridge or is the pantry ok? How long does it last once it’s opened?
Thanks
Awesome we’re so happy that you like it. Once canned I would definitely store it in the fridge. It should last for 2 months safely.