Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce
This Scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce will blow your mind—and your taste buds! It’s absolutely worth making your own hot sauce at home when it tastes this good.
What Are Scotch Bonnet Peppers?
Scotch bonnet peppers are a type of chili pepper popular in Caribbean and West African cuisine and named for their resemblance to the Scottish tam o’shanter bonnet. They’re related to habanero peppers and like habaneros, they’re fiery hot—40 times hotter than jalapeño peppers on the Scoville scale, in fact! They have a little hint of sweetness to them too, which sets them apart from habeneros.
We Jamaicans love Scotch bonnet peppers in Jamaican rice and peas and jerk dishes, like my jerk tofu, so naturally, they were my pepper of choice when I wanted to try to make my own hot sauce. Which is how this Scotch bonnet pepper sauce came to be!
Why You’ll Love This Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce Recipe
- Layers of flavour. Some hot sauce recipes are one-note, and that note is HOT. What I love most about this Scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce is that it has a little more nuance thanks to the roasted garlic and carrots.
- Surprisingly easy to make. You’ll wonder why you haven’t been making your own hot sauce all along when you see how simple it is!
- Versatile. This hot sauce goes well with practically everything, from Mexican dishes to Jamaican and beyond.
- No preservatives or additives. Store-bought hot sauces may contain preservatives and additives to extend their shelf life, but you can leave those out when you’re making it yourself.
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Garlic – You can leave the skin on the cloves.
- Carrots – This not only adds some flavour to the hot sauce, it also gives it a nice consistency.
- Scotch bonnet peppers – You can also use habanero peppers, which are the same heat level of scotch bonnet peppers, or even mix.
- Onion
- Cane sugar – Brown sugar, organic white sugar or coconut sugar also work.
- Sea salt
- White vinegar – Hot sauces aren’t just spicy, they’re also tangy! That’s thanks to the vinegar.
- Water
- Lime juice
How to Make Scotch Bonnet Hot Pepper Sauce
- Roast the garlic. Add the garlic to a skillet and cook until both sides are blackened. Remove the skins and add the peeled cloves back to the skillet.
- Simmer. Add all of the other ingredients except the lime juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Blend. Transfer the mixture to your blender with the lime juice. Blend until smooth.
- Store. Pour the Scotch bonnet hot pepper sauce into a jar with a lid. You can use it immediately, but I think it’s best after a day or two in the refrigerator to let the flavours meld together!
Tips for Success
- Adjust the consistency. If you’d like a thinner Scotch bonnet hot pepper sauce, you can add more lime juice when blending.
- Wear gloves. When handling hot peppers, it’s best to wear gloves to avoid any burning on your skin. Pepper burns hurt and it takes a while for the pain to go away!
- Blend carefully. Be careful when blending hot ingredients as the steam can cause pressure to build up in the blender. I recommend letting the mixture cool down a bit and leaving a crack open for the steam to vent. (You can place a kitchen towel over the lid to keep hot sauce from escaping through the crack.)
My Favourite Ways to Use This Hot Sauce
- Tofu scrambles. Jazz up your next tofu scramble breakfast with a few dashes of Scotch bonnet hot pepper sauce. Trust me, it’s a game changer..
- Mix into dips. Add a tablespoon or two to guacamole, hummus, or even spinach artichoke dip for an extra kick of flavour.
- Add to soups, curries, and stews. This hot sauce pairs well with vegetable soups and hearty stews, giving them an extra layer of depth and heat. We love it in this chickpea curry!
- Flavour your favourite proteins. From vegan chicken to marinated tofu, you can use this hot sauce to give any protein an instant upgrade.
How to Store
Store Scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Give it a shake or stir before using.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes, if you can’t use this sauce within 2 weeks, you can freeze it! Store it in a small freezer bag or airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
More Spicy Recipes
- Spicy Shakshuka with Vegan Feta
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings (10 Ingredients)
- Jalapeño Cornbread Waffles with Roasted Garlic & Rosemary (Vegan + Gluten Free)
- Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce (Easy & Vegan)
Enjoy friends! If you make this Scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 7 garlic cloves, with the skins still on
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 11 scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers, stems removed and sliced in half
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1.5 tablespoons cane sugar, or brown sugar, organic white sugar or coconut sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cups water
- 1 large lime, juiced
Instructions
- 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
- Recipe adapted (portions) from Happyolks Carrot Habanero Hot Sauce (website no longer exists)
- To store: Store Scotch bonnet pepper hot sauce in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Give it a shake or stir before using.
- To freeze: Store in a small freezer bag or airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
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.
WOW! I made half the recommended amount and have enough to last for a couple of months. Tears are in my eyes as I’m leaving this review due to the heat and my tongues on fire, exactly how I wanted it. The taste is amazing. A simple and very easy recipe to follow. Thank you Jessica!
LOL! We’re so glad you enjoyed it despite the tears Ilya! Thanks for reading!!
I’m wondering if you put tumeric in yours. Also, does anyone add tomotoes? Even one? For our household I doubled the garlic, but I have to say I LOVE this roasting method.
Hi Aaron! We’re happy you enjoyed the recipe! We haven’t used it, but using tumeric isn’t uncommon, you can try it and let us know how it turns out. Same for the tomatoes!
Tumeric adds a lot actually. It makes it earthier and adds a lot of color. I’ve tried several things including beets. Also, adding ginger during the cooking process helps a ton. I’m especially grateful for your garlic roasting method.
Thanks for responding Aaron we’ve added this to our notes. We really do appreciate the feedback! Thanks for being such an active reader it really does help our team.
Ps. The garlic roasting method is a life saver!
Hi, I have just made a batch of this. Im am in Scotland( outside Dunoon) and grew my own scotch bonnets this year, my plant is 2 years old and hailed approx 150 of the wee hot things!! lol What I am wondering is can you freeze this? I have had a lot of folks asking for some and it would make smashing xmas pressys. I dont think this lot would last till chrismtas. Cheers Sooz
Hey Sooz,
Aww I’m so happy that you enjoyed so much and wow – that’s incredible! I need my own plant too! Yes, you can definitely freeze this. When thawing it might separate a bit, so you might want to re-blend before gifting. I would recommend freezing in a reusable freezer bag. I hope that helps and enjoy!!
Call me dumb but can anyone tell me if the garlic cloves ever get peeled? So it’s the whole garlic “ear” goes in and gets toasted and then you split the cloves off or do you toast the cloves and peel them? I’m sure it’s very clear to everyone else but I’m struggling.
Hey Gentry,
No you’re not dumb at all! So in the instructions it says “Once blackened, remove from skillet and peel the cloves off. Add back to skillet and add all the ingredients except the lime.”
So you take off 7 pieces off your whole head of garlic and use those with the skins in. Then after they’re toasted, you remove those garlic cloves and that’s when you removes the skins from the cloves. Then you add them back in to the same skillet for the next step.
So long story short like you said – you toast the cloves then peel them off after! I hope that helps and that you enjoy!!
This was my first time attempting to make a pepper sauce. I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone. It was easy and not time consuming. The sauce is delicious and I plan on making quite a few batches over the next little while – I know what I just made will only last a week! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much for this really nice review! We’re so happy that it worked out for you on your first time too. I hope you have a great day!
You are very welcome! I have already sent out this link to a few of my friends who would appreciate such an easy, tasty hot sauce recipe 🙂
Hello. Love all of your recipes. Do you think you could water bath can this? I am thinking of making a larger batch.
Hi Joelle thank you so much! It really means a lot that you enjoy them! We’ve never experimented with water bath canning for this recipe so we can’t recommend it.
About how long will this last in the refrigerator?
Hi, Mellisa thanks so much for reading, it’s vinegar-based so it has a long shelf life, I can safely recommend up to 3 weeks but we have had pepper sauce last us for up to 2 months in the refrigerator.
Love this recipe. It was quick and easy. Just wondering how long it last if stored in the refrigerator. It made quite a bit and I hate for it to spoil.
Thank you so much Tina! We have had ours in our fridge for weeks as long as you use a clean spoon and avoid particles from dropping in your container you should be good go! I hope this helps.
Just made this. Out of the blender it is excellent with a good amount of heat. I made a half recipe and used 5 scotch bonnets with a total weight of 91 gr after they were stemmed. Love that it is not sweet.
Thank you so much! We’re really happy that you enjoyed it Susan!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. Followed it almost exactly just used brown sugar instead of coconut. Really great but I was glad I removed the seeds and ribs of the peppers. Heat was perfect for me.
We’re so happy that you like it Willie. Thanks for the review.