If you love a spoonful of hot sauce with your meal, then our homemade jalapeno sauce packed with flavor and fiery heat is perfect for you! It's easy to make, uses few ingredients, and is great for livening up tacos, burritos, nachos, and more.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
This creamy jalapeño sauce is a delicious way to add some spice to your favorite dishes. A spoonful of this stuff tastes delicious in a variety of Mexican and American cuisine, from chicken quesadillas to burgers, and even used as a fiery salad dressing.
The fresh jalapenos give it a nice kick, while the cilantro and lime give it a fresh flavor. Fish sauce, brown sugar, and garlic round out the flavors and make this sauce irresistible. It has a smooth texture and a creamy consistency, making it perfect for dipping or pouring over your favorite foods.
This recipe is easy to make for home cooks as all you need is 5 minutes and a blender or food processor to turn the ingredients into a smooth sauce.
With just 8 pantry ingredients, you'll always be able to whip this jalapeño sauce up whenever the mood strikes. So, if you're looking for a new condiment to add to your repertoire, give this recipe a try!
And if you want to add more sauces to your table or cookbook, try our easy tartar sauce, perfect for fish and seafood, the creamy mustard sauce for steak night, or our 16 best creamy sauces for pork chops.
🍽 Key Ingredients
This jalapeno sauce is packed with fresh flavors from jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and onion.
Onion - The onion is a key ingredient in this jalapeño sauce as it provides a base upon the other flavors to build upon.
Jalapeños - The jalapeños are what gives this sauce its heat. You can adjust the number of jalapeños used to control the level of spice.
Brown sugar - The brown sugar helps to balance out the heat from the jalapeños and gives the sauce a touch of sweetness.
Cilantro - Fresh cilantro gives the sauce a fresh flavor and is also a good source of antioxidants.
Olive oil - The olive oil binds all the ingredients together and gives the sauce a creamy texture.
Fish sauce - The fish sauce is a common ingredient in Asian cuisine and gives the sauce a savory flavor.
Garlic - Garlic is a classic flavor that goes well with the other ingredients in this sauce.
Lime juice - The lime juice brightens up the flavors of the sauce and adds a bit of acidity.
Substitutions
Fresh jalapenos
If you don't have fresh jalapenos, you can substitute with ½ cup of pickled jalapenos or ¼ cup of canned jalapenos.
Oil
You can use avocado oil, vegetable oil, or even coconut oil.
Fish sauce
If you're not a fan of fish sauce or don't have any on hand, you can use soy sauce as a substitute.
Cilantro
You can use parsley as a substitute for cilantro if you're not a fan of the flavor.
Fresh garlic
Instead of using fresh garlic cloves, use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
🔪 How to make
Making your own jalapeno sauce at home is easy! All you need is a food processor or blender to turn the ingredients into a smooth sauce. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and can be stored for ages, so you can always have some on hand for your next meal.
Preparations
Step 1
Chop your onions and jalapenos into small pieces.
Step 2
Add them to the food processor and blend for 10 seconds.
Step 3
Add the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce.
Step 4
Add the olive oil and mix for 30 seconds and check the consistency. It should be thick and green in color.
Step 5
Pour into a jar or serving jug. Serve your creamy jalapeno dip with tortilla chips, tacos, nachos, or meat for a spicy kick.
💭 Cooking tips
Smooth consistency
If you want your jalapeno sauce to have a smooth consistency, remove the seeds for the jalapenos before adding them to the food blender.
Thinner sauce
To achieve a thinner consistency for salad dressings, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of pickle juice or water to the food processor.
📖 Recipe Variations
Creamy jalapeño sauce can be easily tailor-made to your tastebuds by adding 1 or 2 ingredients to the base recipe. Here are a few ideas:
Creamy jalapeno sauce with avocado
For a creamier and more dip-like consistency, add ½ of a ripe avocado to the food processor along with the other ingredients.
Roasted jalapeño sauce
For a smoky flavor, roast the jalapeños, garlic, and onions on a baking sheet at 400 F (200 C) for 20 minutes before adding them to the food blender.
Jalapeno dip with mayo
If you want a sauce perfect for spreading on burgers, mix ¼ cup of mayonnaise with the jalapeno sauce in a bowl. You could also use sour cream, Greek yogurt, or cream cheese for a similar consistency.
Smokey spicy jalapeno sauce
Spicy food lovers can add 3 or 4 fresh peppers, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika to the food blender for an extra kick. You could also use fire-roasted jalapeno peppers for a smokier flavor.
🥗 What to serve with
This zesty jalapeño sauce is perfect for spicing up any dish! Here are a few ideas on what to serve it with:
Spicy shrimp tacos
These spicy shrimp tacos are the perfect vessel to spoon your jalapeño sauce onto. The sweetness of the shrimp pairs perfectly with the zesty sauce.
Travis Scott copycat burger
Add some flavor and spice to Macdonald's famous Travis Scott burger with a dollop of homemade jalapeno sauce. Our copycat recipe takes only 25 minutes and tastes much better when made fresh from your own kitchen.
Ruth Chris stuffed chicken
This copycat Ruth Chris stuffed chicken dish is made even better when served with a creamy jalapeño sauce on top. The spice from the sauce cuts through the richness of the chicken for a delicious flavor combination.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
How long do you need to leave the sauce for the flavors to infuse?
The longer you leave it sealed, the tastier it will become. Although, you can enjoy the flavors right away or leave the sauce for at least an hour to be even tastier.
How can I make this jalapeno sauce less spicy?
If you want your jalapeno salsa less fiery, remove the seeds before adding them to the food blender or use pickled jalapeño peppers. You could also add ½ of a ripe avocado to the blender, which will help to mellow out the heat.
🧊 Storing
Any leftover creamy jalapeno sauce can be refrigerated and frozen to enjoy over and over again!
Room temperature - Transfer the leftover sauce to a sealed jar and store it in a cupboard away from sunlight for up to 2 weeks.
Refrigerated - Pour the sauce into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to a month.
Freezer - Place the sauce into a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
🍳 Related sauce recipes
If you're looking for more recipes to use up your leftover sauce and ingredients at home, check out our 35 leftover rotisserie chicken recipes and our top 35 easy leftover steak recipes.
For more spicy recipes check out my full collection of easy jalapenos recipes.
👪 Serving size
This recipe makes approximately 1 cup of sauce, which is around 4 servings. Scaling the recipe is easy - just remember that for every 1 jalapeño you add, the spiciness of the sauce will increase.
This zesty creamy jalapeño sauce is perfect for spicing up any dish! Whether you're looking to add some flavor to your chicken tacos, burgers, or stuffed chicken breast recipes, this sauce is sure to do the trick. Our easy-to-follow recipe only takes minutes to make and can be tailored to your taste preferences.
📋 Recipe
Jalapeno Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 medium Onion
- 2 Jalapenos
- 1 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 1 bunch Cilantro
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ tablespoon Fish sauce
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Lime squeezes
Instructions
- Chop your onions and jalapenos into small pieces.
- Add them to the food processor and blend for 10 seconds.
- Add the lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, and olive oil.
- Mix for 30 seconds and check the consistency. It should be thick and green in color.
- Pour into a jar or serving jug. Serve your creamy jalapeno dip with tortilla chips, tacos, nachos, or meat for a spicy kick.
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