Chipotle Hot Sauce

Marie Overton
Apr 4, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Aug 8

I love to add a little heat to my food but not at the expense of the flavor.

Chipotle has an addictive smoky flavor that bursts out of the bottle and you’ll only need a little Chipotle Hot Sauce at a time to liven up your meal.

This Chipotle Hot Sauce is a wonderfully spicy hot sauce that still has that smoky goodness of chipotle that I love so much. I am going to add a little warning here: This is very spicy! If you want to knock down the heat, experiment with reducing the amount of Chipotle Pepper Powder. This hot sauce is good on anything you would use a hot sauce on.

This recipe makes 7 half-pints of Chipotle Hot Sauce.

chipotle hot sauce Ingredients:

Hands slicing red tomatoes on a wooden cutting board, set on a speckled countertop. Bright, fresh produce in natural kitchen setting.

6 pounds peeled, seeded, sliced tomatoes (If you have questions about how to blanch tomatoes, take a look at my blanching tomatoes video.)
3/4 Cup Chipotle Pepper Powder
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp mixed pickling spice (in a tea/spice ball, spice bag, or cheesecloth)
4 Cups White Distilled Vinegar (divided into 2-2 Cup portions)

chipotle hot sauce Cooking:

Sliced tomatoes topped with brown spice in a pot on a speckled countertop, wooden spoon inside. Glass of water nearby. Cooking in progress.

Soften the tomatoes by simmering with 2 cups of vinegar and the chipotle pepper powder for about 20 minutes.

Puree the tomato mixture in a blender or food processor.

Pot of brown mixture with sugar and tea infusers on granite countertop. Rustic kitchen setting, creating a cozy and homely mood.

Place the puree in a large saucepot and add the sugar, salt and spice bag. Simmer until it is thick.

Add the last 2 cups of vinegar.

Continue to simmer until it is your desired thickness.

Equipment Preparation:

While your sauce is simmering on the stove it is time to prepare your canning equipment.

Fill your boiling water bath canner half full with water and place it on the stove on low to begin heating. Do not let it get too hot, just warm it up.

Gather your ladle, jar lifter, clean cloth, and any other needed supplies for canning.

Filling and Processing Jars:

Hands scoop dark sauce from a pot into a bowl on a speckled counter. Empty jar between them. Text reads "1/2 inch Headspace."

Using a jar funnel, fill the half pint jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles.

If you spilled on the edge or rim of the jar, use a clean cloth to wipe the rim clean.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight.

Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.

Open jam jar with spoon beside sealed jars on green striped mat. Wooden object to the right. Jars have black lids with text. Warm tones.

processing complete

After processing, allow to cool in the water bath with the heat off and the lid removed for 5 minutes.

Remove jars from the canner and let them cool on a heat resistant surface about 1-2 inches apart so they can cool a little faster.

Allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours so that they can get a nice seal. You know they are sealed if the center of the lid is depressed down. If it is, remove the ring and wash off the outside with hot, soapy water. If any didn't seal, place them in the refrigerator and use them right away.

Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry, dark location and use them within the next 3 years. After that, the nutritional value begins to decrease.