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Caribbean · Jamaican · Bajan

Caribbean Scotch bonnet pepper sauce

Vegetarian

A fiery, fruity Caribbean pepper sauce of Scotch bonnets cooked with carrot, onion, garlic, thyme and allspice in vinegar and blended smooth.

Caribbean Scotch bonnet pepper sauce is a Caribbean condiment, ready in about 30 minutes and made with fresh red chilli and white vinegar. It serves 40 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Serves
40
Level
Easy
Calories
5

Ingredients

40 servings (about 1 tsp each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Wear gloves and open a window. Roughly chop the peppers, keeping the seeds for the hottest sauce.

    • 6 min

    Food safety: Scotch bonnets are extremely hot: wear gloves, avoid touching your face and don't breathe in the steam directly.

    Vegetables being chopped on a board
    How it looks · Photo: Sarah Chai on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Put the peppers, carrot (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab) leaves, allspice (opens in a new tab), vinegar, water, salt and sugar (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and simmer until the carrot is soft.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cool slightly, add the lime juice (opens in a new tab) (and mustard, if using) and blend until smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Pour into clean, sterilised bottles or jars and refrigerate.

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin uncertainHomemade pepper sauces like this are made across the English-speaking Caribbean, each island and household with its own version; no single origin.Also popular in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Sauces
Cooking method
Simmered, Blended
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), fruity, sour, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Fresh red chilli · White vinegar · Carrot · Onion · Garlic · Thyme (fresh)
Techniques
Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification · Pickling

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom prepared mustard
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

5 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 13 g · recipe makes 40

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 17%
  • Carbohydrate 83%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy5 kcal43 kcal
Protein0.2 g1.2 g
Carbohydrate1 g8.2 g
Net carbohydrate0.9 g7 g
Sugars0.5 g4.1 g
Added sugars0.1 g0.8 g
Fibre0.2 g1.3 g
Fat0 g0.2 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium89 mg713 mg
Salt equivalent0.2 g1.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
26 mg
Calcium
3 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Magnesium
2 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
15 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
2 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: prepared mustard.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add a slice of ripe mango or papaya to the pan for a fruitier, slightly milder sauce.

Common mistakes

  • Leaning over the pan or blender — the capsaicin-laden steam is painful; stand back and ventilate.

Serve with

  • Fried fish and festival
  • Rice and peas, stews and soups
  • Patties and roti

Food safety

  • Keep refrigerated; the vinegar keeps it acidic, but homemade sauces are not shelf-stable unless properly preserved.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in sterilised bottles for up to 2 months.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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