Chile de Arbol Hot Sauce is a great little sauce for when you just need a dash or two to spice up eggs, soup, or a bowl of beans. Normally, you might grab a bottle of Tabasco or Sriracha. However, with a few ounces of HOT dried chile pods like de arbol, you can make your own hot sauce. This hot sauce yields the heat and a unique flavor one wants in a hot sauce, but doesn’t require days or weeks of fermentation. With a little bit of effort and a small amount of time over a three day period, you can create a very spicy hot sauce with the natural smokiness of the de arbol chile.
Excerpt of comment from reader:
“Magnificent recipe and magnificent result. . . The taste was extraordinary, and better than any sauce I have previously made and better than any store bought sauce I purchased in the past…” (You can read the full comment below.)
Chile de Arbol Hot Sauce
A spicy hot sauce to add to soups, stews, eggs, sandwiches, or whatever, whatever your stomach desires. I love several dashes on top of fried eggs.
Prep and Cook Times: (less than 2 hours over 3 days)
Day 1 – 1.5 hours to cook and blend, then a 24 hour rest
Day 2 – 15 minutes to strain, then another 24 hour rest
Day 3 – 30 minutes to cook down (reduce) and bottle
- 6-8 ounces dried chile de arbol*
- 4 cups or more water
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- Wash the chiles and break off any stem tops.
- Place chiles in a large saucepan with the garlic. Add 4 cups water, cover, and bring to a boil. Chiles will float so stir them to ensure that all of the chiles are in the water for re-hydration. If the chiles aren’t floating, then add more water until you have just enough for the chile to float and be stirred. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep the pan covered to reduce the amount of spiciness that can become airborne. Running the exhaust will help reduce the airborne spiciness as well.
- After 30 minutes, remove from heat and let cool for about at least 30 minutes.
- Pour into blender and puree’ for 30 seconds.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved. Cover tightly.
- Place the covered bowl in a dark corner of the kitchen and let rest for 24 hours.
Using a spatula, set a strainer or colander over a large bowl, pour in the pureed chile, and press through the strainer to separate the liquid and finer particles from the seeds and skin. Do not use a fine mesh because the puree’ is too coarse and it would take forever.
Continue to press until you have separated out the liquid and the finer particles. In the strainer, you should end up with a paste of peel and seeds. (See picture below.) The paste you can toss. Don’t be tempted to compost it because of the vinegar.
- Tightly cover the bowl with the strained sauce and set in a dark area of the kitchen counter for another 24 hours.
- You should notice some separation in the hot sauce due to the finer particles separating from the liquid.
- To reduce the amount of liquid and to concentrate the heat and flavors, transfer the hot sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium high heat to a low boil. (Don’t forget to turn on the exhaust fan.)
- Reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 15 – 30 minutes until the sauce thickens to a desired consistency. (I shoot for a medium syrupy consistency where the finer particle stay suspended in the remaining liquid.) The thicker the sauce, the spicier the sauce.
- Remove from heat, cool and pour into clean bottles.
- Store in the refrigerator indefinitely.
Other chiles you can use include chile pequin, habanero, Scotch Bonnet, cayenne, Thai chile, (any chile over 10,000 Scoville heat units). The chile determines the flavor and the heat of the hot sauce, so each type of chile yields different tasting results. If it’s not hot enough, you can cook it longer into a thicker sauce.
Uses:
- Use the same way you use other hot sauces.
- Drizzle over breakfast eggs, rice, tortillas or any food item or dish that you want to add a tasty bit of spiciness.
- Use as the “hot” in homemade salsa.
- Top tostadas, tacos, and sandwiches with a few dashes.
- Use for deviled eggs.
- Add to any soups, stew, chili, casserole in which you want some heat.
- Use in marinades.
- Add to sauces and dressings for salads, grains, Buddha bowls, and stir fries.
If you love this hot sauce, you should enjoy these other spicy condiments.
Wanted to purchase some New Mexico de arbol chiles? Check out these New Mexico suppliers.
Making my 2nd batch of this yummy – and verrrry hot sauce. I deseeded them first and did not strain them on day 2. What effect does the straining have on taste or is it a texture preference? Also, is the 3 days of waiting to help develop the flavor? Thanks for this recipe!
Mina, I’m glad you enjoy this hot sauce. It’s a keeper. The heat comes from the chile pods, particularly the veins that run down the inside of the chile. To reduce heat, you need to remove the veins and the seeds if possible. It’s hard with dried chile though. Chile de Arbol is a high heat chile (~15000 to 30000 scovilles), 10 – 15 times hotter than jalapeno. The straining is more for texture than anything else, although it does remove some of the pulp that contains the hot portion of the chiles. You want the hot sauce with a smooth, not gritty texture, so the straining provides that. Yes, the 3 days is for flavor but also o allow time for fermentation which is necessary with a vinegar based sauces. Hope this helps. Thank you for your questions! Cheere, MJ
I am curious how I measure my Arbol peppers to 8 ounces since they are so light. Is it by weight or just a cup full?
Ardith, Good question. It is actually by weight as opposed to a dry measuring cup. I had to use a digital scale to get the correct weight, but if you don’t have one I would suggest using 1 – 1.5 cups (leaning more toward 1.5). Once you remove the stems, you lose a lot of the weight anyway. Hope this helps.
Hi MJ,
If i was to use dried habanero’s would the above process and ingredients be the same.
Many thanks
I would say yes. of course the result would be hotter since habanero are hotter than de arbol, the same process should work. Let me know how it comes out. Thanks!
Today is the 2nd time I’ve made this hot salsa/sauce. Being the 2nd time, that ought to tell you something right off the bat… it’s superb! And I’m no cook, let me tell you. So, if you’re a guy and/or all thumbs in the kitchen – like me – don’t hesitate for a minute… it’s very simple and easy for anyone. And at the insane cost (and iffy taste) of most store-bought sauces, it’s also a bargain. If you work with 8oz’s of chiles, you end up with enough hotsauce for quite some time.
This second round, I’ve doubled the garlic (love it!) and I also doubled the sugar and used 1/3 cup of the vinegar. YMMV, but I like the additional zip of the vinegar, and while I’ve never liked sweet Mexican hot sauces, the additional sugar seemed to bring out a little more of the chile flavor while reducing the oftentimes overly tart or earthy aftertaste. Garlic… just a personal bias, as i love garlic. Honestly, I think I’m probably just bringing those quantities up to snuff given the fact that I use a full 8oz’s of chiles… a large quantity results. After blending, I’m looking at just shy of a half gallon… obviously a lot of that volume will disappear with the leftover “pulp” after straining.
Anyway, thanks a million for such a great recipe, and one simple enough for a culinary challenged male!! Now I just need to locate a good recipe for green chile sauce/gravy and carne adobada. If i could just figure out those other 2 things, I’d actually be able to singlehandedly cook my absolute favorite meal… Adobada burrito smothered in green chile sauce… then a light covering of sharp cheddar, drizzled with Mexican crema, and then a generous splash of this excellent arbol to top it off!! Many thanks, my friend… a recipe I truly love to use on dozens of different foods. Thank you!! 👍👍👍
Dave, Thank you for the wonderful comment and you are most welcome! I am thrilled that you found it an easy enough recipe to make and to adjust to your preferences. I love what you’ve done. I know you said you are not an experienced cook but knowing how to adjust recipes to your liking is what cooking is all about. Don’t short yourself. 🙂 I started making this because of the reason you mentioned – storebought is ridiculously expensive. The cost of the ingredients in this recipe are negligible in comparison.
In reference to the adobada, have you tried the carne adovada recipe on my site? Adobada and adovada are pretty much the same thing, it really depends on where you live as to what you call it. I love it in burritos, enchiladas and served for breakfast with an egg and hashbrowns. YUM! I’m not that much of a fan of Christmas, so I always smothered adovada in red, but my husband loves it either way. The addition of Mexican crema sounds wonderful!
Thanks again for your comment. I hope to hear from you again. Happy Cooking Darlin!!!
Great recipe! Can you use fresh chilies?
thank you Joe for your comment and question! I’ve never used fresh chiles for the recipe, but it certainly would be worth a try. If I were to try them, the main change I would make would be to reduce the amount of water. Since the chiles are fresh, you won’t need as much water for rehydration. Use just enough to cover the chiles in the sauce pan. After cooking for 30 minutes you won’t need the 30 minutes of rest, but you will need to let it cool before blending it. After that I would follow the rest of the process. I think this would work. Please let me know if you give it a try, and how it turns out. Thanks!
This looks really flavorful and fun to use on so many dishes!
Thanks Amy!
What a gorgeous looking chile sauce! I feel like drinking a glassful! (Just joking!). I almost smell the beautiful aroma…. it reminds me of the dried chile sauce I once made (several times) with your recipe. It was so delicious and different from the sauces we’re used to!
Thanks so much Sissi! You probably could drink a glassful. 🙂 Can you get de arbol chile there? They are more of a Mexican chile, so you might be able to find them at a Mexican market, if you have those. Let me know.
We have one type of chilli available dried at our local Asian foodstores and that’s it. I might have to check online because this would be really interesting to make and your directions are always SO easy to follow.
Thanks Maureen! The hotter the chile the better, but any would work. Someone made this with NM chile medium and loved it, so your chiles would probably work fine. Hope you enjoy.
Magnificent recipe and magnificent result.
I have made many of my own recipe sauces in the past using my own various home grown chiles and purchased dried Hatch New Mexico chiles. For MJ’s above recipe I used whole dried Red Hatch New Mexico chiles, medium hot, that I purchased about 6 months ago-I had 5 pounds.
I followed the above recipe to the t, and it can out amazing. The taste was extraordinary, and better than any sauce I have previously made and better than any store bought sauce I purchased in the past. I was surprised at the outcome and the smoothness of the sauce because of the lack of bits of the chile outer skin. The sauce itself had a nice bite at the end, but not overpowering. Great for general use. I still have hotter hatch n.m. chiles which I will try at a later date.
I did adapt one procedure because I had to add more water the the pot during the cooking of the chiles in order to cover the chiles properly during the boil, After the boil, I did not use all the water in the pot during the processing. If I did, the sauce would be too watery. Although you can, I guess,boil/ simmer the water off during the final simmer. But that would take a long final simmer and may affect the taste and quality.
THANKS Jerry for such fabulous feedback!!! You made my month. I am SO glad that you enjoyed this recipe/process and that you ended up with a nice batch of sauce. Now you have me wanting to take my last batch of classic red NM chiles and turn them into this sauce rather than my regular red chile sauce. I’m glad you mentioned that you didn’t use all of the water that was needed for rehydration. I didn’t either, so I need to put that in the recipe. Thank you again for your feedback! I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be placing an excerpt of your comment into the post. 🙂
Please do place the excerpt.
This would be a good time for me to thank you for taking the time to create this outstanding site. I have prepared many of your recipes, especially the ones involving oats and grains, sauces, salsas, vegetable sides, and desserts. Your Guest Posts are fun and interesting to read. I also looked at the various photographs offered by Nadalyn Larsen and I will soon be buying several as cards.
You are MOST welcome Jerry! It is readers like you and these comments that make keeping this website going worth my while. So glad that you are preparing some of my recipes!! And thanks for commenting about the guest posts. I wasn’t sure if people enjoyed them or not. I know I do. 🙂 My sister – Nadalyn – is thrilled that you’ve been viewing her photography. She’s very good isn’t she. 🙂 Thanks again Jerry!
Hello, Jerry! I am so glad that you enjoy MJ’s site as much as I do. She is an amazing and creative cook and an extraordinary food photographer. I have been honored that she has allowed me to share a few of my recipes and feature my photography on her website. I am flattered that you visited my site and liked my work. If you or any of MJ’s followers are interested in purchasing my work please use discount code PZSJFR to receive 25% off of my commission. Unfortunately, I cannot discount the production of the work, only my commission. Thank you for being a loyal follower of MJ’s Kitchen.
Oh, that looks good, I wish I would have so many sorts of chilies here.
Thanks Adina! I love having a nice selection of chiles. 🙂
Wow doggie! My eyes are burning just reading your post. Good stuff! But waiting 3 days is painful… So many uses for this delicious sauce. Take care
Thanks so much! lots of uses…tonight I used it in a remoulade sauce for a shrimp salad. Sooooo good!
Appreciate the top about using the exhaust, thanks MJ. I know that this sauce will be hot and no since breathing all those fumes.
Yep…I’ve learned over the years that the exhaust fan is a must when working with chile. 🙂
I think I’ll make this sauce this weekend! I have a lot of dried chile de arbol I like to use up, so this is perfect timing 🙂
I hope you do Susan! It’s good stuff. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
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I love making my own condiments! Thanks for this recipe MJ, I know my husband will like this. 🙂
Thanks Judy! Bobby sure likes. Of course the first time we used it, we applied a little too much. Talk about a burn. 🙂
This is the kind of sauce I can drink from, just show me the straw 🙂 But serious, this hot sauce sounds awesome and I am adding to my collection of hot sauce recipes. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Yi! The straw sounds like a good idea. 🙂
I love the idea of homemade hot sauce. This looks so good.
Thanks so much Peachy!
I love making hot spicy dishes for my family. Taking three days to make this is definitely a labor of love. This will make the whole house spicy!!
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Thanks Linda! Even though you don’t bottle it for 3 days, the amount of work really isn’t much especially for the product you end up with. It tastes like you put a lot of work into it. 🙂
I bet this is hot as hell haha! Perfect for those hot and spicy lovers!
Yep…that’s one way to describe it. But a tasty hell. 🙂 Thanks Katerina!
Wow, I’ve always bought hot sauce. You did get me with ‘airborne spicyness’. I hadn’t thought about that.
Thanks Maureen. I have some issues that make me very sensitive to smells/odors and “spicy” really gets to me. So the exhaust fan really works.
This is hot stuff! For those of us that, well, like hot stuff. 🙂 Good stuff, too — thanks.
Thanks so much John! Yep…it is definitely HOT stuff. 🙂
I actually tasted this sauce in a mexican restaurant about a year ago, it is on my recipe bucket list, so freaking good! Thanks for the recipe 😀
Thanks Evelyne! de arbol Chile originated in Mexico and is used A LOT there. New Mexico farmers started growing them here generations ago so it’s becoming more and more available and prominent here. Hope you to get around to making it.
I really like the idea of making my own hot sauce! What a fabulous recipe!
Thanks so much Deb!
MJ, what an interesting recipe. I do make my own sauces at times, but what I like about this one are the various timing events. I’ll make this this weekend and let you know.
Being in Los Angeles I have access to a lot of dry chilies. But I especially get the fresh and dry Hatch New Mexico green and reds when they show up locally during weekends in Aug. and Sept. or you can order them at – http://www.elreyfarms.com/
Thanks so much Jerry! I look forward to hearing how it went. Just as an FYI, the dry Hatch chile probably won’t yield a really HOT sauce because their Scoville units is only about 5000. The flavor should be awesome and the heat level quite spicy, but not really HOT. But then I may be wrong. Please do let me know how it goes. Thanks again.
I personally don’t like hot seasonings, but my husband does, and I can’t wait to try this sauce for him! It sounds like something he will definitely like!
Thanks so much Norma! I hope your husband enjoys. Please let me know.
Gorgeous looking chile sauce MJ and I like the flexibility of using different varieties of peppers to make your own (though I must say ‘chile de arbol’ has a certain ring to it ;o). For all of its fame (cult classic) I have never been an overwhelming fan of sriracha and would love to prepare my own batch of hot sauce one of these days. Thank you for the detailed instructions – it looks so good too! Pinning this beauty.
Thanks so much Kelly! Have you ever had had de arbol chile before? It really has a unique taste, a natural smoky flavor. So good! I, too, am going to be trying this with other chiles, but right now a couple of batches of de arbol will last me a few months. 🙂
Three days of waiting? Ahhh, i’m sure it’s worth it. That chili in the cup looks amazing and I could almost taste the heat. Have a good week, MJ! 🙂
Yes…you do have to wait 3 days but it is worth it. 🙂 I can guarantee that it’s as hot as it looks. Thanks Ray!
Awesome! Never thought of making hot chillie sauce, but it sounds definitely worth a try!