So... hot sauce tasting rooms are a thing now. And while I think the idea is pretty fun—who wouldn't want a so-called hot sauce sommelier to help them select a new favorite sauce?—I'm also never really an advocate for spending on arm and a leg on something that I could easily make myself at home for less than half the price.

You can prepare hot sauce in a variety of ways, but basically, it's peppers—roasted or fresh, chopped or puréed—however you like them, you really don't need to add a whole lot else to create a condiment you can drizzle on just about anything. Here, I've got a recipe for a classic, fresh-tasting green sauce with jalapeños and tomatillos, as well as a couple of slightly sweeter, smokier versions made with red chiles. Just purée the ingredients for each sauce in a blender or food processor until they're basically liquified and ta-da! Your very own homemade, customizable, totally amazing hot sauce.

Green sauce

jalapeno tomatillo hot saucepinterest
Lauren Haslett

makes about 1 1/4 cups

1 cup chopped fresh jalapeno peppers (about 3 large peppers)

1 1/2 cups (about 3 lg) chopped tomatillos

1/4 cup water

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves


Mexican mole-inspired sauce

mexican mole-inspired saucepinterest
Lauren Haslett

makes about 1 cup

1/3 cup almonds

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

3 dried pasilla peppers, soaked in hot water (reserve soaking liquid)

6 dried puya peppers, soaked in hot water (reserve soaking liquid)

2 serrano peppers, roasted until lightly charred

2 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

3/4 cup leftover chile soaking liquid

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves

1 tablespoon cider vinegar


Roasted habanero sauce

roasted habanero hot saucepinterest
Lauren Haslett

makes about 1 1/4 cups

5 fresh orange habanero peppers, blistered under the broiler

2 fresh red jalapeno peppers, blistered under the broiler

1/2 sweet red bell pepper, blistered under the broiler

1/4 large sweet yellow onion, blistered, then roughly chopped

2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

Plus:

Hot and Spicy Cocktails

Turn Up the Heat! Hot and Spicy Recipes

Spicy Chocolate Recipes That Make Chocolate Even Better