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    Home » Recipes » Taco Bell Recipes

    Copycat Taco Bell Hot Sauce

    Published on December 17, 2020 - Updated on May 13, 2022 by Chef Rodney - 12 Comments - This post may contain affiliate links.

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    taco bell hot sauce
    This Copycat Hot Sauce from Taco Bell is not for the faint of heart. If you love a super hot sauce this one is for you! Good Luck!
    taco bell hot sauce

    We love to use Hot Sauce when we have Mexican food. And this Copycat recipe from Taco Bell is exactly what we needed for our Chicken Tacos I was making one night. If you love Taco Bell Hot Sauces then you need to give this recipe a try.

    saucepan with hot sauce
    Taco Bell Hot Sauce simmering in Saucepan

    Like most sauce recipes, this one is super easy to make and doesn't call for any special ingredients. If you eat a lot of Mexican Food or make spicy dishes on a regular basis, you most likely already have the Jalapeños in your pantry.

    taco bell hot sauce

    But unlike other recipes, we won't be using fresh Jalapeños but the ones that come in a jar or can. I suppose you could use fresh jalapeño peppers but I just find it a little easier to dice up the sliced jalapeño peppers I have in a jar in the fridge.

    bowl of taco bell hot sauce

    If you eat at Taco Bell on a regular basis, you know they offer many different kinds of sauces. As of this writing, they offer the following sauces at their restaurants: Mild Sauce, Hot Sauce, Fire Sauce and Diablo Sauce.

    bowl of hot sauce and chicken tacos

    This copycat sauce recipe from Taco Bell is Hot. At least by our standards and we eat a lot of spicy food. I'm finding it a little hard to pin down if this is the Fire Sauce or the Diablo Sauce. My wife thinks it's most likely the Diablo Sauce. She found it extremely spicy but she recognized the distinctive flavor from Taco Bell. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on this in the comment section below. Either way, this sauce is awesome!

    chicken tacos with red sauce

    ⭐ Copycat Rating

    Since the goal of a Copycat Recipe is for it to taste exactly like the original, it's only natural to rate this recipe against the original. This Copycat recipe rates a solid 8 out of 10 in my opinion.

    chicken tacos with hot sauce

    🌶 How to Handle Hot Peppers

    The capsaicin in hot peppers is what makes peppers hot. If you handle hot peppers gloveless, it’s a guarantee that you’re in for a nasty case of chili burn, both on your fingers and anywhere you rub. Like your face. Ouch!

    Even if you wear disposable gloves, be careful about what you touch. The gloves are going to protect your fingers, but touching any part of your body with the gloves after you’ve handled hot peppers can lead to severe chili burn. Resist the temptation to rub your eyes. Wait until you’ve removed your gloves and washed your hands thoroughly with soap.

    fresh jalapeños
    Fresh Jalapeños

    🌡️ How Hot are the Peppers

    The Scoville Scale is the measurement that tells you the spiciness of a given type of pepper.

    Pepper TypeSpiciness Rating
    Bell Pepper0 on the Scoville Scale
    Banana Pepper0-500 on the Scoville Scale
    Poblano Pepper1000-1500 on the Scoville Scale
    Jalapeño Pepper2500-8000 on the Scoville Scale
    Tabasco & Cayenne30,000-50,000 on the Scoville Scale
    Habanero Pepper100,000-300,000 on the Scoville Scale

    For more great recipes like this one, I suggest you check these recipes out:

    • Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Tacos
    • Slow Cooker Chicken Lime Tacos
    • Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
    • Taco Pasta Salad
    • Spicy Fish Taco Sauce

    📋 What Ingredients do I need

    You will need the following ingredients to make this Copycat Hot Sauce recipe from Taco Bell (see recipe card for quantities): Tomato Paste, Water, Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder, Salt, Cornstarch, White Vinegar, Minced Dried Onion and Jalapeño Slices.

    🥣 How to make Taco Bell Hot Sauce

    In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the tomato paste with the water and stir until smooth.
    Add the cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, cornstarch, vinegar, and dried onion. Stir till all the ingredients are well combined. Add the finely chopped jalapeños.
    Continue to heat the sauce mixture to boiling. Continue to stir for about 3 minutes then remove from the heat.
    Let the sauce cool, and then put it in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate.
    Let the sauce sit for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. This will allow all the flavors to meld. You can use it immediately, but the longer you let it sit in the refrigerator, the more flavorful it will be.

    Copycat Taco Bell Hot Sauce

    Copycat Taco Bell Hot Sauce

    This Copycat Hot Sauce from Taco Bell is not for the faint of heart. If you love a super hot sauce this one is for you! Good Luck!
    4.24 from 30 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Condiments, Sauces & Dry Rubs
    Cuisine American
    Servings 32
    Calories 7 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 6 oz Tomato Paste
    • 3 Cups Water
    • 2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 ½ tablespoon Chili Powder
    • 2 ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 2 teaspoon Cornstarch
    • 2 teaspoon White Vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon Minced Dried Onion
    • 2 tablespoon Jalapeño Slices, finely chopped
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the tomato paste with the water and stir until smooth.
    • Add the cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, cornstarch, vinegar, and dried onion. Stir till all the ingredients are well combined. Add the finely chopped jalapeños.
    • Continue to heat the sauce mixture to boiling. Continue to stir for about 3 minutes then remove from the heat.
    • Let the sauce cool, and then put it in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate.
    • Let the sauce sit for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. This will allow all the flavors to meld. You can use it immediately, but the longer you let it sit in the refrigerator, the more flavorful it will be.

    Recipe Video

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1ozCalories: 7kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 241mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information provided for this recipe is based on 1 serving. This information is an estimate and may vary based on several factors. If nutritional information is important to you and your diet, please verify this recipe with a Registered Dietitian.

    Tried this Recipe?Leave a Comment below and share a picture on Instagram and tag @hot_rods_recipes and hashtag #hotrodsrecipes!

    Reader Interactions

    12 Comments

    1. Sharon

      December 18, 2020 at 8:18 am

      This sauce is very hot/spicy. So if you like this kind of sauce give it a try. I made it for family and they just loved it. I am not a spicy person, so was left out, but I must say it smelled delicious. Will certainly make this again for family or for someone who loves spicy sauces.

      Reply
    2. Zach

      February 28, 2021 at 10:01 pm

      I substituted pickled jalapenos for the sliced, they did not seem as spicy though.
      Thank you for sharing this recipe, because we have not seen any Taco Bell Hot Sauce on store shelves for a month now.
      It is a great substitute until I can buy more.

      Reply
    3. Kerry

      March 18, 2021 at 4:18 pm

      Close enough for me! I love Taco Bell Hot Taco Sauce but only 1 store I know near enough to me carries it, the bottle is too small, and ingredients aren’t great for my dietary lifestyle. We can fly thru the bottle in 3/4 meals between 2people. Like another reviewer I used pickled jalapeños but doubled the amount, used the vinegar from that jar, swapped 1/4 tsp xanthan gum instead of cornstarch, and added a squirt of lime juice for extra zing. Way less carbs than brand bottle or using cornstarch for the amount per serving. And this recipe give way more flavor using less!!! Thank you Hod Rod!

      Reply
      • Chef Rodney

        March 20, 2021 at 6:38 pm

        Love your use of xanthan gum. I totally need to try that next time I make a batch of this sauce.

        Reply
      • Holly Devine

        August 18, 2021 at 6:49 pm

        Hi, I was wondering if this recipe able to be canned? We love hot sauce & have a garden, so would be great to make in a bulk batch.

        Reply
        • Chef Rodney

          August 19, 2021 at 3:35 pm

          I see no reason why you couldn't. Just make sure you seal the jars properly. I have a small write-up here if you've never done it before. https://www.hotrodsrecipes.com/easy-candied-jalapenos/

          Reply
    4. Tracy

      January 31, 2022 at 11:57 am

      My husband loves this!
      The hotter the better, so I added a tsp of chipotle powder. I also used pickled jalapeños as that’s what I had on hand. I normally buy Pico Pica but it went up $5 a bottle on Amazon so I looked for something better and this is it. I just threw everything into a Vitamix on soup mode and it was perfect. Thank you for a fantastic recipe!

      Reply
    5. Claire Biagianti

      March 08, 2022 at 7:47 am

      I love this! Quick, easy and tastes great! This will be a staple from now on in my house!

      Reply
      • Chef Rodney

        March 08, 2022 at 11:18 am

        Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Claire

      March 19, 2022 at 10:42 am

      We love this sauce! Perfect spice, I’m on my second batch, no more store bought sauce for us!

      Reply
    7. Nikki

      April 06, 2022 at 1:42 am

      Thank you so much for this recipe!

      We had a hard time finding the Taco Bell sauce in stores and the boyfriend doesn't care for the other brands we've tried. One night I searched for a copycat recipe and came across yours. I've made it several times now, but just getting around to writing a review because I suck. lol

      The boyfriend loves this stuff! He said it doesn't taste EXACTLY like Taco Bell sauce, but he actually likes it better. Win! I like it too, but I'm honestly not as picky about taco sauce. (I'm who had to finish all the jars of the other brands we bought). However I do love that it's inexpensive and I can make it easily whenever we need it from things I keep stocked anyway. Also, like others, I used pickled jalapeños and the liquid from the jar rather than vinegar.

      Thanks again, you rock! <3

      Reply
      • Chef Rodney

        April 06, 2022 at 4:58 pm

        Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked it! I hope to publish the recipe for Taco Bell's Green Sauce in the very near future!

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Rodney and welcome to my blog. I am a foodie and self-taught cook. After years of experimenting in the kitchen, I decided to share some of my favorite recipes with you. Read More →

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