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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
⭐ 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.
🌶 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.
🌡️ How Hot are the Peppers
The Scoville Scale is the measurement that tells you the spiciness of a given type of pepper.
| Pepper Type | Spiciness Rating |
|---|---|
| Bell Pepper | 0 on the Scoville Scale |
| Banana Pepper | 0-500 on the Scoville Scale |
| Poblano Pepper | 1000-1500 on the Scoville Scale |
| Jalapeño Pepper | 2500-8000 on the Scoville Scale |
| Tabasco & Cayenne | 30,000-50,000 on the Scoville Scale |
| Habanero Pepper | 100,000-300,000 on the Scoville Scale |
For more great recipes like this one, I suggest you check these recipes out:
📋 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
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
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
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.
Sharon
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.
Zach
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.
Kerry
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!
Chef Rodney
Love your use of xanthan gum. I totally need to try that next time I make a batch of this sauce.
Holly Devine
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.
Chef Rodney
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/
Tracy
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!
Claire Biagianti
I love this! Quick, easy and tastes great! This will be a staple from now on in my house!
Chef Rodney
Glad you liked it!
Claire
We love this sauce! Perfect spice, I’m on my second batch, no more store bought sauce for us!
Nikki
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
Chef Rodney
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!