I blended dill brine and hot chiles into my Dill Pickle Hot Sauce, creating a tart, spicy, and tangy concoction you’ll be curious about.
I love recipes that make you pause, then smile, and this Dill Pickle Hot Sauce does exactly that. It hits the perfect balance of tart, spicy, and tangy and somehow it changes everything you drizzle it on.
I tossed in chopped dill pickles and a few jalapeño peppers for that punchy tang and creeping heat, and it feels like a dark horse in the Homemade Pickle Flavors world, or when you’re digging through Pickled Recipes looking for something offbeat. It’s weird, kind of addictive, and I promise you’ll want to figure out where that flavor came from.
Ingredients
- Dill pickles: Crunchy, vinegary, low calorie, small fiber boost, gives big sour, salty kick.
- Pickle juice: Salty sour brine, hydrates, helps tenderize, may soothe muscle cramps sometimes.
- Jalapeño peppers: Fresh heat from capsaicin, vitamin C, adds green grassy heat and aroma.
- Distilled white vinegar: Sharp acid tang, preserves, amps sourness, low calorie but very acidic.
- Garlic: Pungent, savory, adds depth, small protein, some compounds linked to health.
- Dijon mustard: Adds tangy bite, emulsifies, slight umami, helps sauce cling to food.
- Sugar or honey: Balancing sweetness, tames sour, quick energy, choose honey for floral notes.
- Fresh dill: Herby brightness, floral burst of flavor, tiny vitamins, optional but freshens.
Ingredient Quantities
- 1 cup dill pickles, chopped kinda coarse
- 1/2 cup dill pickle juice (brine from the jar)
- 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, stems removed
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil like vegetable or canola
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water, optional for thinning
How to Make this
1. Put on gloves if you want, then roughly chop 1 cup dill pickles and remove stems from 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers; seed them if you want less heat, smash 2 garlic cloves and chop 1 tablespoon fresh dill if using.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a small skillet over medium, add the jalapeños and garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes until softened but not browned, this mellows the raw bite.
3. Into a blender or food processor add the chopped pickles, cooked jalapeños and garlic, 1/2 cup dill pickle juice, 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon sugar or honey, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
4. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides so everything purees evenly.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning, add more sugar or honey if too tart, more vinegar or pickled brine if too mild, or a pinch more salt, everyone likes it different so go slow.
6. If the sauce is too thick add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin it to your desired pourable consistency and blend again.
7. For a smoother, shelf stable and more mellow sauce, pour the blended mix into a small saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer for 3 to 5 minutes stirring, then remove from heat. If you prefer bright fresh flavor you can skip this cooking step and just refrigerate.
8. Optional but nice: press the warm sauce through a fine mesh sieve for a silky texture, use the back of a spoon to push all the liquid through.
9. Stir in the chopped fresh dill now if you didnt blend it earlier, let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a jar or squeeze bottle. Refrigerate and use within about 2 weeks, shake before using.
Equipment Needed
1. cutting board
2. chef’s knife
3. small skillet
4. spatula or wooden spoon
5. blender or food processor
6. measuring cups and spoons
7. fine mesh sieve (optional, for silky texture)
8. small saucepan (for gentle simmering)
9. jar or squeeze bottle for storage
FAQ
Dill Pickle Hot Sauce Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Dill pickles (1 cup): swap for kosher dill or half sour pickles for similar tang, or use 1 cup fresh cucumber plus 1 tbsp chopped dill, a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar if you dont have jarred pickles
- Pickle juice (1/2 cup): use 1/4 cup white vinegar plus 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt to mimic the brine, or use brine from another pickle jar or a squeeze of lemon plus a little water
- Jalapeño peppers: swap with serrano peppers if you want more heat, use poblano or Anaheim for milder heat, or stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder if you dont have fresh chiles
- Sugar or honey (1 tbsp): replace with maple syrup or agave nectar, or just use 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or brown sugar depending on what you got
Pro Tips
1. Want less heat without messing with flavor? Seed the jalapeños and cook them a bit longer so they mellow, dont skip tasting as you go because every pepper is different.
2. Balance the tang slowly, add sugar or honey in tiny amounts and chill a bit before final tasting, flavors calm down after resting so you might need less sweet than you think.
3. For super smooth sauce push it through a fine mesh after blending, or for a creamier dip fold in a spoonful of mayo or Greek yogurt at the end, it softens the sharpness real nice.
4. Store smart: pour into a clean jar, keep refrigerated and use within about two weeks, or freeze portions in ice cube trays for quick single servings. Remember the brine is already salty so try not to add too much extra salt.
Dill Pickle Hot Sauce Recipe
I blended dill brine and hot chiles into my Dill Pickle Hot Sauce, creating a tart, spicy, and tangy concoction you'll be curious about.
8
servings
26
kcal
Equipment: 1. cutting board
2. chef’s knife
3. small skillet
4. spatula or wooden spoon
5. blender or food processor
6. measuring cups and spoons
7. fine mesh sieve (optional, for silky texture)
8. small saucepan (for gentle simmering)
9. jar or squeeze bottle for storage
Ingredients
-
1 cup dill pickles, chopped kinda coarse
-
1/2 cup dill pickle juice (brine from the jar)
-
2 to 3 jalapeño peppers, stems removed
-
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
-
2 cloves garlic, smashed
-
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
-
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
-
1 tablespoon neutral oil like vegetable or canola
-
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional)
-
1 to 2 tablespoons water, optional for thinning
Directions
- Put on gloves if you want, then roughly chop 1 cup dill pickles and remove stems from 2 to 3 jalapeño peppers; seed them if you want less heat, smash 2 garlic cloves and chop 1 tablespoon fresh dill if using.
- Heat 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a small skillet over medium, add the jalapeños and garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes until softened but not browned, this mellows the raw bite.
- Into a blender or food processor add the chopped pickles, cooked jalapeños and garlic, 1/2 cup dill pickle juice, 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon sugar or honey, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
- Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides so everything purees evenly.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, add more sugar or honey if too tart, more vinegar or pickled brine if too mild, or a pinch more salt, everyone likes it different so go slow.
- If the sauce is too thick add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin it to your desired pourable consistency and blend again.
- For a smoother, shelf stable and more mellow sauce, pour the blended mix into a small saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer for 3 to 5 minutes stirring, then remove from heat. If you prefer bright fresh flavor you can skip this cooking step and just refrigerate.
- Optional but nice: press the warm sauce through a fine mesh sieve for a silky texture, use the back of a spoon to push all the liquid through.
- Stir in the chopped fresh dill now if you didnt blend it earlier, let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a jar or squeeze bottle. Refrigerate and use within about 2 weeks, shake before using.
Notes
- Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 40g
- Total number of serves: 8
- Calories: 26kcal
- Fat: 1.8g
- Saturated Fat: 0.13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Polyunsaturated: 0.3g
- Monounsaturated: 0.9g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 350mg
- Potassium: 50mg
- Carbohydrates: 2.1g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Sugar: 1.6g
- Protein: 0.3g
- Vitamin A: 20IU
- Vitamin C: 0.9mg
- Calcium: 12mg
- Iron: 0.12mg