Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe
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This spicy and incredibly flavorful Jamaican Jerk Sauce recipe will transport you to the sunny heart of the Caribbean! Quick and easy to make and irresistibly delicious on chicken, pork, beef, fish, seafood, tofu, and grilled veggies!
Use this jerk sauce to make the ever-popular and finger-licking Jamaican Jerk Chicken or Jerk Chicken Kabobs!
What is Jerk Sauce?
If you’ve never had Jamaican Jerk style chicken, pork, or seafood, you’re really missing out! Luckily for you, I’ve created an easy to follow recipe that is savory and delicious. If you’re like me, and you find yourself craving the mouthwatering flavors of Jamaican Jerk, you’ve definitely come to the right place!
From the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica, “jerk” is a term that refers to both the cooking method of slow roasting meat over a fire as well as to the sauce/marinade and seasoning rub. Jerk marinade or sauce are used to season the meats and consist of allspice, onions, garlic, Scotch bonnet peppers, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and thyme. These spices are also commonly used as a dry rub known as Jamaican jerk seasoning. I’m thoroughly in love with the flavors of this Caribbean cuisine and this jerk sauce recipe really captures the authentic flavors of traditional Jamaican cooking.
Trust me, once you’ve marinated your choice of meat in this jerk sauce, you’ll find yourself craving this cuisine and coming back for more! Jerk sauce makes each bite of meat more flavor-packed than the last. There are so many flavorful spices and ingredients that go into this Caribbean jerk sauce that it’s truly an unforgettable experience for the taste buds!
How to Use Jerk Sauce
The options are pretty limitless! It can be used to marinate just about any meat you’d like. Chicken, beef, fish, shellfish, pork, sausages, and even tofu, can all be soaked in this Jamaican sauce, and the result will be delicious every time! Make sure you marinate the meat in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, that way the flavor really has time to settle in and pack a punch. You can also baste use this delicious sauce to baste grilled or roasted vegetables. Be sure to check out my recipe for the ever popular Jerk Chicken!
Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe
A quick note before we begin: Jerk is VERY heavy on allspice. It’s the central ingredient in jerk. I always say that Jamaicans use allspice the way Hungarians use paprika: Not by the teaspoon but by the handful! Compared to what you’ll typically find in Jamaica, this recipe tones down the allspice but it contains more than many recipes you’ll find online. Experiment to find your own preferred flavor balance.
Let’s get started!
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Then, pulse the ingredients until you reach the desired consistency (generally jerk sauce is a smooth but slightly chunky sauce but you can opt for a chunkier sauce or a smoother sauce depending on what you’re using it for). That’s all there is to it!
Note about Hot Peppers: If you really want to turn up the heat, add another scotch bonnet or habanero pepper. Just be careful because they’re HOT! Scotch bonnet peppers are a bit hotter than habaneros (and also have more flavor), so adjust accordingly. Remember, you can always add more pepper, but you can’t take it out once it’s blended in!
For more delicious homemade sauces try my:
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Cocktail Sauce
- Tartar Sauce
- Big Mac Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Sriracha Mayo
- Enchilada Sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Chinese Plum Sauce (Duck Sauce)
- Kecap Manis
- Char Siu Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Harissa
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Jamaican Jerk Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large yellow or red onion , roughly chopped
- 4 green onions (scallions) , roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic , peeled
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger root , peeled and sliced
- 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (use more if you like it REALLY hot, omit or only use a portion if you don't like a lot of heat), seeds discarded (use gloves)
- 1 tablespoon neutral tasting oil (e.g. avocado, canola, peanut)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 tablespoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, then pulse the ingredients until you reach the desired consistency. (Generally jerk sauce is a smooth/slightly chunky sauce but you can opt for a chunkier sauce or a smoother sauce depending on how you prefer it). Store in the fridge in an airtight jar where it will keep for up to a week.Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 4, 2021
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hi,
Do you out the whole Scotch Bonnet in or do you take the seeds out?
Can wait to make it!
Hi Matt, thanks for asking – I remove the seeds because they tend to be bitter. Happy cooking!
I would like to make a lot at one time and can it in pint jars. Are you aware of any ingredients that would prevent this from canning in the “high acid” category?
Hi Adam, the issue is the overall pH level of the finished sauce and this recipe hasn’t been tested for canning purposes so I would advise against it. As an alternative you could freeze the sauce.
I would like to use some of my son’s hot sauce in this recipe would you cut back on the peppers? It is habanero based so I don’t won’t it to be fire sauce!
Hi Leslie, yes I would omit the peppers and just add your son’s sauce. I would start with a little and taste before adding more.
INCREDIBLE!!
I just saw this recipe and I literally went to the store and bought everything that I need so I’m prepping as I type this out I’m going to use it on two whole chickens and put it on my rotisserie tomorrow look for the comment when I’m done and I’ll tell you how it came out thank you
Soo how did it turn out?
Just made it , great recipe. Would highly recommend getting whole allspice and grinding it yourself right before. It looses a lot of flavour very quickly when ground
Fantastic, Liam, thank you so much for the feedback!
I cannot count how many times I’ve pulled up this specific recipe at this point! Hands down the best homemade jerk sauce I’ve ever had and it’s a hit every single time! It’s bookmarked on my phone as a staple to keep in rotation. Thank you!
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Tami, thank you! :)
I did your jerk chicken recipe on the rotisserie on the BBQ, brushing the chicken with the jerk sauce every 15 minutes until done. OMG the best ever thank you
Thank you, Philippe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Best Jerk Sauce we have ever made! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! Makes the chicken so flavorful and delicious. Smells amazing too.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Anya, thank you so much!
Hi Kim, excited to try this. Are you including the seeds from the Scotch Bonnet or Habanero pepper? I’m thanking you are since it doesn’t say seeded it but I wanted to clarify. We do like things rather spicy but not painfully so thank you. Clo
Hi Clo, the seeds actually aren’t very hot, it’s a common myth. It’s the membrane that’s the hottest part of the pepper – the white part inside that the seeds are attached to. I often remove the membranes. And honestly, even one Scotch bonnet is too hot for me! :)
I have made four of your sauces and each is perfect for grilling, cooking and dipping! The jerk sauce is much better than any other jerk sauce I have purchased or made from scratch. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Karen, I’m so happy that you made and enjoyed all of them!
This is my favorite over chicken! It adds so much flavor & just the right amount of spice! I’m totally trying it with other meats!
Delicious! So much flavor! Perfect amount of heat.
Thanks so much, Betsy!
Absolutely incredible! I made this for some BBQ chicken and it was so stink’n good! Great recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie, thank you! <3