It’s nearing the end of summer and that means homemade chili sauce—the tangy, sweet, spicy condiment that makes pork, potato pancakes, and chicken come alive. Well, not technically alive. That would be terrifying.
If you can chop vegetables, simmer a pot, and happen to own a working nose, you can make this same chili sauce recipe I make for canning.
It’s packed with rustic vegetables, peaches, warm spices like cinnamon and cloves, plus a kick of cayenne.
The Ingredients You'll Need
Everything in this recipe comes into season at the end of summer, which is why now is the perfect time to think about making and canning chili sauce.
Here’s what goes in:
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Banana peppers
- Red peppers
- Onions
- Garlic
- Peaches
Spices & Seasonings
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Cayenne pepper
Think of this as part chutney, part spicy condiment—chunky, sweet, tangy, and a little hot.
Best Ways to Use It
- Eggs (excellent with scrambled or fried)
- Roast chicken
- Pork chops or tenderloin
- Corn fritters
- Potato pancakes (my personal favourite)
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Basically, put it on anything that needs a savoury, jammy blast of flavour.
Canning Instructions, Step by Step
If you’re new to preserving, this part is important. The sauce makes a big batch, so unless you’re feeding a small army, you’ll want to preserve it for later.
- Prep your jars
- Wash pint jars in hot, soapy water. Keep them hot until ready to use.
- Heat the sauce
- Bring your chili sauce to a boil.
- Fill jars
- Ladle hot chili sauce into jars, leaving ½″ headspace.
- Seal jars
- Wipe rims clean, apply lids, and screw bands on until fingertip tight.
- Process in water bath
- Submerge jars in boiling water with at least 2″ of water covering them.
- Process for 20 minutes (start timing once the water returns to a boil).
- Cool & check seals
- Remove jars with a jar lifter.
- Let cool undisturbed until you hear that satisfying pop.
💡 Pro tip: Save your hands. Get a cheap canning kit with a jar lifter, funnel, and tongs—it makes the whole process much less of a pain.
The Recipe
Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 18 quarts tomatoes
- 2 bunches celery
- 3 quarts banana peppers
- 10 red peppers
- 12 onions
- 6 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup coarse salt
- 4 cups vinegar
- 4 peaches
- 2.5 lbs brown sugar
- 2 tsps. cayenne pepper
- 3 tsps. cloves
- 3 tsps. cinnamon
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 10 whole cloves
Instructions
- Peel tomatoes by placing them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then plunging them into cold water. The skin will slide right off. If it doesn't, plunge them in the hot water again.
- Wrap all the whole spices in a little cheesecloth bag.
- Rough chop the remaining ingredients. Don't worry about it being pretty, just chop them up into pieces between ¼" - ½".
- Put all the ingredients into a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until thick and reduced by ⅓rd. This will take many hours. 5-10 hours depending on the type of tomatoes you use.
- Taste as you go! If after 3 hours you find you like the taste of it, then remove the spice bag and continue to simmer until thickened. I always leave my spice bag in until the end though.
Notes
- Prepare a water bath.
- Fill canning jars with hot chili sauce then put on sealer and band.
- Process for 20 minutes in water bath.
Nutrition
This recipe makes a HUGE batch so either half it or plan on preserving it.
Final Notes
This isn’t the thin bottled chili sauce you see at the grocery store. This one is hearty, chunky, and loaded with late-summer produce. It’s sweet, tangy, spicy—and classically old fashioned.
So about that nose thing ... several years go I got sinusitis. One of the symptoms of it is not being able to smell anything. Great for walking through garbage juice puddles at the dump, but not so great when making chili sauce. The thing about creating great food is you need to taste as you go.
The thing about tasting is you need your sense of smell to get a good idea of how things taste. So I made my sinusitis chili sauce and had no idea how it tasted. I dragged it around for all of my friends and relatives to taste and got a unanimous decision.
It was gross.
Bland I believe was the actual word. I pulled the spice bag out too early. So as you make this and let it simmer don't be afraid to adjust things. The inability to adjust is my main complaint about the stupid Instant Pot by the way. You can read my complete unbiased review of how much I don't like the Instant Pot here.
→Follow me on Instagram where I rarely post because social media makes me roll my eyes←
Roxanne Girard
This recipe sounds wonderful and looks delicious. It’s huge for me to make. Any chance of reducing it to smaller batches, like a quarter of the recipe? Would love to make it! Thanks so much.
Roxanne
Kat - the other 1
While I've not yet had the opportunity to try it for myself, after you have skinned your tomatoes you're supposed to be able to dry the skins in an oven or dehydrator, and then they can be ground into tomato powder for seasoning.
(I think one place I've seen this may be on the "homestead and chill" blog.)
I look forward to when I can finally grow enough tomatoes to try this.
Karen
You can do that! It's very popular. I have no use for tomato powder, lol. I think it's super cool but I wouldn't use it I don't think. ~ karen!
Kat - the other 1
I think it it might be good in bread or pizza crusts, or in a "dry" soup mix (jar of broth, add soup seasoning, heat, instant quick soup! )
Some other "instant" soups, jar of broth, + 1/4 - 1/2 cup of veggie puree (clearances baby food is fast and easy if available), suggested flavors, carrot, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, add 1/4-1/2 tsp each of turmeric spice mix and curry, or whatever you want, stir heat stir, soup! Others, peas, asparagus, spinach, nutritional yeast or miso, stir heat yada yada, instant soup!
For those who only keep frozen jars, you can heat them up enough to stir stuff in then finish heating it, or, for those of us who don't have canned broth, another method that can, supposedly keep broth in jars fresh for up to 6 months (I have not tried this past 5 months and try at your own risk), after making your broth and filling your jars - leave an extra half inch of headspace - just make sure that the "fat cap" floating on the broth is at absolute minimum 3/8ths - 1/2 an inch thick, up to 1 inch. Why? Because it will form a seal once it cools and then you can keep it in the fridge ready to use for a few months. I never have that much fat in the broth even though I add extra saved all year and stored in the freezer till needed. What to do? Add olive oil, slowly pouring it in till the floating oil is at least about half an inch thick, and yes, measure it with a ruler. You don't want to die. Olive oil will become solid in the fridge, (so maybe coconut oil could work too). You don't have to use the extra expensive oil for this, however, when I want to get a broth, I will use a fork (easiest, but use what you have) to pierce the fat scooping up a portion and put that in a thick bag, followed by the rest which will sometimes come out in one piece. You can then freeze this broth flavored fat and break off bits to cook with. I tried keeping it in a jar but then chiseling out bits was way too hard, bagging it is much easier. Umm so anyway , lol.
At just under a half inch (3/8ths absolutely minimum, no less!) in wide mouth pints I usually get approximately 2 tablespoons of fat out per jar. That is only a guess so definitely not exact. Adds nice flavor to rice, potatoes, tofu, veggies, whatever it's used in. So maybe don't use the super cheapest oil, if you have any other option. 😊
That was long, 😆, ok, bye now. 😅
Vicki
This looks delicious! I expect to be making and canning it soon.
A word about your lack of smell due to sinusitis. I don’t know if your sinusitis is such that surgery would be helpful, or if you’d even want to think about it. However, mine got so bad back in 2013 that I went ahead and had the surgery. Voila! I could smell again! And I can still smell! (I don’t mean that I myself am personally smelly - you know what I mean!). Just a thought!
Thanks for the recipe - I love your newsletters,
Karen
Thanks Vicki! And my sinusitis thankfully is fine. It only lasted several weeks and has never returned. Smelling is more vital than you think to navigate life! ~ karen
Cathy
How many pints does this make?
Thanks,
Cathy
Karen
My family has an unfortunately named appetizer ( we call it Road Kill.) It’s just a softened block of cream cheese smushed down on a plate and covered with chili sauce. We add tiny shrimp if we can find a can. This would be so good in Road Kill. We’ll call it Karen’s Road Kill.
Karen
Thank you, I appreciate it!😆 ~ karen
Randy P
I truly admire the intensity, effort and dedication you bring to your projects, hobbies and crafts. OK, in addition to my sincere admiration I'm also admittedly lazy. My pantry/fridge always has a bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce and Heinz Cocktail sauce. The condiments and taste memories that have contentedly carried me through the 76 years of my life.
Donna
Would love to make this with Mutti canned tomatoes. How many cans or ounces are needed? Whole or diced?
Laura
Hi Karen, What sized jars are you using? Really want to try thisThanks,
Laura
Karen
Hi Laura! These are 500 ml jars (1 pint). `~ karen!
Laura
Thanks. It's hard to believe that 18 quarts of tomatoes, and all those veggies cook down to 15 pints! That's a lot of cooking down!
Thanks again, Laura
Lynn
Hi Karen
You call this a Chilli Sauce yet it looks more like a Salsa Sauce, is that a fair comparison?
Wondering if it work as Salsa ?
It looks so tasty 😋
Plus was wondering if you ever made or had Chow Chow red or green or Zucchini Chow Chow. Which is what I make. If you make the red Chow Chow could you Pass on your recipe please pretty please
Love your blog
Karen
Hi Lynn! I don't make Chow Chow, although it's on my very long list of things to try, lol. This is a traditional chili sauce. It's supposed to be chunky but somewhere along the way it became marketed as a tiny runny sauce. It can work as a salsa, but don't expect it to taste like a salsa. The spices in it give it an entirely different taste. :) ~ karen!
Lynn
Thank you Karen, I realized that spices could be altered to make it more salsa like… I just think it’s close to a salsa in Veg and fruit that we gravitate to.
How long does your chill sauce last when you waterbath can it? An how long do you put it in waterbath?
Jackie Turbot
When you get around to ChowChow, I highly recommend the Southern Living recipe. I could eat a whole jar with crackers (and have)! I also made a red Chow Chow using purple cabbage, red onions and red peppers. I prefer less heat on everything, so add hot peppers to your liking. Thanks for all you do...wish we were neighbors!!!!
Rachel
Confused on the quart measurement of banana peppers. Do they need to be pickled/ store bought? Have a surplus of most ingredients and I am intrigued enough to stay minding my stove for 5-10 hours. Thanks for the blog. It comforts me to know someone swears more than myself.
Anna Marie Mangili
Was wondering if there was any way to approximate the weight of the tomatoes? The quart measurement is a bit foreign to me. Same for the peppers.
Karen
HI Anna Marie. 18 quarts is equal to half a bushel. A bushel of tomatoes = 50-55 lbs. So half a bushel is apx. 25 lbs. And a 6 quart basket is the typical longish fruit basket. Not the short squat type of one, the longer one. It equals 7 litres. ~ karen!
Anna Marie Mangili
Thanks for the clarification!
Maria
I noticed on your recipe card that you scald your tomatoes to peel them.
I learned this summer that if you cut the tomatoes in half and freeze them for a couple of days in a ziplock bags then defrost them, the skin will slip off in your hand. No boiling water needed. It does not affect the taste at all. I did this all summer and it worked perfectly with any cooked tomato recipe. Pro tip!
Karen
Yup. Freezing tomatoes is a great option! I freeze all my tomatoes at the end of summer. But this requires half a bushel of tomatoes and most people wouldn't have enough room in their freezer for them all. :) ~ karen
Beth L Bilous
OOOh I'm gonna just buy a jar of Calabrian Chili sauce at Wegmans, and whirl it up in a blender. Way easier folks.
Rose G. Sluzas
This recipe sounds great-
Like some others, I would like to make half the quantity. So, I have a few questions-
What would the weight be for some of the ingredients?--
18 quarts tomatoes is equivalent to ??? lbs. (if I have a choice, what type of tomato should I buy?)
Banana peppers--3 quarts is equivalent to ??? lbs (I have not seen banana peppers at our local farm market--can I use jalapenos???-they are very plentiful--would I use the same amount?
Celery--how much does a bunch weigh?
I imagine some of the quantities can be approximate. However, in making something the first time, it helps to have an idea of measurements.
The second time around, we can adjust to our personal preference
This looks so good, I imagine I will be making it many times in the future.
For right now, I hope to use some as an ingredient in sweet and sour meatballs and to freeze the rest.
Hope to hear from you soon so I can buy those tomatoes.
Thanks so much
Candice
PLEASE HELP! I woul dvery much like to make this recipe, but I live in France and have no idea how to convert a quart of tomato! How many grams (or kilos) of tomatoes makes up 18 quarts??? Or if that is too hard, how many "regular" sized tomatoes make 1 quart ?
I hope you will answer, despite the age of the post :):):)
Shellie
A quart is .95 kilograms
Or 18 quarts is 17.03 kilograms.
Todd
How about cooking ingredients down in a pressure cooker than simmer to thicken do you think that would work
Karen
Hi Todd. It *might* work but I actually don't think that you'd save any time because it's the simmering to thicken (and meld the flavours) that really takes all those hours. So mainly you'd just be dirtying two things instead of one. :) ~ karen!
Jackie Turbot
Lazy cook here, if you freeze then thaw your tomatoes, you are halfway there. If you blanch them to remove skin, give them a squeeze to deseed/dejuice ...and again you are halfway there. Too much work to pressure can and then pull out canner.
Sabina
Ok your "rare museum quality artifact" (aka the recipe card) first says 3 quarts of tomatoes, then I see a 6 written above that. Then down on your printable recipe you have 18 quarts of tomatoes. What is the correct amount of tomatoes because I really want to make this and I still have tomatoes left from the garden :)
Jacqui
Yet again, something I cannot wait to make! Let me know if you ever start taking interns, I'll be the first to apply, HA! Question - have you ever made in a crock-pot (ie apple-butter) for reduction? I love my gas stove, but it also likes to scald my concoctions that require simmering. It doesn't know how to simmer. I cannot wait to make my house smell like spicy-spicy goodness!
Jacqui
Ok just saw the slow-cooker comment, did a search for the "crock," didn't find anything, so asked away. Dis-regard the cooking question, intern question still stands :)
Jan in Waterdown
Hey Karen, as soon as I read “chili sauce” my nose memories kicked into gear. I grew up in Winona with the E D Smith jam factory almost in our backyard. This time of year they made chili and the air was filled with the most glorious smells imaginable. Thanks for the happy thoughts.... my nose hairs are tingling! Lol.
Karen
LOL! Happy to help a girl's nose out. ~ karen!
Kristina
This is so similar to what my mom used to make. My house smells SO good!
This has now been simmering for about 8 hours … but I’m wondering if the veg will break down more. I don’t chop my tomatoes and everything is still very ‘chunky’ - so less like sauce.
Considering whirring it in the food processor to get a more ‘saucy’ consistency…
Karen
Sorry for the late response (I'm sure too late) but yes, that's what it's supposed to look like. It all becomes very soft after processing and it's more like a chutney than a true sauce. ~ karen!
susan warder
Did this ever exist in a smaller form. I love the taste image that the ingredients form but I only want a single jar (which would live forever in fridge with the condiment family )
I can do the math but sometimes w recipes, extreme reductions or multiplications have a dramatic effect on the outcome.
Do you think reducing this to single size would work?
Karen
Eek. I'm not sure Susan. That's a big reduction. I can see halving the recipe as an O.K. way to go but I'm not sure a single serving would work. In fact I'm almost positive it won't. It needs to simmer for a long time to both reduce and get the proper flavour from the spices. If you were to try to simmer one jars worth of it I think all the liquids and balances would be off. You could maybe make a half recipe and give the other jars away? Or freeze them if you're worried about canning. ~ karen!
susan w
I was afraid of that. Perhaps its worth a "science experiment", using chutney recipes but with these ingredients. They're not hugely dissimilar.
Thanks for such a speedy response