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Making your own homemade Taco Sauce is very easy to do – and this recipe is so delicious, you’ll never want to buy the jarred version ever again! Make a batch of taco sauce right now, then join us for the rest of this week while we share more delicious taco recipes using this great taco sauce.
This taco sauce has a wonderfully complex flavor profile that is spicy, sweet, zesty and smoky all at the same time! Some of the ingredients might surprise you (like currants in taco sauce?) – but I assure you, the flavor of this sauce is fantastic!
This taco sauce gets better over time – so go ahead and make a batch today, and then come back to check out the rest of the recipes in our taco series including: Ground Beef Tacos, Pulled Chicken Tacos and (my favorite) Taco Salad!
Adapted from The Edgewater Café.
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Taco Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 large jalapeno stemmed and cut into quarters, seeds left in
- 1/8 cup dry currants
- 1 6–ounce can tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
Instructions
- Mix a little of the water with the cornstarch to form a slurry. Add all other ingredients to a medium sauce pan along with the slurry and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Strain and discard solids. Cool and store overnight for the best flavor.
- May be stored for up to one week in the refrigerator.
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I really liked this recipe. I did add some fresh garlic and a cayenne pepper from my garden. I also blended this instead of straining. The consistency is thick, but it sits on top of my taco nicely. Some may not enjoy the thicker texture, but it’s a hit in my home.
This is so much better than store bought taco sauce, and it’s good to know exactly what’s in your food.
I use this to bake chicken breast in for burritos as well as on top of beef tacos.
Btw, I have successfully frozen excess sauce in zip top bags.
★★★★★
Thanks Jennifer! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I live in a very small town. I don’t know this for a fact, but I doubt we have champagne vinegar; do you have another idea? Also, what are currants?
By the way, I’d love to be inside your stomach…you have great recipes! 🙂 🙂
Hi Jeannette – Thank you!! White wine vinegar can easily be substituted if you can’t find champagne vinegar. And currants are small grapes that have been dried – at our local supermarket, you can find them sold near the boxes of raisins. (And if you can’t find currants, feel free to substitute raisins – you’ll get a similar sweetness!) I hope that helps! Thanks for writing to us today!
This looks fantastic! Does it taste anything like the mild Taco Bell Hot Sauce?
Hi Lisa – I’ve actually never had the Taco Bell Hot Sauce (we’d rather homemade Mexican food) so I can’t say for sure!
I am looking forward to trying this! My family uses taco sauce and hot sauce with our tacos and burritos. Some people prefer just the mild sauce and others like to add lots of heat. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Marcia! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I could not stop laughing when I read this recipe for taco sauce….seriously .. are you kidding? All of these ingredients .. and ..only ONE large jalapeno? Seriously? Who were you making this sauce for and for what? Even my anglo husband who does not eat anything that has pepper in it said, ” you might as well sprinkle water on your food. I would label this recipe ” How to ruin a good taco “.
Hi Julie – Thanks for taking the time to write to us today! Heat is a funny thing – some crave it and some shy away and I suppose what you grow up with influences your tastes! This is meant to be a mild, family friendly sauce – and I wonder if you decided to actually try making the recipe, you might be pleasantly surprised by the complex and zesty flavor of this sauce. You could of course add more heat with additional jalapeños, or other peppers with even more heat if you really want a burn in your sauce – this is a flexible recipe that can definitely be adapted to your tastes.
I personally thought this sauce was great! Thank you for adding it! I did keep sriracha sauce on the table for anyone who wanted to add heat.. I feel it is the cleanest of chili sauce and wouldn’t change the taste of this recipe which was well developed.
Thanks Jon!
Julie,
Perhaps you should try making this sauce. I did. It was wonderful! The bottle of hot sauce was available for those who wanted more heat.
My husband and the young grandkids don’t like much heat and I cook for everyone not just those who like the heat. Everyone loved the sauce. Some added hot sauce but agreed that it was very tasty without adding it.
Our house rule is that you try something as is first and then can make your own changes if you like. How else can you know what something tastes like without tasting first?
Martha,
My entire family agreed that this is something that will be a staple in our house.Thanks for another great recipe. I love your blog.
Thanks Linda!
Julie,
Why don’t you make it before you insult the recipe? Really, being so rude and inconsiderate over something as small as a jalapeño is incredibly childish and unnecessary. Instead of throwing a fit, try adding another jalapeño. The world is full of people who overreact about their small problems instead of trying to fix them, please don’t contribute to this group of people.