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Pique is a style of Puerto Rican hot sauce made with peppers, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and peppercorns. It requires just 10 minutes of prep, and a few days on the counter to develop maximum flavor.

two bottles of hot sauce on a white counter

While Puerto Rican cuisine isn’t known for being particularly spicy, many of the island’s signature dishes are complimented well with a good quality hot sauce.

It’s not uncommon to find a bottle of this Puerto Rican hot sauce, pique, at your table at most restaurants and households, whether it’s homemade or store bought.

This vinegary spicy homemade sauce is perfect for enjoying with classic dishes like pasteles, arroz con pollo or sancocho.

Ingredients

bowls of chile peppers, salt, vinegar, and more

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

two hands cutting chile peppers with a knife
If using larger peppers, start by slicing the peppers in half and removing the seeds (optional).
chile peppers on a cutting board
Next, chop the peppers into pieces small enough to fit into the jar you plan to bottle the pique in. Make sure to use gloves when handling peppers to prevent spicy hands for the rest of the day.
vinegar pouring into a jar of pique
Add the peppers, garlic, oregano, peppercorns, salt and vinegar to your jar. Make sure to leave an inch or two of space at the top of the bottle. This is important as the sauce is fermented and may need some room to bubble up.
Seal and shake the bottle to get everything mixed together.
two bottles of hot sauce on a white counter
Let the pique sit on your countertop for a few days before using on whatever you like.

To make a more conventional red hot sauce, blend all the ingredients and strain through a mesh strainer before bottling and fermenting.

Check out the Puerto Rican recipe archive to see which dishes you’d like to use your hot sauce on!

Picking the Right Bottle

You will need a bottle to store your sauce in.

I like reusing old hot sauce bottles or olive oil bottles, but it’s really important to use a clear glass that you can clean 100% before reusing.

I like using bottles with a narrow neck as they are easier to pour the sauce onto dishes without any of the solid peppers, peppercorns, or garlic cloves coming out.

a bottle of Pique on a white counter

Where To Use Your Puerto Rican Hot Sauce

As mentioned above, pique adds a wonderful kick when used as a topping. Here are some of my favorite recipes to use it on:

Puerto Rican Pasteles (Meat-Stuffed Masa Pockets)

Puerto Rican Style Stewed Black Beans (Habichuelas Negras)

8 Hour Moist Tender Puerto Rican Pernil Recipe

Stewed Sancocho (Puerto Rican Beef & Root Veggie Stew)

Buen provecho,

Salima written in cursive
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two bottles of hot sauce on a white counter

10 Minute Pique (Puerto Rican Hot Sauce)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 days 10 minutes
  • Yield: 30 servings 1x
  • Category: Sauce
  • Method: Fermented
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Pique is a style of Puerto Rican hot sauce made with peppers, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and peppercorns. It requires just 10 minutes of prep, and a few days on the counter to develop maximum flavor. 

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup chile peppers (can be ajíes caballeros, jalapeños, habaneros, ajis pineapples, or a blend of your favorite peppers)
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1/4 cup fresh oregano
  • 1 tsp whole peppercorns
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Prep the peppers. If using larger peppers, start by slicing the peppers in half and removing the seeds (optional). Next, chop the peppers into pieces small enough to fit into the jar you plan to bottle the pique in.
  2. Combine. Add the peppers, garlic, oregano, peppercorns, salt and vinegar to your jar. Make sure to leave an inch or two of space at the top of the bottle. Seal and shake the bottle to get everything mixed together.
  3. Store. Let the pique sit on your countertop for a few days before using on whatever you like.

Notes

To make this into a more conventional red hot sauce, blend all the ingredients and strain through a mesh strainer before bottling and fermenting.

This hot sauce keeps well on the countertop, because of the fermentation thanks to vinegar.

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