Homemade Hot Sauce Recipe (Fermented or Quick Cook)

Name: Homemade Hot Sauce Recipe (Fermented or Quick Cook)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 d 15 min
Yield: 2 quarts
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds peppers of your choosing; 6 cloves garlic; 4 cups filtered water; 4 teaspoons sea salt; ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup; ½ teaspoon xanthan gum

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Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Ferment Time:
5 d
Total Time
5 d 15 mins
Servings
2 quarts
Calories
1 kcal

Homemade Hot Sauce Recipe (Fermented or Quick Cook)

Jasper Jordan

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Homemade hot sauce makes a perfect gift! Make either traditional fermented hot sauce or a quick cook version, which is done in less than half an hour.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 ½ pounds peppers of your choosing a mix of sweet peppers and hot peppers, tops/stems removed, halved
6 cloves garlic peeled
4 cups filtered water
4 teaspoons sea salt
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup optional
½ teaspoon xanthan gum optional (see notes)

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Instructions

For the Fermented Version

Place the peppers and garlic in a clean wide-mouth quart canning jar. Set aside.
To make the brine, heat the filtered water and sea salt in a medium saucepan until the salt has dissolved completely. Let cool to room temperature.
Pour the brine over the peppers and garlic, completely submerging them. If you run out of brine, you can make more by mixing 1 cup of warm filtered water with 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
Fit the jar with a fermentation lid or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band (see notes on weighing down the peppers if using cheesecloth). Place in a warm, dark spot for 5-7 days, or until the brine looks cloudy and small bubbles begin to appear when you tap the side of the jar. Make sure the peppers stay submerged under the brine during the entire fermentation process to prevent mold-growth.
When the fermentation time is up, strain the brine, reserving it. Place the fermented peppers and garlic in a blender, and add in 1 cup of the brine, plus the apple cider vinegar, and honey or maple syrup, if using. Blend until completely smooth, adding in additional brine to reach the desired thickness. The hot sauce will thicken in the fridge.
While the blender is running, sprinkle in the xanthan gum, if using, and blend for an additional minute.
Transfer to a bottle and store in the fridge for 3-6 months.

For the Quick Cooked Version

Combine the peppers, garlic, 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, apple cider vinegar, and honey or maple syrup, if using, in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the peppers and garlic have softened.
Pour mixture into a blender (making sure to leave the cover vent open, but covered with a kitchen towel) and blend until very smooth.
While the blender is running, sprinkle in the xanthan gum, if using, and blend for an additional minute.
Transfer mixture to a squeeze bottle and store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

Notes

If you choose to use cheesecloth during fermentation, you’ll need to use some sort of weight to keep the peppers submerged under the brine to prevent mold growth. You can purchase specialty weights to do this, or fill a zip-top sandwich bag with water and submerge it in the top of the jar.
In this recipe, xanthan gum works as an emulsifier, stablizer, and thickener. It is 100% optional. If you choose not to use it, your hot sauce will separate in the fridge. Just give it a good shake each time you go to use it.
The hot sauce will thicken considerably in the fridge, so keep that in mind as you decide on the consistency while blending.
Depending on the power of your blender, your hot sauce may be foamy when you’re finished blending. If so, let the hot sauce rest for 15-20 minutes, then scrape off any foam before bottling.
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