Homemade Hot Sauce

Nothing beats the incredible satisfaction of making your own fiery hot sauce from scratch! Hot sauce lovers everywhere will go crazy for this garden-fresh recipe that lets you control exactly how much heat you want.

Recipe Details

Timing & Servings: Active Time: 30 minutes, Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, Total Time: 2 hours, Serves: 43 people, Yield: about 2 2/3 cups.

Nutrition Profile: Low-Carb, Diabetes-Friendly, Dairy-Free, Low-Sodium, Heart-Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Low-Calorie.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 12 Calories, 1g Fat, 1g Carbs, 0g Protein.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Extra-virgin olive oil: You’ll need 2 tablespoons of good olive oil to get everything cooking perfectly. This creates the base for all those amazing flavors to come together.

Onion: One cup of diced onion adds the perfect sweet balance to all that heat. Any regular yellow or white onion works great here!

Medium chile peppers: Grab 2 poblano, New Mexico, or Anaheim peppers and dice them up. These give you that rich pepper flavor without too much fire.

Habanero peppers: Here’s where you control the heat! Start with 2 for mild heat, go up to 4 if you love it spicy. Make sure to stem, halve, and seed them.

Garlic: Four cloves minced up will give you that amazing garlic punch. Fresh garlic makes all the difference in homemade hot sauce!

Tomatoes: One pound of fresh tomatoes, diced up into about 3 cups. This is what makes your sauce so rich and delicious.

Distilled white vinegar: You need 1 cup for that classic tangy hot sauce flavor. Plus it helps preserve your sauce naturally!

How to Make Homemade Hot Sauce

Step 1: Heat your olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion, chile peppers, habaneros, and minced garlic. Cook everything while stirring until the onion gets soft and starts browning, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 2: Turn the heat down to medium now. Add your diced tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and sugar to taste. Keep stirring occasionally and cook until those tomatoes start breaking down, about 5 minutes.

Step 3: Carefully move the hot tomato mixture to your food processor or blender. Puree everything until it’s completely smooth. Be super careful with hot ingredients!

Step 4: Set up a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Pour your pureed mixture through the sieve. Use a wooden spoon to push on the solids and get all that liquid out. Throw away the leftover solids.

Step 5: Let your beautiful hot sauce cool down to room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours. Then it’s ready to enjoy!

Easy and Quick Homemade Hot Sauce Version

Want to speed things up? You can skip the straining step completely for a chunkier sauce! Just blend everything smooth and you’re done. It’ll still taste amazing and saves you that extra cooling time.

Serving Ideas

This hot sauce is perfect on absolutely everything! Drizzle it over scrambled eggs, tacos, grilled chicken, or pizza. It also makes an incredible gift for friends who love spicy food.

Storage

Store your homemade hot sauce in the fridge for up to 3 months in a clean glass jar. No need to reheat – it’s perfect straight from the fridge!

Substitutions

No habaneros? Try jalapeños or serranos instead. You can swap the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar if you want a slightly sweeter taste. No fresh tomatoes? Canned diced tomatoes work great too!

Pro Tips

Heat Control: Start with fewer hot peppers – you can always make it spicier next time!
Blending Safety: Let the mixture cool for a few minutes before blending to avoid hot splashes.
Flavor Boost: Roast your peppers first for an even deeper, smokier flavor.
Consistency: Want it thicker? Skip some of the straining liquid. Want it thinner? Add a bit more vinegar.

FAQs

How spicy will this hot sauce be?

With 2 habaneros, you’ll get a nice medium heat that most people can handle. It’s got kick but won’t burn your mouth! Add more habaneros if you want it hotter.

Can I use different types of peppers?

You bet! Try bell peppers for mild sauce, or ghost peppers if you’re feeling brave. Just remember that different peppers will change the heat level completely.

Why do I need to strain the sauce?

Straining gives you that smooth, professional hot sauce texture. But honestly, you can skip it if you like chunky sauce – it tastes just as good!

How long does homemade hot sauce last?

Sure! It’ll keep in your fridge for about 3 months in a clean jar. The vinegar and salt help preserve it naturally.

Final Thoughts

I’d love to hear how your hot sauce turned out! Did you make it extra spicy or keep it mild? Share your results and let me know what you put it on first!