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homemade hot sauce

Fermented Homemade Hot Sauce with Habanero and Garlic Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 32 servings
Calories: 5
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb fresh habanero peppers, stems removed, halved
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 small yellow onion, quartered
  • 2 tbsp fine sea salt
  • 4 cups filtered water, or enough to cover
  • 1/2 to 1 cup white vinegar
  • Reserved brine, as needed

Method
 

  1. Pack the peppers, garlic, onion, and salt into a clean quart jar. Pour in enough filtered water to cover the solids by 1 inch and use a weight to keep everything submerged.
  2. Seal the jar with an airlock or cloth and ferment at room temperature for 5 to 7 days, until the brine is bubbly and sour-smelling.
  3. Drain the jar, reserving the brine. Blend the drained solids with 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup brine until smooth. Adjust with more vinegar or brine to taste.
  4. Pour the blended sauce into a saucepan and simmer gently over medium heat for 5 minutes to stop fermentation.
  5. Let the sauce cool slightly, then pour into clean bottles. Cool completely before refrigerating.

Notes

The 5 to 7 day ferment is inactive time, not counted in the recipe card prep or cook times. The final sauce will be tangy and deeply savory; you can alter the vinegar and brine amounts to dial in exactly the sharpness you like.