Quick and easy to make Habanero Hot Sauce. It's hot, spicy, zingy, tangy and well balanced with hints of sweet red pepper & maple. You'll be wanting to drizzle it on everything!
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I'd better start with the disclaimer that this Habanero Hot Sauce won’t be for everyone. But if you're someone who likes to turn up the heat and add some spice to your life, then you and I belong to the same hot sauce loving family.
Hello and welcome. Let's make amazing hot sauce together!
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My Habanero Hot Sauce is spicy, fresh, homemade and delicious. You get that fiery heat first, then some tang from the vinegar, and then after that the roasted onion, sweet red pepper and maple come through, balancing out the heat perfectly.
This is a condiment that will make the perfect addition to your dinner table and gets bonus points for being so incredibly cheap to make. I don't know about where you are, but good quality hot sauce is expensive to buy here.
How chili pepper heat is measured
The heat of chili peppers or products derived from chili peppers, is measured with the Scoville Heat Scale.
The scale is named after William Scoville who developed the test in 1912 and works by measuring the level of the chemical compound capsaicin. This started off being measured by taste, but now high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is used. Peppers are dried and ground up, then water is filtered through. A machine is then use to measure the heat. This method is of course much more accurate than relying on human taste buds.
I love this humorous article written by Anna Maria Barry-Jester called "Rating Chili Peppers On A Scale Of 1 To Oh Dear God I'm On Fire". It goes into a lot more depth about the whole subject and is a really good read.
Scoville rating of habanero peppers
Habaneros, as used in my Habanero Hot Sauce, have a Scoville rating of between 100,000 - 350,000. They are up there with the wonderful Scotch Bonnets. Compare this to the very popular Jalapeño pepper which has a Scoville rating of only 3,500-8,000.
Ingredient notes
Here are the ingredients you need to make this naturally gluten-free Habanero Hot Sauce recipe:
And some notes on a couple of those ingredients:
- Habaneros - You can use habaneros at any stage of ripeness, green, orange or red but the colour of the sauce, heat level, sweetness, and flavour will change. Other varieties of chili pepper will also work well in this recipe.
- Red bell peppers - Chopped peppers add depth of flavour and natural sweetness. My preference is red because they make the colour of the sauce better. You could also use yellow or orange bell peppers. I wouldn't use green peppers as they aren't as sweet and your hot sauce won't be such a pretty colour.
- Vinegar - You can use either distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in this recipe. White vinegar is sharper and tangier, apple cider vinegar is sweeter and fruity. Use whichever suits your tastes best.
If you want to switch things up some fresh mango, pineapple, cumin or lime juice added to the mix would be fantastic!
How to make Habanero Hot Sauce
Making my homemade Habanero Hot Sauce is quick and easy. Here's how:
- Sauté the chili peppers with the bell peppers and onions.
- Blend the sautéed peppers and onion with the remaining ingredients.
- Decant into bottles or jars.
Tip - Wear gloves or rub some olive/vegetable oil over your hands before handling and cutting the habaneros. Avoid touching your eyes (or anything else) until you have washed your hands thoroughly!
You can customize the heat of the habanero pepper sauce. If you prefer a milder hot sauce, reduce the amount of habanero peppers going in. You can also increase the quantity of bell pepper to mellow it further. If you like a very spicy hot sauce, go wild and add a few more habaneros.
How to store
Store Habanero Hot Sauce in bottles or jars in the refrigerator where it will last for up to 2 months.
Hot sauce can also be frozen for up to 12 months in a freezer-safe container. It might separate when it thaws but this is a purely cosmetic and won’t affect the flavor. Run it through a blender for 20 seconds before use and it will be good to go.
How to use hot sauce
Ok, let's discuss what you can put this Habanero Hot Sauce on. It can give any meal or snack a good spicy kick! Top of my list is avocado toast. I just love lashings of spicy sauce on it. Other drizzling options include:
- Rice dishes like my One Pot Spicy Rice or Easy Savoury Rice
- Vegan scrambled eggs
- Stir fry
- Burritos, tacos & pizza
- Bowl meals like my Cauliflower Rice Bowls or Tofu Bowls
- Breakfast potatoes or grilled baby potatoes
- Soups
- Melted with vegan butter then used to coat popcorn or cauliflower wings
- Stir through vegan mayo for a creamy topping/spread for sandwiches and burgers
- In dips, dressings and marinades
- On steamed or stir-fried greens
- In a spicy cocktail!
Recipe FAQs
I get asked all the time where I got the little swing top bottle in my photograph. It came from a store called Canadian Tire. You can find it here. If you aren't in Canada though, I found some similar looking ones on Amazon. Just search "swing top bottle".
White vinegar is stronger in flavour and will give you a tangier hot sauce. Apple cider vinegar will be slightly less tangy with a little more sweetness.
You can easily make it a little mellower. Roast an extra bell pepper or 2 then blend them into the sauce, adding a little water to thin as necessary. This will dilute the spiciness.
Hungry for more?
Recipe
Habanero Hot Sauce
Author:Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil , any neutral tasting oil (use a few drops of water instead to keep the recipe oil-free)
- ½ medium onion , diced roughly
- 2 large red bell peppers , deseeded and cut into chunks
- 3 large cloves garlic , chopped roughly
- 6 habanero peppers , tops removed and diced roughly (mine were about walnut in shell size)
- ½ cup (120 ml) distilled white vinegar , or apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (180 ml) water , approximately. You might not need it all.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make sure you have a window or door open and an extractor fan on to ventilate your kitchen. When the habaneros start cooking you will get chili pepper fumes which might make you cough a bit or make your eyes smart.Sautéing on a grill outside is an option for a chili pepper fume-free house ;O)
- Over a medium heat warm a skillet with the oil ( or a tablespoon of water to keep the recipe oil-free), then sauté the onions and bell peppers for a few minutes until beginning to soften.
- Add the habaneros and sauté for a little while longer until soft and slightly caramelized then add the garlic. Turn off the heat and let the garlic cook in the residual heat of the pan.
- Turn off the heat and transfer to a blender. Add the vinegar, maple syrup and salt and blend until completely smooth.
- Open the blender and check the thickness. Add water to thin as necessary, giving it a quick blend in between each addition. Everyone likes their hot sauce different thicknesses so add enough to suit you.
- Blend until completely smooth then decant into bottles or jars and store in the refrigerator.
NOTES
I have no experience of canning so don't know if that is possible with this recipe.
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NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on January 15th, 2016. I've since rewritten the post, adding more helpful information and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
CL says
This recipe kicks ass! I, like many others, deviated, though only slightly so. I had 12 red habaneros so I used them all. I only had 2 yellow bell peppers, so I used those. I used 6 cloves of garlic. I didn't have white vinegar so I used 50/50 apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar. Then I added 2 teaspoons of course ground pepper and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. With a half cup of water I filled a 1 pint jar. Thickness was slightly thicker than Siracha but way thicker than Franks. The sauce is a pretty bright yellow with heavy black pepper specks throughout. It's a striking but great looking sauce.
The heat is nice with steady and building heat profile. Less sharp than just eating the peppers raw. The sauce well loved among my friends and I am sad I could only make a pint. I need to come up with more peppers before it's too late to find them.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Chris! I love the "kick ass" description and I hope you find more peppers soon so you can make more!
Cynthia Essiambre says
Great recipe! I love the addition of maple syrup for sweetness. I didn’t add any water, I like my hot sauces thick.
Richard says
Fantastic, I used chocolate habanero peppers. I will try a new batch with ghost peppers (perhaps just three)
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. I'd love to try it with ghost peppers too!
toni says
I was wondering about the type of vinegar you use - Distilled white vinegar. I understand this is a type of vinegar that is common in some countries and after reading a few different web pages about the topic I think this is probably the clear type vinegar made from spirits - maybe. But what is the strength? I have a bottle of what I believe to be the correct type, it has 10% acetic acid so pretty strong. Perhaps the one required in your recipe is closer to 5% so I need to dilute it?
A Virtual Vegan says
I do use distilled white vinegar and it is clear and it's 5% acetic acid. 10 % acetic acid vinegar is labelled as cleaning vinegar here. I think it would be really strong tasting. I guess you could dilute it though.
Kat says
I made this today, perhaps with a bit too much water (1/2 cup was a bit much, my bad) because I did not heed your instructions, but OMGOSH this is my absolute favorite hot sauce! So simple, so cheap and easy! I am amazed at the complexity of flavors! I used it right away to flavor some homemade hummus, total hit! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I will definitely be making this over and over again!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you are enjoying it Kat. Adding it to hummus is a great idea!
Rhonda says
I made this recipe today. It turned out great. I actually doubled it because I had 12 peppers. I did not add the water. I just blended it with all of the other ingredients after sautéing the vegetables and the texture was fine, just like a hot sauce.
Karen Martin says
Just finished canning a bushel of tomatoes!! I have 2 gallons of scotch bonnets and habaneros coming on. I've been looking for a good hot sauce, so I may give yours a try. What do you think about water bath canning jars? I don't eat the hot sauce but my husband does, so it will need to be canned, I think. Thanks.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm sorry but I know nothing about water bath canning jars. Lucky you thought having that lovely haul of homegrown produce!
Marcia says
I have actually pressured canned my habanaro sauces by cold packing sterile jars after grinding all ingredients in a food processor. I brought canner up to 15 lbs of pressure for 10 minutes. They lasted in pantry until gone. Did refrigerate product after opening. Great on everything!
Lawrence says
I made this with scotch bonnet peppers and enjoyed it. Doing it again with habaneros because I love the flavor.
A Virtual Vegan says
I bet it is was awesome with scotch bonnets!
Matt Hadden says
I have Habaneros in the garden, are you using green ones? Or do you wait for the red ones at the end of the season?
A Virtual Vegan says
I used red ones but you could use green instead. You could make some now with green then some with red later and have the best of both worlds. The flavor will be different with each but good either way!
Bert says
Made a double batch. Increased garlic by roughly 50% (6 v. 4 cloves). Tastes delicious! A bit watery. I think I would skip the H2O or significantly reduce it next time.
Kevin Freestone says
this sounds very similar to my sauve. only I roast the.peppers before removing the skins and then chopping the flesh. I use brown sugar instead of syrup.
I shall.cetainly give this a go. thanks.
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it!
Rick Thiemke says
I love hot sauces, but only as long as they have flavor and not to the point that all you can taste is heat and no flavor. I used to make and sell BBQ sauces that I used habañero peppers to spice it up.
So I'm eager to try this hot sauce. I'll let you know afterwards.
A Virtual Vegan says
I do hope you enjoy it Rick. Let me know!
Frank says
Where did you get the bottles from, they are as good as the sauce you made. I really liked the sauce.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you are enjoying the sauce Frank. I got the bottles from a store called Canadian Tire. They were only a couple dollars each. Amazon have some similar ones if you search 'swing top bottle'
Brooke says
Had a bunch of habaneros in the garden and was looking on Pinterest for recipes to use them in other than my usual stews, saw your pepper sauce recipe and gave it a try and it turned out fabulous! Thanks for the yummy sauce!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great! So glad you like it. Thanks for letting me know :O)
lyn Gilbert says
This is delicious..mine is very thin and runny..is that right??
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Lyn, It is a thinnish sauce. Kind of like Frank's Hot Sauce thickness if you have ever tried it? Not like thick sriracha sauce. You could easily make it a little thicker next time by using a bit less water, or if you wanted it thicker now you can roast a bell pepper and blend it all up again. That would give it a little more substance. I am glad you like it though. It's a real favourite of mine. I am a hot sauce addict!
Arlene Gallegos says
I like the idea of the roasted pepper it would give it a smoky flavor which would add depth to the flavor. The maple syrup interests me
ceecee says
We love hot sauce in our family. This is perfect. thanks!