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    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    Published: Mar 15, 2022 · Modified: Apr 4, 2022 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 63 Comments

    Habanero Hot Sauce

    4.75 from 70 votes
    JUMP TO RECIPE
    Habanero Hot Sauce

    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!

    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!

    Jump to:
    • How chili pepper heat is measured
    • Scoville rating of habanero peppers
    • Ingredient notes
    • How to make Habanero Hot Sauce
    • How to store
    • How to use hot sauce
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Hungry for more?
    • Recipe
    • Reviews & Questions

    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:

    ingredients needed to make habanero hot sauce

    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:

    1. Sauté the chili peppers with the bell peppers and onions.
    2. Blend the sautéed peppers and onion with the remaining ingredients.
    3. 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

    Where did you buy the swing top bottle in your picture?

    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".

    What is the difference between white vinegar and apple cider vinegar for Habanero Hot Sauce?

    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.

    What if the hot sauce is too hot for me?

    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.

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    If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!

    Recipe

    a bottle of habanero hot sauce

    Habanero Hot Sauce

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.75 from 70 votes
    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!
    PRINT PIN SAVE Saved!
    PREP TIME: 10 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME: 7 minutes minutes
    Total Time 17 minutes minutes
    Servings 24 x 1 tablespoon servings (1½ cups/360 ml total)

    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

    • Blendtec Blender
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    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!
    Storage -  Keep Habanero Hot Sauce in bottles or jars in the refrigerator where it will last for up to 2 months. It can also be frozen for up to 6 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. 
    I have no experience of canning so don't know if that is possible with this recipe. 
     

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1batch | Calories: 15kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 26mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 452IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Rate it & leave feedback in the comments section below. I love seeing your remakes too. Tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram! 🌟

    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!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. rehema jafari says

      January 07, 2019 at 2:29 am

      hello,i want to learn more on your cooking so how do I get in touch? And if i was making in large batches and want it to stay for longer periods what should i add so that it can age longer.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        January 08, 2019 at 11:59 am

        I would think that if you added it to properly sterilized bottles or jars that it would last for ages and ages. Even in an unsterilized bottle I've had it in my fridge for a couple of months with no problems.

        Reply
    2. Jim Manning says

      November 25, 2018 at 12:03 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! Another VV winner! This sauce turned out fantastic. The only variance from the recipe was doubling it, and only adding about 1/3 of the called-for water. The Maple syrup gives just the right balance of sweetness without being overly sweet. For those who see Habanero and worry about the heat - you can relax. This does have a bit of a kick, but it's relatively tame. I'd mark it less than a four on a scale from one to ten. This batch was for all my Canadian Snowbird neighbors here in the Bahamas. The next batch for my wife and I will have 50% more habaneros to get it up to our California-bred level of heat preference. Great job again Mel!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        November 25, 2018 at 1:37 pm

        Thank you so much Jim! And how lovely of you to gift it to your neighbors. Lucky them!

        Reply
    3. Bosko says

      November 07, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      4 stars
      i use this recipe. but i add in 2 red jalapenos, 2 green jalapenos...and 1 Carolina Reaper pepper. i like to dance on the wild side haha. it turns out beautifully! thank you!

      Reply
    4. Stephanie says

      October 22, 2018 at 6:47 am

      5 stars
      Wow this recipe is SMOKIN!!! Soo good and spicy! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out just perfect.
      Thank you

      Reply
    5. CL says

      October 21, 2018 at 7:46 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        October 21, 2018 at 9:26 pm

        Thank you Chris! I love the "kick ass" description and I hope you find more peppers soon so you can make more!

        Reply
    6. Cynthia Essiambre says

      October 07, 2018 at 12:11 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! I love the addition of maple syrup for sweetness. I didn’t add any water, I like my hot sauces thick.

      Reply
    7. Richard says

      September 29, 2018 at 2:45 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic, I used chocolate habanero peppers. I will try a new batch with ghost peppers (perhaps just three)

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        September 30, 2018 at 11:28 am

        Thank you. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. I'd love to try it with ghost peppers too!

        Reply
    8. toni says

      September 27, 2018 at 8:00 am

      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?

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        September 27, 2018 at 11:41 am

        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.

        Reply
    9. Kat says

      September 18, 2018 at 5:26 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        September 18, 2018 at 7:07 pm

        I'm so pleased you are enjoying it Kat. Adding it to hummus is a great idea!

        Reply
    10. Rhonda says

      September 05, 2018 at 8:27 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    11. Karen Martin says

      August 11, 2018 at 12:06 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 11, 2018 at 3:16 pm

        I'm sorry but I know nothing about water bath canning jars. Lucky you thought having that lovely haul of homegrown produce!

        Reply
      • Marcia says

        September 10, 2018 at 4:24 pm

        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!

        Reply
    12. Lawrence says

      August 06, 2018 at 8:00 pm

      5 stars
      I made this with scotch bonnet peppers and enjoyed it. Doing it again with habaneros because I love the flavor.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 06, 2018 at 8:05 pm

        I bet it is was awesome with scotch bonnets!

        Reply
    13. Matt Hadden says

      August 01, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        August 01, 2018 at 1:33 pm

        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!

        Reply
    14. Bert says

      October 30, 2017 at 8:14 pm

      4 stars
      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.

      Reply
    15. Kevin Freestone says

      June 21, 2017 at 12:30 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        June 21, 2017 at 6:38 pm

        You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    16. Rick Thiemke says

      June 14, 2017 at 1:58 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        June 14, 2017 at 3:54 pm

        I do hope you enjoy it Rick. Let me know!

        Reply
    17. Frank says

      May 28, 2017 at 2:35 pm

      Where did you get the bottles from, they are as good as the sauce you made. I really liked the sauce.

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        May 28, 2017 at 7:17 pm

        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'

        Reply
    18. Brooke says

      September 18, 2016 at 2:12 pm

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        September 18, 2016 at 6:04 pm

        That's great! So glad you like it. Thanks for letting me know :O)

        Reply
    19. lyn Gilbert says

      June 25, 2016 at 12:38 pm

      This is delicious..mine is very thin and runny..is that right??

      Reply
      • A Virtual Vegan says

        June 25, 2016 at 10:14 pm

        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!

        Reply
        • Arlene Gallegos says

          August 20, 2017 at 4:35 pm

          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

          Reply
    20. ceecee says

      January 15, 2016 at 9:55 am

      5 stars
      We love hot sauce in our family. This is perfect. thanks!

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    Melanie McDonald

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