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–+ servings
Fermented hot sauces in hot sauce bottles.
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5 from 9 votes

Homemade Fermented Hot Sauce

This small batch recipe for homemade fermented hot sauce is a wonderful way to use those fresh summer peppers from the garden or farmer’s market. If you have never fermented food before, this is a great recipe to start with as it’s easy and almost foolproof.
Prep Time15 minutes
Ferment Time4 days
Total Time4 days 15 minutes
Course: Side Dish, Spices
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 Servings
Author: Luay Ghafari
Cost: $5

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Filtered or spring water - 480ml
  • 1 tbsp Kosher or pickling salt - 17 grams
  • 1 pound Hot and sweet peppers - Chopped roughly, about 3-4 cups. You may need to use more or less to fill the jar you choose for your fermentation
  • 1-2 Garlic cloves
  • ½ Onion - peeled and kept halved

After Fermentation is Complete

  • 1-2 tbsp White distilled vinegar - 15-30ml (Optional)

Instructions

  • Make Brine. In a Pyrex glass measuring cup, combine 2 cups Filtered or spring water and 1 tbsp Kosher or pickling salt. Wisk to combine. The salt should be completely dissolved before proceeding.
  • Pack jar. Add one clove of garlic and the white onion half to the bottom of a mason jar. Carefully pack peppers into the jar, pressing down firmly as you fill it. Apply fermenting weight, if using.
  • Add Brine. Pour the salt brine into the mason jar and cover the peppers. Tap the jar a few times to release any air bubbles. Make sure all the peppers are covered in liquid. Discard any leftover brine.
  • Ferment. Apply the fermenting lid. Ferment on the counter for 3–5 days. The longer you ferment, the tangier the sauce will be. The brine may get cloudy, and that’s completely normal.
  • Strain and Blend. Strain the contents of the mason jar in a sieve over a bowl, reserving the brine. Add the peppers, onions, and garlic to a blender with a splash of the brine. Blend on high until homogenous (1–2 minutes). Add the optional white vinegar and blend again for 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the sauce is too thick, add more brine and blend again on high speed for 30 seconds.
  • Bottle. Transfer the hot sauce to clean hot sauce bottles or mason jars and refrigerate for up to 6 months.

Video

Notes

I recommend you read through the entire blog post above before you start. There's lots of useful information about fermentation as well as notes about the equipment I recommend using. 
Use a combination of hot and sweet peppers to get the optimal heat level you like.
  • Wear gloves! Handling hot peppers and then touching your face or other part of your body is asking for trouble! When preparing the hot peppers, use latex or nitrile gloves to protect yourself.
  • Use glass jars only. Avoid using any plastic or metal containers as those may react with the acid in this recipe. Glass mason jars are ideal in my opinion.
  • Keep it clean. Sterilize your jars and utensils before using them to prevent unwanted bacterial growth. You can sterilize jars and tools by washing them in hot soapy water and then boiling them for 5 minutes.
  • Safety first. Make sure to refrigerate your final finished hot sauce in the fridge. Don’t leave it out on the counter after you've fermented and blended it.
Make sure to also try my tropical fermented hot sauces: Pineapple Hot Sauce, Mango Hot Sauce and Passion Fruit Hot Sauce!

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.04g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 350mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 84IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg