Homemade hot sauce! We're going Caribbean with this recipe, bringing in flaming habanero peppers, velvety mango, vinegar, honey, allspice and more. Drizzle it over chicken, shrimp or fish. Love it. It's a way of life.
Not gonna lie. I'm kind of hooked on this sauce. I JUST made it and it's half gone already. Dang.
Guess I'll have to run out and buy another mango. No worries about the habanero peppers, though, because our habanero plants are producing like crazy now!
BIG WIN! Throwing my hands in the air and dancing sort of win. Bragging about my garden again, my friends, so please excuse me. I can't help it. I get so happy this time of year with all the fresh produce, particularly chili peppers, popping out of the garden.
Preserving will very soon be upon us, but for now, I am having ZERO problem keeping up with the pace of the garden. Mostly because of recipes like this. Caribbean-Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce.
It is quite delicious and you'll need to make a couple extra batches, methinks.
I mean, just look at it. Gorgeous, right? Absorb the vibrant color, the brightness of the orangey-yellow sauce in the bottle and the extras in the jar. Calling out to you. Begging to be eaten.
Do you hear it?
Hot sauce talks to me more than fresh produce. All those voices collected into a single bottle, singing together. Hot sauces are an ideal way to use up your garden ingredients.
So many possible iterations to play with. This particular recipe uses habanero peppers and mango as the primary ingredients. Unfortunately, we are unable to grow mangoes around here, but if we could, I totally would.
Round out the body and flavor of the hot sauce with garlic and onion, then flavor it up with a medly of seasonings, including allspice, ginger, cumin and sweet honey. And tangy apple cider vinegar, of course.
It's slightly thick, but you can thin it out by either incorporating more vinegar or adding a bit of water to the mix. Or, strain it and discard some of the solids. You can serve this on pretty much anything, but for me it's ideal over pork, chicken or seafood, particularly shrimp or white fish.
Or PORK! Just the other day I whipped up some quick pulled pork tacos for lunch with diced tomatoes and used this hot sauce to smother them. We didn't need anything else.
The pork was great, but the hot sauce became the star. I love the mixture of ingredients. Cooks up super quick!
We have a video of the recipe below so you can see how it is made. Time to get cooking! Bring on the hot sauce!
Patty's Perspective
THIS is the BOMB. It's so versatile. It's definitely a hot sauce, but I think you can serve this as a salsa if you wanted. I would eat it on anything and would use it all the time if Mike wasn't cooking up all sorts of great stuff so often. I'll have to ask him to make more.
Check out my other Hot Sauce Recipes, too.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
How long will this sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It's all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors. If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
Where'd you get that sauce bottle?
I find them locally sometimes, but I also order through Amazon. Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4
. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack
.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
What should I do with hot sauce?
Aside from drizzling it over anything you please, here's a post I did about How to Cook with Hot Sauce. As if you need even MORE reasons to eat hot sauce. I hope you find it helpful!
Check out These Related Recipes:
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Pineapple-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Ti-Malice - Haitian Creole Hot Sauce
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Caribbean-Style Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
- Caribbean Chicken
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Caribbean-Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce – Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 habanero peppers chopped
- 1 mango peeled and chopped
- 1 small white onion chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Add to a large pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cool then transfer to serving bottles.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Sid says
Hi, this looks fab. I don't have any apple cider vinegar at hand or all spice. Any alternative for all spice? I was wondering if I can use distilled malt vinegar and/or Chinese Rice Vinegar instead?
thanks
Sid
Mike Hultquist says
Sid, the rice vinegar will be best here. For the allspice, I suggest a little bit of clove, or try a blend of Jamaican jerk seasoning.
Iz says
This recipe is a keeper. I used 2 cups of frozen mango chunks instead of fresh and upped the vinegar by just a splash. My neighbor gave me red scotch bonnets and warned me that they were supposed to be extra hot. They make for a beautiful red flecked appearance, but these babies are searing even after carefully deseeding. Nonetheless, the flavors of this sauce are perfectly complex, and the prep couldn't be easier (especiallyusing frozen mango) !
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Super happy you enjoyed it! I need to make another batch soon. Cheers!
Alan Flowers says
Really love this recipe. Since I grow my own peppers and mangos, this is a natural for me. I have shared this (the sauce) with many friends and everyone just loves it. Thanks for figuring out the right blend of spices to add flavor. This is one of my favorites.
Mike Hultquist says
I love it! Perfectly homemade and home grown! Thanks, Alan!
Sam says
This was really tastey. Used it on some chicken wangs and they turned out great.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Sam! Glad you enjoyed it!
Rolf Gelert says
Best hot sauce recipe I have tried. Made with aji chombo and tobago peppers from basement garden. made a double batch with fresh mangos and peppers. Oh so tasty. Thanks for the amazing hot sauce.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Rolf!
Emily K says
We made this and the garlic-habanero hot sauce with our crop of peppers. Both are delicious. I love the little bit of sweetness in this one. I put it on tacos last night and huevos rancheros this morning (with some hot tomato-based salsa). It came out thick enough to be eaten with chips, too. Thank you, I’m so happy with my first foray into making my own hot sauce.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Emily! I appreciate it!
Hensley Megan says
Any know if this sauce can be canned?! Would love to give as shelf stable gifts. It’s FABULOUS!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes, though check the pH first. Shoot for 3.5 or lower for homer preserving. You may need to add in a bit more acid.
Grant says
Can you ferment the peppers first? Would it change the heat level much?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You surely can, Grant. Fermented ingredients have a different flavor from fresh, but definitely worth trying. I encourage it!
J. d. says
Mike - I have a similar recipe, using either Habanero or Scotch Bonnet peppers. I use about 12 unseeded peppers, and either Peach or Mango slices for the sweetness (fresh when I can get them). The recipe comes from a friend's mother, who lives in Jamaica. We had to guess at the quantities because Mom in Jamaica doesn't write anything down. I have a bumper crop of Habanero, Jalapeño, Cayenne, and other peppers at my disposal this year, so I'm going to put them to good use. Will probable even need to freeze some, but have to save room for venison and wild hog.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds awesome, JD.
Adam says
Can you use any peppers with this recipe? I am growing cayenne peppers right now and wanted to know if I could substitute those for the habanero peppers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Adam. Yes, you can use other peppers for this. Good luck, and enjoy!
Kyle Carpenter says
This sauce is unbelievable! It is exactly what I was searching for. I am a hot sauce lover with over 50 different bottles that sit on my shelf at any given time and this is one of the best.
Made with homegrown orange habaneros. I probably went slightly over on all the measurements as I just did it by eye and feel. But let me tell you, it worked perfectly. I made enough to fill 4 standard 5oz. bottles and the first one is already gone after one meal. I used it on baked chicken breast but I could imagine this going with almost anything. Great recipe Mike.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Glad to hear it, Kyle! Super happy you enjoyed it!
Adam says
Stunning sauce. Just made my first batch and it’s delicious and straight forward to make. I love the sweet mango with the fruity habaneros from my plant. Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Super happy you enjoyed it, Adam! I've been making this particular recipe for years. Love it.
Barb says
Do you think it would still turn out okay if I roasted the peppers and the garlic before I put it in the blender?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Barb, absolutely! Great flavor!
Dayna says
Holy smokes this hot sauce is the bomb! I used 4 habanero because I didn't know how well I'd be able to handle the head and it was just so perfect. Boyfriend approved. I'm sending this recipe to everyone I can, it's that good.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Boom! Nice. Glad you enjoyed it, Dayna. We love this one.
Len says
I have NEVER had a bad recipe from this site and this one is no different.
I use this with ANY chicken (wings, whole, drums, etc) and it is so addictive I will eat it by the spoonful. By itself. Yes, it's a might hot on the tongue but aren't hot sauces supposed to be?
I don't know if I've already rated this one but I'll do it anyways.
Thanks for another winner Mike (even though it's 5 yr old).
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Len! Yes, and oldie but a goodie! I appreciate it!!
Karen says
Great recipe. Everyone loved it...now I have to make SEVERAL batches next harvest...lol. Great Christmas gift...lol. I added a few drops of liquid smoke to the last batch and it was a real hit.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Karen!!!
Dan T says
This sauce alone forced my hand to double the amount of peppers I grow on my tiny balcony this year. Never should have given away a couple bottles last fall, my friends just keep on coming back asking for more! Downside is, there won't be room on the balcony for ME this year, and I'm for the first time in years entirely out of peppers that I've grown myself. I've used this recipe with just a minor tweak by substituting half of the Habaneros with Aji Limón. Works on pretty much anything! Thanks for all the great recipes! Still have a couple more I'm gonna try out, this year is the first time I'm growing Carolina Reapers so will absolutely try out your Reaper hot sauce this fall!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I hear you, Dan! We moved south so I have a longer pepper growing season! It gets addictive. Good luck with the harvest! Super happy you all are enjoying the sauces.
Ramzan says
Hi Mike,
The sauce went on amazing with shrimps especially, it brings the succulent flavor. And I can't stop saying shrimp outta my plate.
Keep posting some more new sauces wit recipes.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Ramzan! I appreciate it!
Sophie says
Can I substitute rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar? And can I also use fresh ginger? If so, how much fresh ginger should I use
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sophie, absolutely, you can use rice vinegar, though it isn't as sweet. Also, yes, fresh ginger is good. Use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, depending on your tastes.
Derek says
Really good recipe. First time making any hot sauce. Had to try it since the store doesnt carry hot sauce with enough heat for me. I tweaked the recipe just a bit... added double the honey since I wanted a sweeter flavor and the mangos werent so riped. I added a sprinkle of Adobo to add a latin flavor and since I enjoy a good kick in the heat department I used 6 habaneros and a ghost pepper with all the seeds. Next time will be tweaking it with double the mangos, just a little less onions and I will probably add another ghost to it to REALLY make it.. uhm uhm.. Adults Only!.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Derek! The great thing about making hot sauces is that you can so easily adjust them to your own preference, both flavor and heat. I love it.
Darren Drury says
Hi Would this recipe work with either Naga chillies or caralina reapers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I think it would be great, Darren. Extra heat for sure! Let me know how it goes for you. Enjoy.
Elizabeth Meyer says
This sauce was amazing. I don't really like hot sauce myself but I certainly ate this! Got a lot of compliments on it too. Do you think I could make it and freeze it to use at a later date?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Great to hear it, Elizabeth. Yes, this sauce should freeze OK. It might affect the consistency a bit, but should be fine. Let me know how it goes. Glad you enjoyed it!
Darren Delzell says
What would be the approximate volume equivalent of one mango? My local grocery has both canned diced and frozen chunk mangoes. Due the natural size variations is the volume critical?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Darren, use about 1 cup, though you can easily use a bit more or less. I like more for extra mango flavor!
Thomas says
I only have dried habaneros. Do you think it will work with dried habaneros too? And how would you process the dried habaneros instead of fresh ones? Thank you in advance.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely, Thomas! I make hot sauces with dried habaneros all the time. Very good! I love it.
Dave says
Could fermented ghost peppers which were fermented with peppers just cut in half be substituted into this recipe? If you could advise how many ghosts I should use as compared to using the called for habenero's? Thnx in advance
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, yes, you can do that. No problem. You can use 1-2 ghosts for a heat equivalence, or use 5 - the recipe calls for 5 habaneros. You'll get more heat that way, but would be delicious! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Dave says
Your super quick responses are immensely appreciated 🙂
Robert Bartling says
The best hot spice recipe ever! Has a great sweet to heat ratio. I made it for myself and my whole family lived and destroyed it! Highly recommended!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Robert! I'm glad you love it.
Susan Grantier says
I made this with a navel orange and some orange bell peppers + the habaneros. It’s simmering now and smells amazing! Can’t wait to bottle it up.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Sounds great, Susan! Enjoy.
Michael says
What steps would I take to convert this recipe into a fermented hot sauce? Should I just ferment the habaneros and then when done with that use all other ingredients fresh? Ferment all the veggies and then use fresh mango? Could I also ferment the mango with the habaneros, and if so, is there a limit to how long the mango could ferment? Thanks in advance for any help!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Michael, you can really do all of the above. It's up to you, really. You can ferment habaneros alone or with the mango and other vegetables. I usually just do the peppers, but that's me. It's a flavor preference. Feel free to experiment!
Kate says
Hey ! Just wondering the only peppers I have are green chili peppers , will that work ?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Kate, yes, though you'll get a different "greener" flavor. Still good though!
Susan S says
Simply amazing flavor! I have made several of your hot sauces many times, but wanted something different for my abundance of habaneros this year. They were late bloomers here in IL, as were the Caribbean red hots! So I used 3 habaneros, 2 of the reds, and the results are outstanding. Thanks for another great recipe! I'll make this often.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad you are enjoying it, Susan! I love it.
Tom Mac says
This is is a fantastic blend of sweet and heat. This will be one of my go to recipes. The allspice is a nice touch and I would not have thought of using it in a hot sauce.
Like almost all the recipes on this site, this is a keeper. Thanks Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Tom! Glad you are enjoying it.
Jamie says
I haven’t tried this yet but do you think I could make this with pineapples? I don’t have any mangoes around.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jamie, absolutely. I make a lot of hot sauces with pineapple. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Tracey says
OMG just made this to serve over some onion paratha that I stuffed with hash made with chicken chorizo sausage and shallots. THIS. THANG. SLAPS. This will become a staple in my fridge along with homemade pickled onions and vietnamese picked carrots/daikon
Thank you for sharing
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Glad you enjoy it, Tracey! Nice.
Sallie says
This is so delicious! Instead of habaneros I used one ghost pepper and one habanero and it is so good! Good heat level- captures the ghost pepper and mango flavors well. Thanks for creating this base recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Sallie! Glad you enjoyed it!
Nikki says
Love this recipe! We had chocolate habaneros, so I only used one regular and one small one. It was so tasty! I like how it had an upfront burn for 5-10 min but not the effect that my mouth is on fire for the next 5 hours. The sweetness is a great compliment. I read other reviews that commented that there was too much vinegar. I disagree. I followed the recipe and feel like it is a perfect balance! Definitely sending this link to a few people to try 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Nikki! Super you happy you enjoyed it. Nice!
Andrea Tweedie says
How long will this sauce last in the fridge?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Amanda, it should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors. If you’re concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
Evan Kruschke says
Made this once and it was so good I'm going to make a bigger batch to can!! How long would you process this in a water bath canner for?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Evan, 15 minutes is usually sufficient, depending on your elevation.
Jarrod Thorne says
Hi Mike, thanks for replying.
Because this was mine and my family's first foray into making a hot sauce and even using the Armageddon pepper in a recipe I even went a little more conservative with half a pepper. Family likes some heat but not too crazy so it seemed to be the right amount to start. Comments were 'That's great!' and 'Yummy!'. I'm going to amp it up little by little (possibly 3/4 and then whole) and see how it goes with my next batch. Planning on trying your pineapple recipe next. Thanks again!
Cheers,
Jarrod
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Jarrod! Glad it was enjoyed! Happy experimenting.
Shannon says
I had to modify this recipe to what I had in the garden. I used 1 poblano, 5 red jalapeños, and frozen mango. I also opted to roast the peppers and remove the skins, and also precooked the onion, garlic and fresh ginger. All into the food processor and did not cook it again after that. It is sooooo delicious I'm so excited about this salsa/hot sauce for my red snapper tonight!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Shannon.
Krystle Evans says
Can this recipe be processed in sterilized jars for canning? I'm about to try it, just not sure how it will work out.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Krystle, yes, though check the acidity first. It is best to be 3.5 or lower for home canning with a water bath.
Dano says
Mike, could I roughly cut up the ingredients and boil them first, then add to a blender second? I have a really small processor and my blender is just "ok". Thanks for the recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dano, absolutely. I do a lot of sauces/hot sauces that way. Nor problem at all. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Jarrod Thorne says
Hi there,
This looks awesome! On a whim, I bought a an Armageddon pepper plant unaware of it's 1.6M Scoville units. It's bloomed with over 20 of these little fiery peppers.
Any suggestions on how much of a small pepper I could use here for this recipe?
Thanks,
Jarrod
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Ooh, some real heat there! This recipe calls for 5 habaneros, but you could use just a single Armageddon pepper for this, or more if you can handle it! You can also try adding one Armageddon and 4 habaneros, or use one Armageddon and some other milder peppers to round things out. Let me know what you wind up doing and how it comes out for you. Curious!
Jessica says
Wow. Just WOW! This has to be the easiest recipe with LOADS of flavor! Instead mango I used a peach and added in some cayenne peppers! Well done! I will be using this recipe for all my concoctions this year that come out of the garden!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! I love the use of peaches here. An excellent touch. Glad you are enjoying it!
Stefan says
I made this last night and it's amazing. I did notice after I bottled and it cooled that it's super thick and doesn't pour out of the bottle. Any tips on how i can thin it out after it's already been cooled/bottled? Can i reprocess and add more water?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Stefan, yes, you can thin it out with water or other liquid. It will thicken from the cooler temperature in the refrigerator.
Brendon says
Great recipe, Best hot sauce I have ever made, I think the sugar is what made it so good, 10 out of 10!!! A LOT of Zing!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Super happy you enjoyed it, Brendon! Love it.
Debleena says
I made this a couple of weeks ago and absolutely love it! Instead of habanero, K used Scotch Bonnet as that’s what I had in hand. I have also added some of it while making meatballs and they tasted great too!! Can’t wait to make the second batch again.
Debleena
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear, Debleena! Glad you enjoyed it! SO good!
Mark says
Hi, can I use less vinegar ?
I followed your recipe and it to tastes
alot more of vinegar.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Mark, yes, next time you can use less. It may not last as long without the vinegar, but will still be good.
Eleni says
I am sure I will love this recipe...
Question
My habanero are still green
Can I do the recipe with green habanero?
I know that when mature will turn red, the orange habaneros that you use are the same species or else?
What I mean is before turning red, will the habaneros become orange first and then red?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Eleni. You can use green habaneros for this. They have more of a green vegetal taste, but will still be good here. There are different types of habanero peppers, some that turn orange and some that mature to red. There are many different kinds, but the most common you find in stores are the ones that turn orange. Other types are great!
Mike says
This is the first hot sauce recipe I’ve tried and I mixed it up a bit.
My onion was red so the the sauce is dark.
I quadrupled the ingredients as we had just harvested 20 fresh habanero from our plant.
You used equal amounts of mango and pineapple.
And fresh ginger.
The smell and taste is amazing and the seeds were left in so this isn’t for the faint of heart.
Jalapeño and banana peppers next up for creamy jalapeño sauce!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice, Mike! Sounds wonderful!
Jason G. says
Have you tried to make this by fermenting the Habanero peppers first? What would that do to the flavor profile?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jason, you can definitely ferment the peppers first. Fermenting mellows the overall flavor of the habaneros. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Shawn J Tinlin says
Mike ... excited to give this a go. I am in the process of growing a variety of different peppers primarily for powders and sauces. I do have a question about this recipe. If I was to go the fermentation route, would all the solids be fermented together and then clearly the vinegar and spices added after the fermentation? Would the mango be fermented with the peppers or blended in post fermentation process.
Thanks for all the great ideas!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Shawn, you could certainly ferment the mango as well, though I really only ferment the peppers and add the fresh fruit after, as I prefer the flavor. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy!
Roses says
Great. But I wonder how long this recipe can be stored? How to preserve it?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it! This hot sauce should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so (3.5 is better), to account for errors. If you’re concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
Brian Holton says
Just made a batch with cold smoked honey and Trinidad Scorpion Cardi, very tasty and a good amount of heat, very easy to make
Cheers Brian
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! I love it, Brian. You'll definitely get some heat with the scorpions! Enjoy.
Michael says
I just want to tell you one thing: Your recipe is very very great. Thanks Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, Michael! I appreciate it!
Cary says
Just made a small batch. Smells wonderful. We had to substitute agave nectar for the honey.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect!! I hope you enjoy it.
Milan Budhia says
Just made this now but with papaya as I had no mango. Soooooo good. Thanks for the recipe Mike
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Milan. This would ROCK with papaya! Glad you enjoyed it.
C lawton says
Could one use frozen mangos
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely, yes. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Haloom says
This recipe is amazing! This was my first time making chilli sauce and this recipe is very easy and delicious. I used four aji cristals as that is what I have growing. I can't wait to make this again - I'll probably use less chillies next time as it was pretty spicy.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Haloom! I'm very happy it was that easy for you. This is a good one, and yes, easy to adjust the amount of peppers. Enjoy!
Iza says
I had to go less on the heat (since my young kids eat it too and love it) so I only added one chilli pepper and a small yellow pepper but everything else as stated. It's absolutely delicious!!! I could drink it straight from the bottle! 😀
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Iza! Glad you love it! I appreciate the comments.
gabby says
Hi, This recipe sounds delicious. Does it use green (unripe) or ripe mango?
thanks 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Gabby, I use ripe mango. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Gary Hill says
Thanks for the recipe Mike. This sauce is the best, a good amount of heat yet a lot of flavour. The only problem is that it doesn't last long cos everyone loves it. I gave most of it away so I have to make another batch.
Cheers, Gary.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Cheers, Gary! Super happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting us know!
Victor says
Made it today .. very good thanks 🙂 I had to substitute rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar and used twice as much peppers .. this was first time I made hot sauce with cumin, ginger and allspice .. the flavor they add is excellent. Overall turned out very nice! super hot n tasty 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Victor. Very happy you enjoyed it. Have a good one!
Usetobeacagirl says
I made this exactly to the recipe and it tasted OK. The color was not bright orange. I added and extra fresh Mango, but I think the Cumin and allspice change the color. Plus all I can smell and taste is vinegar. I don't know what happened. I did triple the recipe but the only change was the extra Mango. I'm thinking maybe Mango Puree would work better??
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I'm very sorry to hear it didn't turn out for you as you hoped. I can't do anything about the vinegar flavor, as that is the intention of the recipe. It uses vinegar. You can always dial back on that to your preference if you ever try to make it again. The color is most likely because of the overall heat. If it was boiled too long or with too much heat outside of a low simmer, the bright orange color will turn a darker brown, as would happen with most foods like this. If you do try again, try very low heat. Again, sorry it didn't turn out how you hoped.
JLarry5000 says
Can't wait to try this. Has anyone tried putting the peppers in a smoker before doing the recipe? Curios how the smoke and mango would work together.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Smoking the peppers would certainly add a nice flavor element. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out for you! I love the idea.
Mark says
This is the second year in a row I've made this recipe. I added an additional habanero - love the heat! Great recipe! Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Glad you like it, Mark!
Kevin Slover says
Thank you for such a delicious recipe. I generally don’t care for the taste of habeñero, but when you combine them with mango they come alive.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Kevin. I agree, perfect pairing!
Landon says
1st time I’ve made something like this and trying to figure out why I’m tasting so much of the apple cider vinegar. I triple checked that I used correct amount and I did. Any ideas?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Landon, you can strain out some of the vinegar and reprocess, or you can reprocess the batch with extra peppers and mango. Let me know how it goes.
kirk says
Vodka instead of vinegar after it is cooked tastes marvelous and it can stay on the table. You may have to get used to the flavor of the ingredients instead of the vinegar.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for the suggestion, Kirk! Something to try.
Jacob S. says
Good recipe! I doubled the recipe and only had 5 habaneros but added 3 ghost peppers and some jalapeños I had to do something with. Added a little white pepper and a peach as well. Turned out great
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Jacob! Glad you enjoyed it! I love to hear this. Enjoy!
Diane says
How long will this keep refrigerated, and can it be canned? I have +- 5 pounds that I need to do something with!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Diane, the sauce should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It’s all about the acidity. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 3.5 to 4.0 or so, to account for errors. If you’re concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer. Yes, it can be canned, but again, check the acidity with a proper pH meter first. Or, use a pressure canner.
Matthee says
So you made a completely different sauce than the recipe is what you are saying?
Beckmoi says
This is the best hot sauce recipe! I have made this a few times now & it’s a crowd pleaser for sure. Made it once with ghost peppers & it was just as delicious. #YUMMO!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent news! Thanks so much!
Brandy says
Made this today because it sounded delicious! Doubled the recipe even! It came out beautiful! It was pretty hot but might have something to do with me doubling the recipe including double peppers??? I don't know! Still super excited about the results! Freaking delicious!!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Brandy. Super happy you enjoyed it! I love it.
Sherry Roverts says
It was a hit, I was afraid I would not eat it as it would be too hot for me. I love it and my husband loves it. I didn't change the receipe at all and doubled it. I bought by accident the Haberno plant when getting peppers for my garden, but I ran with it and when it produced, it produced big and I hate to throw anything away. The only question was how big the Haberno peppers were you were using, so I only put 7 in the double batch, it had some heat. We have used it on meat, eggs, fish, it was so good I got more Mangos and will try it now with fresh ginger. I would have posted a pic, but my container is not as attractive as yours. Thanks for sharing. Next year I will plant them on purpose because I now have a purpose for them.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
This is GREAT to hear, Sherry! I'm glad you took a leap and kept the habaneros! They're so productive and fun to cook with, even if they do have quite a bit of heat. Glad you liked the hot sauce! It's one of my favorites. I hope it makes its way into your regular rotation.
Milou says
I made this with madame jeanette peppers, as they're my favourites (and roughly the same level of spicy as habaneros). I loved it! I think the inherent fruitiness that madame jeanettes have really added to the deliciousness of the sauce. I think for me personally, next time I'll add fresh ginger instead of dried.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Milou. Fresh ginger works just right for this recipe. I appreciate it!
Darcy says
I made this almost exact I did however substitute agave nectar for honey I also added 2 Dave's gourmet ghost peppers and a cup of fresh pineapple and 2 large sweet peaches and half a cup of cilantro and oven roasted garlic so good sweet heat I make it all the time and to change it up I'll substitute the golden fruit for blueberries so delicious as well
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Darcy. I'm glad you're able to play with the recipe. Nice! I'll have try this with blueberries.
Craig Wilson says
I do like different hot sauces and this one jumped to the top of the list. Sadly struggled to find Habanero's even at the bigger supermarkets. So substituted for Birds Eye (used about 8). The flavour was amazing with a nice heat to it. This one will be getting used again and again.....
Lack of Peppers can be frustrating here!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Craig. I wish you had access to more peppers!
Jacob says
Craig Wilson where do you live that you can find bird's eyes but not habaneros? I have to order bird's eyes on amazon.
David Mir says
Gave this a crack today, actually as an afterthought as I had a ton of chillis left over from a batch of ultra hot sauce I made earlier. Used 3 large bhut jolokia (ghost peppers) and 4 good sized red habanero, all home grown. Used 200g of frozen mango and added a carrot into the mix (mainly as it was in the fridge and needed using up!). Stuck to the recipe otherwise though I didn’t add the honey til the cook stage to stop it gunning up the blender. Really impressed with the result and it’s got a beautiful orange colour from the yellow mango, orange carrot and red peppers blending together. It’s got a serious kick without being masochistic and overpowering the complexity of the flavours. Definitely gonna repeat this one!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's GREAT, David. Super happy you like it. It's definitely one of my favorite hot sauce recipes. Lots of habaneros for me.
David Mir says
Made my third or 4th batch today, a double batch with 3 small fresh mangos this time. I didn’t have any carrots and without them the colour is noticeably less vibrant, however the taste isn’t affected much at all. I still think they’re a worth addition for the colour alone though.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, David! Carrots add a touch of sweetness and also some body to the sauce, but you are correct, not a huge flavor component. Glad you enjoyed it!!
Sean says
Doubled the habanero because I love hot and I thought I wasn’t a moron. Next time I will not double the habanero! Great stuff though.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Haha, I hear ya! Always tempting to spice things up even more!
Deter says
Hey I'm looking forward to trying this recipe out soon, but i was wondering, when it calls for a white onion, does that mean a whole white onion? The onion I bought is about the size of a baseball, just seems like a lot of onion to me, but I could be wrong.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Deter, onion is one of those ingredients that sort of a "to preference" ingredient. With this recipe, being so large, I would only use a quarter or half of the onion. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Liam says
Oh man I wish I read this before I made it.
Right now this sauce tastes like an extremely hot onion.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sorry, Liam. You can always make an extra batch without onion and combine the two.
Ken Howie says
Awesome sauce, Thank you so much
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Ken!
Steven says
Mike,
this has got to be my all time FAVORITE hot sauce. This stuff is incredible. Thank you for this recipe. It really does go good on everything and tastes amazing just plane. I made a small batch, skeptical at first. As soon as I tasted it I bought 2 more mangos and made another double batch. I have bottles of the stuff now, and unfortunately it is disappearing a lot faster than I want.
Thanks for this winner of a sauce!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Steven! Super happy you love it. It's one of my favorites for sure. Enjoy!
Robert says
I made this last night, first time I've ever made hot sauce. This is an absolutely terrific recipe.
I had to use canned mango (200 grams). It does not have the great flavor that a ripe mango has, so I went a bit heavier on the honey, not that it adds mango flavor, but it adds some of the sweetness that was lacking.
I was able to use home-grown onion and garlic. I am somewhat of a chicken with heat, so I used 3 home-grown habaneros. I would describe the result as "mild", really just about right for me.
Thanks, Mike. This is a true keeper.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Robert! Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Cheyann says
OMG this is AMAZING. THANK YOU!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Cheyann!
Linda says
My peppers are coming in quite small, and I'm not sure how they compare to regular sized peppers. I've never bought them, just grew them on a lark and now they're coming in like crazy!. I'd love be to try this recipe. Does anyone have an ounce equivelent for the peppers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Linda, the recipe is pretty forgiving if you use extra peppers. If they're small, I'd say use 5-10 of them. You can easily use more.. Let me know how it works out for you.
Robin Kerr says
Used Peruvian White Lightning to make the Caribbean sauce. Used pineapple instead of mango and oh my. The taste on the tongue is magical, but once the complexity gets to the rest of the taste buds, it is better than anything i have had before...many thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent!!
Brad Cooper says
A great sauce. I grew Carolina Reapers and Cayenne, I used 1 reaper and 4 cayenes. The layers of flavour are great. Thanks so much. More to come.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Brad! I love the addition of the Reaper. Nice.
Richard says
Followed the ingredients and instructions, very easy and came out exactly as discribed. Hot and delicious, tangy, sweet sauce!
I even upped the number of peppers as I have an abundance which I need to use before they spoil.
Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work,
I love chilipeppermadness
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I appreciate it, Richard. Glad you enjoyed it. See you around the site!
Janet says
If i were to ferment this habanaro mango jerk sauce, would all ingredients ferment together?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Janet, if you want to ferment for this recipe, I would just ferment the peppers or you can ferment the first 4 ingredients. See this link for How to Ferment Chili Peppers.
Sarah Littleton says
This sauce is great but VERY hot. I love mango habanero sauce, but in the future I would probably half the amount of habaneros to bring it down from an extremely hot spice level.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Oh yes, habaneros have a very nice (HOT) heat level, as indicated in the recipe notes. Thanks, Sarah!
Luz says
Hi!
I simply Love your recipe!
can I substitute distilled vinegar for the apple cider?
Would you mind giving some substitute ingredients if possible in the future .
Keep up the good work
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Luz, yes, you can use distilled vinegar instead. No problem at all!
jenny w says
Can someone please explain how long to process for in a water bath to make this safe?? Leaving instructions stating "just process according to canning" isn't helpful. How long for? Is there enough acidity in it?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jenny, refer to this page for proper canning/jarring procedures: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/canning-or-jarring-chili-peppers/. Note that acidity is discussed in the post, and you should always measure your ph if you're going to process the hot sauce. It's best under 4.0 for home use. This particular sauce was about 3.5 when I measured it, but be sure to measure your own.
Chris Ricketts says
Really quick and easy to make but full of awesome flavor. Going to be a crowd pleaser come Christmas time here in Australia.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Chris! Thanks for sharing! I greatly appreciate it.
Lotus Food Gallery says
looks amazing!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks!!
Frank says
Sounds amazing!
I wonder if this sauce would be even more shelf stable if I partly replaced the apple cider vinegar with the pickling juice of my big jar of store-bought Jalapenos, since it has sodium benzoate in it? Also it is ofcourse infused with a nice jalapeno flavour. Sounds like a win to me.
I'm only in doubt about maybe mixing both apple cider and the pickling juice for flavour.. would that taste weird? should I just omit the apple cider completely?
Mike Hultquist | Chili Pepper Madness says
You can certainly try it, Frank. I don't believe it would be any MORE shelf stable, and I'm not sure how it would be affected as the brine would be already used, heated/processed, etc, but for a short term sauce solution, I'm sure it would work. It might be a nice flavor infusion. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Frank says
Finally made this. Had yellow Habs instead of orange, did 8, Substituted brown sugar for the honey, added some lime, pineapple and some crushed dried ghost pepper. It's hot alright. Seems to be a slight bitter note to it. Could it be the dried ghost pepper? Or maybe the ginger powder, I know that it's a bit older already. The bitterness is luckily fading a bit now. Awesome sauce.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Franks! Glad you enjoyed it. Sometimes the SEEDS can be a bit bitter, so that is a possible source of it.
Michael says
Is there a way to determine how many scoville units this sauce has? Habaneros are supposed to be from 100,000 - 350,000, and there are five of them. Does it stack? I would think so, since capsaicin concentration increases. But there's also a dilution factor, too. Does anyone know a good way to kinda ballpark the intensity of a hot sauce? I want to make a bunch and label their relative intensities.
REPLY: Michael, the overall sauce will still be the same SHU. It does not stack. The thing is, you only need a little to notice the heat. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
EZ says
I like to reuse the swing top bottles that Grolsch beer comes in for bottling hot sauce. They are 16 oz and green, not clear. If you don't like drinking beer they are sold used and empty on EBAY.
Yeremis says
Why does it need to be cooked?
REPLY: The flavors are much more developed this way. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
John says
I put my own spin ont the sauce. I added 6 ghost pepper with it. It kicked up a few notches.
Joanie says
Beautiful salsa ! Wonderful taste,
Marie says
I just made it today and it was phenomenal! I must say I replaced the powdered ginger with fresh ginger, and replaced some of the garlic with garlic powder (I only had 2 cloves). Also, I added a pinch more allspice. It's soooo gooooood I want to put this sauce everywhere! Just spicy enough, not too much (but still really strong!). Super nice. Thanks for the recipe! I think next time, I'll try adding some lime juice too, and maybe remove a little vinegar to balance it out. I think it could really work well!
Per Nielsen says
Can I blevnd it instead of putting it in a food processor, coz I don't have one ?
REPLY: Per, yes, a blender will work just fine. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Sue says
This sauce rocks! The layers of flavor are fabulous. I also sautéed the garlic and onions. I grew the habaneros and a friend visiting from Florida gave me mangos from her tree.
I want to ship her some bottles--is this safe unrefrigerated for a couple days?
REPLY: Sue, I would think it would be OK if properly sealed. You might want to do a waterbath with a proper seal to ensure safety for food shipping. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Kathie says
Can I can it?
REPLY: Kathie, yes, just be sure to follow all proper canning procedures. If you're going to bottle/jar it and use the waterbath method, be sure to check the ph level. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Mike C says
Ok, wow! This sauce is just awesome! Subtle Caribbean flavours with a great heat and fruity kick.
I didn't follow the recipe exactly but I wasn't too far off - I used tinned mango as I couldn't get fresh, fresh ginger as I didn't have ground, the mango syrup from the tin as I didn't have honey and I fried my onion and garlic as I didn't want any harsh onion / garlic flavours. I also used dried Orange Habaneros as, well, getting proper chillies in the UK is difficult.
This isn't an "everyday" or "all purpose" sauce, like Sriracha as it's so fruity but regardless, as a speciality sauce, it's just stunning, if I brought this from the store, I'd be raving about it.
Mike, thanks so much for putting this site and recipes together, what an amazing resource. This is the second of your sauces that I've tried, I going to have to work my way through all of them!
REPLY: That's great, Mike! Glad to have inspired you. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Jim says
How long can the sauce be saved?
REPLY: Jim, this sauce has a lot of vinegar in it so it should last quite a while. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Stevo Butkevich says
Looks great. Heat and color. Come alive. I have 16 habanaro and scotch bonnet plants ready for picking. Grew them in black 5 gallon planters. What an explosion.Wanted to send you picks. Cheers Stevo