A homemade hot sauce recipe made with garden grown aji peppers that have been fermented for 6 weeks, then processed with fresh garlic, lime juice and vinegar. Simple and delicious.
Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce Recipe
My fermentation experimentation continues. I grew several aji pepper varieties this year in the garden and you know, if you've ever grown aji peppers, that they are VERY productive.
It's one of the reasons I typically grow at least one aji variety each year, because of the large yield.
You'll find a good range of them as well, from sweets to hots, with flavor differences in between, so you're free to grow to your own taste preferences. The thing is, since they are SO productive, what can you do with all of those peppers?
You can cook them into meals, of course, freeze them, dry them to make homemade chili flakes and powders, but don't forget one important way to keep them...
HOMEMADE HOT SAUCE!
YES!
Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Aji Peppers. Fermented – I used Aji Habanero peppers (Learn How to Ferment Chili Peppers Here).
- Fresh Garlic Cloves. Chopped.
- Lime Juice.
- White Wine Vinegar.
How to Make This Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce - The Recipe Method
I took a solid pound of ajis - Aji Habaneros, in this case - and fermented them for 6 weeks. Learn How to Ferment Chili Peppers Here.
I used the brine method, which is my preferred fermenting method with chili peppers. Basically, I processed the peppers, added them to a jar, and poured a salt solution over them to cover. Leave a good inch of head space.
The brine is made by mixing 3 tablespoons of sea salt with 1 quart of unchlorinated water, which creates the ideal environment for good bacteria to do its work.
The process of fermentation basically breaks down the peppers, mellowing them out a bit, developing flavor. You can typically see that activity in the form of bubbles in the brine, though sometimes you'll have a quiet fermentation and won't see the bubbles.
As the process slows, activity tends to stop after a week or 2, though you can continue fermenting. In this case, I left mine in the pantry for 6 weeks before moving onward.
This is a very simple recipe once your fermentation is completed. I was looking for a no-nonsense hot sauce to keep in the fridge for splashing over foods, something vinegary, something garlicky, something a bit spicy.
This is a great one for that. Just cook the fermented peppers, including the brine, with lime juice, fresh garlic and vinegar, then process it in a food processor.
I strain mine afterward to give it a consistency more like Tabasco sauce, though you can keep it more chunky and solid if you'd like. If you DO strain it, try dehydrating those solids for a bit of homemade seasoning powder. There is plenty of life left in that pulp!
See How to Make Seasonings from Strained Hot Sauce Pulp.
Let me know how it turns out for you! Happy hot sauce making!
About the Fermenting Process
Most of the work is in the fermenting process, and that isn't much work. It's mostly chopping, measuring, and WAITING. Waiting is the hardest part.
You can ferment for a week or 2 to let the good bacteria do their work, but you can easily go longer. I often go about 8 weeks for mine.
If you're new to fermenting, I have some information you can refer to. See: How to Ferment Chili Peppers (How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash).
A few notes on making hot sauce.
Can You Make This Hot Sauce with Fresh Instead of Fermented Peppers?
Absolutely. Just skip the fermenting steps. You will still get a hot sauce with great flavor.
Fermented peppers offer up a milder flavor for your hot sauce blends, so the resulting hot sauce is typically more complex and nuanced than many other hot sauces. The choice is yours.
Adjusting the Hot Sauce Heat Factor
These aji peppers have a good level of heat to them, but if you're looking for an even HOTTER hot sauce, either add in a few heat level peppers that you'd like to cook with, such as habanero peppers or ghost peppers, or just use those exclusively for a different but delicious sauce.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- If you like the bottles that I am using, I find them locally sometimes, but I also order them 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.
- For longer storage you can process this hot sauce. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
- Aside from drizzling this sauce 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!
Storage & Leftovers
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.
Check out These Related Recipes:
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- Caribbean Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Caribbean-Style Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
- Easy Aji Chili Sauce
- What is Xanthan Gum?
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce. Also - Learn How to Ferment Chili Peppers Here.
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound aji peppers fermented – I used Aji Habanero peppers (Learn How to Ferment Chili Peppers Here)
- 2 cloves fresh garlic chopped
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a small pot and bring to a quick boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cool a bit, then process it all in a food processor blender.
- Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and bottle it up. You can discard the pulp or use it for soups or stews, or dehydrate it for seasoning.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Ward A Moroz says
I buy swing-top 8.5 oz glass bottles from Dollarama for $1.50 CAD. I imagine there are American equivalents to Canadian Dollaramas.
Mike Hultquist says
Perfect for hot sauces! Yep, we have "The Dollar Store" and a few others.
David Howell says
I made this today. Great recipe. I used honey fermented garlic instead of fresh and added 1/2 a reaper at the blend for a little extra heat. I’ll definitely be trying more of your recipes. Thanks!
Mike H. says
Sounds like a plan. Thank you, David!
Brian says
Your website and content is amazing! Will be purchasing your books soon. I am in the process of making this with Aji Limon peppers. Only some of them are yellow however. I'm sure it will not be as good as if they were all fully ripe. Do you think it will still turn out usable?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Brian! Yes, I think the sauce will still be good. It just might have a bit of the "green" or verde flavor, but still great for recipes. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Jesus Franco says
For how Long it will be good if you use fresh garlic and fresh lime and it need ti be on a deidge or not? Thank you
Mike Hultquist says
Jesus, because of the vinegar content, this should last 6 months out and 12 months in the refrigerator. If you have concerns, you can add more vinegar and measure the pH. Shoot for 3.5 or lower for home keeping. Best to refrigerate.
Jesus Franco says
Sorry and I need to know if i need to put the hot sauce on the fridge
Thank you
Mike Hultquist says
Jesus, no, it does not need refrigeration, but will last longer in the fridge. I have a post on that here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/refrigerating-hot-sauce/. This does NOT need
forest says
I just made this with 50 aji pineapple peppers and it's great! Think i messed up though I only added a splash of the brine with the vinegar do you mix the whole quart of brine with it? or just 1/3 cup of vinegar
Mike Hultquist says
Forest, you did it right. There are different ways to do this recipe. You can use all of the brine and have a very thin sauce, or dump the brine and use fresh vinegar for the flavor. Since the peppers are fermented, you can technically just process the whole thing and skip the cooking. It's already preserved and low in acidity. I sometimes prefer to dump the salty brine and use vinegar, like for this recipe. Cooking removes the probiotic benefits, but stops fermenting altogether, and preserves the flavor as it is. Anyway, using a bit of the brine is great for extra saltiness and thinning the sauce. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Peter George Hauschner says
The last two batches I fermented I used part brine, lime juice & vinegar to keep that delicious fermented taste and the probiotics, rather than cooking it. But I also added Espolon Tequila Reposado to really slow or stop the fermentation and still keep the probiotics. I think it worked, but I still keep in in the fridge. Great taste and has that fermented flavor. No bottles have exploded yet!
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds great, Peter! Glad you enjoying it!!
Alexander says
As always, a great recipe! I wonder if it would make sense to ferment the chili and the garlic together and just add the lime/vinegar later. But I am always a bit cautious when it comes to fermenting garlic.
Mike Hultquist says
You can definitely do that, Alexander. It mellows the garlic. Enjoy!
Peter Fisher says
Thanks for the recipes. I planted two Aji Cristal plants and am now awash in peppers! Very prolific. I have a question about your hot sauce. When I have made it in the past I have put whole or chopped up peppers in the jar with the brine, and then processed it uncooked after they have fermented for two weeks or more. I am wondering the merits of processing first, and of cooking, which in general I avoid when fermenting because you lose some of the good bacteria.
Mike Hultquist says
Peter, you don't have to cook the hot sauce. I do to meld the flavors and stop the fermentation process, but yes, it does remove probiotic benefits. Skip the cooking if you'd like. You'll have a slightly different flavor this way, but still quite enjoyable.
Ron says
Please include volume as well as the number of servings.
Love your recipes and all the information and tip you provide!
Great effort and work!!
Mike Hultquist says
Will try, Ron! Thanks!
Martha says
Hi Mike, you mention that you dehydrate the strained "pulp" and use it as spice. I put mine in a jar and add some olive oil and use it on pizza base or add it to a dip. Never thought it could be dried as well! Thanks will give that a go.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Martha. Yes, I like to dehydrate it and use it as a seasoning, but I also use it your way. It's perfect for an extra blast of flavor in so many dishes. A nice spicy chili paste! Thanks for sharing!
Jane says
Hi, great recipes but wondering if you have a recipe for just a garlic sauce? I grow my own garlic and love the Brazilian Alho sauce.
Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Jane. There are many different ways to make a garlic sauce. Do you have a certain one in mind? More like this one? Or more buttery? Or? You could always replace the peppers in this recipe with all garlic. Skip fermenting and just simmer it, then process. Very garlicky!
Raquel says
Hi Michael,
Just found this website, lots of great info!
I just got back from Peru with a bunch of dried Aji Mirasol, Panca, and in addition I bought some Ancho at a local store in the UK. Do you think I could make a hot sauce with all 3? I could make separate ones for each but honestly I already have too many hot sauce bottles clogging up my fridge... Do you think the distinct flavours of each will mix well or just kind of get lost in the mix?
I've successfully made fermented scotch bonnet and mango hot sauce, but that combination is hard to mess up because the flavours work so well together! I want to use up the ingredients I have but still end up with something tasty at the end. Maybe some specific spices or other ingredients to bring the 3 chillies together?
Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Raquel. Yes, you can definitely combine them, but you're right, some might dominate the others, like the ancho, which is quite distinct. You might play with ratios to see what you like best. It might take a lot of experimentation with batches, but that's pretty fun, I think. Otherwise, those 3 would go together perfectly. For spices and other flavors, I suggest garlic and onion, bit of salt, maybe some fresh or dried herb, like Mexican oregano. Let me know how it all comes out for you. Enjoy!
Knut says
Greetings from Norway.
Love your site. I grow lots of chilis but have just started making my own sauces. Your site is a goldmine.
I like to add tomatoes to the sauce, would you recommend to ferment them with the chili or put them in during the cooking?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Knut. You can do it either way, really. It comes down to personal taste preference. Fermented tomatoes are a bit tangier and more mellow than fresh, with an interesting depth of flavor.
Ilja says
Hey!
I just found the site and man, what a goldmine. I'm really grateful for the all the work, the useful links, advice, recipies and the rest. I live in Ukraine, no room for a chili garden, and so I depend on what I can find at the local market. I *THINK* I got my hands on some Aji peppers this weekend (searching through your guide helped a ton) and, being the only person in my family with a "hot streak", there's no way I can use them all fresh...so my first stab at hot sauce coming up.
How those Aji's got here all the way from Peru will remain a mystery.
Thanks again, great site, great work.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much Ilja. I hope you have some recipes you love. Enjoy!