Peach-Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce features a perfect balance of sweet peaches and fiery scotch bonnet chili peppers! You can drizzle this homemade hot sauce onto chicken, fish, or whatever else your heart desires.
Peach-Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce
If you're new here, welcome! You should know right off the bat that we like to make our own hot sauce recipes here at Chili Pepper Madness, and this peach-scotch bonnet hot sauce just might be a contender for our favorite one of all time. Well, it's at least in the top 5! I don't know if I could ever pick a true favorite.
This is a fermented hot sauce that features the most incredible balance of naturally sweet and spicy flavors. Scotch bonnet peppers have an inherent fruitiness that is complimented by the peaches, making this a truly killer combination.
Drizzle it on anything you want - we've found that chicken and fish pair with it best.
Ingredients in Peach-Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce
- Scotch bonnet peppers
- Tomatoes
- Peach
- Garlic
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Mustard powder
- Salt
- Ground cardamom (I used green cardamom)
- Black pepper
How to Make Peach-Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce
Chop the veggies and peach. Chop the peppers, tomato, peach and garlic. Pack them into a large jar and leave at least 1 inch of head space. The mixture may rise a bit when fermenting.
Add the brine. Mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons of sea salt. Pour just enough of this brine over the mixture to fully submerge it, pressing it down a bit as you go. It's important to keep the mixture covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily!
Ferment. Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. I fermented for 10 weeks. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75°F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting.
Boil, then simmer. After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic. When satisfied with your fermenting time, pour the contents, including the brine, into a pot along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Blend. Cool to room temperature, then process with a food processor until nice and smooth.
Enjoy! Pour your scotch bonnet hot sauce into sterilized jars and seal. Refrigerate and enjoy. Tastes even better if you leave it mingle a week or longer.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- You can process this hot sauce. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
- Use a good bottle. Here's 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.
- Learn more about how to ferment properly. Check out our page “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash” for more detailed instructions.
Storage
This peach hot sauce keeps for a few months 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.
Can I make this hot sauce without fermenting?
To make a non-fermented version of this hot sauce recipe, just skip the brine process and start with fresh ingredients. Add everything to a pot but add only a half cup of water or so.
Simmer the ingredients to break them down, then process it. Add a bit more water until you reach the consistency you'd prefer.
Or, reverse the order and process the ingredients first with water to your consistency preference, then simmer the processed 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.
Peach-Scotch Bonnet-Peach Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Scotch Bonnet peppers chopped
- 1 pound tomatoes chopped
- 1 peach peeled, pitted and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom (I used green cardamom)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- First, roughly chop the peppers, tomato, peach and garlic. Pack them into a large jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The mixture may rise a bit when fermenting.
- Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the mixture to cover it, pressing them down a bit as you go. It is important to keep the mixture covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
- Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. I fermented for 10 weeks. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash”, for further instruction.
- After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
- When satisfied with your fermenting time, pour the contents, including brine, into a pot along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cool, then process with a food processor until nice and smooth.
- Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Refrigerate and enjoy. Tastes even better if you leave it mingle a week or longer.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Megan in Ontario says
Made this last year, was afraid to give it as gifts in case it wasn't great. Good thing because it was so good we needed it all. Fermenting lots more right now. My own tomatoes and peppers, local peaches. Next year I will grow my own garlic too. Fairly mild as far as hot sauce goes but nice balanced heat. Super on eggs!
Love your site, Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear, Megan! I love it! Glad you're enjoying the recipe. A perfect gift!
John says
Need a little help! I’ve made the peach and the mango recipes with Scotch Bonnets from your site. Awesome flavor but no bite. Straight out of the bottle they were comparable to original Tabasco in heat. Once applied to food it completely disappeared. I altered the recipe to 12 habaneros with no difference. What am I missing or doing wrong?? Followed recipe exactly. Please help.
Mike Hultquist says
Sorry to hear, John. Sometimes the cooking process CAN result in a hot sauce that's milder from the original peppers, and the fruits can tame them a bit, but not that much. I'm wondering if there is some issue with the original peppers being used. If you want more immediate heat, you can process the whole batch with a bit of hot chili powder, like cayenne or ghost powder. Let me know how that goes. Or, you can make another batch with superhots, like ghosts or scorpions, then combine the two.
Zuzanna says
do you remove the seeds? the seeds are the most spicy, maybe you should leave some in?
Mike Hultquist says
Zuzanna, the heat is actually in the whitish pepper innards, not the seeds, though the innards do get removed along with the seeds. But yep, coring them will result in much milder sauce.
Sara Elizabeth Murphy says
Greetings! I am the happy beneficiary of a loquat tree that's dripping with ripe fruit right now. I searched your site for recipes that included peach, figured loquat would stand in nicely, and that's how I got to this one. I'm wondering if I could replace both the peach and the tomato in this recipe entirely with loquat. In that event, I might perhaps reduce the amount of honey I add at the end. Do you think there are any down-sides to this? Also, I adore your site and really appreciate you!
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Sara. Absolutely, you can do that, no problem at all. No downside, really. You can very easily taste and adjust as you go. Glad you're enjoying the site! Let me know how the hot sauce turns out!
Shannon says
How long will these last after putting in jars? Can they be water processed?
Mike Hultquist says
Shannon, this should last a few months, even longer (and shelf stable) when processed in a water bath. However, check the pH first. Shoot for a 3.5 or lower for home preserving.
Chris says
How do you keep the mixture covered by brine. Mine floated to the top when I put the brine in and no matter how much I mix it, there’s still pieces above the brine.
Mike Hultquist says
Chris, I use small glass weights, but you can use a baggie filled with water stuffed into the top. Works great, and is pretty easy to do.
Chris says
Mike, great idea with the bag of water! I couldn’t find a screw top jar big enough, so I’m using a Ball spring top jar with cling wrap under the lid. Hopefully this is enough of a seal.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy!!
dave says
I've used a small funnel, the type I use to fill my woozy bottles, turned upside down. The lid holds the funnel down.
Chris says
Would it be possible to use dried reapers in this recipe? I have plenty still from a previous season. Would I need to reconstitute them if I ferment the sauce?
Thanks for a great site 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, Chris. Yep, reconstitute them in hot water. I have a post on this you can check out: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/
Tom says
Finally made the Peach-Scotch Bonnet hot sauce. It is a hit especially with those in my family who love hot sauce. "Best hot sauce I have ever tasted" was my son's comment. I am a bit of a coward when it comes to hot spicy sauces however this one is really, really good.
I should have read the recipe better. I fermented the scotch bonnet peppers only for over ten weeks. Then I added the rest of the ingredients (unfermented) afterward. This obviously worked well too. No fresh peaches available so I used canned peaches. I also substituted cinnamon and nutmeg (half and half) in for the cardamon. I cooked it outside in a SS camping pot and camp cook stove just to prevent any accidental release of fumes in the house. This worked well.
Love the sauce. Thank you for the recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Tom. 10 weeks is plenty of time for fermentation. Super happy you enjoyed how it turned out! I love to hear it. Thanks for sharing your comments! I greatly appreciate it.
Bigfoot says
I can't comment on the sauce yet because I just got everything into the fermenting vessel. Being my first sauce I underestimated the volume of the ingredients and could not get everything to fit into my mason jar. I transferred the ingredients to my food processor, chopped everything up, added 3% sea salt by weight and put it back into the jar to start fermenting. I'll update in about 4 weeks once I've let the lacto do it thing and I get to taste this sauce! Also, I had to use habaneros because that's all I had available to me.
Thank you for taking so much time to create this amazing site!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Best of luck, and enjoy!
Hardeep Chowdhary says
Hi Mike, I have 2 versions fermenting and both smell phenomenal. They're 8 weeks in. I've done some experimentation as well and I've noticed some batches aren't as cloudy as others, even though they've got almost exact same ingredients. Has that happened to you?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hardeep, yes, there are many factors that go into the fermenting process. It's pretty normal, though. Some brines will become cloudier than others.
Kelsey says
Hey Mike! Awesome site, recipes, guidance and inspiration. I’m always learning....
Comment regarding your recipe for fermentation:
Once fermented - the sauce is pretty much ‘bombproof’ (ph, salt and dominant bacto)....
My question is:
Once brought to a boil - much of the freed up and available nutrients (vitamins and lacto flora) are temperature destroyed with boiling, no?
Better to not boil or can it?
I’ve been successfully (mostly hahaha) fermenting lots of stuff for a long time (everything from veg to meat) but always know that I need to learn more.
Thanks for doing what you do!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You are correct about the boiling, Kelsey. You don't have to boil it if you don't want to. Just store in the refrigerator. You may need to burp your container, though. Or can it.
Hardeep Chowdhary says
Hi Mike, I'm making a version with the chocolate habaneros I grew and some peaches from the market. I had question about the fermentation. I used quart of water with salt for brine like you suggested. I put ingredients in the jar and then added the brine, but only used half the brine; all the ingredients are completely submerged. I used a 64oz jar for fermenting. I'm wondering if that's enough brine for the fermentation since it's covered, but only has half the brine amount. Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hardeep, as long as the peppers are completely submerged, that is all you need. You can save the extra brine for another batch, or discard it.
Tim says
Hi again Mike,
Thanks for your last response.
Well, things look really good so far. I have continued to burp the jars every couple days. There seems to be a new yeast film on top but not as much as the first one, but no more mold.
When I smell the ferment it smells like alcohol. Is that what it should smell like? It doesn’t smell rotten or anything putrid like. First time doing this So I am that it turns out.
Thanks again!
Tim
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Tim, you're most likely smelling the sour smell of the ferment, which is common in fermenting. As long as it doesn't smell or taste bad or off.
Tim K. says
Hi there,
I made this peach hot sauce. It’s fermenting nicely, but I noticed a skin on top that had a few spots of mold. I was able to remove the skin and dispose of it. Is the sauce no good anymore? Do I need to start over?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Tim, you can usually skim things off of the top, but if you have mold inside the ferment, that's not good. Trust your nose. If it smells rotten or bad, I would dump it, but if things smell okay, you're probably fine.
laurie says
The recipe looks great. I think I'll do it tomorrow. I wonder though why you cook it at the end? Fermenting makes it probiotic, but when you cook it, it's no longer probiotic. Why not just bottle it and put it in the fridge?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Laurie, you don't have to cook it at the end. I do so so stop the fermentation process, but you can skip it to keep the probiotic benefits. Just keep it refrigerated, but you may need to burp the bottle/jar on occasion.
Cindy Potter says
I don’t have enough ripe habañeros, but tons of serranos. Do you think it would be okay to add them to the habeñeros to make the 6oz.? Also, for jar size does it make a difference using pint size jars or quart size? Is one size better than another? Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Cindy. Yes, you can make this with serranos. No problem. You'll get a different final flavor and color, but it will still be quite delicious. The jar size doesn't matter, as long as you can fit the sauce! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Dan says
How big of a jar do you need to ferment in? I'd like to double the batch. Think I can fit it in a 32oz Ball Jar?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dan, you can fit quite a lot in a 32 ounce Ball jar. That's a good size.
Josh says
Hi,
I really want to make this recipe, currently I only have dried Scotch Bonnets?
Will these work if I hydrate them, and do I need to adjust the amount I use?
Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Josh. Yep, you can absolutely use dried pods. Dried pods are typically 1/4 the weight of fresh. I have a link on how to make hot sauce from dried pods that you can check out. Let me know if this helps: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/
Stephen says
Hi Mike. I'm very excited to try this recipe out, thanks so much for sharing. So if I'm using dried pods I would use 1.5 ounces (6oz / 4) of the dried scotch bonnet pods?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, should be good, Stephen. Enjoy!
Andrew S says
If the mash rises am I supposed push it back down? I've done one batch of this and as it fermented it would rise to the top, I pushed it back down but I worried about contaminating the jars.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Andrew, yes, the mash needs to be below the water. The best thing to do is use some sort of weight to keep it all down, like a baggie filled with water. Try chopping the peppers larger next time if the bits keep rising above the surface. You do run risk of contamination each time you open the jar, yes, so be quick and use best cleanliness practices. Let me know how it goes.
Jessica C O'Malley says
Hi Mike,
My first time try to ferment. I did have a bit of the yeast growth, not much. My veggies were soft (color is good, though) and there is definitely an odor. I don't know if I'd describe it as bad, but it is pungent. Has my ferment gone bad?
Thank you for the help and inspiring recipes.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Jessica. It probably did not go bad. The smell can be pungent and a bit sour, and the peppers do soften in the brine. You'll know it has gone bad if you notice fuzzy mold growth and/or if you notice a fetid odor. Just beware of those signs of rot or infection.
Jessica C O'Malley says
Thank you for your response. Mine came out a little thin so I reduced down. I didn't have ground cardamon so used 3 pods and strained my sauce before bottling. Flavor is really nice, balanced, not too hot. Beautiful color. Looking forward to trying it again after a week or so. Thanks again.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Jessica! Glad you're enjoying it! I appreciate the comments.
Sharon says
We had the fun of growing scotch bonnet peppers in our garden this year. Your recipe was the chosen one! I have 2 jars which have been fermenting for about 10 days now (no longer an active ferment). I did not close the jars tight and after a week, replaced the covers with a saucer. One jar has developed a white ‘scummy type’ film on top. I tried to scoop it up but was not 100% successful. The other jar, so far, is normal.
Have I lost 1 jar of sauce to be? A quick response, especially if salvageable, is greatly appreciated
Thank you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sharon, that white film is most likely kahm yeast, which is harmless, though it can affect the taste of your sauce. It is somewhat bitter. If the film is more fuzzy, then that is mold and you've lost your batch, but it sounds more like kahm yeast.
Sharon says
Thank you for such a quick response.
Did I do something wrong and/or could this have been prevented? If so, what should have been done differently.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You really didn't do anything wrong, as it is really tough to have a perfect ferment every time. The best ways to avoid kahm yeast is to ensure everything is as clean as possible when setting up your batch, keep the ferment a bit below room temperature if possible, and make sure you are using airtight containers. If kahm yeast still grows, you can still just skim it off. Good luck!
DaveK says
After years of dissatisfaction with commercial hot sauces, I decided to make my own. I searched the internet and found you, Mike.
I followed your instructions exactly with one exception - I added 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum dissolved in oil to hopefully stabilize it so they tiny solids wouldn't precipitate out.
I fermented for two weeks. By then it was no longer very active, as you said.
I cooked this morning, cooled and bottled.
The recipe yielded five five-ounce bottles. The consistency is perfect, the color beautiful and the taste is off the charts.
Thank you for the great recipe and the excellent tutorial. No more commercial hot sauces for me!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, DaveK! Very happy you've found some hot sauce recipes you love. Great tip on the xanthan gum. Much appreciated!
DaveK says
As you know from my previous comments, I loved this recipe. I kept my bottled sauce in the fridge. It's now been a little over two months and the sauce has lost about 20% of it's heat. It's still hot, but not like it was. It still tastes great - just not as hot. Is this normal?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, yes, this is normal unfortunately. Homemade hot sauces can lose some of their heat as they mellow out.
Scott says
Haven't made this yet, but there's no mention of when to add all of the ingredients. Do you still add vinegar if you're fermenting or do you just rely on the brine?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Scott, you add in all of the ingredients when you pour the fermented peppers into the pot, then bring everything to a boil. Yes, still add the vinegar. Alternatively, you can DRAIN the entire brine after the fermenting period, then add only the fermented peppers and remaining ingredients to a pot to boil, along with 1 cup of water. Then process, and add in a bit more water until you achieve your desired consistency.
Scott Sala says
Looks delicious! I do both fermented and canned hot sauces. Doesn't boiling eliminate the good bacteria from the ferment?
Thanks,
Scott
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Scott, boiling won't eliminate the bacteria, but will stop the fermenting process.
Brett says
Good afternoon Mike. Decided to give this recipe a try from the Scotch Bonnets I grew this year. I started the mash ferment 12 weeks ago and made the hot sauce this morning. Another fantastic hot sauce. Hot enough to leave a noticeable and several minute lasting tingle, but otherwise, not overwhelming. Excellent flavor - I'll let the hot sauce sit for a week or so to really bring out the flavors.
This will make nice Christmas gifts for my hot sauce friends. Thanks for another winner.
Brett
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Brett. I appreciate your letting me know. It will definitely continue to develop flavor in the extra week. Super happy you enjoyed it. Take care.
Daniel says
Hello,
Do you need to boil or can you just blend and bottle?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Daniel, you can just blend and bottle it. I like to keep mine in the refrigerator, though, for longer keeping.
Debra Burkhardt says
Hi Michael, writing to you from Peachland BC Canada. I made your sauce the other day and its great! I fermented only 1 week. I used 6 of what I *think* are either Madame Jeanette or another similar ~2" upright growing yellow pepper which I am growing here at the house. I tasted this sauce more than 5 minutes ago and the part of my tongue that it touched is still frickin hot. Tropical notes to this one. The peach came from a local grower, its that time of year. I note that my sauce is a lot darker than yours. The tomato is also fresh from local sources, maybe that's the difference? Don't know, my yield was 2+ cups so the amount was close to your recipe. Anyway thumbs up to you and your website.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Debra. Glad you liked it. I think you'll get some variation in color depending on the colors of the peppers, tomatoes, and even the peaches. I grow a lot of yellow tomatoes, like Kellog's Breakfast tomatoes, and those affect the color of my sauces for sure. Thanks for stopping by!
Wayne Lind says
Hi Debra
Wayne here from Nakusp a few hours drive from you. I will be trying this sauce. We have a guy from your area selling the best peaches ever. Hope your tongue has cooled down
Dan says
What form of cardamom are you using? Pods, seeds or ground? Similar green or black?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dan, I used ground green cardamom. Feel free to roast and grind your own seeds for a fresher flavor.
Andy Carter says
Can I use tinned peaches instead?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Andy, absolutely. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Robert K says
I followed the recipe and the hot sauce is wonderful!
I used habaneros from my garden and fermented for almost three weeks. I did battle the top fermenting yeast but I won.
Next batch will get less of the cardamom as it was a bit strong.
I now have three more of your recipes fermenting and I look forward to tasting them.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Robert. I appreciate it.
Robert Knox says
Michael,
Thank you so much for all of your amazing information and recipes.
I have a question I hope you can help with. I made a mash a couple of weeks ago containing:
11 oz dried/smoked jalapeños
14 oz peaches
2.5 oz tomato
5 oz garlic
Brine 1 qt spring water and 3T sea salt plus 4 oz brine to cover
After two weeks I still don’t see any fermentation action. I have two other mashes working at the same time and they are fine. The mash is much thicker than the others but still liquid enough to easily stir.
Do you think it is because I didn’t use fresh peppers?
Thank you in advance for any light you can shed on my issue.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Robert. Yes, it is possible that the dried pods caused an issue. You might need to use some sort of a culture starter. If your other mashes are fermenting, you can transfer a bit from one to this batch and see if that helps kick start some action. Let me know how it goes.
Robert Knox says
If that does not work, will the mash still be ok to proceed with finishing it and bottling it (provided there is no foul smell or unwanted mold growth)?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Robert, yes, you can still process it. It will make a normal sauce.
Josh says
If you were doing the non-fermented version of this recipe would you still include a brine mixture (1 quart water + 3tbsp of sea salt) or would you exclude it?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Good question, Josh. To make a non-fermented version, I would skip the brine, as the recipe already includes salt, but add about half the amount of water. Simmer it, then process it. Add a bit more water until you reach the consistency you'd prefer. Or, reverse the order and process the ingredients first with water to your consistency preference, then simmer the processed sauce. I hope this helps.
john says
Quick question. Is there a specific reason that you don't blend the mixture first, and then boil?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
John, realistically, you CAN reverse the order. With this recipe, there are a lot of ingredients, so I found it easier to blend first. The main thing is blending to your preference, so you can do before, after, or both.
George Bela Kemeny says
Very tasty recipe. My comment is that some German, Dutch and Belgian beer comes in swing top bottles. Drink the beer and save the bottles. 😀 ha-ha
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
An excellent suggestion, George! I love it.