Make your own hot sauce at home with this quick and easy recipe that incorporates spicy habanero peppers, sweet pineapple and cilantro. Perfect for dashing over meals or spicing up your favorite cocktails. We like it for our Bloody Marys.
Pineapple-Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe
This hot sauce exists for 2 very specific reasons. FIRST, the habanero peppers are POPPING in the garden.
YES!
We seriously LOVE when the garden starts producing. So many fresh peppers! We can walk right outside and grab a few off the plants and get busy! Talk about living.
To quote my father-in-law, "Is this living or what?"
SECOND...Bloody Mary. If you are like us, you enjoy a bit of spice and kick to your Bloody Mary drinks, and this, my friends, is the solution. Pineapple-Habanero Hot Sauce.
To be honest, it's great on just about anything that can take the level of heat with the touch of sweet. It's on the vinegary side, which works for me for many things.
Think Tabasco sauce. It's about that consistency level, thin and "dashy". Dash it over chicken tacos or a fish fillet, over pork shoulder or sliced pork loin or pretty much any pork. Dash it onto your veggies.
Or hey, into your Bloody Mary!
Pineapple-Habanero Hot Sauce Ingredients List
You don't need many ingredients for this one. The list includes: Habanero peppers, pineapple, cilantro, lime juice, white vinegar and salt. Easy, right?
It is thinner because you'll strain this one at the very end. However!
Thicker or Thinner Sauce
If you prefer a thicker hot sauce, you have a few options:
- Do not strain the sauce.
- Strain, but add some of the pulp back into the sauce to thicken.
- Use less vinegar.
FIRST, don't strain it. I don't like to keep this one completely unstrained because the ingredients chosen easily separate in the bottle.
No biggie, though, as you can simply shake up the bottle before each use. Or, SECOND, add a bit of the strained pulp back into the sauce before you bottle it.
That's what I did here. I took about a tablespoon of the pulp and swirled it back into the finished sauce, just for a bit of substance. I like the little swirlies you get in the bottle.
You can also use only 1/4 cup vinegar, process, then add more to thin as desired.
This is a vibrant and flavorful hot sauce recipe, ready and willing to go where your taste buds want to take you. It takes practically no time to make, which is nice.
I posted a VIDEO RECIPE below so you can see just how easy it really is. Making hot sauce at home is fun, isn't it? All you need are a few ingredients. I hope you enjoy it!
Patty's Perspective
Mike mentioned using this in your Bloody Mary, but give a dash into your beer. Seriously! I love it. Also, it was FUN making the video. I hope we do more of them!
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
- 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
- What is Xanthan Gum?
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
Try it with Pineapple Fried Rice!
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.
Pineapple-Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 habanero peppers coarsely chopped
- 2 cups chopped pineapple
- 1 handful cilantro leaves rinsed
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add to a pot and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Cool and strain, if desired.
- Pour into bottles and refrigerate until ready to use!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Helen Brohl says
Super easy recipe! So grateful to NOT sautee habaneros before blending. I did not include the seeds from the peppers but it is still incredibly hot! Delicious but super hot.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Helen!
Tamara says
I made this but added a ghost pepper to kick up the heat factor. When I first tasted it, I was considering adding another ghost pepper but waited a few minutes after remembering that ghost peppers are a slow burn. I am so glad I didn't throw another one in! I absolutely love the flavor of habaneros and ghost peppers and love using fruit to make a hot sauce. I have also made mango and peach habanero ghost pepper hot sauce. I put it on everything! Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Tamara! I love to hear it! Glad you enjoyed it!
Lori says
has anyone tried this with carolina reapers?
Mike H. says
Dean, one of our readers, reported using 12 Carolina reapers. Check it out here.
Steve says
didn't think 5 or 6 peppers was enough so I doubled it. Wow what nice heat!!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Glad you liked it, Steve!
Mike says
Have you ever tried boiling/simmering before blending? Is that better or does it even matter?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, Mike, and honestly, the order doesn't really matter. As long as it simmers at some point to meld flavors. Enjoy!!
Debbe says
This is crazy good. I can see I will be making this a lot. I made some full heat and half heat. Not are yummy!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome!! Thanks, Debbe!
AlbertaBoy says
Is it just me or would saving that pulp to add to a salsa (maybe along with some fresh pineapple chunks) be pretty amazing with tortilla chips?
This sauce looks great, definitely going to try it when I can find some habanero peppers. I’m thinking that smoking the peppers and pineapple would add another level to this
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely! I often dehydrate it to make seasonings as well.
Beorn says
G'day Mike, love your website and I really want to try this recipe. Unfortunately, fresh habanero peppers are not easily available where I live. I was wondering, if I wanted to make this recipe with habanero powder instead, how would you adjust it? Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Beorn. I would use a tablespoon or so, though you can add more if you'd like. Check out my post on How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powder to help you along. Good luck! https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-chili-powders/
Sias says
This recipe was my first attempt at hot sauce after a friend gifted me a bunch of habaneros. Scarcely anyone that tried it could believe it was my first try! Fantastic balance, albeit just a touch hot for my taste so I'll reduce the habaneros ever so slightly for my next try. I added a few cloves of garlic to great effect. Thank you for sharing!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding! Glad to be helpful, Sias! Super happy you enjoyed it. =) Thanks for sharing.
Iandra Maré says
If I can give you 20/10 I will. Amazing sauce. I did not change a thing in the recipe. I did however not strained it, that way I can just scoop it with a spoon and eat/sip it right out of the bottle . The fruity, spicy, tangy and fresh flavour ~ awesome! Will try the mango hot sauce asap
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Thanks so much, Iandra! Super happy you enjoyed it that much! I appreciate it.
Anna says
Thanks for sharing this recipe! The sauce is absolutely delicious!! 🙂
Angela says
Hey Mike. I tried this sauce today and added carrots and onions (minus the cilantro). I also added a bit of sugar to cut down the acidity. It came out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds wonderful, Angela!
Andy says
Just found your site and this is the first thing I made. I used 1 cup pineapple and one cup fresh peaches, then added about 1 ounce of maraschino cherry juice. This is fantastic! I just started making hot sauces last year, and this is my favorite so far. Looking forward to trying some of your others! Thanks for the fun and informative site!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear, Andy! Great job. Glad you are enjoying the site.