This hot sauce recipe uses serrano peppers that have been fermented, then processed with vinegar, garlic, tequila and lime juice. It is juicy, tart and just the right amount of spicy.
Spicy Serrano Hot Sauce Recipe
More hot sauce coming at you, my friends. If you can believe it, our garden is STILL producing peppers because of this phenomenal weather we've been having. I know cold weather is on the way, but we've been a bit lucky here in zone 5 this year and I'm reaping the benefits.
I grew serrano peppers this year and HOLY WOW did they go wild. I only planted a single plant and that plant has produced marvelously. If you're going to grow peppers, be sure to include a serrano plant. One of the most productive plants in the garden.
The big question, though, when growing serrano peppers is...
What Can I Do With a LOT of Serrano Peppers?
Here's an idea for you. Make HOT SAUCE.
Yes!
This is a fermented hot sauce recipe and it requires an entire pound of serrano peppers, which may not seems like a lot of weight, but it takes quite a few serrano peppers to weigh 1 pound.
To Ferment or Use Fresh Peppers?
If you're not comfortable with fermenting (you SHOULD be, though), you CAN make this hot sauce with fresh serrano peppers. Just skip steps 1-4 in the recipe. Start by processing the peppers in a food processor, then jump to step 5 and make your serrano hot sauce.
It will still be a good hot sauce, for sure, but you'll have a fresher, greener flavor that is not quite as developed that you achieve by fermenting.
Check out my page on How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash to learn more about why you should be fermenting chili peppers.
Fermented hot sauces are mellower and have a deeper flavor, so I've been fermenting a LOT of chili peppers this year for hot sauces.
This is actually a hot sauce for Patty, because she tends to lean toward green hot sauces and seasonings. I tend to favor vibrant red and orange sauces, but Patty loves her serrano peppers.
So here you go, Patty! She loves this one. It is slightly garlicky and tart and distinctive with the addition of tequila, something else Patty loves.
Enjoy and check out my other Hot Sauce Recipes, too.
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.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Process this hot sauce for longer storage. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
- Wondering what to do with this 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!
- After you strain out the solids to thin out the hot sauce, you can throw the solids away, OR --- dehydrate them and use them for seasoning. Or simply do not strain for a thicker sauce. Those solids still have plenty of life left in them, and hey, what a great way to make some homemade seasonings for yourself? Sprinkle it over foods or use it as a rub. It would be GREAT on chicken. Give it a little ZING, right?
Storage
This sauce should keep many 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.
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
More Hot Sauce Recipes to Try
More Serrano Recipes to Try
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.
Spicy Serrano Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound serrano peppers
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 quart unchlorinated water
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 ounces white wine vinegar
- 1.5 ounces reposado tequila
- Juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- First, ferment the serrano peppers. Process your fresh peppers in a food processor. If you don’t have a processor, use a mortar and pestle or simply rough chop them. Pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
- Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. Discard or save any remaining brine for another use. It is important to keep the peppers 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. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, sobe 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.
- Pour the fermented serrano peppers, including the brine, into a pot along with garlic, vinegar and tequila. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. NOTE: If you feel the brine will make your hot sauce too salty, you can strain the peppers and use fresh water instead, just enough to cover the peppers in the pot. Or, use a combination of brine and fresh water.
- Cool slightly then add to a food processor with the lime juice. Process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids, if desired. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Rene says
What happens if I use tap water, rather than unchlorinated water?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Rene, tap water often is unfiltered or contains chlorine, which can totally ruin a ferment. Unchlorinated water is needed. If using tap water, you can boil it for about 30 minutes, which should help to evaporate the chlorine. Give that a try and let me know how it goes for you.
ryan luce says
Wondering how accurate the 1 pound of peppers is.
Should I be weighing out the mash before fermentation to get the correct amount or just wing it, or is there a approximate pepper count to come to about a pound?
thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Ryan - 1 pound is accurate. I used 1 pound for the recipe. By weight is the best way, as the peppers can vary in size. Figure it's about 5 serrano peppers per ounce, so about 80 pods roughly. It may sound like a lot, but when you process them down and brine them, it isn't as much as you think. You can reduce the number of peppers and adjust the recipe ratios accordingly.
Dawn Lowe says
Can I use frozen Serranos? I had so many last year and not enough time to deal with them.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dawn, yes, you can use frozen serranos. You might need a fermentation starter, though. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Susie says
I tried this recipe and my hot sauce seems to be very acidic. Is their something I can do to change this or is it supposed to be this way? I used the fermented process.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Susie, there can be a somewhat acidic taste with fermented peppers. I suggest adding in a bit of honey to sweeten it just a bit. Not too much, but enough to balance out any acidic flavor. You can also mix in other ingredients, such as fruit (like pineapple or mango) or other veggies/seasonings. Let me know how it ultimately turns out.
Scott says
Great recipe Mike! My wife and I just harvested our Serrano pepper plant and found your recipe online. We fermented them for one week and followed your instructions. All we can say is WOW! Amazing flavor. I strained this batch and dehydrated the seeds and pulp. This made one of the best seasonings we have ever had as far as a spicy one. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Keep up the great work.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's GREAT, Scott! Thanks for letting me know!
Peter says
Can’t wait to try this recipe since my Serrano plant has about a zillion peppers I didn’t know what to do with. Any difference if the Serranos turn red on the plant?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Peter. Glad I can help. The red serranos tend to be a slight bit sweeter than green, but you can use them interchangeably. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Peter says
Loved making this and will definitely try it again, but my final product has a bit of a yeasty/beer-y flavor note, after fermenting for about two weeks. Any idea what I should try next time? Thanks for the recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Peter, sometimes fermented sauces can have some bitter notes, so I would counter those with other ingredients, such as honey or fruit. You can also incorporate some different seasonings to balance that out as well. Let me know if that helps.
Kyle says
Do you need to seed the peppers before putting in food processor?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Kyle, you can core out the peppers if you'd like. I usually do not. Some people do not like the floating seeds in their sauces. You can strain later, too. Note that if you core out the peppers, much of the heat is in the whitish innards, so you will likely be reducing the overall heat.
Aaron says
I used sea salt and it is a bit too salty.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sorry to hear, Aaron. You can always combine this batch with another to reduce the salt levels.
Ahmed Yusuf says
Hi
what can i substitute with tequila because of religious reasons.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Ahmed. You can skip the tequila and include a bit more vinegar and lime juice to compensate. Also, a bit of honey or agave nectar would add a touch of sweetness. Please let me know how it turns out for you.
Justin says
Hi, belated thanks for this recipe and your replies to my questions. My sauce, made with the scotch bonnet mash instead of the Serranos turned out extremely hot (at first, right on the verge of my spice tolerance!), but surprisingly over time I have grown to like it, not sure if I have got used to it, or if it has mellowed out over the last couple of months. Will be making another batch soon!! I did have to add a bit more tequila and lime to my mixture than recommended, maybe because the scotch bonnets are more overpowering than serranos. Anyway, I recommend this recipe.
ken says
I have a lot of serranoes in my freezer can I use them instead of fresh ones
REPLY: Ken, yes, you can absolutely use frozen peppers in this recipe, though if fermenting, you may need to use a culture starter. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
jim Peterson says
Is that 15oz tequila, or 1.5oz?
REPLY: 1-1/2 ounce.
Tabb says
I've found that 15oz is the correct amount when preparing with a friend.
1.5 of that goes into the recipe, the remainder is shared between the cooks.
Justin says
Hi, at last, I found a recipe using peppermash, lime juice and tequila!! Thanks so much for posting that, I will be trying this one out, although will peppermash made from scotch bonnets I already have in the fridge. As I I already have the mash made, and I made a large batch of it, can you please advise how many litres/ pints of pepper mash I should measure out to keep in ratio with the measurements of the other ingredients listed above?
Also, how long can I keep peppermash in the fridge, as it will take us a while to get through it all. it is in Kilner type jars, with the 2 part screw top lids (seperate screw ring and centre round piece). Should think about freezing it, if it is going to be kept for more than a few months? Thanks again for an interesting website, I am new to this pepper mash and hot sauce making.
REPLY: Hey, Justin. I would use about a cup of prepared mash for this recipe. Also, mash will last a long time in the fridge, at least several months and up to a year or longer. Just be sure to keep it covered. If you're concerned, add in a bit of vinegar to the mix. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Dr ROK says
How often do you burp the jars. Is once a day sufficient?
REPLY: Once a day is good, maybe twice/day in the first week or 2, when the ferment is most active. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.