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
Peter F Preciado says
Is pink Himalayan Sea Salt okay in this recipe? I'm starting tomorrow!! whoot whoot!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You sure can, Peter. Enjoy!
Peter says
Followed the recipe pretty much exactly as written, except didn’t strain out the solids and they are perfect - just a wonderful consistency with great flavor.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yep, straining is always optional, Peter, as noted in the recipe. I love this one. I don't always strain either. Enjoy!
Deborah says
Hi there - I followed the instructions to the letter but when I went to check the ferment there were a whole bunch of tiny white bits in there. I wasn't concerned until I saw that they were all moving! It was some kind of worm! Omg how do you think that happened and how on earth would they survive in that spice and brine? Needless to say I sadly discarded it all which I assume was the right thing to do. Would love your thoughts on this and how that could have happened! I have made kombucha and other ferments successfully. Will try another recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sorry to hear, Deborah. It is possible an infection occurred if the jar was opened at all, or if anything poked above the brine, or if the jars weren't completely cleaned, which all can happen. Ugh, I have when I lose a batch.
Bobby says
I'm in day 2 of fermenting with brine. I did a very fine chop of the peppers in a food processor, put in a 1 qt mason jar, covered with brine, used a pickle weight and the masontops burping membrane. Looks like the peppers are rising above the brine. Should I have to keep pushing the peppers down every day, or did I do something wrong?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bobby, yes, be sure to keep the peppers below the brine, otherwise they will run the risk of infection. Enjoy!
Lee says
I made this sauce by the book the first time a few years back, but since have gone way rogue on it, and use it mostly as a baseline to start at. Now I almost always smoke my peppers first using a charcoal/wood smoker, and tend to mix in different hot and/or sweet peppers to get new and different flavors. My go to is to add jalapeños and habaneros, as well as some red bell peppers. I usually ferment the garlic along with the peppers too. Thanks for your recipe to kick start my imagination and flavor creation!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice. I love when you can start from a recipe and really make it your own. Sounds perfect!
Darren Brothwell says
I made this a few years ago from fresh Serrano's that I grew. I skipped the brining and didn't have any Tequila. I'll admit I wasn't impressed when it was first made, very salty and lacked flavor, so it got pushed to the back of the fridge where it got forgotten about. Six months or more latter my wife was clearing our fridge out and came across the bottle "you don't use this its going" she said. So I gave it one more try before I tipped it away. And boy was I glad I had tried it, it was stunning! Its now my "go to" sauce and in short supply and has left me wishing I grew more Serrano's!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Darren! Guess it had time to develop a bit! Glad you enjoyed it.
Jessi Dalton says
Hi Mike,
I bought a pound of serranos and want to make the fermented hot sauce. Can I use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt for fermenting? Thanks for all the recipes. They are awesome!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jessi, I would stay away from Kosher salt, as it can contain anti-caking agents. I'm not sure about that specific brand, though.
Christina says
Hi, thanks for this recipe, I am starting it now! I do a lot of fermenting, but this is my first hot sauce. I am going to use your suggestion to not cook the chili mash, to preserve the probiotics, but I will probably cook the garlic/vinegar/tequila to cook off the alcohol, then let that cool before combining. I have some frozen pineapple, and thought it might go well with the flavors and lower the spice level a bit. If I want to add pineapple, should I ferment it with the chilis, or add it after with the other ingredients? I know you said people sometimes add fruit or honey. My concern is that I don't want to throw off the pH or add sugar at the wrong time, and cause mold to grow. What do you think?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Christina, you CAN ferment the fruit if you'd like. You'll likely get more fermenting activity from the sugars in the fruit. I do this for kombucha all the time. You might try it both ways with the fruit to see if you notice a flavor difference in the final sauce, then adjust accordingly.
Chelsea says
Is there a way to make it without heating it? I wanted to keep more of the health benefits from the fermentation.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Chelsea, absolutely. Just process it and refrigerate. People do this all the time. You may need to still burp the bottle, though. Refrigeration will greatly slow any fermentation, if there is any left, but it may still occur, so burp here and there to release gas build up, just to be safe. Enjoy!
Dana says
Thank you! I happen to have another load of serranos, most of which got knocked of the plant due to crazy wind. I’ll give it another try.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent!
Dave PNW says
Another question - is it ok to use iodized sea salt or is the iodine a problem flavor-wise?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, it's best to use salts without additives. Sea salt is best. Skip table salt or iodized salt. See my post on Fermenting Peppers here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-make-fermented-pepper-mash
Dave PNW says
Great recipe. Used it last year with fresh peppers; this year one week into my 1st fermentation attempt. Harvested 3 pounds this fall. Smells great when they get burped! Can I add additional brine to the jars to keep mash covered, or is it better to add the described bag weights?
Thanks for creating this great recourse.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, you can add more brine if needed, or just use weights to push them down. Either will work, as long as they stay under the brine. Enjoy!!
Kevin McKercher says
I have made a lot of beer. I am curious what will cause this to ferment so quickly. 1 to 2 weeks isn't very long, especially since its been 3 days already and I don't see anything happening. Did I miss the part where you add yeast ?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Kevin. The fermentation is lacto-fermentation, done by creating an anaerobic environment for the peppers. I have information on How to Ferment Peppers here that details the process. I hope this helps! https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-make-fermented-pepper-mash