A quick and easy spicy chili sauce recipe made with habanero peppers, garlic and honey. Ideal as a serving sauce, complimentary hot sauce, or a marinade.
Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce Recipe
There are a number of sauces you can easily whip together in a few minutes. Are hot sauces included? YES! Well, at least this one is included. You don't need much time to get this sweet and spicy hot sauce recipe completed, about 20 minutes or so from start to finish, unless you are ME, in which case you should just add another 20% more time.
Hey, I'm a slow cook. Freely admitted.
It's easy because you only need a few ingredients, 7 total. You'll be using habanero peppers, garlic, vinegar, honey, water, salt and corn starch. The process is simple - PROCESS and SIIMMER. Quite easy.
How to Make Habanero Hot Sauce
In a nutshell, you'll need to process the habanero peppers, garlic, vinegar, honey, water and salt in a food processor until it is nice and smooth. You CAN leave it slightly chunky, to your preference, really, though I like it a bit more processed.
Heat it up a bit, then stir in cornstarch that has been diluted in water to thicken it up. You don't want to add the cornstarch directly to the sauce mixture, as it could clump up. Simmer the whole thing and the cornstarch will slowly thicken your sauce.
If the sauce gets TOO thick, just add in a bit more water or vinegar, or even a bit of lime juice would be a nice addition. Also, I consider this a BASE sauce. Consider adding other flavors, such as herbs or seasonings, to change the overall character and flavor profile.
It is great on its own but will certainly welcome other flavors.
I'm filing this one under Hot Sauce Recipes because it IS a hot sauce, but you can use this as a simple sauce or even a marinade.
As a hot sauce, drizzle it over tacos or pizza, or pretty much anything that calls for a sweet and spicy hot sauce.
How to Serve This Habanero Chili Sauce
As a sauce, I prefer serving it over white fish, grilled chicken or pork. I also like to use it as a marinade for fish. Again, the good thing about it, aside from the versatility, is how easy it is to whip together.
Feel free to try this recipe with other peppers. Sweet Ghost Chili Sauce? YES! Bring it. I hope you enjoy it!
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
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. LOL. I hope you find it helpful!
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
I hope you find it helpful!
Check out These Other Popular Hot Sauce Recipes
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.
Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 habanero peppers chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
- To a food processor, add habanero peppers and garlic and process until finely chopped.
- Add vinegar, honey, water and salt. Process until very smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a large pan and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes.
- Mix the corn starch in a separate bowl with a tablespoon of water and add to the simmering mixture. Stir.
- Cook about 10 minutes to thicken to your preference. If it gets too thick, you can easily add a bit more water to your tastes.
- Cool and store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Kenny Green says
This recipe looks exactly what I need for my first time habanero crop.How hot is this recipe? Thinking of bottling it for gifts so may consider making it a bit milder if needed. What is your recommendation? Please and thanks.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Kenny. Habaneros are quite hot, so if you want milder, you can replace some of them with milder peppers, even zero heat bell pepper (like orange bell for color).