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
Wayne says
how much sugar can be used instead of honey?
Mike Hultquist says
Wayne, use equal amounts (or to taste).
Wayne says
wonder if you have ever made a sweet chili dipping sauce using the lemon drop pepper and how many should you use , I have an abundance of them
Mike Hultquist says
Wayne, you can use this exact recipe and just sub them in here for the habaneros. Sizes vary, so it's hard to say exact amounts, but recipes like this are pretty forgiving. Try 12-15 lemon drops, then adjust for later as needed. Let me know how it turns out!
Anou says
Thank you so much for the recipe! I used armageddon peppers instead of habenero and dang!..It's fire! I love it!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom!! That'll bring some heat! I love it.
Kathy says
Can this be canned?
Mike H. says
Kathy, you might need to add some acid to get the pH down to 3.5 or lower for home canning (if you'd like to water bath it). Or as another option, look into pressure canning.
Linda Hargrave says
Easy, Great flavor and yes, Hot.
Mike H. says
Awesome. Enjoy, Linda!
Connie says
How long does this last in the fridge?
Mike Hultquist says
Connie, this will last many, many months in the refrigerator.
Doris says
I just made some today and it was not hot enough so I added some red pepper flakes. Also, corn starch works better if mixed with cold water. Mine turned out great!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Doris!
Melissa says
WHAT A GREAT RECIPE! Thank you for sharing. I added Mango during the simmering for a bit more sweetness. Within a weekend, the whole batch was gone. It was put on biscuits, a glaze for our pork and on crackers with some cream cheese. I was asked to make more.
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it, Melissa! Definitely a favorite. =)
Olga Starski says
hi Mike. can I substitute honey with sugar in this in Hot Habanero sauce recepie?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can do that, Olga. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!
Stan says
As others have mentioned skip the corn starch. It just turns to globs of goo and doesn't incorporate into the sauce. (Yes I thoroughly mixed with water into a slurry before adding the corn starch to the sauce.) I ended up picking out the big globs but couldn't get all the small bits out.
I suggest doubling the honey for a sweeter sauce and expect that once it cools the honey will make it plenty thick.
Otherwise it tastes great!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Stan. Yes, this old recipe of mine may be due for an upgrade.
Peter Coetzee says
I use Xanthan Gum to thicken, never had any lumps
Karen Kessi-Williams says
How much? And for how long do you mix it in water first? I tried it and it went shockingly lumpy! Maybe I added it when it was too hot?
Karen Fleischman says
We made this for the first time after growing our own habaneros.It is so delicious and there is no need to buy store bought hot sauce anymore.We also add 1/2 a tsp of smoked paprika that gives it a great smoky flavour.
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! I love to hear this, Karen! So good!
Mariya says
When I added the corn starch slurry (well mixed with water beforehand as the recipe stated) it immediately turned into clumpy globs in the pan that never dissolved despite simmering for a while and adding more water. I had to use a fine mesh strainer to keep out the corn starch clumps. How to avoid this in the future? Thanks! (P.S. I didn’t have enough habanero so used 3 habanero and 7 jalapeño, maybe this changed the chemistry too much?)
Mike Hultquist says
Mariya, you can mix it with a bit of water to form a slurry next time, then add.
Ron says
For thickener have you used Xanthan Gum, etc.?
Mike Hultquist says
I have, Ron. I prefer to thicken with extra peppers, but Xanthan gum works great for you.