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 teaspoons cornstarch (or more as needed)
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
Lorna Wiens says
Can i leave out the corn starch?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Lorna, yes, you can, though it will have a thinner consistency.
Dan says
I add bourbon at the end. Adds an excellent flavor. This sauce goes in every stir fry and is our added heat when our salsa needs a little kick. This sauce has become an ingredient on many other homemade recipes.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent! Thanks, Dan!
Chris H says
Excellent recipe, easy to perform and great tasting sauce
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Chris! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Amy says
Mike, I made this last season and my SIL loooved it! He's requested more, but I'm not growing habaneros this year. Can I use some whole habaneros that I canned last year?
Thanks for sharing your expertise. (I love your site!)
Amy
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Amy. Great! Glad it was enjoyed. You can use canned habaneros. The flavor might not be exact, but there is vinegar in the recipe, so it really shouldn't affect much. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Joe H says
Very good sauce. Thank you for the recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Joe! Glad you enjoyed it!
tim warehime says
I just had to comment on this sauce. it is my favorite of all the hot sauces I have made this year. I have 14 kinds in my pantry. Had a bumper crop of peppers this year. Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Tim! I'm glad you are enjoying it! It's a good one for sure.
Mark R CROUCH says
Very good and hot. I did 14 habaneros and a ghost pepper. super hot!! But I also added maple syrup for some sweetness along with the honey. very good.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect, Mark! I love it. A touch of maple syrup will add some interesting flavor. Nice! Glad you are enjoying it.
Vanessa says
Can one use another pepper for this recipe, like Scorpion or Ghost?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Vanessa, absolutely! Ghosts or scorpions would be awesome here. Nice and spicy! Let me know how it turns out for you.
Suzanne says
Knock my socks off good ! I had some fresh pineapple and I added about 1/2 a cup to my pepper mix. I will use this as a dipping sauce. Another winner !
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Suzanne! Glad you loved it!
S.Lynn says
We grew thai chilies. Used several, made a double batch and now about to can it We had winged some sauce last year but we don't remember what we did. This recipe sounded close. Can't wait to try it.
Angela says
Nice easy recipe. Mine came out super hot! I added some sugar and I roasted the peppers in a pan before I put them in the food processor. So good.
Idan Hu says
great recipe
now hear me out i know its weird but i tried doing this recipe with strawberries and basil and it was so good
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very cool, Idan. I think strawberries and basil would be very interesting additions! That's what I love about hot sauce recipes. They're fun to play with.
Lorena says
Hello,
I did the sauce today and added a twist: i added 1/2 cups of fresh mango and added a bit more extra water. It turned out great.
It's a very simple recipe! I can't wait to put it on everything i eat:)
Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Lorena! I'm glad you loved it! Nice! I love the addition of the mango.
Ann Y says
Do you leave the seeds and membranes or leave them out? Excited to try this!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Ann, I usually just leave them in, but you can remove them if you'd like. Or strain the sauce afterward. Let me know how it turns out for you.