Homemade Sriracha Hot Sauce Recipe
Learn how to make classic Sriracha hot sauce at home with this recipe, either with fresh or fermented chili peppers. It’s so easy and tastes better than anything from the grocer. I love homemade Sriracha hot sauce.
It’s sriracha time, my friends, so get your taste buds ready. I don’t think there is a whole lot I can tell you about sriracha sauce that you haven’t already heard. Sriracha has seriously taken the nation by storm in the last 5 years or so, overflowing from grocery store shelves and finding its way into a myriad of mass-made products, from potato chips to beer. It’s everywhere, isn’t it?
It’s so ubiquitous now here in the states, it’s practically become synonymous with the term “hot sauce”. This is not a bad thing! I should provide a bit of history, though.
The Origins of Sriracha
Famous “Sriracha” sauce is named after the town of “Sri Racha” in Thailand where it originated, but this is not what we consume here in the United States. The stuff you get from the store is produced in California with red jalapeno peppers and has deviated quite a bit from the original Thai recipe.
The sauce we get here is thick, like ketchup, where the original has a thinner consistency. This recipe will produce a Sriracha sauce closer to what was originally intended, though you can easily thicken it up with more peppers and less vinegar, or adjusting your cooking times.
What Types of Peppers Are Used for Making Sriracha Sauce?
Here in the United States, red jalapeno peppers are used to make sriracha sauce, though Fresno chili peppers make a fine substitute. You can also use red Thai chili peppers to make your own sriracha hot sauce. Realistically, you can use this recipe and techniques to make a sriracha-style hot sauce from any type of chili pepper, though your results and tastes will vary from pepper to pepper.
Of course the heat level of your sriracha sauce can vary based on your pepper choice, but some peppers have thicker walls and are therefore meatier, and will produce a fuller sauce. I suggest going with red jalapeno peppers first, then experimenting from there.
For this particular batch, I used a combination of different hot red peppers grown in my garden, including red jalapeno peppers, and the results were out of this world. So delicious!
How to Make Homemade Sriracha Hot Sauce
You can make your own sriracha sauce at home with either fresh or fermented peppers, though I suggest fermenting. I have made this both ways and prefer the fermented version. Fermenting the peppers breaks down the carbohydrates and converts them to acid, which mellows the peppers considerably, affecting the overall flavor. I suggest trying the recipe both ways, with and without fermenting, and see for yourself which version of sriracha you prefer.
I’ve include recipes below to make sriracha both ways.
For your reference, you may find this link useful: How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash.
Homemade Sriracha Vs. Store Bought Sriracha Sauce
Yes, there is an obvious difference between the sriracha you get from the store vs. your homemade version. The homemade sriracha has a thinner consistency and isn’t quite as sweet, though you can adjust sweetness easily by adding more or less sugar.
You can also adjust the thickness of your final sriracha sauce by adjusting the amount of peppers used in the recipe, by adjusting the amount of vinegar used, and also by adjusting your cooking time. Simmer the sauce longer to thicken it up if you’d like.
The choice is yours. Would I say homemade sriracha is BETTER than what you get in the store? Personally, I like my own homemade version better, but I wouldn’t throw away my bottle of Huy Fong’s rooster sauce! I mean, major KUDOS to David Tran for giving us a sauce that made Americans realize there is more to condiments than ketchup and mustard.
Bring on the sriracha, please!
What is a Substitute for Sriracha Sauce?
If you run out of sriracha sauce and need a good substitute, you can use a good Garlic-Chili Sauce, or consider using Gochujang, Sambal Oelek, or making your own fresh chili paste.
Harissa could work in a pinch, but you can always use a Louisiana Style Hot Sauce in place of the sriracha, depending on the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions for Making Homemade Sriracha
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 youlike the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here’s another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz – 24 Pack
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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.
Patty’s Perspective
Wow, this really does taste different from what we get in the store. It is definitely similar, close in flavor, but I like this version so much more.
Check out Some of My Other Popular Hot Sauce Recipes:
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce
- Fermented Serrano Hot Sauce
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Pineapple-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Ti-Malice – Haitian Creole Hot Sauce
- Caribbean Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Caribbean-Style Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Homemade Cocktail Sauce
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes.
Try Some of these Recipes that Use Sriracha
- Grilled Salmon with Honey-Sriracha Sauce
- One Pot Sweet and Spicy BBQ Chicken Wings
- Korean Chicken
- Creamy Tortellini Pasta with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- Honey-Sriracha Chicken
- Easy Hoisin Sauce
- Sriracha Substitute – for if you’ve run out of sriracha. Gasp!
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.
Homemade Sriracha Hot Sauce with Fermented Peppers – Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mixed red chili peppers red jalapenos are preferred, though Fresnos or red Thai peppers are great
- 1 quart unchlorinated water
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup rice wine vinegar
Instructions
- First, ferment the chili peppers. Process your fresh peppers in a food processor. If you don’t have a processor, use a mortar and pestle or simply finely 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. 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, so be 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 peppers, including brine, into a pot along with the garlic, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vinegar. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to reduce a bit and let the flavors meld.
- Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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