Do you need to refrigerate hot sauce? This is a debatable topic in the hot sauce world. Learn more about the reasons why you may or may not want to do so.
By far the biggest questions I get on the site when it comes to hot sauce are, "Do I need to refrigerate hot sauce?" or "Should hot sauce be refrigerated?"
This is a huge topic in the hot sauce world for hot sauce buyers and hot sauce makers alike.
I belong to many spicy food groups and boards on Facebook and other social sites, and each time this subject comes up, there is a collective eye-roll as we all expect an inundation of the same old arguments and memes.
For many people, the answer is a simple "Yes" or "No", but based on my experience, refrigerating hot sauce or not depends on a few different factors.
When You Don't Need to Refrigerate Hot Sauce
Most hot sauces contain preservatives in the form of salt and acid such as vinegar, citrus, or a combination. These preservatives guard against the growth of microbes and bacteria that cause food spoilage.
As a home hot sauce maker, I measure the acidity of my homemade hot sauces, and shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower, which makes them more shelf stable.
Hot sauces like this don't need to be refrigerated, and will last a good 6 months or longer outside of the fridge. They are best kept in a dark place, like a cupboard or pantry.
Some hot sauce consumers swear that they've kept hot sauces for longer than this without any negative effects, though you can and often do experience discoloration and some flavor degradation of your hot sauce over time.
So, a great rule of thumb is if you consume your hot sauce fairly quickly, within a couple months, there is no issue whatsoever with keeping it out of the fridge.
When You Should Refrigerate Hot Sauce
Here are a few reasons why you should refrigerate your hot sauce:
The Hot Sauce Does Not Contain Preservatives. Some hot sauces do not use acids, like vinegar or citrus. My creamy jalapeno sauce recipe uses oil as an emulsifier to make a thick and creamy sauce.
There is no acid added, so it needs to be refrigerated, or it will spoil within a few days.
The Hot Sauce Will Not Be Consumed Quickly. If you don't use a lot of hot sauce in a short period of time, or if you have so many bottles that you can't use them all within a few months, it is best to refrigerate them.
Hot sauces that are refrigerated will last longer in the long run, and they won't lose color. It helps preserve their flavor as well.
Fruit-Based Hot Sauces. If your hot sauce contains a lot of fruit, like chunky pineapple, mango, dragon fruit, or any others, it should be refrigerated.
Fruit-based hot sauces tend to degrade more quickly, so definitely benefit from refrigeration, keeping them fresher for longer.
Refrigeration in general does increase shelf life of those bottles of hot sauce.
Should I Refrigerate Fermented Hot Sauces?
Fermented hot sauces should be refrigerated in order to slow the fermentation process. Otherwise, your sauce will continue to ferment outside of the refrigerator.
This is not a problem if you prefer to continue fermenting, and if you keep your hot sauce in a container with a membrane that allows built up gases to escape. Or, if you burp your jars/containers regularly.
You will still maintain the probiotic benefits of the fermented hot sauce either way.
If you cook your fermented hot sauce, it will stop fermentation (and remove probiotic benefits), but solidify the flavors. Then, you can decide to refrigerate based on the acidity and above information.
Should You Refrigerate Unopened Hot Sauce?
No, you do not need to refrigerate bottles of commercial hot sauce that have not yet been opened. Those bottles have been made shelf stable through a canning process.
However, once you open the hot sauce, all the information above applies, so consider refrigerating after opening accordingly.
I personally recommend refrigerating hot sauce is most cases. I have many bottles in the my refrigerator and they last me a very long time.
The only hot sauce I do not refrigerate are smaller bottles that I know I will consume with a few months. Otherwise, into the fridge they go.
Daniel says
Hi Mike, I just calibrated a new Vivisun ph tester, and per the ph packets, it was spot on for 4.0, 6.86, but still kept reading 6.86 for the 9.18 packet, weird. In any case, I took a reading from a new Habanero sauce I was making, and it read around 4.7, so I added some white vinegar, and got it down to around 4.5. Added some more vinegar, but it didn’t move. I put some of the white vinegar in a glass and took a reading, 5.5...is this even possible? So now I have an overly vinegared hot sauce, with no idea what it’s ph level is...any idea what might be going on? I bought the tester last season, but haven’t used it till now, cheers.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Daniel. Wow, yes, that is very odd. I would question the vinegar for sure, but honestly, you might contact the manufacturer of the pH reader to see if there are any known issues. Strange indeed.
Kate S says
Hey there, thanks for the detailed explanations about PH. I was wondering if peppers that had been frozen and thawed to make the hot sauce would affect the outcome? I am growing jalapeños in the garden and would like to make hot sauces for Christmas gifts.
Mike Hultquist says
Kate, you can definitely use frozen peppers to make hot sauce, no problem. The only issue might be if they have any freezer burn, which can affect the flavor. It can also affect fermentation, if fermenting, but you can use a starter or ferment with some fresh peppers to get the process started. Otherwise, they're great! Enjoy!
Bernie Gager says
I just wanted to thank you for your time and knowledge. Your willingness to share your passion is appreciated
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Bernie! Glad to be helpful with something I deeply love.
Alami says
I somehow follow roughly the same logic, but not as detailed. In case of doubt, I refrigerate (I'm not equipped to measure pH although I think I'll buy a roll of this pH paper we used at school and start measuring).
Mike, I expect one fridge of yours is just for hot sauces? My wife is mad that the inner door of the fridge +1 shelf are full of hot sauce or chili pickles 😉
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, Alami. And YES, the entire side of my fridge has been taken over by hot sauces and similar spicy condiments! I can't help myself! Haha. The life of a chilihead.
Cheryl Hill says
This is FABULOUS information. Thank you. It nicely summarizes bits and pieces of such information into a comprehensive whole, which was not terribly easy to do given my prior research attempts. However, it does substantiate the conclusions I had tentatively formed during that process. How wonderful and useful! It also confirms that pH strips are my friends. 😉
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Cheryl. Glad to be helpful! I also like to use a good pH meter, which is even more accurate than the strips. Cheers!!
Cheryl Hill says
Thanks for the pH meter suggestion. Do you have a favorite brand?
Mike Hultquist says
I use this one, Cheryl: https://www.thermoworks.com/high-accuracy-ph-meter-8689/?tw=CPM (It's my affiliate link to Thermoworks). I definitely recommend their products.
Cheryl Hill says
Thank you so much, Mike. I'm adding this to my dream list and will be sure to use your link when I can justify it. I may have to make for my whole community 😉
Ted O'Neill says
If you ferment your hot sauce with just a salt solution, does it need refrigeration? I keep mine in the fridge, since I assume it won't hurt it anyway, but I was wondering.
Mike Hultquist says
Ted, I just updated the post to include information about fermented hot sauces. Fermented hot sauces are usually acidic enough to keep out, but you may want to slow the fermentation process once it's done to your liking by refrigerating. Refrigerating will keep the bottles from exploding, though you can keep your sauce in a bottle that you can burp, or with a membrane, to continue fermenting. See the updated info. I hope this helps.
Ramya says
Thanks for this as my sister and I always put the hot sauces in the fridge BTW cant wait to make your recipes soon for me
Paul says
Mike ,Very interesting and helpful article.Just a question, what are the signs a hot sauce has gone off ? Apart from any visual mould or growth do you just rely on taste ?.I’ve heard that chilli’s can be quite dangerous to consume if allowed to
get mouldy !!!
Mike Hultquist says
Paul, at its worst, you'll get fuzzy mold growth, and yes, that can be dangerous. You can typically smell when a sauce is going bad, just a bad/off-putting smell. Visually, sauces can darken and lose color out of the fridge, and that is typically OK, but any indication of growth and you should toss it.