I grew loads of peppers in my garden this year just so I could make this fermented hot sauce recipe. It is wonderfully spicy and big on flavor. Drizzle it over anything. Works for any type of peppers.
Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe
It's hot sauce making time in the Chili Pepper Madness household again, my friends. You know how much I LOVE my hot sauce. My garden exploded with peppers this year and I'm incredibly happy.
The plants were super productive and I am preserving them in so many different ways.
Food preservation is important. One of my favorite ways to preserve my peppers is to make hot sauce. I have a LOT of different hot sauce recipes here on the site, all with different styles, ingredients, and types of chili peppers.
For this particular hot sauce, I wanted a fermented version, which adds another layer of complexity to the sauce.
I grew serrano peppers and waited for them to turn red specifically so I could make this sauce. So many serranos! The plant was very productive.
I just love serrano peppers. They're smaller than jalapeno peppers, but quite a bit hotter. In fact, the hottest serrano pepper is about 3 times hotter than the hottest jalapeno pepper.
They measure in at 10,000 to 23,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale. For me, that's a nice level of heat for an every day hot sauce.
You don't have to use serranos, though. This recipe works with any type of chili pepper.
This is a very simple hot sauce recipe, though we're fermenting the peppers first, which may sound complicated, but not at all.
What is Fermentation? And Why is it Good For Hot Sauce?
Fermentation is the decomposition of foods by micro-organisms (Lactic Acid Bacteria) or enzymes. We create an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment for the peppers so that good, beneficial bacteria can survive, and bad bacteria cannot survive.
The good bacteria is natural Lactic acid bacteria, which consumes carbohydrates in the peppers and converts them to acid. After fermenting, the carbohydrates have been predigested, leaving them with more vitamins and flavor than fresh peppers.
Bad bacteria, such as rotting molds, cannot survive in this oxygen-free environment. We create such an environment with salt and brine, which protect the peppers while the good bacteria do their work.
The salt is not actually the preservative. It is the acid produced by the fermentation process that does the preserving.
There are many benefits to fermented foods, including foods that are more digestible and have more developed flavor. When fermenting peppers, the flavors mellow, and peppers change color a bit, and develop a pleasant smell.
Fermentation is one our oldest methods of food preservation. People have preserved foods this way for generations, from wine to cheese to many, many vegetables, including peppers.
Let's talk about how to make a simple fermented hot sauce, shall we? Here is my recipe for fermented hot sauce.
Ingredients Needed to Make Fermented Hot Sauce
- 1 pound chili peppers (stems removed - I'm using red serrano peppers)
- 1 quart unchlorinated water
- 3 tablespoons salt
- ½-1 cup white wine vinegar to your preference (use a good quality vinegar for better quality hot sauce)
How to Make Fermented Hot Sauce - the Recipe Method
First, ferment the chili peppers. Roughly chop the peppers, then pack them into a ball jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
Mason jars are good to use as fermentation vessels as well.
Make the Brine. 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 the salt water brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
HELPFUL TIP: A good method to keep the peppers submerged is to fill a baggie with some water, but not all the way. Stuff the baggie into the top of the jar, forcing the peppers down below the brine.
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 Ferment Peppers”, for more detailed instruction.
After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic, with a slightly sour flavor.
Drain the peppers, but reserve the brine.
Add the fermented peppers to a food processor or blender, along with 1/2 cup of the brine and 1/2 cup vinegar.
You can add more or less of each as desired to your preference. More brine will have more salty flavor, more vinegar will be more acidic.
Blend until smooth.
OPTIONAL: Add the fermented hot sauce to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. This will stop the fermentation process.
NOTE: You don't have to cook the sauce if you don't want to. Cooking removed the probiotic benefits. It can be used as-is, though you will likely see some continued fermenting activity. If you decide to not cook it, store it in the refrigerator in sealed containers.
You may need to burp them to release gas buildup every now and then, though refrigeration will slow the activity.
Strain the mixture to remove the solids if desired, or use as-is for a thicker hot sauce. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
That's it, my friends! Easy, right? Who knew making a fermented hot sauce could be so simple? It's really quite a bit like famous Tabasco Hot Sauce, though made with red serrano peppers instead of tabasco peppers.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Fermentation Time. Feel free to ferment longer if you'd like. Continuing to ferment the peppers will develop even more flavor. I have fermented peppers for 6 months in the past.
Some people ferment for years. 1 week, however, is enough to get a good ferment.
Kahm Yeast. Sometimes you may notice a white film forming on the top of your ferment. It is sour and can form when all of the sugar in your ferment is consumed.
It is not a mold, nor is it harmful. It can affect the flavor of your finished hot sauce, so it is best to be scraped away from your ferment.
Thicker or Thinner Hot Sauce. If you're looking for a thicker hot sauce, only use a combined half cup of brine and vinegar, and do not strain the hot sauce.
For a thinner hot sauce, add more water and/or vinegar a bit at a time until you achieve the consistency you want.
Straining the hot sauce will thin it out considerably.
Other Ingredients. This is a very simple Louisiana Style Hot Sauce recipe, using only peppers, vinegar and salt.
You can easily include other ingredients to build flavor, such as garlic, onion, herbs and other seasonings.
Other Peppers. This method works with any type of chili peppers. Try it with a blend of hot peppers and/or mild peppers.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other hot sauces.
How long will this sauce keep?
Fermented hot sauce will keep for many months in the refrigerator, 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 3.5 or so, to account for errors.
If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. I measured the pH of my finished fermented hot sauce at 3.7, but check with a good pH meter.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
Fermented hot sauces that are not cooked at the end with vinegar and/or citrus should be refrigerated.
Cooking them stops the fermentation activity and makes them more shelf stable, though they are no longer probiotic.
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. Processing the hot sauce in a water bath stops the bacterial activity, making the hot sauce shelf-stable.
However, it will no longer be probiotic. The National Center for Home Food Preservation provides home canning instructions and many recipes that have been tested for food safety. NCHFP.uga.edu.
Useful Equipment
Aside from jars and your ingredients, I like to use Masontops lids, which include pickling weights and a membrane allowing gases to escape without the need for burping.
You can use them with any wide mouth mason jar. Here is a link to where you can buy them on Amazon. It’s an affiliate link, my friends. FYI!
Buy Masontop Lids for Fermenting Chili Peppers (and More)
I also highly recommend this outstanding book by fermenting experts, Kirsten K. Shockey and Christopher Shockey – “Fiery Ferments: 70 Stimulating Recipes for Hot Sauces, Spicy Chutneys, Kimchis with Kick and Other Blazing Fermented Condiments”. I learned a lot from this book as well as through my own experimentation. Grab a copy today.
Good luck, and happy fermenting! Let me know what you make with your pepper mash.
Try Some of My Other Fermented Hot Sauce Recipes
Here are some of my own recipes that use fermented chili peppers.
- Homemade Sriracha Hot Sauce
- Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce
- Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- Spicy Serrano Hot Sauce
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
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.
Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound red serrano peppers or use any chili peppers, stems removed
- 1 quart unchlorinated water
- 3 tablespoons sea salt (do not use iodized salt)
- ½-1 cup white wine vinegar to your preference use a good quality vinegar for better quality hot sauce
Instructions
- First, ferment the serrano peppers. Roughly chop the peppers, then pack them into a ball 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 Ferment Peppers”, for more detailed instruction.
- After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
- Drain the peppers, but reserve the brine.
- Add the fermented peppers to a food processor or blender, along with 1/2 cup of the brine and 1/2 cup vinegar. You can add more or less of each as desired to your preference. More brine will have more salty flavor, more vinegar will be more acidic.
- Process until smooth.
- Optional Step. Add the fermented hot sauce to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. This will stop the fermentation process and meld the flavors, but will remove the probiotic benefits.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids if desired, or use as-is for a thicker hot sauce. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
- You can add more vinegar or water to thin out the hot sauce.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Angelina says
Is there a truck I can use to keep the peppers under the brine? When I make fermented sauerkraut I use a glass lid.
Thx for sharing so much info.
Angelina
Angelina says
When would you add the garlic before fermenting or after?
Thanks looking forward to trying this. My family LOVES HOT so I have habenero and ghost peppers to try this with. Doing them separately. Hope it's hot enough for them .
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Angelina, I like to add it after, as I enjoy the flavor of the stronger garlic. You can do either way, though. Let me know how it turns out! Nice and HOT, I hope!
Henry Giles says
Used this recipe with scotch bonnets, garlic, peppers and red onion and it worked beautifully. Added a little bit of corn flour to thicken as it was very runny. I also froze the filtered pulp and add into sauces when cooking
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Henry! Glad you enjoyed it, and are able to use the pulp as well! Nothing goes to waste.
Lauren says
Great website! I’m learning so much. Can fermented hot sauce brine be re-used? Or maybe added in a portion to jumpstart a new ferment? In the past when I have made kimchi I keep any leftover brine in the event my next batch doesn’t have enough to cover the cabbage right away. It seems like it also helps start the fermentation a little bit faster.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lauren. Yes, you can use the brine again to kickstart a new ferment.
Cindee says
Yum! Lacking enough red serranos in the garden, I included red jalapenos, yellow cayennes and a couple other random red chilis. Fermented as instructed. After the food processor, I strained half so we could compare. Loved the thick version the best. Really delicious. Chose not cook to retain beneficial bacteria. I highly recommend this. Mike - you are my hero!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sounds PERFECT, Cindee! I love it! Glad you are enjoying it.
Kevin Cacioppo says
Hello Mike - great stuff here - thank you!
I want to bottle my hot-sauce in 5 oz. bottles however I would like to bottle in bottles that can undergo a hot bath. How would you recommend I move forward - with the bottle supplier info you provided, it did not appear their 5 oz bottles could undergo a hot bath.
Any great ideas to help here?
Thanks!
Kevin
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Kevin, you may need to find bottles with different caps, or bottle them in other jars.
Aidan says
Hi Mike, love your recipe, I can’t really express how excited I am to try this. A few quick question. If you add garlic to the ferment beforehand, should it be minced, rough chopped, or whole? Are carrots and or onions possible to add? And if you add citrus to the ferment before hand, would that affect anything negatively? Thanks, and I love what you do!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Aidan, you can add chopped garlic, carrots and onions, no problem. I would add in the citrus later on. Let me know how it goes for you. Enjoy!
Martin McLeod says
Hi Mike,
I am working on my 1st hot sauce. I did a 2 week ferment with golden cayenne and Manzana chilies. I think I did everything right and now I am cooking it off and it has a slight sour scent. Is it possible to add some sugar or a fruit preserve to help with the scent a little?
Or do I have to scrap it and start again? That would suck because it was my best crop to date. Help!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Martin, yes, you can add other ingredients to adjust for flavor. No problem. This is very common. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Jim Snow says
Mike, I'm trying my first batch of fermentation right now. I'm following all the steps, brine solution, recipe etc. One week in, and no bubbles. Brine has produced a cloudy appearance, no mold, with super hots, onion and garlic. Still no bubbles though. Smells fine, good actually. Do I need to just wait it out, or add anything? Thanks for the advice
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Jim, it is possible that you have a quiet ferment. It doesn't always bubble a lot. With the cloudiness, it is probably working, but trust your other senses. If it smells good, tastes a bit pickly, it's working, just quiet. You can always test the pH as well.
brent says
I had enough for an 8 oz bottle: think franks' buffalo size.
If I had this to do all over again.
More charred onion instead of a little.
More charred garlic instead of little.
More habaneros instead of less.
A higher citrus amt that a trace.
You say something like "it's done fermenting when you cook it." Not only done fermenting, it's done.
The cooking changes the profile completely---it's a different sauce: things are blended now, things mellowed instead intensified. Much better taste than the fermented stuff but the edge came off.
I have no complaint, I learned a valuable lesson: intensify the mash and go farther that what you think you will handle. For me the taste was excellent and edge came off some. I can't wait to do this again.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Brent. I appreciate the comments.
Jonah says
Question: When adding other ingredients like garlic, herbs, or veggies, would I add that before fermenting or to the actual sauce afterwards? Thank you!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Johan, you can ferment other veggies and herbs as well if you'd like, though it isn't required. Try it both ways and see if you have a flavor preference.
Larry Lawrence says
I'm fixing to start fermenting my first batch of red tabasco peppers ever but I'm thinking about adding some roasted garlic to the fermenting process just to add a little flavoring. Do you feel this is a good idea or will I be messing up the fermenting process?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Larry, I've never fermented roasted garlic, though I think you'd be able to. You can ferment unroasted garlic, and the flavor actually turns out quite a bit like roasted garlic. Something you may want to consider. Or you can just add in roasted garlic later when making the sauce. Let me know how it turns out for you.
brent says
Had a weeks vacation. Fermented about a dozen habaneros, proportionately, according to your recipe here: “How to Ferment Peppers”
Used coffee filters-topped mason because I wasn't home to burp. Stashed it in my weber charcoal grill. Smoke smell permeated these guys--nice!
So I have a nice cloudy mix. Not sour, no mold, I lucked out. This is my first time.
If I follow your recipe on this page: food process then cook: peppers, some brine, vinegar. Then strain....
I have a dozen habs.....I don't think this is the right recipe for me.
My question is: What would you do with a dozen fermented habs? I'd like a little tomato taste (hint of paste?), a small citrus accent, and
garlicky. I trust your judgment---point me in the right direction.
P.S.--thanks for your hard work on this site. I've been enjoying it for over a year and have even used an affiliate to link to purchase a piece of kitchen equipment. Keep up the valuable work.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Brent. Glad it turned out. Yes, you can process it with some tomato (either fresh or paste), garlic and citrus are always welcomed. I love habaneros with more Caribbean fruits, such a great combo. Let me know what you wind up making! Exciting!
brent says
Rating this 5 stars before I make it----my ferment is successful thanks to you. I am going to give it another week now to ferment more.
I like your aji ferment recipe. The lime part at especially. But I do have pineapple, and I have 7 more days to decide! I agree, fruit pairs well with habs. Even considering orange and abandoning the tomato sauce. Graci, good sir.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Brent! Glad the mash turned out! Great hot sauce awaits you!
Elea says
It worked as described. It is a good starter recipe and I look forward to trying a few different variations. I think maybe I didn't skim the white stuff off the top and that may have impacted the flavor so next time I'm going to pay more attention to that. Overall pretty cool to be able to make my own fermented hot sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Elea! Good luck making more and more hot sauce! Enjoy.