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
Pete says
Will kosher salt be OK to use in the fermenting brine?
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, works great, Peter.
Frank says
Simple but very good recipe. I varied a bit by adding garlic and sweet onion. I made several batches last year and didn’t cook the sauce, instead using a bit more vinegar and refrigerating it. The sauce kept well and I’m still using it. Gearing up for a new batch today!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear, Frank! I love it!
Stuart says
I added garlic to the fermentation bottle. Is this ok to do?
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, you can ferment garlic, Stuart.
Bai says
Is it advisable to water bath hot sauce in bottles to improve shelf life? Or should I use mason jars for water bath canning and not sauce bottles? Thanks for your advice
Mike Hultquist says
Bai, fermented foods will last a very long time on their own, especially in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place. You can water bath them and seal the jars, but it can remove the probiotic benefits. I usually cook my fermented sauces anyway - if you do this, you can definitely water bath. But as mentioned, they will last a long time without it.
Ben says
I really like onion and garlic in my hot sauce. Do you think it makes me sense to add it after fermentation to get the natural sweet flavor to come through? I'm just thinking if I add it before fermentation, all the sugars and carbohydrates will be used up and change the flavor profile.
Mike Hultquist says
Ben, absolutely, can do it that way. Works great! Let me know how it goes for you!
Dan says
I made Tabasco sauce a couple years ago and kept the pulp in it (nothing went to waste) and it came out great. Thanks for that recipe.
I have a lot of ghost and reaper dehydrated powder and was wondering if there's a way to make hot sauce with it? Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, perfect way to preserve the pulp. I usually use it for seasoning, but yes, you can make sauce from it. I have a post on How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powders here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-chili-powders/ - Enjoy!
Jeff says
My Trinidads did the same...Overall failure with only a couple of small peppers. However, my Reapers and Bhut Jolokia have been THRIVING! Is it a fluke or do the Scorpions need some special love???
Mike Hultquist says
Hard to say, Jeff. Could be some specific issue with the plant. Yes, some special attention is in order!
Donna Moore says
My first time so I started with small batch of one jar of peppers. Let it ferment 2 weeks - did notice the brine going up into the airlock piece so I changed that out several times. Obviously my brine was to high in the jar . The weights to hold peppers down did not work, they sank to bottom of jar. So I used a ziplock with water to keep the peppers in place. Worked great and saw lots of activity. When I emptied the peppers to make the sauce there was a white consistancy on the Bottom of the jar, thought that might be the kalm yeast but was expecting to see that on the top. Also made with equal portions brine and vinegar for sauce. A little to vinegary for me. Can I susbstitude the vinegar with citrus juice like limes or oranges? I fermented some garlic and ginger in the jar and just mixed that into the sauce. It does taste delicious, but I'm really surprised how much heat was balanced out, the hot sauce is no where near as hot as the peppers were, but it does have wonderful flavor and a nice warm finish. Is there a trick to keeping the sauce a little hotter. Our peppers were fire hot to start. Thanks for the informative site. I really enjoyed this process and will start another batch tomorrow.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Donna. Yes, you can use citrus as an acidic alternative to vinegar. Enjoy!
James Adams says
Hi Donna - I saw you asked about the residue at the bottom of the jar. Mine did that as well. I'm no expert, but I read/heard that it's probably not yeast, but the residue leftover from the bacteria. The also said it's perfectly normal and safe. I too found that the finished product was no where near as hot as the original peppers. Don't know if that's usually the case or not. I'll have to see next time.
And thanks Mike for the recipe! I'm trying it right now with some peppers that I already fermented.
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, thanks, James. Enjoy!
Craig says
I am growing ghost peppers but really like the flavor of mustard. What's the best way to incorporate a mustard flavor? If I add mustard seed to the brine, do I remove them before processing or keep them in and blend?
Mike Hultquist says
Craig, you can add mustard seeds or powder to the brine and just process them later if you want. You can add it later as well. Works either way.
Glenn Smith says
can I freeze my peppers until I get enough to make the recipe. I have a trinidad scorpion plant that makes beautiful peppers but it only makes a few at a time.
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can do that, Glenn. It is best to use at least some fresh peppers, though, in order to start fermentation. Enjoy!
Tricia says
I just finished making this hot sauce after letting my garden-grown jalapeños ferment for 10 days. Super spicy and delicious and tastes like a hotter Tabasco. I now know what to do with the pounds of ripened jalapeños that would have otherwise gone to waste. I’m making another batch with today’s harvest and m going to add a couple garlic cloves to the jars and try fermenting for 2 weeks. Great, simple recipe. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful to hear! Glad to be helpful, Tricia, and glad you enjoyed the hot sauce! No peppers to to waste! I love it.
Grace says
Hi! I love hot sauce and finally decided to make my own. Thank you for this article and recipe. I want to know if my hot sauce should be redone. I fermented it for 5 days in boiled salt water with cheesecloth over top. then I saw the white foam on top and freaked out, and added vinegar and more boiling salt water directly in, stirred the white stuff in, and put cheesecloth back on. a week later it looks good but now I'm wondering if it's ok to eat since I stirred that white stuff in, and since I fermented it in vinegar and salt water, not just salt water. what do you think?
Mike Hultquist says
Grace, if the white coating on top was smooth and smelled a bit sour, it's likely just kahm yeast, which can happen. It makes the flavor more sour. If it was fuzzy growth, that is mold and should not be eaten.
Lee says
I have a hot sauce question.... Friend gave me some peppers(Ghost and Carolina Reepers)... Fermented peppers in a salt brine for 6 months with a cut in half lemon, quartered onion and head of garlic cloves.... Wanted to make sure it safe with the lemon? Also,, any suggestions on how to cut the heat before bottling although it's really not that bad??
Thanks in advance
Mike Hultquist says
Lee, it should be safe enough with the lemon, as it is acidic enough. You can test it with a pH meter if needed. You can cut the heat best with dilution, so mix it with other peppers or other complimentary ingredients, like tomato, fruit, etc.
Lee says
Thank you Mike, I forgot to mention that when I blended in a food processor I used 1/2C Vinegar and 1/2C of the Brine as well. If I mix in fruit or tomato when do I do that?
Mike Hultquist says
You can do that now with your current blend, Lee. You can add it fresh, or cook them down first, then blend and mix, or blend it all together. I hope this all helps.