This habanero hot sauce recipe is the perfect mix of fire and flavor with Caribbean red habaneros, carrot, shallot, garlic, and a blend of spices.
Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe
It's hot sauce making time in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. I know you love a good hot sauce.
There are many, many wonderful artisan hot sauces on the market today, and I enjoy so many of them. However, there's something about a good homemade hot sauce that really stands out.
When you make your own hot sauce at home, you control everything that goes into it - the peppers, the spices, the flavor additions, the preservatives - and you can really build that flavor and heat you prefer.
Today I'm making a fiery Habanero Hot Sauce, which focuses on the flavor of habanero peppers, with their excellent mix of fruitiness and warming heat.
Habaneros are ideal for spicy food lovers, as they push the heat factor to the edge without crossing the incendiary heat threshold of the superhots.
There are many ways to make a habanero hot sauce, but this particular recipe incorporates the flavor building additions of garlic, shallot and carrot, along with vinegar and spices to really round out the flavor.
I think you'll love this one, though it's very easy to adjust to really make it your own.
Let's talk about how to make habanero hot sauce, shall we?
Habanero Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Habanero Peppers. I'm using Caribbean red habanero peppers, but you can use orange habaneros or other variety.
- Carrot. Carrot adds body and sweetness to your final hot sauce.
- Garlic.
- Shallot.
- Vinegar. I'm using distilled white vinegar for this recipe.
- Spices. Sweet paprika, oregano, salt and pepper.
How to Make Habanero Hot Sauce - the Recipe Method
Gather Your Ingredients. Add all of the ingredients (carrots, onions, habaneros, garlic, vinegar, spices) to a small pot or sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Simmer the Ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are softened.
Blend the Ingredients. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Adjust the Hot Sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and spices. For a thinner consistency, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and process to your desired thickness.
Bottle and serve. Makes about 1 cup hot sauce.
Boom! Done! Your habanero hot sauce is ready to serve. Such a great recipe with great flavor and heat. I hope you love it as much as I do! Time to make some hot sauce.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Let the hot sauce mingle and mellow out for a day or 2 before using. You can use it right away, but the flavor gets better over time.
- Heat Factor: Medium-Hot. You can up the heat factor with more habaneros or hotter peppers. Reduce the heat to medium heat by replacing some of the habaneros with milder peppers like bell peppers.
- Can't find habanero peppers? Scotch bonnets are a great replacement with their fiery, fruity flavor.
- Strain your hot sauce for a thinner consistency. You can also add more vinegar to thin it out. Save the leftover pulp for use in soups, stews, or other sauces, or dehydrate it to use as a dry seasoning.
- Consider this a starter recipe. Feel free to vary up the ratios and ingredients. Use apple cider vinegar for a tangy addition, add citrus like lemon or lime juice, and switch up the spices to really make this your own.
How Hot is Habanero Hot Sauce?
Habanero peppers are considered very hot peppers, ranging from 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville Scale. Some types can even reach up to 600,000 SHU, which is quite hot.
Compare this to an average jalapeno pepper, which measures 5,000 SHU, and you'll see that habaneros can reach 70 to 120 times hotter. This is approaching peppers like the Ghost Pepper, which is extremely hot.
However, because we're using other ingredients to dilute the overall habanero pepper content, the hot sauce will not be as hot as a raw habanero. This particular hot sauce is more of a Medium-Hot hot sauce.
Storage
This hot sauce will last for many months in a sealed bottle or container because of the vinegar content. Keep refrigerated for longer keeping.
If you'd like to make it shelf stable, measure the pH and adjust to 3.5 or lower for home processing, then process in a water bath. Be sure your bottles are sterilized or very clean before bottling.
See my post on "Does Hot Sauce Need to be Refrigerated?"
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this habanero hot sauce recipe. I love this recipe. Let me know if you make it and how you decided to change it up.
This Recipe Is In our Cookbook - FLAVOR MADNESS
Did you know that you can find this recipe in our new cookbook FLAVOR MADNESS? It's waiting for you on PAGE 56.
Tools Used For This Recipe
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!
Ninja Food Processor. I use this like crazy to make hot sauces and other sauces, and quick and easy purees.
Hot Sauce Bottles. 5 ounce woozy bottles. I have to buy these in bulk because I keep giving hot sauce away!
Try Some of My Other Popular 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.
Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces chopped habanero peppers seeds/innards included
- 1 ounce chopped carrot
- 1 ounce chopped garlic
- .5 ounce chopped shallot
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are softened.
- Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust for salt and spices. For a thinner consistency, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and process to your desired thickness.
- Bottle and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Jeff says
Fantastic flavor. I did have to substitute the shallots for a white onion but I must say this is very good. Enough heat but not overwhelming unless you consume in quantity. I have been dipping chips in it and it is hard to stop.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Jeff! A nice and simple one, but I just love the flavor.
Trina says
Great sauce, hint of Tabasco flavor but so much better! Will make it again and again! Thanks Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Glad you like it, Trina!
Kim Bezer says
Mike....I followed your recipe exactly as stated and the hot sauce came out AMAZING!!!! I have been using the sauce on wings etc but I recently found my favorite use for it....in beer? I pour some into my beer (usually a lager) and it tastes sooo good. I don't add anything else. I may be crazy but it has become one of my favorite after work beverages.
Mike Hultquist says
That's awesome, Kim! I love to hear it! Glad you're enjoying it. I had a roommate in college who loved hot sauce in beer. Nice!
John Kaay says
Hi Mike,
Love your webpage!
I made this sauce last year with habaneros and it was fantastic! This season I have a large harvest of red jalapenos that I do not really know what to do with. Do you think this recipe will work with jalapenos as well? Or do you think it will turn out to be too mild?
JK
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, John! I appreciate it! Yes, this recipe will definitely work with jalapenos. If you think it will be too mild, you can always add in a bit of hotter chili powder, like cayenne or habanero powder. Also, check out some of my other jalapeno hot sauce recipes, see if they might work better for you.
Roasted Red Jalapeno Hot Sauce - https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/roasted-red-jalapeno-pepper-hot-sauce/
Jalapeno Hot Sauce - https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/jalapeno-hot-sauce/
Chris C says
Mike, I have made this hot sauce several times and it is by far my favorite. I give away a lot of it as well. Thank you for sharing your recipe with everyone. My question is I will be trying this with fermented habaneros. Would the weight stay the same (3.5oz) or will I need to adjust. This is my first time fermenting off of your recipe. I have 2 quarts of habaneros and 1 quart or Carolina Reapers going in a brine solution and they look amazing. Thanks again!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Chris. TBH, I'm not 100% sure on the weight conversion here, since there is liquid involved with the fermented peppers. I believe the weights should be pretty close, but you might want to add a bit less liquid at first, then adjust, to be safe. Take notes, too! I'd love to hear the results.
Станислав says
В очередной раз восхищаюсь Вашими рецептами! "HOT"-привет Вам из Сибири! Восхитительный соус! Красный хабанеро пока не поспел... Готовил из оранжевого. Невероятный вкус! Спасибо!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Спасибо! Рад, что вам понравилось! (Spasibo! Rad, chto vam ponravilos'!) ("Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!")
Paul says
Man, I made this tonight and had about a tablespoon of old honey in the jar. I scooped it out and threw it in the pot hole it was cooling a bit.
Sauce is off the hook. Thanks for this Mike.
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Paul!
Joni Gallagher says
Looking forward in making this recipe. I have many habaneros right now.
How long will this last? Does it have to stay in the refrigerator?
Mike Hultquist says
Joni, this will last many months and even longer in the fridge. I have a post you can review here: Does Hot Sauce Need to be Refrigerated? - https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/refrigerating-hot-sauce/
Laurie says
My first attempt at making hot sauce and it did NOT disappoint! So delicious. I added 2 dates to the mix for a touch of sweetness. Perfect for me. Thank you for the recipe and video!
Mike H. says
I am so happy to hear it, Laurie. Thank you!
Frank Gatto says
Made this sauce with my homegrown mini habaneros. They're extremely hot, so I added half of a medium size red bell pepper. Also split the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar and added about a tablespoon of lime juice. Came out great! Flavorful and nice level of heat. Hot, but not crazy hot. Great on eggs, tacos, grilled chicken, etc.
Mike H. says
Super happy to hear it, Frank. Enjoy!
Jaye Quimby says
I am considering making Habanero Hot Sauce and putting in bottles. Do you need to process the bottles in a hot water bath, like you do with canning? Or will bottles you recommend seal sufficiently to store the sauce?
Mike H. says
I would make sure the bottles are sterilized or very clean before bottling. Super important.
Kim says
Some recipes use lime juice? Will the addition of lime juice make a difference at all? Your recipe looks so awesome!
Mike H. says
Thank you, Kim. Definitely try that - you may enjoy the addition.
Kathy says
Not able to find sweet paprika, is smoked or regular ok?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can use that, Kathy. No problem at all! Enjoy!!