This homemade hot sauce is made with a mix of red savina habaneros, roasted red bell, sweet potato, and spices for a wonderful balance of heat and flavor.
Red Savina Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe
I'm making a spicy hot sauce with red savina habanero peppers today in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. You're going to love this blend.
Red savinas are type of habanero pepper, selectively bred to be even hotter, reaching 580,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville Scale.
I grew them in my garden this year. They're fiery for sure, but wonderfully fruity, and they make a great hot sauce. You can learn more about the red savina habanero here.
Why You'll Love This Hot Sauce
This hot sauce is wonderfully fiery, but also balanced in heat with roasted bell pepper along with sweet potato, which adds body and fullness. It also accentuates the fruity sweetness of the red savinas.
It's rounded out with flavor builders like onion and lots of garlic, along with a spice mix that brings it all together.
It also includes a mix of acids with both apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, which you can easily adjust to your personal preference.
Consider this a base recipe, something you can easily adjust. Be sure to watch the recipe video in the recipe card, where I more fully discuss ways you can make this your own.
Let's talk about how to make red savina habanero hot sauce, shall we?
Red Savina Habanero Hot Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Red Savina Chili Peppers. I used peppers from my garden, but you can use any habanero types for this, either garden grown or store bought. The best substitutions are any red habaneros. You can realistically make this recipe with any chili pepper types, or a combination.
- Red Bell Pepper. I am roasting mine, but you can skip the roasting if desired. I prefer the added roasted flavor.
- Sweet Potato. Adds body and sweetness to the final hot sauce.
- Onion.
- Garlic. I love a lot of garlic with this particular recipe.
- Habanero Powder. Powders add fullness to the final hot sauce, and help the flavors meld better.
- Berbere Spice Blend. Berbere Spice is an Ethiopian spice blend that I love. You can customize this hot sauce with other spice blends.
- Salt.
- Apple Cider Vinegar. You can use other vinegars, though I prefer the tanginess of ACV for this recipe.
- Lemon Juice.
- Water. For thinning, if desired.
How to Make Red Savina Habanero Hot - the Recipe Method
Chop the red Savina Peppers. Remove the stems from the red savina peppers. Chop the peppers and set them into a small pot or saucepan. (NOTE: Wear protective gloves when working with very hot peppers).
If you have issues with burning skin, see my post on How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn.
Roast the Bell Pepper. As mentioned, you can skip this step and just add the bell pepper to the pot, but I love the addition of the roasted pepper here.
See my post on How to Roast Chili Peppers, or this post on Roasted Red Peppers.
Simmer the Ingredients. Add everything but the lemon juice to the pot, then cover and simmer 15-20 minutes to soften everything up.
Blend the Hot Sauce. Process the mix along with lemon juice, then taste and adjust for salt and liquid to your personal preference.
Bottle it up!
Boom! Done! Your red savina habanero hot sauce is ready to go. How are you going to enjoy yours? I'd love to hear how you changed it up to make your own.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Experiment and Adjust! Consider this a base recipe, my friends. Feel free to play with ratios and amounts, add other ingredients, or swap in new ones. You can really make this your own.
Storage
Hot sauces like this will typically last 6 months out and 12 months in the refrigerator, due to the acidity. A pH of 4.6 is considered shelf stable, though I recommend 4.0 or lower for home cooks.
It is best to use a good pH meter to measure acidity. I recommend Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today (affiliate link, my friends). I am a happy affiliate.
See my post - Should Hot Sauce be Refrigerated?
You can also freeze it up to 6 months.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my red savina habanero hot sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Where'd You Get That Hot 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
.
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Sambal Oelek
- Chili Oil Recipe (How to Make Chili Oil)
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.
Red Savina Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 7.5 ounces red savina habanero peppers (211g) (You can use any habanero types for this recipe)
- 1 large red bell pepper (7.5 ounces/211g) roasted, peeled, and chopped (stem and innards removed)
- 2 ounces sweet potato (56g) (about 1/4 medium sweet potato) chopped
- 2 ounces onion (56g) chopped
- 1 ounce garlic (32g) (5-6 large cloves) chopped
- 1 teaspoon habanero powder
- 1 teaspoon berbere spice blend
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (or more as desired)
- water to thin
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the red savina peppers. Chop the peppers and set them into a small pot or saucepan. (NOTE: Wear protective gloves when working with very hot peppers).
- Add chopped bell pepper, sweet potato, onion, garlic, habanero powder, berbere spice blend, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes, or until everything softens.
- Cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor or blender. Add the lemon juice and process until smooth.
- Adjust with salt to taste, and with extra vinegar or water to your desired consistency.
- Add to bottles or jars and use as desired.
Video
Nutrition Information
Janet says
This has become my husband’s favorite condiment, He likes it a little thicker and uses it like a spread more than a hot sauce - on everything! I have several jars and my plants are still producing. Can I use a water bath method on this recipe to preserve it?
Hope y’all have a Happy New Year!
Mike H. says
Happy New Year, Janet! Yes, you can. However, it's important to ensure that the sauce is acidic enough. A pH of 4.6 is considered shelf stable, though I recommend 4.0 or lower for home cooks.
Chris says
This came out very well. I mixed half of my Bishops Cap peppers and half habaneros.
I looked up a recipe online for Berbere spice blend. Now I need to find something else to use my leftover spice mix on.
I added 1 c of water at the end.
Mike Hultquist says
Great! Glad to be helpful, Chris!
Thomas Wagner says
If I wanted to ferment this how would I go about doing it?
Mike Hultquist says
Thomas, I have a few posts you can refer to on fermenting peppers for hot sauces. I hope this helps.
Fermented Hot Sauce: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/fermented-hot-sauce/
How to Ferment Peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-make-fermented-pepper-mash/
Dave in Cebu says
I've already hit up the 2 websites but I have a follow up question. Would all the solids be fermented or just the peppers? I am wanting to try making my own fermented hot sauce and here in the Philippines they have kamote (a type of sweet potato) and labuyo peppers (80K-100K SHU). Unfortunately, the labuyo is the only hot pepper readily available here. And the red peppers have me asking another question. The red peppers here are what they call red bell, which are long, and red capsicum, which are what the US calls red bell (really messed up thinking because the green bell peppers here look like those in the US and are not long). Regardless, both red pepper types have very thick skin. Should the skin be peeled off before fermenting? Or can the peppers be roasted before fermentation?
I am also considering a hot sauce with unsweetened cocoa powder in it. Your thoughts?
Mike Hultquist says
Dave, you can ferment the other ingredients if you'd like, or add them in later. It's your choice. Each will have its own flavor profile, so it is best to experiment. You do not have to peel them before fermenting, and you can ferment roasted peppers. However, you might need a starter or just some additional fresh peppers to ensure fermentation starts. Cocoa powder in hot sauce? Why not! Another reason to experiment, which is incredibly fun. If you enjoy the flavors, that's all that matters. Enjoy!
Jimmie White says
Hey Mike.
I am a fan of hot sauces.
If you can only use one hot sauce for everything, do you have a personal favorite number one (recipe/ link) ??
thx
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Jimmie. I love so many hot sauces. Don't make me choose! Haha. Honestly, I do like different ones for different things. I definitely prefer simpler ones that focus on the flavor/heat of the peppers, without too many other ingredients added in that can take over. I love a good Louisiana Style hot sauce (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/homemade-louisiana-hot-sauce/), but my Roasted Red Jalapeno Hot Sauce is awesome, too. https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/roasted-red-jalapeno-pepper-hot-sauce/
Jimmie White says
thx...you are the best !!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, man!
Ramya says
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had red savina habaenro hot sauce before perfect for snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike Hultquist says
I hope you enjoy it, Ramya. =)