In the late summer and early autumn, you'll find baskets brimming with ripe hot peppers at your local farmers' market. Toss those peppers in a jar with plenty of garlic and make Fermented Hot Sauce. It's a great way to make the most of all that fiery abundance.
Jump to Recipe | What is it? | Ingredients | Equipment | Tips | Troubleshooting | Storage | Variations | Questions
What is it?
Fermented hot sauce is a spicy, slightly acidic sauce made by fermenting hot chilis and other ingredients together in a jar or crock. Over time, the flavor will deepen, growing more complex and acidic as beneficial bacteria go to work.
Most of the world's most beloved hot sauces - from Tobasco to Sriracha - begin in the fermentation crock, and that's because fermentation gives the hot sauce a bright acidity and deep, complex flavor that develops slowly with time.
Fortunately, hot sauces are simple to make. You just toss hot, ripe chili peppers in a jar with plenty of garlic and other spices as it suits you, then cover them with salt water. Then all you have to do is wait.
Fermentation is a magical and transformative culinary technique that not only helps to preserve foods that might otherwise spoil, but also gives foods a complex and rich depth of flavor.
As a result, you'll have a deeply flavor-forward sauce that's full of good bacteria, just like yogurt, sauerkraut, or radish kimchi.
What's in it?
At its most basic, you'll only need three ingredients to make a fermented hot sauce: fresh peppers, salt, and water. These ingredients are the foundation of hot sauce. However, you can enhance the flavor and complexity of your sauce by adding additional ingredients.
Alliums, such as garlic and onions, as well as herbs, spices, and even fruit work well to enhance the flavor of homemade hot sauce.
- Fresh chilies are the foundation of a good homemade hot sauce, fermented or not. Fully ripe chilies are best for making a fermented sauce, so look for yellow, orange, or red chilies rather than green ones. Fresno peppers, aji amarillo, and scotch bonnets work well for fermented hot sauce as do fully ripe jalapeños, Thai chilies, or serranos. Sweet peppers, such as bell peppers, can be added for a milder sauce.
- Garlic can give your sauce its depth, and it provides a grounding note that tempers the fiery top notes of fresh chili pepper.
- Fruit can be a delicious addition to homemade hot sauce, too. Its natural sweetness can bring balance to the heat of chilies. Citrus, such as tangerine, lime, or orange, is particularly delicious; however, many home cooks have had good luck adding blueberries or even pineapple to their sauce.
- Spices and other aromatics can bring balance to your sauce. Ginger, turmeric, Szechuan peppercorns, hibiscus flowers, and even allspice can work well depending on the full flavor profile you prefer.
- Salt is a necessary ingredient for most fermented foods. It's best to use a minimally processed salt with no additives for fermentation
What kind of equipment do you need?
At its heart, fermentation is simple. In order to make fermented hot sauce, as well as many other fermented foods, you'll need a few key pieces of equipment including a vessel and a lid. In the case of hot sauce, you'll want a high-speed blender, too.
- A fermentation vessel can be as simple as a mason jar. You can also purchase crocks and jars specifically designed for fermentation.
- An airlock or fermentation lid is helpful for allowing the carbon dioxide that naturally builds up during fermentation to escape while preventing the free flow of oxygen which can contribute to mold formation.
- Glass fermentation weights are helpful, but not essential, and they help to keep your chilies submerged during fermentation, preventing the formation of mold and keeping your hot-sauce-to-be safe.
- A blender is necessary for puréeing the fermented chili peppers and turning them into homemade hot sauce. If you don't have a blender, you can work in batches to purée the peppers and brine in a food processor instead.
How to make fermented hot sauce
Making this hot sauce recipe, as with most fermented foods, is easier than you think and fairly straightforward. There are requires two primary steps: fermenting the chili peppers, and then blending the sauce.
- Prepare the ingredients. You'll want to prep the chilies and any other ingredients you have in advance. You'll rinse the chilies to remove any debris, and then cut away the stem end. Coarsely chopping the chilies can speed up fermentation, too.
- Mix the brine. A typical brine for fermentation is about 2%; however, for both hot and sweet peppers a higher level of salt is optimal, and you'll typically need to ferment these ingredients in a 3-3.5% brine. You can mix the salt and water together on the stove, and then allow it to cool to room temperature before adding it to the chilies.
- Combine the chilies and brine. After about two weeks, your chilies will be done fermenting and ready to make into sauce. You'll purée chilies and any other ingredients, as well as some of the brine together to form the sauce.
- Strain the finished hot sauce. If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can strain it if you like.
Tips for making hot sauce
While making fermented hot sauce is simple, there are a few tricks you want to keep in mind so that it comes out right every time.
Paying attention to the quality and variety of ingredients as well as proper fermentation techniques can make a big difference in the quality of your sauce.
- Remove the seeds from the hot peppers if you prefer a milder hot sauce.
- Use a variety of fresh peppers. Chilis vary in flavor. Accordingly, some have smoky notes, others bitter and others sweet. When using a variety of peppers, you'll get the deepest and most complex flavor out of your sauce.
- Use ripe chilis. Fermentation amplifies the bitter notes you taste in unripe, green hot chilis. Using ripe chilis eliminates that bitterness and can give your hot sauce better flavor.
- Use filtered or dechlorinated water. Chlorinated water may interfere with successful fermentation, so use a good water filter or dechlorinate your water by letting it sit overnight before you add it to your chilis.
- Fill your jar with brine within 1 inch of its opening. Leaving too much headspace will increase the likelihood of mold formation.
- Keep your chilis submerged under the brine. Glass fermentation weights help keep your chilis and garlic submerged while they ferment, lowering the chance that your hot sauce will be contaminated with mold.
- Use an airtight jar or fermentation seal. An airtight jar or a fermentation seal will prevent oxygen from getting into your chilis while they ferment which helps keep your hot sauce safe from mold contamination.
- Pay attention to temperature. Foods ferment faster in warm temperatures and more slowly in cool temperatures.
- Pay attention to flavor and aroma. Your fermented hot peppers are ready when their flavor and aroma please you. Some people prefer younger ferments, while others prefer aged ferments.
- Strain for a thin sauce, don't strain for a thick sauce. After blending the peppers, garlic, and brine together you can strain the purée which will give you a thin hot sauce and a thick, fermented pepper mash. Alternatively, if you avoid straining, you'll have a thickened hot sauce about the consistency of sriracha.
How to store your sauce
Fermented hot sauce is a living food that's rich in food enzymes and beneficial bacteria. Once you purée the chilies and bottle your sauce, it will continue to ferment.
Store your fermented hot sauce in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process. You can also pour your sauce into jars and can it for long-term storage, but the high heat of canning will destroy the sauce's beneficial bacteria.
Some home cooks stabilize their finished hot sauce by adding apple cider vinegar. Adding vinegar lowers the PH of the sauce, increasing both its acidity and the ability to store it long-term.
If you wish to stabilize your hot sauce this way, you can purée the fermented peppers and, instead of mixing them with leftover brine, use apple cider vinegar instead. This forms a blended sauce, using both fermented peppers and vinegar.
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Variations
Once you've made the basic recipe using straightforward and simple ingredients, you can introduce new flavors to really make a hot sauce that's distinctly your own.
Citrus fruits like lime and orange can give a subtle sweetness that marries well with the chilis' heat. Similarly, herbs and spices like hibiscus flowers, turmeric, and ginger can give an added depth of flavor to a basic fermented hot sauce.
Lime and fresh ginger pair well together, and a little added lemongrass is nice too.
Turmeric, carrots, and black pepper work well together. Carrots lend sweetness while turmeric and black pepper are rich in antioxidants and work synergistically together.
Hibiscus flowers, allspice, and pineapple bring a floral note and pair beautifully with habañero chilis.
If you're looking for a milder condiment, consider making fermented salsa instead of hot sauce.
Troubleshooting
Making a fermented hot sauce is fairly straightforward. And as long as you use quality ingredients and clean equipment, it should turn out beautifully. However, occasionally things might go awry, and here's a quick look at how you can troubleshoot potential problems.
- If a white film develops on the top of your chilis, it's probably Kahm yeast. Kahm yeast is benign and fairly common in fermented peppers and cucumbers. Lift the film off and discard it.
- If mold appears on top of your chilis or the surface of your brine, lift it off and discard it. But if more than a few spots appear, discard the batch. You can minimize mold in ferments by using a weight and a fermentation seal.
- If it's not sour enough, let it ferment longer or mix apple cider vinegar into the blender when you purée the chilis.
- If your chilis and hot sauce get fizzy, that's a normal sign of fermentation. Make sure to burp your jar (jars with fermentation seals are self-burping), and store your bottles in the fridge.
Recipe Questions
While it's possible to use dried chilies and chili powder in a fermented hot sauce, it's not advisable to use only dried ingredients. Instead, consider adding a small portion of dried chilies or chili powder in addition to fresh chilies for successful fermentation.
Fermented hot sauce contains active, live bacteria, just like yogurt. For this reason, you must refrigerate your hot sauce when it's finished and tastes right to you. Otherwise, it will continue to ferment and grow increasingly sour if you leave it at room temperature.
Properly fermented, hot sauce will keep for at least 6 months in the fridge.
The beneficial bacteria in fermented foods are easily damaged, but not necessarily killed, by freezing. So, you can freeze your hot sauce and store it in the freezer for up to 1 year. But, it's best to keep it in the fridge where the temperature is less extreme.
Canning is an excellent way to preserve hot sauce; however, it involves high heat. And high heat kills the beneficial bacteria responsible for fermentation. As a result, canning will destroy any live cultures (as well as the benefits they may convey).
If you still wish to can your hot sauce, first test the PH using PH strips to ensure it's a safe level of acidity of 4.6 or lower. Then follow the USDA's instructions for canning hot sauce.
Most hot sauces are thickened with commercial gums, such as xanthan gum. However, for this version, you can simply add less brine when you purée the fermented peppers.
Alternatively, you can strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve if it's already too thin, and or add more pepper mash.
Depending on the thickness of your hot sauce, you'll probably have leftover brine. This brine is delicious on its own, too: salty and spicy with a sour edge. It can give broth, soups, and stews a hot, acidic punch of flavor. It's also delicious used as a marinade for grilled chicken, especially in combination with chopped garlic and fresh herbs.
When fermenting peppers, or any other food or drink, there's a small risk that your mason jar or bottle may explode. That's because carbon dioxide is a natural byproduct of fermentation.
If you're fermenting in a tightly sealed container, the carbon dioxide has nowhere to go and will build up in the jar, potentially leading to cracked, seeping, or (rarely) exploding jars.
To prevent your jar from exploding, use an airlock when fermenting. Lids that are designed for fermentation allow carbon dioxide to escape, so there's no risk of cracked or exploding jars.
Properly fermented foods are safe to eat. Your ferments should be free from signs of mold. Small isolated spots of mold can be removed; however, if a raft of mold develops that covers the surface of the brine or if your brine becomes thick and viscous, discard the contents of your jar.
If you're further concerned, you can also use PH strips to test the PH of the fermented peppers, their brine, and the finished hot sauce. The PH should be 4.6 or lower.
Quinn says
Probably the best hot sauce recipe I've tried. I used a mix of habaneros and Fresno peppers.
Kassi says
I made up a few batches and it tastes good but… earthy? Is that normal for fermented serranos? I had it going for about six months and meant to blend it about a month ago but never found the time. Next time I’ll ferment a shorter time.
Jenny McGruther says
Hi Kassi - It's normal for *green* chilis, like serranos. I recommend using fully ripe red chilies, such as cherry bells, fresnos, habaneros, etc.
Michael R. says
This came out delicious. I strained it and had a thin hot sauce and I used the mash as a dip for chips. Next batch I will experiment with a few of your added ingredients.
Greg says
This was a really easy recipe, I doubled the garlic and used habaneros with a few ghost peppers I found at the store. It was SO hot, but so good.
Josefa says
Ours came out great. It was really hot, since I used mostly habanero peppers, but I would definitely make it again (except that the recipe makes so much, it'll probably be a while).
Snowflake23 says
Even though I modified the recipe at the end, I followed the recipe as is and my husband loved it. I added cashews, cayenne pepper and avocado oil for a “Buffalo”-flavored sauce. Excellent recipe. Can be used in so many ways.
Dan says
Some of the Tabasco peppers in my garden are ready and have been picked. However, there aren’t enough to make the recipe yet. Can I start to ferment the peppers that have been picked and then add new peppers as they ripen?
Sorry, probably a rookie question. Also, I tried to read through comments to see if it had been answered but only got so far.
Thanks!
Jenny says
Hi Dan!
That's a good question. It's called continuous fermentation, and you should be able to do that. Once the bacteria are well-established, the final peppers you add should ferment faster.
Katie says
Can I just ask whether the variations you suggest (Hibiscus flowers, allspice and pineapple for example) - are these ingredients added to the initial ferment or after when whizzed up for bottling?
Jenny says
Hi Katie, Add any additional ingredients to the ferment. HTH!
Angelique says
I made a triple batch and needed up with 3-4 cups of brine. It's so good that I almost feel guilty tossing it. Any suggestions on how to use it?
Rik says
Do you use slices of lime or just the rind when adding fruit?
Jenny says
It's up to you.
Lindsey says
Any clever uses for the pulp?
I’d hate to toss it!
Jenny says
Use it in stirfries.
Monique says
Can I use frozen chilis? I already froze this years's crop.
Anne Blythe says
extremely low and extremely high temperatures can kill the good bacteria that causes the fermentation. if you only have frozen chilis, i suggest thawing them before chopping and fermenting them so the fermentation can develop the necessary probiotics.
Diane says
what can you use for a weight to keep the peppers from floating?
Jenny says
I recommend glass weights.
Wallis McClain says
I am sorry, but I am new to all this. What are glass weights? Where do I get them? I have some small glass food prep bowls, but even they are too large to fit inside the Mason jars.
Jenny says
Please click on the links under "special equipment" in the recipe for information about the special equipment.
Kelly says
How much hot sauce does this recipe make? Seems like three lbs of peppers should yield, what, a quart of sauce?
Frances says
Hi there. When I made Tabasco Sauce I first fermented all the chilies whole. Then I put it through the food processor and kept the seeds from the strainer till they dried out. I then put them through the food processor and made Chili Spice with them. Another time I just threw them into the garden to grow the next batch. Waste Not, Want Not.
Frances from a hot and sunny South Africa
Tom says
I used whey from my husband's homemade yogurt. How long should it take before I see evidence of bubbling/fermentation?
Rachel says
Hi, was wondering if there is a way to adapt this for dried peppers?
Jenny says
Hi Rachel,
I wouldn't recommend it, you'd have to completely rehydrate them and then brine them and I don't think that the results would be right. You could, of course, try.
Brian K says
How many little hot sauce bottles does this recipe fill, please?
Jenny says
What size are your bottles?
Psul Hangan says
Can u use dried chilli?? If not could u rehydrate chillies in water then use ??
Jenny says
You could try and let us know how it goes.
Maria says
I came across The Nourished Kitchen on U Tube about 7 year's ago, I am thrilled to find you again and looking forward to purchase you're New Books, it is so nice to see that the Art Of Real Food's is not lost. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSPIREASHIONS.
Liane says
My friend made this and I'm hooked! I'm wondering if I can use plain kombucha vinegar for the fermentation part?
Jenny says
You should be able to.
Rb says
Just a newbie question, can i use iodized salt?
Jenny says
Yes, but it can leave a metallic flavor in your ferments.
Billy says
This looks so good. I love when people use hot sauce and ferment it. It really gives it a great flavor! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
beaux says
I make kim chi with a bunch of chopped veggies which after fermentation last for months in the fridge. Why does your recipe for the fermented chili require disposal of the veggies to leave only sauce? Can the veggies be left in the sauce?
Jenny says
Because it wouldn't be a sauce if you left the solids in it, it would be hot pepper mash.
Megan says
Hi Jenny,
I tried making this with the masses of hot peppers that came in our CSA boxes this summer. I followed your recipe, and then put it into a large fermenting crock and then forgot about it long enough that the water in the rim of the crock was long gone. Unsurprisingly, the pepper paste inside was covered in white mold.
So, I thoroughly scrubbed out the crock and tried again... making sure to keep the water topped up. It's been bubbling away nicely, but six days into the fermentation, I took a peek and the entire surface is covered in white mold again.
Is it possible that it's going moldy because the crock is too large for the volume of peppers?
Jenny says
Hi Megan,
When you use a crock, make sure it's filled up to the neck of the crock (at least) otherwise it's too much air and molding is more likely.
Ashley Joyce says
Hi! I just made your hot sauce with lots of cayenne peppers and habanero peppers from our CSA. It has fermented for a week and I'm ready to put it in the fridge. I left it out on the counter to ferment in four jars while we were on vacation with cloth napkins tied over the top. It looks like it separated a bit. There is clear-ish liquid at the bottom. Is that ok or to be expected? Should I just shake it up and refrigerate?
Thanks!!
Jenny says
Hi Ashley, yep just shake it up or run it through a Hugh-powered blender.
Tetros says
Hi I placed roasted red chili with slices of garlic pink seasalt and Olive oil. Left for 3 days and found bubbles. Doesn't smell bad. Is it safe to eat?
I did the same long ago but did not find bubbles. May have put in ice box.
David Feuer says
No, it's not. Vegetables, fresh herbs, or garlic in oil are a botulism risk unless processed very carefully. Such mixtures should only be stored in the *freezer*, though the refrigerator is probably fine for a few hours (not days). Toss that stuff and start over.
Tetros says
Hi I placed roasted red chili with slices of garlic pink seasalt and Olive oil. Left for 3 days and found bubbles. Doesn't smell bad. Is it safe to eat?
I did the same long ago but did not find bubbles. May have put in ice box...
tetrahelixdna@msn.com
Jenny says
Hi Tetros, it's difficult for me to troubleshoot recipes I didn't create. If you have a question about this recipe, I'd be happy to sneer it.
Tetros says
Thank you Jenny, for your prompt reply. I wonder if it is safe to eat or has the chili gone? Thank you.
Annette Baker says
I made this with my scotch bonnets and jalapenos and some other peppers. I used a air free bubbler lid on a 1/2 gallon mason jar. The mash pushed the brine thru the air free lid and out on the counter. I opened it and pushed the mash down and stirred it. It now has been 6 days fermenting and has the nice smell to it with a sour so I am assuming all is going good. Do you think everything is good with it too??? It is my first time making hot sauce. Please advise thanks!! Annie
Jenny says
It sounds like it's doing fine.
Annette Baker says
Thanks I was worried.
Brenda says
Can I use water kefir as a starter for this? I am vegan so no whey for me.
Brenda says
Sorry, didn't see previous comment before commenting. I found my answer, thanks.
Dave says
I made this hot sauce, and the result is wonderful. I was concerned that there wasn't enough liquid in the ferment, but the lactic flavor from the fermentation is good. Still, it was quite dry and I only got two cups of hot sauce. I assume that it is from the mix of peppers I used which were all thin walled except for a small amount of ancho and jalapenos. Could I have added water to this, and should that water have had a bit of salt in it to not dilute it? I assume that the fermentation requires a certain amount of salt in the brine to keep spoilage bacteria at bay.
David Feuer says
If you're going to dilute it, I would suggest adding some vinegar to be safe. Or you can just store it thick and dilute it for use.
AJ says
I tried this recipe using crimson red peppers which are both hot ans sweet. I made a gallon, and I very much regret not making more!
Emily says
This recipe sounds so yummy! If one is allergic to dairy products, what is the next best culture starter besides whey that you would recommend?
Jim Filipski says
I Made two batches with very rare Aleppo chilies: One was with ripe red and one was with green. 7 days now and no fermenting that I can see but also no mold. Used whey from on top of Greek Yogurt tubs!
Paul says
Will the brine from the jalapeno recipe work as a starter for the hot sauce? If so, how much should I use?
Dave says
I get an active ferment from the background yeast but you can always use the dregs from a bottle of lambic beer. These are lactic ferments from natural yeasts, try some gurrs as it's fizzy through secondary ferment in the bottle. That you you enjoy the drinking part too!
Charlie says
I'm curious why there's no need to keep the peppers or mash under a brine to prevent contamination like with sauerkraut or the fermented berries?
Jon Anderson says
I followed the recipe to the letter. Now at the 7th day I see no signs of fermentation, but there is a high solid to liquid ration with this recipe so perhaps I should not expect to see too much bubbling? How do I know whether it has fermented? It smells great, looks good, no mold . . . but I am hesitant to start straining before I see some obvious confirmation that it has properly fermented. Advice?
Jenny says
Does it smell and taste sour?
Stacey says
I made this today and I wanted to know if there is any particular reason for straining the finished product. Is it just a personal texture preference or does straining help to preserve the food. I have read that garlic can be tricky and go rancid so I thought it might be the reason.
I'd prefer to keep the sauce unstrained if the straining has nothing to do with preservation though.
Ben says
thanks for this write-up. I'm enjoying a nice bloody mary I added my end result to for a spicy kick. I found after a few weeks i had to go outside to burp the jar or the whole house would smell funky (in a good way). After a 3 week ferment i did opt to just drain and rinse off the brine - i felt i had reached a funk level i was happy with and just like a home-brew there was a layer of dead yeast at the bottom i thought would throw off the flavor.
Shauna Lynn says
Could this be done in a jar with an airlock or is an arobic environment required?
Jenny says
Yes.
Shauna Lynn says
Mine also went moldy, I didn't see a reply to the mold question. It was just a small amount of white mold, is it garbage now? I scraped the mold off the top but I've read that it doesn't matter if you get rid of what you see on top, there will be invisible mold through out the rest. I don't want to toss it if I don't absolutely have to though.
Matilda says
Hi
The leftover paste, can it be used like a paste or should it be discarded?
Elliot S-L says
Won't the sugar be metabolized by the lactobacilli? I have found when I ferment apples or other sweet fruits with vegetables they loose their sweetness. Thoughts?
Melissa says
Hello,
You mentioned using tomatillos along with jalapenos in your sauce. I currently have an abundance of both and would love to know how much tomatillo you use, and if your ferment them along with the peppers, or add them after?
Thanks for the great recipe!
Pat says
I used dried chilis for my hotsauce and the paste is really thick. Should I add water or will it be fine for fermentation? Don't see activity after 12 hours.
Jordan says
I was wondering if I could reuse the pulp to do another hot sauce ferment? I didn't yield as much as I wanted & have so much pulp left that is still very hot.
Shane says
I made this recipe recently and it was absolutely lovely, spicy and hot yet fruity. It will be a staple not in our place. Your book by the way is fantastic and is getting well read and shared around as people eat food from it I make.
Thomas says
Thanks you for the recipe and the detailed comments. I am fond of chili sauces and my favorite is the classic Tabasco. But I can't get my chilies to ferment.
First batch didn't do anything and juiced very little (habaneros, jalapenos and Baccatums). I added little water and 1/20 of salt. Nothing happened. I had to add a lot of vinegar to press out a sauce.
Second batch i used more chilies, only habanero, no water, 1/30 of salt, because I saw many recipes where the whole chilies are totally juiced out and even pushed up by the liquid! Do you guy really add no water? After 6 days my jar got suddenly full of mold. 🙁 chilies are expensive where i am (Norway) and there isn't much choice
Where are the damn lacto bacteria? I brewed a kölsch beer last week and got a massive lacto infection, they chose the wrong target 😛
Another question: My first batch didn't ferment, so it lacks depth in the taste, but it's hot and good. When you add vinegar to the final product, how come Tabasco has a mostly homogeneous sauce. I mean it's homogeneous eventhough it has to be shaken. My sauce after 2 days resting , the top part of the flask is only vinegar! It's simple physics, but how come this doesn't happen why Tabasco?
Thanks for the tips!
Emily says
I use a very small amount of xanthan gum in my hot sauces. It thickens it and prevents separation. I highly recommend it.
Liz Queenlila says
Found some gorgeous chilies at the farmers market today and I can't wait to try this! I'm a bit of a hot sauce junkie. Thanks for the recipe!
petrina says
Can I substitute the starter culture with apple cider vinegar?
Jenny says
No. It would be better to leave it entirely out if that's the case.
Stephen says
I start mine in a vacuum sealer bag, no water an 2% salt. Weigh ingredients (in grams) and multiply by .025 to find out how many grams of salt to use.
Got a batch of red jalapenos, a batch of habanero and one of a combo of jalapeno, serrano and long green hot.
MrKnits says
Can't wait for my peppers to ripen to try this. Thinking of using a tbsp or so of honey from our hives to sweeten. Would that work or should I stick to sucrose or fructose?
As for the white mold it is normally geotricum candidum, sometimes some penicillium candidum too. I grow those purposely on homemade goat cheese. So long as my sauerkraut ferment progresses OK I just scrape off the mold and any discolored kraut and save the rest of the batch. I've never had a problem doing that (nor did Busia, my Polish Grandma). I suppose it would be fine to do the same with fermenting pepper paste.
Greg says
I made this with 1 Trinidad scorpion and about a million Chile Pequins and a few cloves of garlic.
It is absolutely amazing I was just wondering if there would be a recommended way to thicken the sauce since straining it took all the body away (with those seeds in it I probably couldn't eat it anyway).
sam says
How much Milk Kefir do I add?
That One Guy says
As someone else mentioned, ghost peppers have not been the hottest pepper in the world for quite a long time. It was surpassed by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T in 2011, which was in turn beaten by the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion in 2012, then the Carolina Reaper in 2013.
I've been growing the trinidad moruga scorpions since last year and they make an amazing hot sauce... Just don't eat them raw unless you want to experience the worst pain of your life. 🙂
Suki F says
I really want to prepare this but I’m a bit intimidated. I hope I do it ok.
Julie says
In China we always ferment our peppers for making hot sauce to cook with. 10 pounds hot peppers, 1 pound garlic, crushed; 1 pound ginger grated; 3/4 pound salt, 1 pound white licor, like vodka.
I use my meat grinder to grind the peppers, then add the rest, mix well , put into crocks (the Chinese have an ingenious system with a crock that has a large lip flaring out and a cover... after covering water and salt is added to the lip to seal it. )
We make this once a year when peppers are ripe in about August-September, and it keeps all year. Just remember to keep water in the lip.
The Chinese do not strain out the pepper mash, but leave it and use this to stir fry. Oh, I live in Guizhou Province where everything is HOT.
Bunny Watson says
Very spicy. Very very very flavorful. I am so excited. We are making our own hot sauce!
Ours also made 2 quarts. I am sure that it was enough whey. If not, it will just take longer. Can't wait!
Ld Lawrence says
This was terrific. I didn't have whey on hand so I used some ginger bug and a splash of juice from my last batch of kimchi. I didn't separate it…. I left it as a chow chow or hot relish. I was really happy with the results. Ill always have a jar of this on the door in my fridge. Thank you very much!
Isabel says
My pepper mash is not bubbly at all, should I be worried? I'm wondering if my whey was too old (strained from week-old yogurt), and if so, should I add more salt? Can I do anything to fix this? Would be very upset if the whole lot went to waste 🙁
Thomas Henshaw says
Im unsure at the moment what bottles to use for my sauce. Its been fermenting for about 4 weeks now. Bubbling ceased about 3 days ago so im gonna need to bottle soon. I was actually thinking of buying a couple of vinegar bottles with the lids that restrict flow but im cluesless as to sterilization methods. I actually bought some brucleanse sterilizer usually used for homebrew, I used this to sterilize my fermenting vessels (I used some bbq sauce bottles that were the right size to use a bung and airlock with). I assume I could use this again to sterilize my bottles and lids? Or should I boil the bottles and soak the lids in sterilizer?
Also Ive seen another recipe that actually calls for discarding the brine completely then blending the mash with vinegar in a food processor. I kinda like the sound of that. Anyone had any experience doing that?
Thanks for any help.
Isabel says
So I ended up with 2 quarts of the pepper mash, is this about right? Doesn't 1/4 cup whey seem like very little starter for this amount of veg? I'm quite new to fermenting, just want to make sure I got the proportions right!! Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
jeff says
we do something very similar every year. never used a starter and it ferments just fine. after a few weeks we move the jar to the fridge and let it ferment for at least 6 more months in there even better to wait a year then we run it through a blender and mix with some lime. yummy. the extra time aging in the fridge is so worth it.
Deanna says
Yum! I have been making fermented chili sauce for awhile now. It is delicious. I made a serano chili sauce that would knock your socks off. I like to put carrots in my sauce like they do in South America. It is really nice. Then you don't need to use sugar. The sauce mellows with age but keeps the heat.
jan says
IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you blend the peppers, DO IT OUTSIDE!! The fumes are so bad you can not breathe!!!!!
My recipe is a variation of the but I thought I was going to do us in...
Greta says
Can you also keep the paste-part, for curries, and such?
Jessie Brown says
Would it be possible to roast the peppers a little first so that the blackened skin would give a little smoky taste? Or do they have to be completely raw starting out?
Beth says
A few carrot coins can also provide sugar. Not to mention flavor complexity.
Anna says
I've made lacto-fermented chili-garlic paste before but haven't ever strained out the solids or added a little sweetenery to make it more like sriracha. Looking forward to trying it!
(Side note: the pepper is habanero, not habañero. Sorry for the Spanish policing - just a pet peeve of mine...)
Anna says
Also apparently I can't handle HTML... 😉
Karen says
My husband says the hottest pepper is no longer the Ghost but the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. I looked it up and this one now has been passed in heat by the Carolina Reaper. See http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_Scorpion_Butch_T_pepper. Hmmm I wonder how hot they can get!
Janel @ Creating Tasty Stories says
We're a bit addicted to hot sauce in my family. I've never tried making it myself, but I am very intrigued by your recipe. I can't wait for chili peppers to start appearing at the farmer's market!
Peter says
Hi
Just sharing a tip on how to help keep the mold out of fermented foods.
Place a plastic bag on top of the veges - whatever you are fermenting (I use two one inside the other, in case of leaks) then fill the plastic bag up with water.
The bag will expand to fill the space and weigh down the vegetables so that they are always covered by brine.
Never a trace of mold.
Cindy says
I didn't see a reply to mold. It's been ten days and it is not bubbly and has little bits of whitish grey mold on the peppers that are clinging to the side. Is this okay?
blayney says
So I put it all in a gallon jar and the mash is on top and the liquid on the bottom. Seems wrong. I used 3+ lbs. of jalapenos and salt and sugar as per recipe and 1/3c leftover brine from fermented pickles. Should I put it in smaller jars with less air exposure or add more salt or somehow weight the mash to be under the liquid (easier in smaller jars than how I have it now). Thanks so much for any help-am hoping for great things...
James says
Do you need to stir this recipe? The sauce appears to be separating after a few days.
PRADEEP says
what type of bacterial culture is to be used for a mixed vegetable sauce(tomato,chilli,carrot and bottle guard)
Dannielle Lambert says
no need to strain the solids if you don't want to.
Lizelle says
Just finished my sauce and it is wonderful! I used dried thin-walled red chilis and added quite a bit of extra water to hydrate it properly. I also mashed it up twice in the food processor to help with the hydration. My starter was sauerkraut brine. Because I had so little liquid in mine, I decided to put it through my oscar juicer in the end it turned out as a beautiful rich thick sauce - a bit like thin tomato puree. Tastes devine! no mold developed at any time - I just opened the jar and stirred the contents every day or so for 7 days. Thank you Jenny for this great recipe!
sabina says
Have you ever tried "Cultured" chili paste? (Cultured Pickle Shop in Berkeley) I've tried for years to even compete with that divine elixer at home, and have not even come close. She uses a combo of chilis, her amazing cultured brines, and garlic, ginger and salt. Ri.dic.u.lous!! We truly go through pints of it monthly. I will try my hand at your recipe and see if I can make an elixer that compares. The nice thing is that she has a great supply all year long and I just can't store enough to last that long.
jhanvi says
please add more pictures if you can. that will help in understanding the results better at each step . i mean one can be sure that we are doing it right.. thanks 🙂
Emma says
Hi, I'm just wondering too along with a few others who have asked the question already, do the solids need to be drained out? I like the heat in the chilli seeds.
Juan H says
Hello everyone!
Just wanted to tell you I have been experimenting with this recipe. Everything went great. As I told you before, I used a couple of marmalade jars and a flexible straw to make the gases leave the system without letting any oxygen in.
You can see what I made in the following pic:
http://db.tt/nn2QKviX
Juan H says
A very important thing you must know is that you are aiming for an lactic fermentation.
This must be done by lactic acid bacterias that require an environment reduced or deprived of oxygen to grow as such. Most of the molds and fungi grow is oxygen driven so try to keep oxygen out of the equation. A neat trick is to close the jar and have a flexible tube allowing some the excess CO2 leaving the system into a glass of water. lassto search for it on YouTube. This prevents the oxygen to enter the jar.
Fermented food is not always easy so good luck
Jenny says
No. Your information is inaccurate. Lactobacillus bacteria are NOT obligate anaerobes; that is, they can grow and proliferate in both oxygen-rich and anaerobic environments. The reason most people prefer to use an airlock is that an anaerobic environment prevents the growth of other microorganisms (like mold) which may contaminate the surface of the ferment.
Juan H says
Hey Jenny.
Thanks for your reply. You are correct. They are not obligate anaerobes. However, lactic fermentation isa metabolic path that they use when there's less oxygen avaliable. That's what I meant earlier. These bacterias will use the oxygen to grow (it's much more efficient for them) but the result will not be what we are aiming for
I'll try to find more info of the topic and get back to you as soon as I can.
Gareth Dread says
Hi
Thanks for posting this recipe - I've been looking for a way to make a fermented chilli sauce for a while and this seems a nice easy recipe! One small query though - you say to cover the mason jar, but I was wondering if I still need to allow air to get to it (ie; cover with a cloth) or do I simply put the lid on? Thanks in anticipation of your reply and keep up the good work!
Gareth
matt e says
hi guys was wondering does anyone know how to make Chipolte pepper sauce like the Tobasco style??
I love the smokey flavor of it and would love to make my own but a bit hotter!! how do you get smoked peppers to ferment.
To any advice thanks in advance!!
Kev says
My pepper mash has got white fury mold growing on it after a few days. Can I scrape the mold off and still use the sauce?
Adam says
I never let the milk kefir separate I just added the 1/4 cup of milk kefir! Oops! I assume its ruined????
jason alves says
Hi There.
Just curious why the green tops (but not stems) are included? Does this add additional flavor or provide a different use? Looks awesome! Just starting to get into growing peppers and making sauce now.
thanks!
Jason
Farmcraftfoods.com
Cheryl says
You can use the green stems to make your own yogurt starter, I just read that on another web site, instead of buying yogurt starter. Really...
Cindi@MyPrimalAdventures says
Help! I made this sauce, and added a bit of whey ontop of the sauce to ferment (like you say to do with the ketchup) and a big white fluffy cloud of mold has grown on it. Is it saveable? Is it food poisoning? Did it get too hot (too close to the crockpot)?
Jenny W. says
My peppers got moldy after a few days. Can I scrape the mold off and still use the sauce?
MamaCassi says
i followed the recipe with a lot of hot peppers from a local farm (they were looking underpicked) and my sauce keeps bubbling out of the mason jar. i put on a metal top, and it stayed pretty leak free for 2 days, but today i opened it, and my hot sauce bubbled out like a spicy volcano. i still have another day or two to let it ferment, but was curious about this whole exploding pepper issue.....
i'd love to make more, should i not be sealing the top?
thanks!
Chad says
MamaCassi, how far from the top did you fill your jar? You should leave atleast 1 inch if not 2 when fermenting like this. When lacto-frementing, from my experience, you don't to 'seal' it with a lid. You should only cover it with something like cheese cloth to keep out bugs, dust, etc. Putting a lid on it will not let the gas that is created during the fermenting process escape. This could potentially cause the jar to explode and create a mess.
Bob Waldrop says
By "covered" do you mean with the lid on the mason jar, or simply covering the mason jar with a cloth?
Daphne says
What do you use the strained peppers for? I hate to waste.
ruthie says
Depending on their taste, saltiness, e.g., you could throw them in with some queso for a really zippy sauce, or you could mix it into cornbread, or into masa for a spicy tamale wrapper. All depends on if it's something you'd want to eat.
I've never tried this, so I'm guessing, but would it have enough zing left to infuse some vinegar for a hot vinegar condiment?
ruthie says
Chili? Sausages? Meatloaf?
All depends on how it tastes.
Rebecca says
Hi!
How much of the sour kraut juice would you use as a starter,would it be 1/4 cup? You wouldn't have to dissolve that in water, that's only if using a starter, right?
Hayley says
How would you use Milk Kefir? I make Kefir from Raw Milk several times a week.. Thanks in advance!!!
Daphne says
If you let the milk kefir sit long enough it turns into curds and whey (the yellowish liquid) you can then use the whey as the starter.
Dave Williams says
I'm a recently retired person and have spent the last year growing, selling and processing a crop of jalapenos. Lots of vinegar pickles, some cooked sauces and oak smoked chipotle. I live in Cape Town in South Africa so my winters are 6 months away from the Northern Hemisphere. The one new trick i need to learn is how to bottle lactofermented chile sauce. Obviously the bottles must be boiled to sterilise them, as we have been doing with cooked sauces. I have a six-month-old lot of lactofermented chile/garlic/ sweet pepper in tibetan salt brine mixture that I want to blend and strain to make a thin chile sauce. Basically the fermentation is well over. What I need to know is the following : do I need to do any heating of the finished product before bottling? would really appreciate advice from people who have done something similar. Thanks Dave W
Bob Waldrop says
Here is the URL for the fermented foods section from the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia. if you can't find the answer here, you could contact them directly.
http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can6a_ferment.html
Your product sounds delicious!
Andy Edgar says
Hi Bob, I am recently made redundant and have been thinking of following a similar path to your self. With a view to growing larger crops of chillis and making pickles/ sauces/ pastes? and dried chillies to sell. I was hoping we may start an e mail exchange to chat about how it is going/ tips, ideas, pit falls. I love growing my own and need a money project too!
Regards Andy
Michelle Smith says
This looks so good. I love really hot foods. Do you have to strain and discard the solids or can you use as is? A few of my favorite (non-fermented) hot sauces still have the chili solids in them and I would love to use them.
nancy says
Hi, I want to try this with our long green chilis that are fresh in the stores now in El Paso. Where do I find starter? I also want to know if I can add pineapple, onion, and/or other fruit to ferment the sauce successfully. Combined fresh, it's fantastic but don't know how it would work by your process. I grew up making all kind of homemade pickles and saurkraut, but this on is new to me. Thank you-can't wait to try it!
Nancy
Ed says
Can the starter be made from the Sour Kraut Juice.?
jenny says
Absolutely! Any probiotic liquid (except kombucha/water kefir which can turn veggie ferments slimy) will work.
Bill says
Please tell me more about this. I don't use dairy so I only have water kefir. So far my pickles turned out nice, but my cabbage (kraut) did not. I have whole pickled peppers in now with a little bit of water kefir grains. SHould I find a different way of doing this?
Audrey says
Leave out the kefir. Your cabbage is teaming with good bacteria, so completely unnecessary to use any starter at all. Try making it with just salt and cabbage. I make a ton of fermented veggies without starters. I used to use whey, but always hated the flavor and the sliminess that surrounded the veggies. Once I realized it was unnecessary, I started using a vegetable starter or juice from sauerkraut when rushing a ferment. But usually, I just let them ferment themselves using a salt water brine. That always has the best flavor. Dairy bacteria is completely different from vegetable bacteria. They just don't work well together for my taste buds. I went from ferment hater to ferment lover!
nancy says
Is it necessary to strain out the solids? this is Texas, we like the chunks 🙂 Would leaving the solids affect the life of the salsa? thank you
Nancy
republic of Texas
Audrey says
Sometimes I strain and sometimes I don't. It's fantastic either way.
Karen says
peppers? do you use all those in combination or one or the other? Thanks! Karen
nancy says
Karen, I haven't made this recipe but am very familiar with all kinds of salsas and chilis because they are grown where I am in far west Texas. Chilis can be combined in whatever way you prefer according to your taste or if you want a color mix. It's trial and error as far as your taste, but there aren't any rules as far as I know. Try some individual chilis raw (careful!) for an idea as to their taste, and then have at it! I have never fermented chilis but when fresh are great with onion, pineapple, apples, mangos, or pears, and I would love to try fermenting some of those combinations if it can be done successfully.
republic of Texas
walter says
Hi I want to make the sauce but can you name what starter culture to use.For instance can I use dry yeast or a actife yogurt. What would you say is best, because thats the only 2 things I can find for know. Thanks Walter
Dave says
You should not use yeast as a starter; these are lacto-fermented peppers so no yeast!
Use whey (as in the water released from active yoghurt) 0r use fermented brine from another project (such as sauerkraut brine or sour pickle brine). If you don't have those then follow the other poster's suggestion to ferment some cabbage or green onion (lots of other veggies work too but you want a juicy one for this particular purpose) and then add that to the blender. This is functionally equivalent to using brine from another project, but without the other project 😉
David McIlvaine says
I used a commercial yogurt starter (burglarious, acidophilus, thermophilus) with cayenne peppers and fermented them for seven days. I had to ferment it outside (warm days/cool nights) The color, texture and flavor out of the gate were marvelous, sadly it has a lingering bitter aftertaste that is off-putting to the point where I may just trash the whole thing. Does anyone have any clue what went wrong? Maybe I should have left it inside for a more even fermenting temp or did I use the wrong culture? Maybe I should have let it ferment longer?? Thanks!
Dave
Troy says
Dave,
Did you have any white mold? If so did you pick it out or simply stir it back in? I have known the sauce to have an off putting after taste if white mold is stirred back in instead of picked out.
Eric says
You should try using probiotic pills from your local pharmacy. The Lactobacillus cultures in these do prefer warmer temps. Get them started at room temp then slowly increase the temp to the upper 80's
Tawnya says
same question, is the starter necessary?
Jenny says
Bummer ... I didn't see Erin's question until now. I find it works better with a starter, but you should be able to increase the salt and still ferment it without a starter.
Kim says
Hi Jenny, when you starter culture, how much should be used? A whole packet? My rule of thumb is 1/2 packet per quart, but I've never fermented peppers before....
Gabriel says
Shred a little cabbage or green onion into a jar, add a little kosher or sea salt, and as the vegetable sweats, tamp it down so it's underneath the liquid. Let this sit at room temperature for a couple of days. Then, it should taste sour, and you've got your starter. Just put a little bit of the vegetable into the blender with the chilis and salt.
Erin says
Hi! Can I ferment this like I do sauerkraut without the starter? Just salt and some sugar?
Audrey says
I always ferment peppers without a starter. Never had an issue. They taste incredible.