Description
A quick and easy homemade jalapeño hot sauce recipe that combines fresh jalapeños, garlic, salt, vinegar, and water blended to a smooth, spicy, and tangy sauce. Perfect as a condiment to add heat and flavor to your dishes, with options to customize the heat level and fermentation process for added depth.
Ingredients
Scale
Hot Sauce Ingredients
- 1 lb jalapeño peppers (or other green hot peppers)
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2–4 tablespoons white vinegar, to taste
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Prepare the peppers: Remove the stems from the jalapeño peppers and slice them in half lengthwise. For a milder sauce, carefully scoop out the seeds and membranes using a spoon, reducing the heat intensity.
- Blend: Place the prepared jalapeños, peeled garlic cloves, salt, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and water into a blender. Blend on high speed until the mixture is completely smooth. This may take a few minutes depending on your blender’s power.
- Adjust the flavor: Taste the blended sauce and add additional vinegar (up to 4 tablespoons total) or salt according to your preference. Blend briefly again to incorporate any added ingredients.
- Store or customize: Transfer the hot sauce into a clean jar. You can refrigerate it immediately for up to 3 months. For a fermented flavor, loosely cover the jar and leave it at room temperature for about 24 hours before refrigerating. For a milder and slightly cooked flavor, pour the sauce into a saucepan and cook over medium heat while stirring constantly for about 2 minutes until the color deepens slightly. Let the sauce cool before storing.
Notes
- Removing seeds and membranes reduces the heat for milder sauce.
- Fermenting the sauce at room temperature for 24 hours develops a tangier and more complex flavor.
- Cooking the sauce lightly helps mellow the heat and deepen the color.
- Store the finished sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
- Adjust the amount of vinegar and salt to suit your taste preferences.
