How to Make Fermented Hot Sauce with Dried Peppers — All Posts Healing Harvest Homestead (2024)

Are you a hot sauce lover? I am too. But I really don’t like spending $5 to even $10 on fancy hot sauces! Plus, most of them, even if they say “natural” or “organic,” still have chemical additives. My hot sauce recipe I’m sharing here is fermented, which means it is naturally preserved, and has all the probiotics of a raw ferment!

It’s delicious plus it’s good for your gut. Double score! You will love this easy fermented hot sauce recipe, not only for its taste, but for its health benefits.

I LOVE hot spicy things.Hot sauces of ALL kinds just don't last long at our house. That's why I grow about 12 different pepper varieties each year in our garden!I just can't get enough of the wonderful different pepper tastes!

I have had so many peppers lately, though, that I can't use them all.I've even dried more than I know what to do with! That’s why I decided to ferment some of the dried and semi-dried peppers to see how they would turn out.

Usually, I use fresh peppers, but this time around, I’m experimenting with dried peppers….and I’m just going to share the spoiler right now: They’re fabulous, and using dried peppers is JUST as wonderful as using fresh ones in your fermented hot sauce!

FTC Disclosure: There are affiliate links scattered throughout this article. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ingredients for Fermented Hot Sauce:

*** Several hot peppers...cut up into chunks. I used a combination of habanero, jalapeño, cayenne, tabasco and wax peppers from our garden for this sauce. Fresh peppers or dried are just fine. NOTE: This is the first time I’m trying dried peppers, and they were a success.

You can keep your hot sauce "pure" with just one type of pepper, or just go crazy like I did and use all kinds!You need enough to fill up about half to 3/4 quart size Mason Jar.

*** Then I cut up two tomatoes (organic)...I got mine from my garden.

*** Sea Salt....1 to 2 tablespoons

*** Whey (optional....see directions in the link) I didn't use whey in this particular recipe and I let it ferment a little longer.

*** Garlic...about 3 or 4 cloves, minced optional, or sliced

*** Chopped onions (optional)

*** Apple Cider Vinegar...raw, with the Mother. (This is for after the fermenting process is finished)

You can also experiment with different spices too! I just left my hot sauce be with the above ingredients (sans the whey this time....I didn't have any on hand ready to go). If you don’t have a starter culture (like whey or other culture), add a bit of additional salt to your brine—about 1/2 tbsp to a tablespoon.

Instructions to Make Your Fermented Hot Sauce:

You could probably make this same recipe without fermentation. But I love fermenting things like this because it will keep for much longer and the nutritional value of the food is higher. You can read more about fermentation in this article.

Step 1) Fill a quart size Mason Jar about half to 3/4 full of the cut up peppers. (If you don't want it to be so spicy, just leave out some to all of the seeds...personally, I leave all the seeds in.)

Then, add in your tomatoes to about an inch and a half or so from the top.***

Step 2) Now add in your salt (up to 2 tablespoons) or just 1 tablespoon if using whey. See how to make it here:WHEY.

Fill your jar to about an inch of the top with filtered water (I just use our well water because it's not on the county system).

Step 3) Using a clean spoon or utensil, gently stir, stir, stir to release any oxygen bubbles and to dissolve the salt.

Step 4) Once that's done, just put your weight in and lid and airlock on.

If you don't have an airlock, don't worry! Just use a regular Mason Jar lid and seal. Just be sure to "burp" your jar twice a day to release any gases that build up. You don't need to take off the lid. Just open slightly. Once fermentation is underway, you will hear/feel a little "hiss" as the gas releases. That's a good sign!

Step 5) Let it ferment, burping daily for between 5 days and two to three weeks.

So, most lacto-ferments take about five to seven days to ferment in warmer seasons of the year. I like to start checking it for taste after the bubbles subside and the “burping” (air hissing when you open the jar if not using an airlock) stops.

You can allow it to ferment for as long as a month or more, but start checking for flavor about five days in. You’ll be able to tell about how much longer it has. The longer you ferment your peppers, the deeper and tangier the taste will be….

Step 6) Blend with some raw apple cider vinegar and bottle it up.

When you feel it's done, just whip it up in an immersion blender with about a cup or so of apple cider vinegar (raw is best). Check for the flavor you want. The more apple cider vinegar you add, the more sour it will be, and this may also affect the probiotics in the ferment.

This bottled sauce will be your concentrate. If there is too much liquid to add the ACV, then just pour a little out first. This liquid you may pour off can also be a starter culture for another lacto-ferment if the tastes line up.

You can make this as chunky or as liquid as you like.

Step 7) Store in cool storage (below 50 degrees) to keep it from fermenting further. I just put mine in the fridge. In the winter, I do have a REALLY cold room, and I will often leave my ferments in there after they are finished. I can't do that during the rest of the year, though.

Step 8) Use smaller amounts in pretty hot sauce jars at a time for both function and decoration.

This step is optional….you can certainly use your hot sauce right out of the larger jar you have in the fridge. However, if you like, or if you want to gift your hot sauce to friends and family, you can pour smaller amounts (four to eight ounces) into pretty sauce jars.

These can actually sit out on the counter or on a table, as long as they’re getting used. If they’re being used slowly, then keep them in the fridge.

That's it! Enjoy!

How Long Will Fermented Hot Sauce Last?

This sauce will last several months! Probably until your next batch of peppers comes along! :-)

In fact, if your vegetables are properly fermented and stored correctly, they can last well over a year.

**NOTE: This recipe is extremely forgiving.

Feel free to add more or less of any spices. The important thing to remember when fermenting is that the material needs to be completely covered in the liquid to avoid mold.

Final Thoughts on Fermented Hot Sauce and Fermentation in General

Here’s what I’ve learned in all these years of fermenting: You have to be rather fearless and just go for it. Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they don't. Guess what?

It’s ok! That’s how you learn about how fermentation goes in your particular environment.

Every home is different. Every set up is different. And most of it works just fine!

When I decided to ferment these dried peppers after being used to fermenting fresh ones, I had no idea how they would turn out. The neat thing is, you just use your scientific common sense, decide on your experiment, write everything down (don’t forget to do this), and see what happens!

If your ferment doesn’t work out, there’s always next time! I guarantee that fermenting is something you’ll learn to love to do quickly, and especially if you bring a scientific mindset to it.

It’s exciting to end up with the perfect hot sauce that’s also healthy and delicious!

Have you tried fermentation? I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you have questions, please ask by leaving a comment in the comments section.

You might also enjoy these related articles:

How to Make Whey for Fermentation

How to Make the BEST Spicy Carrot Sauerkraut

What You Don’t Want to See on Your Ferments! ICK!

Fermentation Myths: And More Reasons to Ferment

**And there are over 500 other articles on Healing Harvest Homestead that can help you live a natural, healthy life!

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