Easy Fermented Hot Sauce with Honey
Easy Fermented Hot Sauce with Honey—the perfect way to use up an abundance of homegrown chillies! If you’ve ever grown chilli plants, you know they’re one of the easiest (and most rewarding) plants to care for. But when you suddenly have more chillies than you can handle, what’s the best way to preserve them? Hot sauce, of course!
This recipe is incredibly simple to make, yet the fermentation process adds layers of complex flavour. The result? A beautifully balanced sauce that’s sweet, tangy, garlicky, and spicy, with just the right depth. The addition of honey rounds out the heat, giving it a smooth, slightly floral finish that keeps you coming back for more.
Once it’s ready, you’ll want to drizzle it on everything—snacks, salads, roasted veggies, meat, fish, tacos, eggs… you name it! The best part? Fermenting extends the shelf life naturally, so you’ll have homemade hot sauce on hand for weeks (if it lasts that long!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Easy to Make – Minimal effort, maximum flavour, and no fancy equipment needed.
✔️ Deep, Complex Flavour – Fermentation enhances the heat with a tangy, garlicky depth.
✔️ Perfectly Balanced – The honey mellows the spice for a smooth, addictive finish.
✔️ Great for Preserving – A delicious way to make chillies last longer!
✔️ Versatile & Addictive – Drizzle it on everything from tacos to eggs to grilled meats.
So, let’s get started! Here’s how to make Easy Fermented Hot Sauce with Honey—you’ll be hooked.
Recipe inspired by The Curious Chickpea. This recipe is great for example added to a salad dressing or vinaigrette!
Easy Fermented Hot Sauce with Honey
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Make your own easy fermented hot sauce with honey using fresh chillies for a tangy, spicy flavour that you will love.
Ingredients
- 250 g chili peppers, tops removed and roughly chopped (optional: remove some seeds for less spice)
- 1 tsp coarse sea salt
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/4 cup water
- To add after 1st round of fermenting:
- 1/4 cup apple ricer vinegar (rice wine vinegar or white vinegar will work too)
- To add after 2nd round of fermenting:
- 1-2 tbsp honey or sugar (to taste) - optional
Instructions
Make sure you clean the glass container for fermenting well, I like to rinse it with boiling water.
To a food processor add the peppers, garlic cloves, salt and water and blend until you have a chunky salsa texture, ± 1 minute.
Pour the mixture into a clean glass container and cover with a cheesecloth or clean tea towel and wrap and elastic band or string around the top to seal the cloth. Leave on the counter for 48 hours.
After this time stir in the apple cider vinegar. Cover again with the cloth and leave on the counter at room temperature for 7 days.
When the time is up, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and add honey or sugar if you’d like to sweeten it. If it’s too thick you can add some more vinegar or a drop of water, start with small amounts though!
The sauce is ready like this, or you can strain it through a mesh strainer, squeezing out all the juice from the remaining pulp. I added a few teaspoons of the mesh back for some extra texture in the sauce.
Transfer to a clean jar or bottel and store in the fridge. It will last for 2-3 months.
Shake before using, separation is normal.
