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How to Make and Can Habanero Hot Sauce (It’s Ridiculously Good)

Made with fresh habaneros, garlic, onion, and tomatoes, the flavor in this habanero hot sauce is more than just heat. This is my personal go-to, and it’s water bath safe so you can stock your pantry all year long. We love this on everything from eggs to burritos to wings. I’ll show you how to make it and process it, step-by-step.

pint jar homemade hot sauce.

This isn’t hard to make, but there are a lot of steps. But the most important thing to remember: you’re handling a ton of peppers. Wear gloves and don’t touch your eyes afterwards. Please!

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

Be careful with the habaneros. The fumes can be intense, and you might want to wear gloves.

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ingredients measured out in bowls on counter.

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If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Equipment

  • food processor
  • immersion blender (or work in batches with a regular blender)
  • Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

  • 3 cups habanero peppers, about 1 ½ pounds
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic, about 6 cloves
  • 2 cups chopped onion, about 1 large onion
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes, 28 ounces
  • 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity
  • 1 ¼ cups water

How to Make Habanero Hot Sauce

Step One: Prep Peppers

Wash, trim, and seed peppers.

Step Two: Pulse Veggies

Add the peppers, garlic, and onions to a food processor and pulse until the veggies are broken down.

food processor filled with chopped onions and habanero peppers, ready to be pulsed.

Step Three: Boil

In an 8-10 quart pot, add the chopped veggies, diced tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and water. Boil for 1 hour.

pureed veggies added to pot with tomatoes, mixed, and boiling.

Step Four: Simmer

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

Step Five: Prep For Canning

Prepare the jars by washing them with hot, soapy water. Then add them to a water bath canner. Fill the canner with water until the jars are fully submerged in water. Place over medium heat, and cover. Add the rings and lids to a saucepan with water placed over medium-low heat and allow to simmer.

Step Six: Cool Before Blending

After the hot sauce has simmered for an hour, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.

Step Seven: Puree

Using an immersion blender or high-speed blender, blend the mixture until it’s turned into a puree. (Be careful, it is hot and the peppers will sting!)

cooked habanero hot sauce blended with an immersion blender until smooth.

Step Eight: Fill Jars

Ladle the hot habanero sauce into the hot jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace.

pureed hot sauce ladled into jars.

Step Nine: Wipe Rims And Fasten Lids

Wipe the jar rims with a clean, moist towel. Place the lids and rings on top and tighten the rings until they are fingertip-tight.

rims wiped clean of filled jars, and lids and rings attached.

Step Ten: Process

Transfer the jars to a water bath canner. Make sure the jars are fully submerged with 1-2 inches of water over the jars. Bring the canner to a boil and process for 10 minutes.

jars in canner for processing.

Step Eleven: Rest

After 10 minutes, remove the canner from the heat, remove the lid, and allow the jars to sit for 5 minutes.

Step Twelve: Cool And Check Seals

Remove the jars, place them in a heatproof area, and allow them to cool completely for 12-24 hours. After 24 hours, check the lids for a proper seal. Once a seal has been confirmed, remove the rings and store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months or per the lids manufacturer’s recommendations.

jars cooling on towel, and seals being checked.

Storage Instructions

Store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place, like a pantry or cupboard. They’ll last for up to 18 months if stored properly.

Once you open a jar, keep it in the refrigerator, and it should stay fresh for about 3 to 4 weeks.

What to Serve with Habanero Hot Sauce

Add this to any meal to make it spicier!

  • Serve over slow cooker beef tacos or other grilled meats.
  • Add to scrambled eggs or a breakfast burrito.
  • Make a spicy rice bowl with this!
close-up of three sealed jars of bright orange habanero hot sauce.
  • Get some extra habaneros to make a hot pepper jelly, if you want even more heat!
  • Once you have a canner and immersion blender, you can make anything, like pizza sauce!

Printable Recipe

Habanero Hot Sauce for Canning

If you like your hot sauce hot, this one’s for you. Made with fresh habaneros, garlic, tomatoes, and vinegar, this canned hot sauce is seriously spicy: perfect on tacos, eggs, or anything that needs a kick. Makes 4 pints.
Print Recipe
overhead view of hot sauce in jar.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:2 hours
Process Time:10 minutes
Total Time:2 hours 25 minutes

Equipment

  • food processor
  • immersion blender (or work in batches with a regular blender)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups habanero peppers about 1 ½ pounds
  • 3 tablespoons minced garlic about 6 cloves
  • 2 cups chopped onion about 1 large onion
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes 28 ounces
  • 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar 5% acidity
  • 1 ¼ cups water

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Instructions

  • Prep peppers. Wash, trim, and seed peppers.
  • Pulse veggies. Add the peppers, garlic, and onions to a food processor and pulse until the veggies are broken down.
  • Boil. In an 8-10 quart pot, add the chopped veggies, diced tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and water. Boil for 1 hour.
  • Simmer. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
  • Prep for canning. Prepare the jars by washing them with hot, soapy water. Then add them to a water bath canner. Fill the canner with water until the jars are fully submerged in water. Place over medium heat, and cover. Add the rings and lids to a saucepan with water placed over medium-low heat and allow to simmer.
  • Cool before blending. After the hot sauce has simmered for an hour, turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
  • Puree. Using an immersion blender or high-speed blender, blend the mixture until it’s turned into a puree. (Be careful, it is hot and the peppers will sting!)
  • Fill jars. Ladle the hot habanero sauce into the hot jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace.
  • Wipe rims and fasten lids. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, moist towel. Place the lids and rings on top and tighten the rings until they are fingertip-tight.
  • Process. Transfer the jars to a water bath canner. Make sure the jars are fully submerged with 1-2 inches of water over the jars. Bring the canner to a boil and process for 10 minutes.
  • Rest. After 10 minutes, remove the canner from the heat, remove the lid, and allow the jars to sit for 5 minutes.
  • Cool and check seals. Remove the jars, place them in a heatproof area, and allow them to cool completely for 12-24 hours. After 24 hours check the lids for a proper seal. Once a seal has been confirmed remove the rings and store the jars in a cool dark place for up to 18 months or per the lids manufacturer’s recommendations.

Notes

Work in a well-ventilated area – the fumes from making this hot sauce can get pretty intense. 
Nutrition info assumes 10 servings per pint.

Nutrition

Calories: 12kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Servings: 40
Calories: 12kcal
Author: Katie

4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    my processor broke as I started this recipe. so I took all ingredients but the tomatoes and cooked until they softened up, about 15 minutes, then put it all in my blender until chopped fine, transferred bback to the pot, added tomatoes and followed the recipe after that. CAME OUT AWESIME!

  2. 5 stars
    Approximately, how many pint sized jars will this recipe make?
    Any hints for blending the raw veggies, and then cooking in a slow cooker for how long?

    1. hey nick, about 3 pints. blending the raw veggies is way easier inn the food processor. I wouldn’t cook it in the slow cooker if I were you, it has a really strong smell and I think you’ll be happier cooking it on the stove under the vent and then being done!

5 from 2 votes

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