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.
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!
Table of Contents
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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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.
Step Three: Boil
In an 8-10 quart pot, add the chopped veggies, diced tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and water. Boil for 1 hour.
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!)
Step Eight: Fill Jars
Ladle the hot habanero sauce into the hot jars, leaving a ¼ inch headspace.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Related Recipes
- 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
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.
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!
Hey Adam,
Thanks so much for sharing your tip—it might just help someone else in the same boat!
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?
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!