Fermented Mango Habanero Sauce

Thanks to our fellow spicy food fan Curtis Farmer for this delicious-looking fermented mango habanero hot sauce recipe. The fermentation process adds a special tanginess here and allows the recipe to reduce the overall amount of vinegar often used. The result? The other delicious ingredients aren’t hidden behind that typical vinegar tang. There’s a lot of flavor depth hereโ€”tropical and sweet, fiery, and exotic. The inclusion of ginger, allspice, and cumin also adds a lot to the experience.

Fermented Mango Habanero Sauce
Fermented mango habanero hot sauce

Obviously, the fermentation process takes a lot of time. If you don’t have fourteen days to wait you can try this unfermented mango habanero hot sauce instead. It’s ready in twenty minutes and uses both curry and chili powders to add a little extra something to the eating experience. In both cases, take care with the habanero peppers. They are very hot (100,000 to 350,000 Scoville heat units). Use kitchen gloves and know how to combat chili burn.

This fermented mango habanero sauce recipe makes a bunch (10 cups or 2 to 3 quarts) which we recommend doing given the time needed to complete. You’ll want to make a big batch. The bottle will keep in the refrigerator for many months. It’s also a fun sauce to gift to friends who love more extreme eats.

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Fermented Mango Habanero Sauce

Fermented Mango Habanero Sauce

Curtis Farmer
Earthy and sweet, tropical and fiery
4.65 from 34 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Fermenting Time 14 days
Total Time 14 days 35 minutes
Course Hot Sauce
Servings 10 cups
Calories 151 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Fermentation:

  • 1 1/2 pounds habaneros
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • canning salt
  • water

To be added after fermentation:

  • 1/2 onion medium-sized
  • 2 mangos peeled and diced
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice approximately the juice of 2 limes
  • 24 ounces pineapple juice
  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 tablespoon allspice
  • 1/4 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/4 tablespoon ground clove
  • 1/2 tablespoon ginger

Instructions
 

Fermentation:

  • Remove outside layer of garlic cloves and smash them.
  • De-stem and roughly chop the habaneros.
  • Add garlic and habaneros to a Mason jar.
  • Next step is the 3.5% salt water brine. Find a vessel that can hold roughly 3 cups of water and zero it out on a kitchen scale.
  • Add water to the vessel.
  • In grams, multiply the weight of the water by .035. Once figured, zero your scale again.
  • Add that amount of salt to water.
  • Once fully dissolved, add the water to the Mason jar. Ensure everything is covered and there is still headspace.
  • If you don't own a fermentation airlock, rubber band a baggy over the top. *Do not screw on a canning lid.
  • Ferment for at least two weeks in a cool dark space.

Make the sauce:

  • Save a cup of the pepper brine from the Mason jar and discard the rest of the brine.
  • Combine all ingredients (except for 1 cup of pepper brine) in blender.
  • Blend sauce until smooth.
  • Add sauce to pot and simmer covered on low for 20 minutes.
  • If the sauce is too thick at this point, add pepper brine until desired consistency is reached.
  • Optional: Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer (but it's not necessary.)
  • Cool then refrigerate overnight before using to allow the spices to meld.

Notes

*Always take extra care when sanitizing your fermentation vessel and read up on how to ferment vegetables. If there is any doubt that the fermentation went sour, throw it away. A white yeast will develop sometimes and that is completely healthy.
If you like your sauce on the mild side, substitute 1/2 of the habaneros with yellow or orange bell peppers. It makes quite a bit so feel free to half the recipe but don’t change % of brine solution. This is by far my most popular hot sauce. Give it a try! Will last for several months in fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 420mgFiber: 2gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 1096IUVitamin C: 122mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Habanero Pepper
Did you make this?Mention @PepperScale or tag #PepperScale so we can see what you made!
4.65 from 34 votes (33 ratings without comment)
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Mark Dwyer

Can you use a cheesecloth instead of a fermantation air lock lid during fermantation in the fridge?

J P

Any idea if this can be waterbath canned to improve shelf life?

Phil

5 stars
I made the mango/habanero hot sauce and it was fantastic. I have seen that most hot sauce recipes do not use the cooking option. Do you think that cooking can be used with other recipes?

Ben

This hot sauce is really, really good. I fermented for about two and a half weeks and used half red peppers to cut down the heat. The sauce is hot but it’s still approachable for non pepper heads. It does indeed make a lot of sauce, my blender was completely full! The only problem I have is that it’s too good! I ended up with thirteen 5 ounce bottles and everyone is asking for more. I’m planning on trying this with some berries instead of Mango the next time.

Robert Gerbrick

Can you add the mangos to the peppers in the fermentation
Thanks

caitlin francis

Hi! Doesn’t cooking the sauce then kill all the probiotics made by the fermentation?