Here’s the fun of hot sauce – there are so many ways to tweak their flavors. You can pair sweet to sweet like a mango habanero hot sauce doubling down on citrusy flavors. Or you can combine contrasting flavors. Habanero peppers and garlic are just that, so a garlic habanero hot sauce is going to twist your tongue up in every good way.
Sure garlic is often a part of hot sauces of all kinds, but in this garlic habanero hot sauce recipe, there are fewer sweet things in-between it and the pepper star. There are only carrots for a little natural earthy sweetness.
The result is a biting sauce – plenty of heat, lightly sweet, with a pungent bite. If it’s not sweet enough, add some sugar to the sauce or you could opt for a sweet fruit like mango or pineapple added to the recipe. Remember, this is a hot sauce, so tweak away!
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Maple Sriracha Sauce: A bold sauce that pairs sweet and earthy syrup with the garlicky (and fiery) tang of the rooster sauce.
- Jalapeño Honey Sauce: It’s milder than garlic habanero hot sauce, and the jalapeños bright bite is a nice foil to super-sweet honey.
- Homemade Yum Yum Sauce: Make the tasty (and popular) steak sauce at home!
Garlic Habanero Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 habanero peppers
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 1/2 limes juiced
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar optional (for added sweetness, more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic until aromatic (1 or 2 minutes).
- Add the carrots, yellow onion, and water. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, immediately reduce heat to low and simmer the ingredients for 8 to 10 minutes (until the carrots soften).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the habanero peppers, lime juice, sugar (optional), and salt. Stir to combine, then using a hand mixer (or blender) process the ingredients into a sauce. Add more sugar (optional) and salt to taste.
- Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature. Use immediately, or store in airtight containers (refrigerated) for up to two weeks. Note the sauce will get hotter as it ages.