Fermenting peppers is not a difficult process! It is quite easy, but patience is required! Fermenting peppers is an essential step in making hot sauce.
Can you make hot sauce with fresh peppers? Yes, technically, you can! Is the hot sauce sooo much better when you fement the peppers? Absolutely, it is! Check out my post for Fermented Hot Sauce.
How Can You Use Fermented Peppers?
The best use for Fermented Peppers is making your own hot sauce at home! You won’t have to buy the stuff at the grocery store!
Many of our favorite hot sauces, in the United States are still made with fermented peppers, including Sriracha and Tabasco. Fermenting the peppers gives the hot sauce a greater dimension of flavors!
History of Lacto-Fermenting
Fermenting peppers without a salt brine allows the peppers to ferment in their own juices. This intensifies the flavor of your finished product! This method has been employed, by humans for thousands of years!
Lacto fermentation was used to preserve vegetables that would otherwise spoil. These vegetables sustained families through barren months out the year.
Fermentation was traditionally done in large crocks, so that larger quantities of fresh produce could be preserved.
I include the above photo, so that you know, if the top has mold growing on on it, throw out that batch. It is not safe to eat! This one was contaminated because I over filled it with peppers and when I went to burp it the first week, they started to overflow, so, I had to scoop some of them out.
I did not sterilize the spoon first. Learn from my mistakes!
- Wash peppers. Remove stems. Place in food processor.
- Finely grind.
- Place in large bowl.
- Add salt. About 3 tablespoons per quart of peppers. Mix very well.
- Pack peppers and salt into quart jars. Pushing down to remove air pockets.
Let peppers ferment at least one month. I left mine for 4 months. Technically, the peppers can ferment for years, in large vats, as Tabasco does.
That is how easy it is to ferment your own peppers so that you can make your own hot sauce!
Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter, so that you don’t miss any new recipes! Only 1 email per week, on Fridays! Sign up form is below!
Enjoy! And have fun cooking!
Xoxo,
Tools I Use to Make
Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.
Fermenting peppers is not a difficult process! It is quite easy, but patience is required! Fermenting peppers is an essential step in making hot sauce.
- hot peppers, any variety will work See post for more information
- 3 Tbsp salt, per quart of peppers.
-
Remove stem from peppers.
-
Grind in food processor.
-
Mix 3 tablespoons salt per quart of peppers. Mix well. The salt will draw water out of the peppers and they will ferment in their own juices. Alternately, you can mix 1 quart of unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons of sea salt, per quart.
-
Sterilize jars. Pack in jars with peppers, pushing down contents to remove air. Leave 2 inches headspace.
-
If using the brine method, cover peppers in jars with the water and salt mixture to cover. It is important the the peppers stay below the surface of the brine.
-
Ferment in cool place for 1 to 4 months, up to years. For the first 2-3 weeks, burp jars daily, thereafter burp once per week.
-
Use fermented peppers for making hot sauce.
Recipe Video
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something, at no additional cost to you. See FTC Disclosure, here.
Patty
Such an interesting post Beth, I never thought of fermenting peppers and had no idea about it, I just used to mak small batches of hot sauce for immediate consumption. On my way to the market to buy me some peppers, will try your recipe as soon as I get back home, YUM!
Binky
The hot sauce is so much tastier with fermented peppers! Thanks so much for your comment Patty! Let me know how you make out!