Do you drench your food in sriracha? Did you know you can make it yourself? Try this super easy, delicious Homemade Sriracha Sauce!
This Homemade Sriracha Sauce is….
- Quick
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Egg-Free
- Oil-Free
- Vegan
- SPICY!
The Sriracha Sauce Craze
Sriracha has been a recent craze in the food world. People obsess over the flavor and carry tiny bottles in their pockets so they’re never without it. The addiction has also boiled over into merchandise – you can buy tee shirts, keychains, or phone cases (to name a few) all plastered with images of the distinctively red sauce.
The most widely loved sriracha brand is Huy Fong Inc. which is the owner of the instantly recognizable, green-topped sauce bottle. The company has been making chili pepper products since 1980. A red rooster dons each product label and is the astrological symbol of the company’s founder, David Tran, who immigrated to the USA from Vietnam in the 1970’s. Tran brought the flavors of his home country to the coast of Southern California, leading to great acclaim and a deep love from customers for the sauce’s garlicky heat.
However, in June 2022 and April 2023, disaster struck – Huy Fong Inc. stopped production of their beloved sriracha due to chili pepper shortages. Other brands popped up, offering their own versions to quell the demand. But one unexpected solution also arose: people began crafting their own homemade recipes!
The quickest method developed was a mixture of ketchup and regular hot sauce to mimic the consistency and heat of sriracha. It did the trick, but if you have more time, try making it with fresh ingredients because the taste is so much better! Though it is difficult to exactly replicate the flavor of Huy Fong Inc. sriracha, my concoction comes pretty close and definitely soothes the need for the spicy sauce.
Homemade Sriracha Sauce Techniques
Two flavors are paramount for a homemade sriracha sauce, those from red jalapeños and garlic. Then, adding a little sweetness, salt, and vinegary bite completes the recipe.
This recipe is as easy as blitzing the ingredients in a blender, boiling, and bottling. If you would like to experiment with deepening the flavors, ferment the ingredients (except the vinegar) for 3-5 days after pulsing in the blender. Pour the mix into a jar and store in a cool, dry place, stirring once a day. After 3-5 days, reblend with the vinegar and continue the steps as instructed.
Both versions produce excellent sauces, so it’s really just a matter of time and patience. If you need sriracha now, there’s no time to waste! Make this amazing Homemade Sriracha Sauce ASAP!
Ingredients
Red jalapeño peppers – Red jalapeños give sriracha its signature scarlet hue, along with the baseline heat for its unique flavor. Green jalapeños work in this recipe if you can’t find red.
Garlic – The second most significant ingredient! Garlic is a key component in authentic sriracha. This recipe uses enough cloves to ensure a mouthful of umami with each bite.
Maple syrup – Sweetness is necessary to cut through the heat and give the sauce balance. White sugar, brown sugar, and honey are all excellent choices, but I prefer the more robust flavor of maple syrup. Start with 1/4 cup and add more according to your personal sweetness preference.
Salt – The ultimate complimentary seasoning, use what you have on hand. We use pink Himalayan sea salt for its lower sodium count and subtle sharpness compared to regular table salt.
Vinegar – Vinegar gives the sauce a lively zing. White distilled vinegar provides the closest flavor, but apple cider vinegar would give an interesting complexity to the spicy sauce. Since apple cider vinegar is made from apples and tastes slightly sweeter, the recipe would assume another layer of tartness.
How to Make Homemade Sriracha Sauce
Step One: Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Start with 18 red jalapeño peppers and 1/4 cup maple syrup, then add more based on your personal preferences for the amount of spice and sweet.
Step Two: Pour blender contents through a strainer and into a medium saucepan.
Step Three: Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until mixture starts to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Step Four: Pour into sauce bottles and store in the fridge for up to six months. Enjoy the heat!
FAQ
In store-bought sriracha sauce, the main ingredients are red chili peppers, sugar, garlic, salt, water, and preservatives. The homemade version is much the same except no artificial ingredients – just fresh, spicy flavors!
In a pinch, a mixture of ketchup and regular hot sauce can act as sriracha substitute. But to achieve the closest flavor and texture, take a few extra minutes and make it with fresh ingredients.
Red jalapeños are used in sriracha sauce. When paired with garlic, they make the best tasting sriracha!
When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, homemade sriracha can last up to six months – if it’ll last that long!
Related Articles
Check out these other recipes that use jalapenos
PrintHomemade Sriracha Recipe
Do you drench your food in sriracha? Did you know you can make it yourself? Try this super easy, super delicious Homemade Sriracha Recipe!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
18–20 red jalapeño peppers, stems removed (more peppers = more heat!)
8 cloves garlic
1/4 – 1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup white vinegar
Instructions
Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Start with 18 red jalapeños and 1/4 cup maple syrup, then add more based on your personal preferences for the amount of spice and sweet.
Pour blender contents through a strainer and into a saucepan.
Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture starts to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Pour into sauce bottles and store in the fridge for up to six months. Enjoy the heat!
Notes
Fermenting option: blend the ingredients (except the vinegar), then pour the contents into a clean jar, cover, and store in a dark, cool place for 3-5 days. Stir once daily. The longer the mixture ferments, the more intense the flavors will become. After 3-5 days, pour sauce back into the blender with the vinegar and reblend, then following the remaining instructions.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 teaspoon
- Calories: 38
- Sugar: 1.8g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 0.3g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8.1g
- Fiber: 1.4g
- Protein: 1.6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
