A traditional store-bought hot sauce has far too much salt for my palette.
I like things spicy, not salty!
Once I learned about canning hot sauce, this problem was solved.
This recipe combines the tang of tomatoes with the zip of Serranos, and it packs a real wallop!
Serrano Pepper Hot Sauce Canning Recipe
This recipe comes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
It’s both tasty and safe, as long as you use the ingredients exactly as listed without variations.
Tomatoes are low-acid foods, so tinkering with the other ingredients could lead to an unsafe product.
Equipment Needed
- Gloves
- Colander
- Sharp knife
- Cheesecloth
- String
- Food mill
- Stainless steel saucepan
- Small saucepan
- Water canner with lid
- Seven half-pint jars with lids and rings (for a whole canner load)
- Jar lifter
- Lid lifter
- Canning funnel
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 64-ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1½ cups Serrano peppers
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons canning salt
- 2 tablespoons pickling spices
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Canning Time
10 minutes
Step 1: Wash Peppers
Serranos are slick peppers that don’t cling to dirt. However, they can develop a waxy coating that makes cooking difficult.
And some peppers are grown with pesticides and other contaminants that could make your hot sauce less tasty.
Place your peppers in a colander and rinse them under warm water. Use your fingers to rub each pepper and wipe the dirt away.
Step 2: Seed and Chop Peppers
Peppers are incredibly hot, and the juice and seeds can hurt your skin and eyes. It’s crucial to wear gloves when you’re handling Serranos for this recipe.
Plastic or rubber gloves will protect you.
Cut the top off each pepper, and shake out the seeds held on the inside. Then, cut the peppers in half and scrape out the rest of the seeds you can find.
Finally, dice the rest of the peppers. You’ll need 1½ cups of prepared product for a full batch of this recipe.
Step 3: Prepare Spice Bag
This hot sauce has added flavor from mixed pickling spices. Typically, you can buy prepared pickling products in a grocery store.
However, you can make your own by combining mustard seeds, allspice berries, whole cloves, dill seeds, and peppercorns. You’ll need 2 tablespoons of it.
Place your pickling spices in a square of cheesecloth and tie the ends together with a small piece of string.
This spice bag will infuse your sauce with tasty bits, and you won’t have to fish out any of the seeds from your sauce.
Step 4: Cook to Soften
This recipe starts with a 64-ounce can of tomatoes. You can use fresh versions instead, but they’ll need longer to cook and soften.
You’ll need 8 full cups of chopped fresh tomatoes if you go this route.
Place your prepared peppers, your tomatoes, and your spice bag in a stainless steel pan. Add 4 cups white vinegar and 2 teaspoons of canning salt.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and then turn the heat down until the sauce simmers. Cook it for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Step 5: Remove Solids
After cooking, your tomatoes and peppers should be really soft. However, the sauce will have plenty of solids like seeds and skins. You’ll need to remove it to make a perfect product.
Start by taking your spice bag out of the pan. Discard it. Then, run the rest of the product through a food mill. Discard any solids that are trapped inside the mill when you’re done.
Step 6: Heat Your Sauce
Place the liquid you’ve captured back in your stainless steel pan. Turn the heat on medium and bring it to a boil. Continue to cook it for 15 minutes to allow the liquid to cook down and condense.
Don’t put the lid on the pan so the excess liquid can escape as steam.
Step 7: Prepare Jars and Lids
While your sauce is reducing, inspect your six half-pint jars and set aside any that are cracked or chipped.
Wash your approved jars in hot water and soap, and place them in your canner. Fill the canner with water and put the lid on.
Let the jars simmer under medium heat until you’re ready to fill them.
Place your lids in a small saucepan filled with warm water. Place the pan over low heat and let the adhesive soften until you need them.
Step 8: Fill Your Jars
After 15 minutes of cooking, your sauce should be thick and ready for the jars. Take the sauce off the heat, and pull your prepared jars from the canner with your jar lifter.
Place them on a towel or cutting board (and not the cold countertop).
Place your canning funnel inside one jar, and use your ladle to fill your jars with tasty sauce. Leave at least ¼ inch of space at the top for the sauce to expand as you cook it.
Repeat this process until all of your jars are filled.
Step 9: Apply Lids and Rings
The edges of your jars may have splatter from the filling process. Dampen a paper towel and wipe the edge of each jar to remove any debris that could keep the lids from sealing.
With your lid lifter, remove lids from their water bath. Place one lid on each jar and secure it with a ring. Screw the ring down until it’s finger-tight.
It should be secure enough that the lid won’t move, but air should be able to escape in the canner.
Step 10: Process Jars
Place your filled jars in the canner and ensure they’re covered with at least an inch of boiling water. Put the lid on the canner, and process your jars for 10 minutes.
Adjust for your elevation as needed.
Step 11: Let Jars Rest
After processing, turn off the heat and remove the lid from the canner. Leave the jars submerged for 5 minutes. You may see some air bubbles rise to the top as the contents stabilize.
Use your jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Place them on a towel or cutting board. Leave them completely undisturbed for 24 hours to let the lids seal properly.
Resist the urge to poke at them or shake them.
Step 12: Test Seals
After 24 hours, check your jars and ensure the lids are firmly attached. Start by removing the rings, and then press on the center of each lid.
If the lids don’t move or make noise, the canning process was perfect, and the jars can be put up into storage.
If the lids didn’t seal, place the jars in the refrigerator and eat the contents within a few days. You can put them in the freezer instead, if you can’t eat the sauce this quickly.
Write the date on each lid, so you know when you need to consume it.
How Long Does Canned Hot Sauce Last?
The USDA says products preserved in a water bath should be eaten within about a year.
These shelf-stable jars don’t need refrigeration or freezing, but you must take care of them to ensure they last as long as possible.
Store your jars in a dark, cool space with a low amount of humidity. I use my basement, but a root cellar or bunker would work, too.
Storage like this ensures the lids and rings don’t rust or face pressure from warming contents.
Keeping tomato products out of the sunshine can also ensure they don’t turn brown or otherwise get discolored and unappetizing.
Ideas for Using Serrano Pepper Hot Sauce
Once you have plenty of hot sauce in your pantry, it’s time to get creative! This stuff is really versatile and goes with almost anything. These are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Add zip to scrambled or deviled eggs with a dash of hot sauce.
- Spice up macaroni and cheese by serving with hot sauce.
- Swap hot sauce for catsup in hot dogs or hamburgers.
- Grill cauliflower and sprinkle it with herbs and hot sauce.
- Make a spicy dip for chips with hot sauce and cream cheese.
- Make a quick dressing for noodles with hot sauce and chicken broth.
- Sprinkle slices of cornbread with hot sauce.
- Add hot sauce to your next batch of chili.
- Serve with any Mexican-inspired dishes, including nachos, tacos, and burritos.
- Make white fish more interesting by poaching it in hot sauce and olive oil.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 64-ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1½ cups Serrano peppers
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons canning salt
- 2 tablespoons pickling spices
Instructions
Wash Peppers
- Place Serrano peppers in a colander and rinse them under warm water, using your fingers to gently rub away any dirt or residue.
- Safety Note: Wear gloves throughout this process to protect your skin and eyes from the peppers’ capsaicin.
Seed and Chop Peppers
- Cut the tops off each Serrano and shake out the seeds.
- Halve each pepper and scrape out any remaining seeds, then dice the peppers until you have 1½ cups of chopped product.
Prepare the Spice Bag
- Combine 2 tablespoons of pickling spices (such as mustard seeds, allspice berries, whole cloves, dill seeds, and peppercorns) in a small square of cheesecloth.
- Tie the cheesecloth securely with string to form a spice bag that will infuse your sauce without leaving loose seeds.
Cook to Soften
- In a stainless steel saucepan, combine the 64-ounce can of undrained tomatoes, the prepared Serrano peppers, and the spice bag.
- Add 4 cups white vinegar and 2 teaspoons canning salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes and peppers should become very soft and the flavors meld.
Remove Solids
- Remove the spice bag from the pan and discard it.
- Pass the remaining mixture through a food mill to separate the liquid from the seeds and skins. Discard the solids trapped in the mill.
Heat Your Sauce
- Return the strained sauce to the stainless steel saucepan and heat over medium.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and continue cooking for an additional 15 minutes, uncovered, to allow excess liquid to evaporate and the sauce to thicken.
Prepare Jars and Lids
- Inspect seven half-pint jars for any chips or cracks, then wash them in hot, soapy water.
- Place the clean jars in your water bath canner, fill with water, cover with the lid, and heat over medium until needed.
- Warm the lids in a small saucepan with warm water over low heat.
Fill Your Jars
- When the sauce has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Using a jar lifter, remove the jars from the canner and place them on a towel or cutting board.
- Insert a canning funnel into each jar and ladle the hot sauce into the jars, leaving at least ¼ inch of headspace for expansion.
Apply Lids and Rings
- Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp paper towel to remove any splattered sauce.
- Use the lid lifter to remove the warmed lids and place one on each jar. Secure the lids with rings, tightening until finger-tight—tight enough to hold the lid in place yet allowing air to escape.
Process Jars
- Carefully lower the filled jars into the water bath canner, ensuring they are covered with at least one inch of boiling water.
- Cover the canner with its lid and process the jars for 10 minutes, adjusting for your elevation if necessary.
Let Jars Rest
- After processing, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid.
- Let the jars remain in the canner for 5 minutes to stabilize, then use the jar lifter to remove them and place them on a towel or cutting board.
- Allow the jars to cool undisturbed for 24 hours.
Test Seals and Store
- After 24 hours, remove the rings from each jar and press the center of each lid with your finger.
- If the lids do not flex or pop, the jars are properly sealed.
- Label each jar with the date. If any jar fails to seal, refrigerate it and consume the contents within a few days (or freeze if preferred).
Notes
- Storage: Canned hot sauce is shelf-stable for about a year when stored in a cool, dark, and low-humidity environment.
- Usage Ideas:
- Add a dash to scrambled or deviled eggs for a spicy kick.
- Spice up macaroni and cheese or substitute it for ketchup on hot dogs and hamburgers.
- Use it as a marinade for grilled vegetables or proteins, or mix it into dips and dressings.
- Drizzle over nachos, tacos, or burritos to add heat to your favorite Mexican dishes.
