Homemade Hot Sauce | Banana Pepper, Garlic and Cilantro

fresh chili peppers

🥗Healthier: dried chili peppers

💰Cheaper: cayenne pepper

Dried peppers can be lower in calories and cayenne is often cheaper.

vinegar

💰Cheaper: apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is often more affordable and adds a unique flavor.

garlic

💰Cheaper: garlic powder

Garlic powder is a budget-friendly alternative with a longer shelf life.

Chop up the garlic and banana peppers.

Use garlic at one quarter of the weight of the peppers.

Drizzle olive oil over the chopped peppers and garlic to coat evenly.

Place the mixture in a toaster oven at 350° F for about an hour until the peppers get some color and the garlic is soft.

Let the roasted mixture cool completely to room temperature.

Zest and juice a lime.

Cut off the dry ends of the cilantro, using 1/8 of the weight of the peppers in cilantro.

Calculate the salt level based on the weight of the peppers, lime juice, and cilantro, starting with 2% salt and adjusting to about 2 1/2% salt.

Add enough vinegar to the mixture to help it flow in the blender.

Blend until the mixture is a little thicker than the desired final consistency, then taste and adjust acidity with water if needed.

Run the blended sauce through a sieve, noting that some solids will remain.

Spread the leftover solids from the sieve on a tray lined with parchment paper and dehydrate them to make a seasoning powder.

Pour the finished sauce into bottles.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: