By now you’ve probably heard of (or even tried) sriracha sauce. This famous chili sauce has popped up in stores and even restaurants all over. It’s surprisingly easy to make, adds a nice kick to foods, and you can even ferment it for added probiotics!
The original sauce was made with red chillies in Si Racha, Thailand. A Vietnamese immigrant, David Tran, crafted his own version and launched Huy Fong Sriracha, named after the ship that brought him to America. Made with Thai chili peppers it’s been a growing trend since the 80’s, but really came into vogue in the past few decades.
What is Sriracha?
This once-obscure condiment (at least in the U.S.) has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in the last few decades. In 2010 it was named “Ingredient of the Year” and is a popular condiment popping up on restaurant menus and in snack foods everywhere.
Huy Fong is considered the original sriracha sauce (nicknamed “Rooster Sauce”), though many other brands have popped up since. There are entire websites, cookbooks, and fan clubs devoted to this condiment. While they debate the best brands and recipes, I prefer to make my own!
One advantage of pre-made Sriracha sauce is that it practically never goes bad. And like ketchup, it’s very versatile. Unfortunately, also like ketchup, sriracha contains quite a bit of refined sugar and a few preservatives that allow its long shelf life.
Homemade Sriracha Sauce Recipe
Like most things, homemade hot sauce is healthier than store bought. The process of making sriracha is much easier than you might think!
This recipe is inspired by the famous Rooster sauce, but you can optionally ferment it, which extends the shelf life. Fermentation also increases the vitamins naturally preserves the food. You’ll often find other veggies fermenting on my countertop too.
Sriracha Recipe Secret Ingredient: Fish Sauce
The only ingredient you may not have is fish sauce, but I’d encourage you to grab a bottle before making this. This unusual sauce gives sriracha a depth of flavor and is a wonderful addition to many other recipes.
My favorite brand is Red Boat Fish Sauce. It also tastes great with lots of recipes, especially any with an Asian theme. If you can’t have or really don’t like fish sauce, you can use equal parts bone broth and coconut aminos to substitute.
Here’s how to make your own sriracha sauce recipe!
Lacto-fermented Sriracha Recipe
A delicious spicy sriracha recipe without the refined sweeteners (and a sweetener-free option) and an added optional ferment that extends shelf life and improves the nutritional profile.
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Cut the tops off the peppers, and peel out the seeds and membranes.
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Finely dice the peppers and fresh garlic.
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Put the peppers, garlic, salt, vinegar, fish sauce, and coconut aminos into a large food processor.
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Add the tomato paste and raw honey and puree the solids.
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Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
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Simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly reduced and thicker. Taste and add more vinegar, sweetener, or coconut aminos if needed.
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Transfer to a quart size mason jar and store in the refrigerator, using as needed.
Fermented Sriracha Sauce
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For fermented sriracha: Stir the whey into the glass jar with the sriracha sauce.
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Let the jar sit at room temperature for 3 days, and then move to the fridge. If your house is very warm the fermentation time may be a little shorter. This fermentation process extends the shelf life by about a month and provides a deeper flavor.
Nutrition Facts
Lacto-fermented Sriracha Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 tsp)
Calories 7
Calories from Fat 1
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.1g0%
Saturated Fat 0.01g0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.02g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.002g
Cholesterol 0.5mg0%
Sodium 73mg3%
Potassium 30mg1%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Fiber 0.1g0%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 0.4g1%
Vitamin A 73IU1%
Vitamin C 10mg12%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 0.1mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
- Use pineapple juice instead of vinegar for a sweeter sauce and omit the sweetener
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge. A Mason jar works well for this.
- This recipe yields about 2 cups of sriracha sauce.
Choosing Your Peppers
Important note: Like any hot sauce, this sriracha recipe is spicy! Use small amounts in recipes or as a condiment at first until you know how spicy it is. Also, I’d recommend using gloves when making this (or any) hot sauce.
While sriracha is naturally very spicy, you can really use whatever peppers you’d like. Choose other hot chili peppers for a slightly different flavor like habanero or serrano peppers. Tone down the spice with some green jalapenos, red jalapeno peppers, or even bell pepper. The nice thing is you can control the heat level!
Try sweet red peppers (omit the sweetener) for a non-spicy version with great flavor. You can use this as a dipping sauce, add it to recipes, or make sriracha mayo.
Are you a fan of this spicy and sweet condiment? How do you use it?
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