Hot Banana Pepper Garlic Hot Sauce
Spicy, garlicky, and extremely flavorful, this Hot Banana Pepper Garlic Hot Sauce will be your new favorite condiment!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Hot Banana Pepper Garlic Hot Sauce has become a favorite hot sauce in our house! Not only is it nice and spicy, it’s also incredibly flavorful and versatile!
Because hot banana peppers have such an exquisite taste, I really wanted their flavor to shine, which is why there are minimal ingredients in this hot sauce.
Hot banana peppers have a wonderful spicy, bright and tangy flavor, and the garlic adds a savory richness that balances the peppers perfectly. The vinegar brings a zing, while also being a preservative.
This hot sauce is great on tacos, rice, enchiladas, and eggs!
Growing hot banana peppers? Pickled Hot Banana Peppers & Onions is another great way to use them up!
Ingredients needed for this recipe (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Vegetable or avocado oil
- Hot banana peppers
- Garlic
- White vinegar
- Water
- Sea salt
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Fun Fact: Hot Banana Peppers and regular, non-spicy Banana Peppers are from the same species, Capsicum annuum, however, Hot Banana Peppers are specifically bred to be a spicier version.
Sautéing the peppers gives the hot sauce a more rounded, richer flavor profile, compared to the extra sharp, bright tanginess you’d get from raw peppers.
How spicy is this hot sauce?
On the Scoville scale, Hot Banana Peppers have a rating of 1,000-10,000, which is a wide range.
In contrast, Jalapenos are in the range of 2,500-8,000, and Hungarian Wax Peppers fall in the 5,000-15,000 range.
This is a great medium-hot sauce. That being said, peppers’ spiciness can vary, so then, will the results.
💡Tips & Tricks
- The peppers will turn from a bright yellowy green to orange, then red if left on the vine. Some peppers get hotter and hotter until they eventually peak, then the capsaicin starts to decline.
- My family loves this thick hot sauce so much, they often eat it like salsa with tortilla chips.
- The white vinegar is a big part of the sauce’s preservation. Make sure the bottle says “5% acidity” on the label.
- You could use regular, non-spicy banana peppers, but this sauce would be extremely mild – less hot sauce and more flavorful condiment.
Looking for more hot sauce recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Jalapeno Hot Sauce – a medium heat hot sauce.
- Fiery Habanero Hot Sauce – an extra spicy hot sauce for those that really like heat.
Flavorful Eats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Hot Banana Pepper Garlic Hot Sauce
Equipment
- skillet
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil
- 1 pound hot banana peppers, stems removed approx. 10-12 peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup white vinegar (bottle should say 5% acidity)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Add oil to skillet, then the hot banana peppers. Cook over medium to med-high heat for 6-7 minutes, stirring often. When you start to get nice brown spots all over the peppers, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the peppers, garlic, and any remaining oil from the pan to a blender along with the white vinegar, water, and sea salt. Blend until smooth. This is a thick hot sauce, so it won't end up thin and liquidy.
- Place funnel in hot sauce bottle and pour hot sauce into it. Because it's thick, I like to poke a chopstick or drink stirrer through the funnel hole to help move the hot sauce down. Once cooled, keep hot sauce in the refrigerator and use within 1-2 weeks.
This hot sauce is incredibly flavorful! I can’t wait for you to try it!