This peach habanero hot sauce brings sweet, gentle heat to all your favorite foods. Make sure to use peaches at the pinnacle of ripeness for maximum deliciousness.
I am not someone who goes for crazy hot foods. I firmly believe that eating should be grounded in pleasure rather than pain or discomfort. However, I do believe that there’s something uniquely appealing about sauces that allow for the careful, targeted application of gentle heat.
And so, when I develop hot sauce recipes, they are relatively mellow, mild ones that enhance rather than sear. Dealer’s choice, as it were.
That’s all to say that this may well be the most tame peach habanero hot sauce you’ll ever encounter. If you’re someone who likes to be challenged by your condiments, this probably isn’t the recipe for you. However, if you like sweet, easygoing heat, you are in the right place.
For this recipe, I used the peeling technique described in this post (quarter peaches, lay them in a heatproof baking dish, bring kettle to a boil, pour over peaches, rinse with cold water, peel). Once peeled, they went into a big pot with diced onion, a sweet orange pepper, six seeded habaneros (wear disposable gloves!), garlic, vinegar, a little sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
I simmered everything over medium heat while making dinner, giving it a stir on occasion and breaking up the peaches with my spatula with every turn. Once the peaches were totally tender and the onions were translucent, I used an immersion blender to puree the sauce smooth.
I canned the sauce in some of the barbecue sauce bottles I got from Fillmore Container, though you could just as easily use whatever canning jar you have to hand (the processing time remains the same for pints or smaller. If you move to a quart, increase the processing time by five minutes). I look forward to opening one up in a couple months, when it’s had time to mellow even more.
Oh, and in case you missed my post yesterday, this hot sauce was made with peaches from the folks at the Washington State Fruit Commission. I made this Gingery Peach Butter with the other half of the peaches. Nectarine recipes are still to come.
Peach Habanero Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 pounds peaches, quartered and peeled
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 sweet orange pepper, seeded and chopped
- 5-6 habanero peppers, stemmed and seeded
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath canner and enough jars to hold 4 pints of hot sauce (you can also can this in 8 half pint jars or 15 12-ounce jelly jars).
- Combine the peaches, vinegar, sugar, onion, peppers, garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a low, wide, non-reactive pan.
- Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the contents of the pan are bubbling, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peaches, peppers, and onions are tender.
- Remove the pot from the heat and puree using an immersion blender.
- Funnel into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.
- When the time is up, remove the lid from the pot and turn off the heat. Let the jars rest in the cooling water for five minutes. When that time is up, remove jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
- When the resting time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars/bottles have cooled enough that you can comfortable handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars/bottles can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars/bottles should be refrigerated and used promptly.
Delicious. Adding this to the yearly rotation.
So glad you like it!
I just made this with some Peach Reapers I grew. I used 7 peppers and didn’t seed them ( we like it hot! ) The flavor is amazing and balanced very well with the heat level of the Repears. Definitely saving this one 🤙🏻
So glad you like it!
I’m looking forward to making this in a couple of days when my peaches are ripe. What does the pH end up at with your recipe? Is it 4.6 or lower? If like to keep the bottles on a shelf, not in the fridge.
Thank you.
This recipe has two cups of vinegar in it. The pH is well below 4.6 and it is safe for canning.
I love everything about this recipe minus the apple cider vinegar. I feel it overpowers the peaches. Instead of 2 cups of apple cider vinegar, I would substitute for maybe 1/2 cup regular distilled and maybe 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar. There is enough juice from the fresh peaches to maintain a nice consistency. Otherwise, nice cooking methods for all the other ingredients.
You can absolutely swap in any other vinegar as long as it also has a 5% acidity (which is should state on the bottle). Feel free to find one with the best flavor for you!
How did you can the sauce in the bottles from fillmore container? The tops are plastic or don’t seem to have the lids that canning jars have. Please give the specific item numbers if possible. Thank you.
It’s been years since I wrote this post and canned in those jars. The best thing to do is get in contact with Fillmore (or whatever container distributor you’re buying from) and ask them which lids are rated for heat processing. They will know.
Do I need to to do the canning bath process if we plan to use the hot sauce rather quickly? (Making a small batch)
You don’t need to can it if you are happy to just stash your small batch in the fridge.
I loved the recipe! It goes with everything And adds flavor to so many different meals. I make it with my eggs in the morning, made fish tacos at tops off vanilla ice cream
Great versatile. Loved it
I’m so happy to hear it!
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe! I tweaked it a smidge (more peaches, less sugar) to my own tastes and it turned out absolutely fabulous!! I was using some Cotton Candy Habaneros I grew this summer and it is probably one of the best hot sauces I’ve made yet!
Hooray!
Tried it and was fantastic. Used for wings I halved the recipe because wasn’t sure wish I would have done whole recipe. My nephew who’s in the culinary industry loved it and even used it as a spread on toast, weirdo but again great recipe and also my peaches were not ripe so with ripe it would be even better.
I’m happy to hear you like it so much!
Can I replace the peaches for plums in this recipe? I actually want to use prunes.
I haven’t tried it like that, but it would be fine from a safety perspective.
Thanks for sharing great results. I did run it through my food mill,
Glad it worked!
Delicious, thank you! Mine separated when I canned it so you see a layer of liquid at the bottom. I’m sure this won’t affect the taste or safety of the sauce, it just doesn’t look as beautiful as yours. Any idea why this may have happened? Should I have let it simmer for longer? Thanks!
That separation can sometimes occur if you cook a product, let it cool, and then reheat it. That breaks down the pectin in the fruit and causes separation.
Do you have a habanero pineapple hot sauce recipe that can be canned also? All recipes I find for pineapple habanero do not offer canning.
So sorry, but I don’t.
Will Cayenne Peppers work with this instead of Habenaro?
They should be fine.
Could I replace the haveneros for Aji Cristal hot peppers? Or Sugar Rush Peach? I was planning on making a peach hot sauce with my sugar rush peach peppers.
I would imagine you could. I don’t believe that the pH of peppers varies wildly from one varietal to another.
I made this with persimmons instead of peaches. It is super yummy!
That sounds delicious!
Can this recipe be followed for scotch bonnet peppers and mango as a substitute?
Yes. That should be fine.
Can commercially frozen or canned peaches be used?
I’d use frozen peaches, but I wouldn’t use previously canned ones.
Am anxious to try this. I use your book as my go-to all the time! Question: you repeatedly told people they couldn’t substitute mango because of the acidity level but I noticed in a question from this year you told a guy he could definitely sub mangoes. So I’m not sure which is the correct answer. Asking in case I might want to make with mangoes sometime
Between the vinegar and lemon juice, there is a ton of acid in this recipe. I don’t recommend swapping mango in for peach in jam, but in this recipe, it will be fine.
This is wonderful! The fruit really highlights the fruity flavor of the habanero chiles. I didn’t have enough peaches on hand; only 20 ounces. I made up the difference with some plums, strawberries, and raspberries.
Thank you for the bottle canning tutorial. Up to now, I’ve only used mason type or Weck canning jars.
The bottles of sauce are in the boiling water bath as I type this. So excited!!
Hooray!
Love this recipe! I double the recipe and make it every year. I was wondering though if i could mix it up and swap out the peaches for pineapple?
From a safety perspective, I imagine you could. I’ve not tried it though, so I can’t speak from any experience.
Made this with fresh peaches today from The Peach Truck and it’s fabulous! I left the seeds in from 2 of the habaneros because we wanted a touch more heat. Very well balanced, excited to share, and would absolutely make again!
I’m so glad you’re happy with it!
This recipe looks fabulous. When I was visiting St Lucia, I had a mango habanero hot sauce that my husband just loved. Your ingredients look similar. Do you think I could substitute mango for the peach?
Yes. There’s enough vinegar in this sauce to make up for the slight acid difference between the peaches and mangos.
Hi, would I be able to substitute cherries for the peaches? Or do you have a Cherry Habanero Sauce recipe?
I don’t have a similar recipe that uses cherries in place of the peaches. However, you should be able to make the swap without issue.
Can I substitute apples instead of peaches?
I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why not.
This came out great. I cut the recipe in half and used honey in place of sugar. In place of the orange pepper I used half a yellow bell and half a red bell, since that’s what I had on hand. Tastes great. Husband says it’s not spicy enough so I may increase the amount habaneros next time. Really looking forward to try this on crispy chicken wings.
I’m so glad you like it!
Hey Marisa (long time canner here with a quick question) –> In your recipes, when you specify “apple cider vinegar”…are you using pasteurized, standard/typical, apple cider vinegar? OR are you using raw/unpasteurized typically organic, apple cider vinegar (like brand name: Braggs …or similar)?
Both are 5% acidity, but the raw is **much** more flavor-intense (so I would use 50% of the raw/organic and 50% of white distilled …both 5% acidity…to end up with the intended flavor of the more common, pasteurized apple cider vinegar).
Thanks for the great site & recipes!
I do typically use Braggs, but use it in the same volume as the conventional stuff. Your technique of blending two vinegars is an interesting one.
Thanks Marisa. I made the sauce today and can’t wait to try it when it mellows. Bit of a learning curve using the bottles, so I’m a little insecure about the seals, but they seem concave. (I didn’t see the bit about removing them from the canner immediately- oops). Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it!
Hi, I will be making this recipe to water bath can in 12 oz sauce bottles with Black Metal Lids/Plastisol Lined. Do have any other hot sauce recipes that I can process in these bottles? Most recipes I see are for half pints or smaller. Thank you.
Most hot sauces can be processed in these larger bottles. Just increase the processing time by five minutes.
Would kosher salt be ok instead of sea salt ?
Yes.
Can you use white peaches? Or have you tried?
No. You need to use the higher acid yellow peaches.
Could the peaches be substituted with mango?
Unfortunately not. Mangoes are lower in acid than peaches, so I wouldn’t risk it.