Ever tried sriracha? Or sriracha mayo? Or your own sriracha sauce recipe?
What is Sriracha?
This once-obscure condiment (at least in the U.S.) has enjoyed a meteoric rise in popularity in the last few years. It was named “Ingredient of the Year” and is a popular condiment popping up on restaurant menus and in snack foods everywhere.
One advantage of pre-made Sriracha sauce is that it practically never goes bad, and like ketchup, it is very versatile. Unfortunately, also like ketchup, sriracha contains quite a bit of refined sugar and a few preservatives that allow its long shelf life.
Sriracha Mania!
Huy Fong is considered the original sriracha sauce (nicknamed “Rooster Sauce”), though many other brands have popped up since it has become so popular. There are entire websites, cookbooks, and fan clubs devoted to this condiment, which debate the best brands and recipes, but personally I prefer to make my own!
Homemade Sriracha Sauce Recipe
Like most things, homemade hot sauce is healthier than store bought and the process of making sriracha is much easier than you might think!
This recipe is inspired by the famous Rooster sauce, but has an optional added step of fermentation, which extends the shelf life of the homemade version. Fermentation also increases the vitamin content and acts as a natural method of food preservation.
Srirach Recipe Secret Ingredient: Fish Sauce
The only ingredient that you may not have or that may not be readily available at your local grocery store is fish sauce, but I’d encourage you to grab a bottle before making this. This unusual sauce will give your sriracha a depth of flavor and is also a wonderful addition to many other recipes.
My favorite brand is Red Boat Fish Sauce and you’ll find that it makes a wonderful addition to many 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.
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.
Lacto-fermented Sriracha Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb red Fresno peppers (or other spicy peppers of choice)
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 TBSP fish sauce
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 3 TBSP raw honey (or coconut sugar, or 10 drops liquid stevia for a sugar-free low-glycemic option)
- 1 TBSP coconut aminos
- 2 TBSP whey
Instructions
- Cut the tops off the peppers, and peel out the seeds and membranes.
- Finely dice the peppers and garlic.
- Put the peppers, garlic, salt, vinegar, fish sauce, and coconut aminos into a large food processor.
- Add the tomato paste and raw honey and puree.
- Transfer to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly reduced and thicker. Taste and add more vinegar, sweetener, or coconut aminos if needed.
- Transfer to a quart size mason jar and store in the refrigerator, using as needed.
- For fermented sriracha: Stir the whey into the jar with the sriracha sauce.
- Let the jar sit at room temperature for 3 days, and then move to the fridge.Fermenting will extend the shelf life by about a month and provide a deeper flavor.
Notes
- Use pineapple juice instead of vinegar for a sweeter sauce and omit the sweetener
- Use any red pepper you'd like to achieve your preferred spiciness level. Even sweet red peppers can be used (omit sweetener completely) for a non-spicy version with great flavor
Nutrition
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Are you a fan of this spicy and sweet condiment? How do you use it?
I would love to try this recipe. How long is the shelf life without the whey?
Great recipe but NEVER use honey when fermenting. Honey hinders the growth or can stop it all together because it’s naturally anti-bacterial and is one of the only foods on earth that never spoils. They’ve actually found it in ancient tombs that is still perfectly edible. You may get it ferment with a little honey but raw sugar will work better — a little trick I learned when I used to ferment my own Kombucha.
I love your recipes, thank you for all of them! Would love to try to make the sriracha sauce since my college kids love it. We are vegetarian no meat, fish or eggs, or gelatin. Can this sauce be made without fish sauce? What can I replace it with?
You can leave it out.
Would love to try this because my kids (who are not kids anymore) absolutely love sriracha sauce. Can I substitute the fish sauce with something else? We can’t eat fish.
Honey and garlic are both antibacterial and I have not ever had any problems fermenting with garlic (think kimchi and dill pickles) And mead is fermented too. This recipe is cooked. I’m going for it.
If whey doesn’t extend the shelf life sufficiently, the apple cider vinegar should. That’s very potent (and healthy) stuff!
Thank you for this and many other great recipes. I can’t wait to try this one, and I bet it’ll be a winner!
Not to recipe maker…raw honey will kill any the fermenting yeasty beasties. Antibacterial, and all that.
Skip the honey.
I’m excited to try this recipe! I love “Rooster Sauce.” However, I’m wondering about the use of honey, while trying to ferment. Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?
Indeed. My thoughts exactly. Everyone knows raw honey is antibacterial, right?
Any substitutions for the fish sauce? Allergy prevents it’s use and I know it’s an important element.
Equal parts broth and coconut aminos can make a decent sub and I’ve also heard of using shirataki mushroom powder
And I would like to skip the fish sauce just because fish sauce is possibly the most disgusting thing that I have tasted in my life.
Is it possible to ferment without the whey? Thanks in advance!
I too wonder if you could use (unpasteurized) sauerkraut juice instead of the whey for those who react to milk proteins. Has anybody tried?
I’d like to know also!