Sriracha sauce, often fondly referred to as “rooster sauce” or simply “red sauce,” has become a staple in kitchens and restaurants everywhere. It’s that go-to condiment that adds the perfect blend of heat, sweetness, and tang to almost any dish. But have you ever thought about making your own? Trust me, once you do, there’s no going back to store-bought.
Creating your own Sriracha sauce at home is surprisingly simple and incredibly satisfying. Plus, it’s a fun way to play around with flavors and heat levels to suit your taste. Whether drizzled over a steaming bowl of Pho, slathered on a burger, or gently tossed with scrambled eggs, homemade Sriracha brings a unique, vibrant kick to your meals. What’s great about this recipe is its perfect balance of flavors – it’s not just spicy, but a harmonious blend of salty, savory, and sweet, with just the right level of heat. And the best part? It’s all done in just 20 minutes! This homemade Sriracha sauce recipe is all about bringing that rich, deep flavor to your table, turning ordinary dishes into extraordinary experiences.
Why This Homemade Sriracha Sauce Is So Good
- You’re the Boss of Spice: Here’s the cool part about DIY-ing your Sriracha – you get total control. Want it hotter? Go wild with those chilies. Prefer it sweeter? A little extra honey has got your back. It’s all about making your taste buds happy.
- Fresh Beats Factory Every Time: There’s something special about the zing of freshly made sauce. It’s like the difference between a live concert and a recording – both are great, but one’s just a bit more lively. When you make Sriracha yourself, it’s bursting with flavors that are just waiting to jazz up your meals.
- Quick and Foolproof: Forget about spending ages in the kitchen. In 20 minutes, you can go from zero to hero with a sauce that might just ruin store-bought for you. It’s so easy, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing this all along!
Ingredients
- Red jalapeno and sweet snacking peppers
- Garlic cloves
- Apple cider vinegar
- Tomato paste
- Honey
- Fish sauce
How To Make This Sriracha Sauce Recipe – Step by Step
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, pour the sauce in and cook on high until it begins to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust with additional honey, vinegar or Bragg’s (or whatever you’re using) if needed. You’re looking for a nice balance of flavor. Fry an egg and try a spoonful on it. Tastes wonderful? Turn off heat and allow sauce to cool completely
- Transfer the sriracha sauce to jars. Sriracha will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Better yet, can them and store in pantry!
An Easy Sriracha Recipe
It’s actually easier than you think to make your own Sriracha – a food processor and medium pot is all you need. If you’re used to just squeezing the rooster bottle (heehee) for your hot sauce fix, you’ll be shocked at how many more flavor profiles you can get from homemade.
Plus, the bonus of homemade is that your sauce is so much more vibrant, bright and full flavored. You’ll want this sauce in your noodle soup, on your meatloaf, in your stir-fries.
What Is Sriracha Sauce?
Back before Sriracha was a “thing” – we just called it “red sauce” and squirted it on just about everything, including scrambled eggs.
The original “rooster brand” Huy Fong recipe was so perfect that they had a virtual monopoly at Vietnamese restaurants and competitors didn’t even try to imitate their formula. Fun fact from Forbes: Huy Fong Foods has seen a 20% increase in revenue nearly every year since its founding in 1980.
After the news of the temporary shutdown of Huy Fong operations in Irwindale, California, the people of the Internets went crazy. Apparently, the fumes from cooking thousands of pounds of chiles were becoming unbearable for Huy Fong’s residential neighbors. (We hear they’ve resumed shipping, but I haven’t been able to confirm this.)
What Does This Sriracha Sauce Taste Like?
While I love the original Huy Fong sauce, it’s missing balance and depth.
Here’s what good flavor translates to – a balance of the 5 S’s:
- Salty
- Savory
- Sour
- Spicy
- Sweet
I’d also add in a B – bitterness – but people don’t like that “B” word (plus it doesn’t start with an “S” ruining my awesome convenient and catchy teaching moment.) *eye roll and head shake*
The perfect condiment should have all of these flavor elements. Here’s why this 20-Minute Sriracha recipe that I’ve modified from Nom Nom Paleo Cookbook is perfect:
- Salty and Savory: choice of fish sauce, coconut amino or Bragg’s. Not only do these sauces provide a salty flavor, but they all have “umami” which adds savory notes.*
- Sour – vinegar
- Spicy – chiles. But not too spicy. I like using s combo of hot peppers and mild peppers. If a sauce is too spicy, you can’t taste anything else on your plate.
- Sweet – honey, and sweetness of peppers
Gluten Free Sriracha Sauce
With a few swaps you can make this sauce gluten free.
Bragg’s Liquid Aminos is found in health food stores, Whole Foods and most major supermarkets have this too. Look near the BBQ sauces and Worcestershire sauce. Love this stuff. I’ve been using this in place of soy sauce and fish sauce on everything. It’s healthier, non-GMO, gluten-free, non-fermented. Every homemade salad dressing I’ve been making lately has a Bragg’s in it! Good stuff.
*Coconut Aminos is a new ingredient for me. I found it at my local health food store. It’s raw, gluten-free, 100% organic, dairy-free, vegan, soy-free and contains 17 naturally occurring aminos. I like this just as much as Bragg’s. Give it a try!
Top Tips For This 20 Minute Sriracha Sauce Recipe
- You can make your sauce thinner if you like – run the sauce through a blender to get it less chunky. But I like mine chunky.
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use rice vinegar (unsweetened).
- For gmo/gluten free sauce, swap the fish sauce for liquid/ coconut aminos.
- Allow sauce to cool before using it.
20 Minute Sriracha Sauce Recipe Video
Check Out These Other Great Recipes And Sauces
- Shrimp Wonton Recipe in a Spicy Sichuan Sauce
- Scallops with Apricot Sauce
- Chinese Eggplant Recipe with Spicy Garlic Sauce
- Aged Sriracha Hot Sauce Recipe
Have you tried this 20 minute Sriracha Sauce recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
20 Minute Sriracha Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound fresh red jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 pound fresh mini sweet snacking peppers
- 7 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar or white or unsweetened rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce Braggs Liquid Aminos or Coconut Aminos
Instructions
- In a food processor or high speed blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, pour the sauce in and cook on high until it begins to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust with additional honey, vinegar or Bragg's (or whatever you're using) if needed. You're looking for a nice balance of flavor. Fry an egg and try a spoonful on it. Tastes wonderful? Turn off heat and allow sauce to cool completely.
- Transfer the sriracha sauce to jars. Sriracha will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Better yet, can them and store in pantry!
Nutrition
Big thanks to Nom Nom Paleo Food for Humans Cookbook by my friends Michelle Tam and Henry Fong for another stellar recipe. LOVE this cookbook, I can’t recommend it enough and have purchased copies for my friends.
None of us are Paleo dieters, but the recipes are so versatile and delicious that anyone can benefit from this book! Every recipe has a photo, most with vibrant step by step photos.
If you haven’t already, check out the Cauliflower Bacon Fried Rice that I’ve made from the Nom Nom Paleo.
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Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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Suracha. Why is it that people can’t pronounce this correctly? Are you unable to read the spelling? I’m not Vietnamese, but I’m married to a Vietnamese woman, and the whole family pronounces it as it’s spelt.
So, easy and makes a nice gift.
Thank you. I’ve been looking a good recipe so I can make my own as I do not eat garlic (for obvious reasons – LOL, and I’d like a milder version. I will break out my asafetida and galangal and give this a try.
thank you for this, love to be able start from scratch and have the opportunity to tweak here and there!
I can’t find them either. Tried many groceries and sprouts also. I bought the other Red ones, twice as expensive but good.
Hi jaden…this is so good and lots better than store bought cuz then one can control the taste according to personal preference. Most sriracha are too hot for me! The small red bellpper with thin skin is what I have been using! Then I can just add any chili from my garden to make it hotter!
Searching the web for a proper tested canning recipe for sriracha. Ball doesn’t seem to have one. If you have one, please post!
Hi!!!! Would you please help me out? I would like to not use honey, sugar, agave or non of those sweeteners. Is there anything you recommend for a substitute? Xylitol? Some fruit? Thank you!
Can you suggest something besides a fried egg to use as a base for tasting/testing the sauce? Not a big fan of fried eggs, so I think it might be better for me to use something else.
Thanx
Hi Lynne, use anything you want! Cook a handful of pasta, warm up some cooked rice, leftover bit of meat or vegetable.
It will go bad in 2 weeks or lose its color in 2 weeks?
No it should be good for 2 weeks.
Sorry this is a little late to the game, but are there instructions for canning this sriracha? Am I totally off by thinking 15 minutes for total canning time (in waterbath method)? TIA!
I’m no expert canner, but that’s what I’ve always done! It’s best to follow instructions from Bell canning!
Sterilise jars in the oven for 5 minutes ad pour sauce while still hot into them and seal immediately. The kids should pop and seal. Small jars ate better.
Truly mouth watering. The color is tempting. Jarden how could you present each and every recipe so well?????
Just a bit of information for you… your facts a wrong, they don’t cook their chili, it is a known fact that they use ground fresh chili.
I never made Sriracha Sauce, I’ll make it for sure. Thanks!
Excellent! Made this to surprise my husband who adores sriracha sauce. He added it to his lunch yesterday and ate it with his eggs this morning. This is not going to last very long in my house!
I loved your Asian chili sauce so much (and had fun playing with different heat sources – chipotle, sweet and hot, etc.) that I’d love to make this. I’ll have to try to talk Publix into stocking those gorgeous red jalapenos first, though. I’ve never seen them for sale. You and I live in the same state, so I would expect that the chains would stock the same veggies, but obviously not, darn it.
Hi Barbara! I found them first at Super Target and convinced my local Publix to carry it 🙂
Would roasting the peppers tamper with the flavor?
It would make the sauce a little richer and slightly sweeter. Try it!
Wow my own Sriracha sauce. I think I’m gonna run mine through a blender to make it thinner.
Jaden – do you remove the seeds/ribs from the Jalapeno peppers?
Up to you! I do since I’m after the flavor of the chiles not all of their heat
Jaden, this looks AMAZING and I love this post. I especially love the fun facts – I did not know that about Huy Fong Foods growth year-by-year. I can see why – I adore Sriracha sauce! To be able to make my own is total awesomeness! Pinned! Thanks for the great recipe!
There is no tomatoes in Sriacha Sauce; just Chili, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar and then some additives. Tomatoes have NO place in sriacha sauce.
My problem is that my store carries dried red jalepenos in a 3 oz bag, not fresh. I tried to guess if 3 oz dry would equal 1/2 lb fresh. The answer is no! Boy it was hot. I doubled the other ingredients in the batch to add to it. I also increased the honey, thought it needed a little more sweet to balance the heat. Lastly ax I don’t care for fish sauce I substituted oyster sauce, which I like better.
This is on the stove as I type but already it is ridiculously wonderful. And easy too. Lips are hurting (that’s how you know it’s working) but there’s a fuller flavor than the green top rooster sauce.
I make my own. Better than store bought for sure. I also grow my own peppers so I let them turn red before picking. I also allow mine to ferment. I have two quarts that have been fermenting since September last year.
Jaden this looks amazing! I am addicted to this stuff. Pinning and sharing on our FB page 🙂
Where did you get the adorable and handy jar that you put the sriracha into at the end?! I love it! I want some!!
Margaret, that is a Weck brand Tulip jar. I have them on my bucket list! For me, forget jewelry. I want cute bottles and jars, LOL!
I’ve just discovered (yay) that I love sriracha sauce!! I’m going to pin this recipe and save it for this summer, when I’ve got too many peppers in my garden that I don’t know what to do with!
(heehee) = dirty girl!! 😉
what kind of Braggs please? They have several products on their website. Thanks,
ww
Braggs Liquid Aminos!
I don’t think those Braggs aminos are gluten free. At least they didn’t used to be. Maybe add a point to double check the label when you’re buying them.
From the Braggs website, they are gluten-free:
http://bragg.com/products/la.html
They are an excellent, healthy, gourmet replacement for Tamari and Soy Sauce. Not fermented or heated and Gluten-Free.
I made my own chili sauce (not this kind, but another sort) earlier this year and it was SO much better than the store bought. I can’t wait to try this one! Thanks! And I see nothing wrong with your label.
Thanks for this recipe! Im sure that you’re right- Im going to want this sauce on everything! I look forward to making it soon.
That’s just crazy! My mouth is watering! Great job !
LOL yes, very cute label. Rustic right?
Sharing this on my next batch of friday links.
Dear Jaden,
You are one of a kind. Thank you so much for this recipe. As you note, Huy Fong has some issues with the local California government. They also make a very delicious chile paste. Would you have a recipe for that?
Last night, I made the crunchy chick peas and they were fabulous! Even after draining and drying them, I used my wife’s hair dryer to ensure they were totally dry. Yes, I’m sure I looked silly, but it worked. I tossed them with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and some hot Hungarian paprika. The only mistake I made was using only one can of chickpeas, not two because I wanted more. Live and learn.
Thanks for all you do.
Have never, ever seen red jalapeno peppers in any grocery store.
You can use any type of hot red pepper you like. I love the jalapeño pepper because it gives just the perfect amount of heat to play with. Green jalapeño is so popular, but red jalapeño (just left on the plant a little longer until it “ripens” is sweeter – think green bell pepper vs red.
If you can’t find it, ask your produce people to stock it!
What are sweet snacking peppers?
They are mini peppers, sweeter than bell peppers. If you can’t find them, just use bell peppers OR mild chiles.
Ahhh! They come in bags at the grocery store, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Now I can make some this weekend. Excited!