Unbelievable Mild Apple Cider Hot Sauce
Oct 26, 2018, Updated Dec 13, 2020
A mild kick – this homemade hot sauce you can slather on! Easy and fun to prepare in just a few minutes.
Homemade Hot Sauce adds zip to healthy, often ordinary table fare. You’ll have control of the ingredients and level of heat. I love a flavorful “mild version” although you can add a higher level of heat if you like.
Ingredients
- 6 medium- large fresh garlic cloves, unpeeled
- ½ cup fresh carrots, peeled, chopped
- ½ cup fresh onions, peeled, chopped
- ⅓ cup fresno chiles*, seeded, chopped
- ⅓ cup red bell peppers, seeded, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chipotles in adobe sauce
- 1 cup fresh apple cider*, preferably without preservatives (potassium sorbate)
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar, such as Braggs brand (raw-unfiltered)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Dry roast garlic cloves. Leave papery layers on garlic. Place in a small 6 - 8" skillet. Cook over a medium flame until a bit charred, stirring twice for 5 minutes. Cover, set aside and let cool.
- Add remaining ingredients to a non-reactive 1 quart pot, bring to a boil then reduce to a bare simmer. Cook - partially covered for 5 minutes to soften the ingredients. Remove from heat and cool slightly - about 10 minutes.
- Add to a carafe of a blender (I use a Vitamix.) Peel garlic cloves and add them to the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend from low speed to medium-high for one minute. Leave a little texture, do not totally liquify.
- Pour hot sauce into sterilized glass containers, seal and refrigerate.
- A fresh chile hot sauce that has not been boiled will only keep for about two weeks in the refrigerator. A cooked hot sauce that has been properly bottled can last in the refrigerator for around six months.
- *Fresno Chiles are shaped very similar to common jalapeno chiles. The Red Fresno Chile is easily mistaken for the red jalapeno, however, if you look and sample closely, you'll see it typically has wider shoulders and a hotter flavor. They are available in red and green varieties, the red being the sweeter of the two. Taste your fresno chiles ~ some are more potent than others and will change the heat of the hot sauce.
- * Apple Cider with one ingredient: Apples - is preferred (no preservatives.) Look for natural apple cider from farmers' markets and your local apple orchard.
See BLOG for many photos of this recipe, and more information.
This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
