Hot Pepper Vinegar - the easiest hot pepper sauce ever! Simply steep some hot chili peppers in your choice of vinegar. Drizzle on beans or soups - it's amazing on greens!
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Vinegar Pepper Sauce
When I went googling to figure out what to call this amazing hot vinegar, I found a couple of options. Some people call it Vinegar Pepper Sauce, some call it Hot Pepper Vinegar, and some call it Peppa Sauce.
Whatever you call it, you need to be making some now!
Making Hot Pepper Vinegar
I found the instructions in Well Preserved: Small Batch Preserving for the New Cook
by Mary Anne Dragan. It's so easy, it barely needs a recipe.
To make vinegar pepper sauce: Take a handful of chili peppers (at least 3 or 4, but more if you have them) and using a small paring knife, cut a small slit in each pepper, wearing gloves if you wish.
In a nonreactive pot, heat the vinegar to a simmer, remove from heat and add the peppers. When it's cooled at bit, pour into a dry sterilized jar and store in a cool dark place. I store mine in flip top bottles.
Now, most instructions say to steep for 2 days to 2 weeks. I, actually, never remove the peppers. I just let them stay in the vinegar until I use that bottle up!
Tip - do what I do. Make two bottles to start with. Start using one in about 2 weeks, leaving the other steeping. When you use up your first bottle, start using your second bottle. Grab another handful of peppers and start a new bottle, and place the steeping tag on it. So, I always have two bottles in my pantry: one that I am currently using and one that has the "Steeping" tag on it.
Hot Chili Pepper Vinegar
Once you start using hot pepper vinegar, you'll wonder how you managed without it! It is amazing drizzled over a bowl of beans and don't even get me started on how good it is with greens. You haven't had collards until you've had them drizzled with some peppa sauce!
We even spoon it into vegetable soups, use it in vinaigrettes and marinades. One of my most useful condiments!
Bought a bunch of vinegar? Make these too:
This Blueberry Vinegar is amazing in vinaigrettes!
This Mango Vinegar is one of my most popular recipes!
You can make this Garlic Blossom Vinegar with chives or garlic blossoms!
Hot Pepper Vinegar
Ingredients
- 4 hot chili peppers more if you'd like!
- 4 cups vinegar use white, cider, or rice vinegar
Instructions
- Using a small knife, make 3 or 4 slits in each pepper. In a nonreactive pot, heat the vinegar over a medium low heat just to a simmer.
- Remove the pan for the heat, add the peppers, and let it cool slightly.
- Place the peppers in a clean, dry, sterilized jar, and pour in the vinegar. Cover it loosely and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Put a lid on the jar and store in the pantry. Vinegar should be ready to use in about a week. I leave the peppers in and it just keeps getting a little hotter. You can remove the peppers when it's as hot as you would like.
Notes
Nutrition
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Update Notes: This was originally published in 2009 and has been updated for 2018.
Jere Cassidy says
Brilliant idea to flavor vinegar and the bottle looks so pretty with the peppers.
Pam Greer says
And, it so easy and tastes so good!
Claudia Lamascolo says
this is such a fun recipe and I love hot chili so I am sure this is flavorful and delicious
Pam Greer says
Yes, you would love it!
Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites says
I can see my fiance and I using this vinegar all the time! I never would have thought to do this myself - thank you for such a great idea!
Pam Greer says
We are totally addicted to it!
Tayler Ross says
You are a genius! This sounds amazing! (The blueberry one does too!)
Pam Greer says
It is so good! You'll always want to have a bottle ready to go!
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog says
Great tip about using tags! This is interesting, because I've never infused vinegars, I just mix it in the sauces with chili powder...
Pam Greer says
You should give it a try. It's so easy!
Kelly Anthony says
How fun and tasty is this! Love your tips on how to always have a bottle ready to go. I'm sure this hot chili pepper vinegar will be a huge hit at our house.
Pam Greer says
Oh it will be! We are almost addicted to it at our house!
georgie says
wow! I never knew you could actually made infused vinegars like this!!! I'd love to try it and the bottle looks gorgeous - perfect present for Christmas!
Pam Greer says
I know! It makes a great gift, though be sure and make a couple of bottles for yourself!
Anonymous says
These pepper chillis look like the variety Pinoccio's Nose that I grew this year. Bought the seeds from Thompson & Morgan. Easy to grow, and produced loads of chillis. So far I've cooked with them, frozen them, dried them and bottled chilli oil and I'm still giving them away! I haven't found them too hot.
Lori Lynn says
My brother brought me some hot red chiles from his farmers market, and I made roasted chile oil. Don't know the name of them either, they are much wider than yours. I might do what you did and ask the folks out there.
LL
girlichef says
Yes, they look like cayenne...and they're gorgeous!
Debinhawaii says
So pretty--love chili oil. . I saved some lemonade bottle to put something in but haven't done anything yet.
Bonnie says
I am so doing this! It's easy enough even for me.
Shari@Whisk: a food blog says
I love this idea! In addition to tasting great, it looks lovely on the shelf!
chapot says
Je me suis amusée à faire mon huile pimentée ce week end, avec des piments, un petit délice
Joanne says
Peppers that pretty deserve to be appreciated and used in a unique way. What a good idea!
I think you are preserving space in your brain for the important, food-related stuff. Hair washing is just not a priority.
Kim says
That is a great idea to make a chili vinegar. Maybe a chili oil would be great too!! I do the same thing in the shower about my hair.
Chris says
Not sure what kind of peppers they are, but I'm guessing by size and time of the year, that those will have a kick.
Mmmmmm I can imagine them on fried eggs right now for some reason.
lakeviewer says
Or, you can make chili oil.
j. says
those look just like the long cayenne peppers we've been growing in our garden this year. Nice and spiceh!
JennDZ - The Leftover Queen says
WOW, those peppers are beautiful! As to what kind of peppers? I think Marjie said it best !
Natashya KitchenPuppies says
Yep, I would say red cayenne.
Great idea to put them in vinegar.
You could infuse some oil for some spicy popcorn!
Pam says
Great idea. My husband and I would both really love this vinegar.
Marjie says
Well, of course, they're curly peppers. One bite and your stick straight hair will curl.
Grace says
infusing vinegar with the magnificent heat of hot peppers is a brilliant idea, pam! it's quite picturesque, too. 🙂
Kat says
I love my greens covered in pepper vinegar! That is a very nice photo of the red peppers.
buffalodick says
Looks like Cayenne. By the shape and size they are hot! The longer you soak them, the hotter that vinegar will be!
shabby girl says
Hubby LOVE to cry when he eats...I'll pass it on! 🙂