Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe

When the warmer months start rolling in, we love using fruitier hot sauces on our dishes to level up the flavor. We like the way fruity habaneros compliment the sharp flavor of pineapples in this pineapple habanero hot sauce recipe.

It’s no secret that we enjoy using up our pepper harvests to make fresh hot sauces in the kitchen. This particular hot sauce is a favorite with our family and friends, so it’s easy to give it away when we have an abundance of habanero peppers.

This recipe was inspired by our original simple hot sauce recipe, which many of you have enjoyed. We added fresh pineapple for a fruity fix, and sliced ginger to give the sauce something extra special. If you’re not a fan of pineapple, you’ll probably prefer our mango habanero hot sauce.

Why you’ll love this pineapple hot sauce recipe

• Pineapple and habanero peppers are a match made in heaven. These two ingredients compliment each other perfectly.
• Fresh sliced ginger gives this hot sauce a unique zing and depth of flavor that you won’t find in other recipes.
• It’s a great way to use up some fresh habanero peppers from the garden.
• This recipe is popular with our family and friends. If you have a lot of peppers to use up, double the batch and give some away. Nobody will complain!
• If you’re a “pineapple does belong on pizza” person, this is the sauce you want to put on your pizza!

About the ingredients

• 2-3 habanero peppers – The fruity flavor of habaneros is the perfect match for pineapple. You can use any variety of habanero pepper you have.
• 1/2 pineapple – Make sure to choose a ripe pineapple for the best flavor. If you’re unsure whether a pineapple is ready, give the bottom a sniff. Ignore the looks at the supermarket. You want one that smells nice and fruity.
• ½ onion – We use white onion for this recipe.
• ⅔ cup vinegar – When we make hot sauce, we prefer to use white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar gives the sauce a very different flavor. Feel free to use what you’d like, but be aware that ACV does result in a stronger and sharper taste.
• 8 slices of fresh ginger – The secret ingredient in this hot sauce. Ginger adds a zingy punch that will leave everyone wondering why it is so good.
• 1 small lime, juiced – The flavor of fresh lime brings all the flavors together and gives it a bit of extra punch and acidity. Use 1 oz of lime juice if you do not have a fresh one on hand.
• 2 tsp sugar – The sugar is always optional. But, we find just 2 tsp is enough to significantly mellow out the flavors of the sauce. Hot sauce is naturally acidic. So, the sugar helps to balance this out.
• 1 1/4 tsp salt – Start with 1 1/4 teaspoons and add more at the end if you’d like.
• 1/4 tsp marjoram – Marjoram is an underrated herb, it adds a muted citrus, sweet flavor.
• 1/8 tsp cumin – A touch of cumin goes a long way to add a unique depth of flavor.
• 1 cup water (more as needed)

How to make this pineapple habanero hot sauce

1. Slice the ripe pineapple, habanero peppers, ginger and onion. Remove the seeds and pith from the habaneros if desired for a milder heat level.
2. Simmer the onion, pineapple, habaneros, and ginger in a pan with about 1 cup of water until the ingredients are somewhat submerged in the water. Add in the salt and sugar. Simmer until the onions and peppers have softened. This takes about 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the simmered mixture into a blender along with the vinegar, lime juice, marjoram, and cumin.
4. Blend until smooth and let cool.
5. Season to taste by adding more salt and sugar.
6. Add into hot sauce bottles and store for up to 3 months. We keep ours in the fridge.

Expert tips and FAQs

• Wear eye and hand protection – The heat from habanero peppers is not to be toyed with. To avoid that dreaded burning sensation, properly cover your hands and eyes while handling any hot peppers.
• To thicken or thin the sauce – Cook the sauce to reduce for a thicker sauce. For a thinner sauce, add small amounts of vinegar/water (half and half) and blend.
• Picking a ripe pineapple – To determine whether a pineapple is ripe enough, you can smell the bottom of it. A fragrant pineapple smell indicates that the pineapple is ripe enough. You may need to purchase one ahead of time and let it ripen for a couple of days on the counter.
• For a milder hot sauce – Remove the pith and seeds from the habaneros for a milder hot sauce. If that doesn’t do the trick, you can soak them in alcohol to remove the heat.
• Always chop your peppers – Pests and other issues like to hide inside of fresh peppers. We always recommend chopping your peppers and thoroughly inspecting them before throwing them into a hot sauce.

How do I thicken or thin the sauce? Cook the sauce to reduce it for a thicker sauce. Add more water and vinegar (in equal parts) and blend for a thinner sauce.

How long does this sauce last? This pineapple habanero hot sauce will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Can I use a different type of pepper? – We recommend using habanero peppers for this recipe. Though, it is very versatile and another hot pepper will also work. Jalapeños also compliment pineapples very well. Try our jalapeño hot sauce recipe if you’re looking to use up some jalapeño peppers.

Can I use ground ginger? – If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you can use ground ginger. But, the flavor will be more concentrated. Start off with 1/4 tsp and then work your way up, adding more as you blend and taste. This way you won’t overdo the ginger taste which can result in a bitter hot sauce.

As always, we encourage experimenting when it comes to hot sauces. This is a great base recipe to start with before you add your own personal touch. Let us know in the comments what substitutions or variations you made and how it came out. That way, we can mix it up on our next batch!