Homemade Sriracha- Copycat Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

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Sriracha video reel #1

Sriracha shortage what? This homemade Sriracha recipe hits all the notes: tangy, savory, and spicy-sweet.

I’ve been perfecting my sriracha recipe since 2021 and after carefully researching how Huy Fong makes their famous sauce, I’ve finally perfected mine. This has that same super addicting Rooster sauce flavor 🔥❤️.

This process/recipe below is to make a similar bottle of sriracha like the Huy Fong Rooster sriracha as photographed above. This means we’ll ferment peppers, then add vinegar/garlic/sugar and then simmer it off to get a nice stable tasting and longer lasting sriracha. Please see my other posts for100% fermented and probiotic sriracha.

A little history on sriracha- There are hundreds of stories on the internet about how David Chan (owner of Huy Fong Foods) created Sriracha sauce in the USA in the 1980s. What you might not know is the true origin story, the story of Ms. Thanom Chakkapak, a resident of Si Racha, Thailand. She made her own hot sauce, the original “sriracha” sauce in the 1930s and named it Sriraja Panich, which is still around today.  

If you’re interested more about the history of sriracha be sure to check out this cool video, “130 year saga of sriracha chili sauce, everything you know about sriracha is a lie”, see video -here-.

The famous Huy Fong rooster sriracha has just 8 ingredients: jalapeño peppers, sugar, salt, garlic powder, 2 preservatives, vinegar (acetic acid), xanthan gum (a thickener).

Here are my top 5 tips that make this better than any other copycat recipe!

1️⃣ Sriraja Panich uses Thai red chili peppers which has a spicier kick to it, unlike HF, that uses garlic powder, they use pickled garlic instead which gives that signature garlic’y tang that I love!

2️⃣ Use red jalapeños. Red jalapeños tend to taste sweeter than green jalapeños which make them perfect for this copycat Sriracha recipe.

David Chan first used Serrano peppers for his sriracha, the company formerly used serrano peppers, but found them difficult to harvest -Wikipedia”, but then switched to either red jalapeño peppers or a hybrid jalapeno, aji piquillo, which is like a fresno/red Jalapeño. Originally David Chan purchased their peppers from Underwood Ranches from 1988-2016 (nbc news). After that he switched to red jalapeños until 2022 where we all witnessed the great sriracha shortage.

With that all said, I like to use a blend of jalapeno with some fresno, and/or serrano peppers because I love the heat of the Huy Fong sriracha before they made it more “ketchup’y” and mild. So depending on what’s in stock, I like to blend red jalapeno's with some hotter peppers (just be sure to know the heat level of the peppers you are using if you’re sensitive to heat/hotness).

What if you can’t find red jalapenos? You can use a mix of green jalapeños with some red hot chili peppers like fresno, serrano, or other red chili peppers (make sure not to use super hot peppers like habaneros unless you like it super hot). You can also add a drop of natural red food coloring when blending your sriracha with vinegar & honey if you want it the iconic red color (there’s nothing wrong an orange colored sriracha as well).

3️⃣ Use kosher salt. Iodine tends to inhibit the beneficial bacteria so I don’t recommend using it for any fermented recipes.

4️⃣ Fermenting is key! You need the right fermenting time. Fermentation helps mellow out the hot 🥵 and adds a nice zippy tang!

FIVE: In addition to pickled garlic, the original Thai Thanom sriracha uses a little apple cider vinegar for its signature tang so we’ll be adding a little of that as well.

PLEASE NOTE: Ripeness of peppers, type of red peppers, the color of peppers, and fermentation time can and will affect the final taste and color of your sriracha.

Depending on your temperature in your home this will also affect your fermenting time (shorter or longer). If you’re afraid of fermenting, just leave it out 3 days.

Find the right blend of peppers that works for you. Red jalapeno peppers are hard to find so I use a blend of red & green jalapeno/fresno/serrano and a few Thai red chili peppers. You can use all red jalapeno’s (if you can find them), or a mix of red peppers above depending on the heat/spice level you want. The original Thai sriracha “Sriraja Panich” uses Thai red chili peppers.

*A note about heat/spice level: If you’re using hot peppers like bird’s eye chili’s / Thai chili’s, serranno or other super hot peppers etc, it’s important to blend them with sweeter/less spicy peppers so your sriracha isn’t too hot and fiery. You can also slice your peppers in half and shake off a good portion of the seeds in a bowl to remove a little of that heat as well.

Find your perfect blend and consistency that works for you by trying different peppers and pepper blends.

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*BEFORE YOU START: Here’s just a little tid bit about sanitized equipment & surfaces:

I like to sterilize any glass jars or utensils I’ll be using including: any lids, metal strainers, cutting boards etc.

For plastic bottles wash bottles with hot water and soap, then I like to spray the inside of the empty bottles and caps with white vinegar (add white vinegar to bottle and twist cap on and shake bottle, then rinse with water, and let dry. The reason why you want to rinse the bottles with vinegar is to remove any lingering soap residue as it can inhibit the fermentation and good bacteria to form).

For you surface areas/counters: Keeping your surfaces clean of bacteria will keep it away from your ferment. You can clean your surfaces with a solution of 50/50 water to vinegar ratio before diving into recipe.

If you need any help finding any ingredients for my recipes, you can find links to all my pantry staples / seasonings / kitchen gear as well as photo gear -here-.

This revised recipe is now available for purchase using the link below!

*Why is this recipe for purchase?

99% of the recipes I share are completely free — because I truly believe good food should be shared and enjoyed by everyone. That said, I’ve chosen to offer just a few select recipes for purchase to help support my page and keep the creativity (and cooking) going.

When you purchase a recipe — you’re helping fuel the work behind the scenes and making it possible for me to keep sharing free content with you and this amazing food-loving community.