Recipe: DIY Homemade Sriracha Sauce (Vegan, RAW, and Gluten-Free Too!)

May 9th, 2011 - filed under: The Food » Recipes

Methinks that this post needs no introduction, yes? “Just hurry up and get to the good stuff.” Okay! It is my absolute pleasure to present my rendition of the beloved Rooster – all raw, gluten-free, and of course it’s vegan.

I culled inspiration from multiple sources, but it’s safe to say this recipe is an adaptation of this cooked, not vegan version. Word.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut vinegar, another splash at the end (can use ACV)
1 pound “long red peppers”, crowns intact (can use red jalapenos)
3-6 fresh Serrano chiles, crowns intact (this determines heat – I used 4)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon tamari (gluten-free) or nama shoyu (raw)
1 tablespoon raw agave
4 cloves garlic

Instructions:
Clean the long peppers and Serranos. Remove the stems but leave the little crown, which will add depth of flavor. Rough chop the chiles and toss them in the food processor. You may want to wear gloves if your skin is sensitive.

Add the vinegar, salt, tamari, agave, and garlic to the food processor. Pulse to puree but leave it a little rough.

Transfer the mixture to a mason jar and top it off with a splash of vinegar to make a liquid barrier to the air. Cover the jar with a coffee filter or rag, secured with a rubber band. Let it all ferment on the counter for a few days, out of direct sunlight. It’s done when bubbles form beneath the surface. Leave the mixture no longer than 4 nights, even if bubbles do not form.

Transfer everything to a blender and process until it’s completely smooth. Add water if needed.

Store in a glass jar in fridge for . . . ever? Until it’s bad! It’s fermented so it should keep for a really long time. Natural separation will occur; shake before each use.

This may be my favorite recipe I’ve ever made. Like, ever. IT IS SO GOOD, and it totally fills the spot of the nasty processed stuff that we all know and love. I can’t wait to hear your feedback – so please, make this!

http://spectaclealamaison.blogspot.com/ sanne

that is so goodlooking! I recently made sriracha myself, with more garlic and les peppers because I like it mild. I already made three batches in one week because it is so tasty;) I let it simmer for an hour but I will try to make it raw next time!

http://spectaclealamaison.blogspot.com/2011/04/homemade-sriracha-is-heaven.html
Melisa

It looks so gorgeous, I have never had Rooster sauce. Do you just use it like regular hot sauce? What’s your fav thing to eat it on?
mark e

Sriracha sauce is a pretty new experience for me. But I have gotten hooked on it over the past few months because of adding it to my falafel burritos at the local Moroccan restaurant. I am so pumped to see a raw, vegan version of it!
Meredith

I have to say we LIVE on Sriracha! I can’t wait to make this! I own a sorbet/ice cream business and one of our flavors is Peach Sriracha-so good! Now I may have to rename it to the homemade stuff!
Liz

Rooster sauce is my husband and my favorite…can’t wait to make this! It will be a great use of all the hot peppers we get in the summer as well.
http://windycityvegan.wordpress.com Monika {windycityvegan}

Holy crappoli will I be making this stuff soon. I’m growing jalapenos and serranos at home, but I don’t think I can wait that long! I think a trip to the co-op will be added to my list of errands tonight.

And once my habaneros come in I’ll probably adapt your recipe to make my own vegan/raw version of BB Pukka Sauce. Wowzers, this is going to be a fun summer. No one will ever steal bites of food off of my plate ever again! :D
http://www.workingouteatingin.com Anastasia

Yum! I thought this would be harder to make, but it looks totally easy! I love spicy foods so this will be great. Thanks!
http://lovesveggies.blogspot.com/ Lindsay

Oh my goodness Sayward, you’re a genius! I’m obsessed with Sriracha but this sounds so much healthier and more fresh. I’ve never heard of coconut vinegar, is it hard to find?
http://www.sarathomas.etsy.com sara thomas

yay! this is going to be a perfect father’s day gift for my dad and father-in-law! they are huge fans of spice! i have never tried this sort of thing myself. my husband isn’t into spice, and although i don’t mind it, i usually don’t crave it or look to make things hot. i will have to try some of my dad’s! thanks this is perfect!
http://vegetalion.blogspot.com Sarah P

Thanks for posting this! As soon as I can find said chiles organic around here, I am totally making this for the boyfriend! (I’m allergic to nightshades, so none for me.)
Amanda

I’ve recently found your blog and read like, ALL of the archives. Me likey. I’ll be making this for sure.
http://bluknotsoriginals.blogspot.com @tishushu

Omg, i usually shy away from this stuf because it isnt vegan… Now I can make it! Woot!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone!

@ Melisa – I use Rooster like an “everything” sauce, from breakfast scrambles to lentil soup. I’m eating it on Mexican food tonight, though it definitely lends itself best to Asian flavors.

@ Meredith – Holy Moly peach sriracha! Sounds amazing.

@ Monika – I want to grow my own chilis now, just for this!

@ sara thomas – Aw I love that, what a perfect gift. =)

@ Amanda – Welcome!
http://about.me/erosan erosan

I just wish some of the ingredients were not so … unusual.

Here in merida it is difficult enough to get by agave, but coconut vinegar? never seen it. tamari? yeah, good luck finding that here…

sigh.
Meghan

I love the treble clef thingy! Is it a spoon? I am definitely excited to make this. I sort of gave up on my ferments about… I don’t know, a while ago. Which unfortunately means I have a jar full of fermenting carrots on my counter with all sorts of magical fungus growing on them, as well as some probably dead water kefir grains. I’m still working up the will to clean all of that up. When I do, I will for sure make this!!

@Erosan
Since you aren’t vegan, maybe you could use honey instead of the agave? ACV instead of the coconut vinegar, and soy sauce instead of tamari? (Do ya’ll have soy sauce? Here it is not hard to find tamari, but it is definitely easier to find soy sauce)

@@tishushu
What do ya mean? Regular sriacha is vegan!
http://about.me/erosan erosan

@Meghan: I guess I could sub as you propose (and I probably will), but it’s always better if you can follow the recipe as is, before modifying it. More so since I trust Sayward’s suggestion and I know this recipe is probably awesome and not having all the ingredients at hand is sort of heartbreaking. :P
Rebecca

I smell a weekend project! Sooo exciting! I literally went through a vat-size of Franks in like 2 weeks (avoiding my bottled sriracha at the moment..now I don’t have to!).

@Sayward: Do you think the agave is absolutely necessary? I am avoiding sugars (including agave, honey, etc.). In your opinion is a sweetener needed? If so, would a touch of stevia do?

@Erosan: Not sure what is or is not readily available in your area so take these suggestions with a grain of salt:
coconut vinegar: I found it at an Asian market in case you have one around. (Merida–as in Mexico? For some reason I feel like there would be coconut vinegar there…but you would know better than I!
tamari: I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (Again, not sure if this is *harder* or *easier* for you to find…hopefully this helps!
Meghan

Oh, I wonder if a honey sub wouldn’t work because it would impair fermentation?
Leslie

Have all the ingredients to make this yummy sounding recipe ( we call it chicken hot in our casa) (not that we eat chickens) and the only thing I donʻt get is the “long red peppers*.” I literally went to 5 stores today and could not find anything close to what you wrote, serranos yes, red jalapenos NO. Can you be a bit more specific or suggest a substitute for “LRP* “Canʻt wait to try this as we live on “Chicken Hot” and would love to have something more raw!!!! Congrats on the raw food eating, I am slowly getting there!!!!
http://wwwmelissalehman.blogspot.com/ Melissa L.

OH!!! YEAH!!! This is so up our alley!!! We love the rooster! Natural, homemade, fermented rooster? I can not wait to try it. Thank you!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

@ erosan – I totally hear you, man! The ingredients have to be “weird” in order t acheive the raw/vegan/gluten-free status. But if these aspects are not important to you then you can totally substitute.

I use coconut vinegar because it’s a raw vinegar that has a slightly sweet taste, like rice wine vinegar. If you don’t care about it being raw, you can sub rice wine. You could also sub apple cider vinegar (which is raw).

Tamari is just a soy sauce made without wheat, which I use because it makes the dish gluten-free. You can sub regular soy sauce, or anything like it such as nama shoyu, braggs aminos, etc.

Agave is harder to make a direct sub. I wouldn’t use honey in fermented foods because it suppresses the growth of the culture. In this case, I’d probably substitute the “healthiest” sugar you can – like an organic unprocessed (“in the raw”) version. Maybe add a little water to compensate.

I understand not wanting to mess with the recipe but really, I think recipes are meant to be messed with! Most of my recipes are based around vegetables and no two veggies ever taste the same, anyway. Your peppers will not taste like my peppers and that makes up the majority of this recipe. Ya know? =D

@ Meghan – It is! A teeny tiny spoon. =)

@ Rebecca – I don’t think it’s necessary. It adds authenticity since the “original” rooster has some sweetness, but it would still be good without. I don’t *think* it’s needed for fermentation – the carbs in the peppers should be enough. I say give it a try!

@ Leslie – I think any mildish red pepper would work (not bells/”capsicum”). Red jalapenos, red cubanelles, red Anaheims, etc. The ones I bought were labeled as “long red peppers”, you can use the photo for reference. I really think it’s okay to use whatever you have available, as long as it’s red and mild (between 500-2,000 Scovilles)

@ Melissa L. – Yay! Let us know how it goes!
RK

I’ve always loved sriracha but never know how to say it properly! Help?!
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

@ RK- I drop the first “r” and say “sir” (as in sir and madame), so sir-racha.
http://www.28cooks.com Christiane

You = My hero.
This is a gorgeous raw and vegan recipe and I’m seriously in LOVE.
Leslie

Already on my second batch. I made the loving mistake of giving lots of it away from the first batch and everyone loves it. Now I am out….. time to hit the kitchen to start chopping those peppers. Also bought everything to make the apricot bars so it will be a fun day cooking (or rather not cooking…)Thanks for all the love and awesome ideas!!!
Ashley

Ummm I just finished making this and it is awesome! We love all of your recipes and suggestions in our house. Thanks a million!
kim

Thank you for this recipe. We tried it out and it is awesome and addictive!
Is there any reason you couldn’t do this with green jalapenos or serranos?
http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

So glad to hear about all the successes!
Ricetheresa

I really like the way your recipe reads. I have not tried it yet, but I LOVE Sriracha, but the heat does get to me. I want to load up on it on my foods, but can’t because my mouth lights on fire. I’m more into flavor. I think this will work for me. Thank you. Theresa
Ricetheresa

“Rooster”
http://www.rowanprice.com rowanprice

Awesome, can’t wait to try this! Thank you.
Pingback: Southern Sushi and Handmade & Bound « ThoraThinks
Cantadelalma

Some fresh or powdered ginger is lovely in there, too.
Pingback: Cockadoodledo! | KP's Cookies
Pingback: Asian Lettuce Wraps
Pingback: Homemade Fermented Sriracha | Feed Your Skull
Pingback: RateYourBurn | 15 Delicious and Creative Ways to Use Sriracha Sauce
Pingback: These Are A Few MORE Of My Favorite Food Preservation Methods | Bonzai Aphrodite
fern n sandy

Looks FANTASTIC…may be next in my fermenting journey
Pingback: DIY Sriracha: 11 Recipes to Make (and Use) Your Own Rooster Sauce
Pingback: Hot 'n' zesty sriracha tofu - Secret Recipe Club challenge - A Vegan Obsession
Pingback: Slow Cooker Vegan Pumpkin Chili Recipe: Healthy and Filling - Eco-Chick
Pingback: My Top 3 Go-To Quick + Healthy Meals For Busy Week Nights | Bonzai Aphrodite
Pingback: Avocado Fries | Betty Rawker
Pingback: What’s Cooking — Raw Vegan Sriracha ~ Krrb Blog
Pingback: Avocado Fries - Forest and Fauna
Pingback: 12 Reasons You Should Be Eating More Fermented Foods + 25 Best Recipes
JayCranberry4672

my boss was looking for TX Travis County Form 14-317 a few days ago and learned about a website that has a ton of fillable forms . If others are interested in TX Travis County Form 14-317 also , here’s a http://goo.gl/ORNfSF
Pingback: Sriracha Cashew Cream Sauce (raw, vegan, gluten-free)
Pingback: 12 Reasons You Desperately Need To Eat More Fermented Foods + 25 Best Recipes – admin

Subscribe to my RSS feed Follow me on twitter Find me on Facebook Find me on Pinterest

follow sayward on instagram