Safety classification
● Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning - Jar size
- Half-pint jars only
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch
- Yield
- About 7–8 half-pints
Safety classification
● Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Safety reviewed: 09/21/2026
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling-water
canning - Jar size
- Half-pint jars only
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch
- Yield
- About 7–8 half-pints
Tested source
NCHFP: Easy Hot Sauce. Preserve every tested proportion, preparation control, jar limit, headspace, time, temperature, pressure, and altitude adjustment.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare the correct canner and jars.
- Use distilled white vinegar labeled 5% acidity and exact tested proportions. Wear gloves while handling hot peppers.
- Fill jars using the tested pack style and headspace.
- Process with the schedule below.
- Cool 12–24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
- Correct boiling-water or pressure canner for this recipe
- Half-pint jars only, lids, and bands
- Nonreactive cookware and measuring tools
- Canning funnel, jar lifter, headspace tool, and timer
Visual method guide
- Prepare
- Measure exactly
- Complete tested preparation
- Fill to 1/4 inch
- Process
- Cool and check
Safety essentials
Use distilled white vinegar labeled 5% acidity and exact tested proportions. Wear gloves while handling hot peppers.
Do not change the tested formula, substitute an unapproved process, or use larger jars. Refrigerate unsealed jars.
About this recipe
Easy Hot Sauce is a tested NCHFP home-canning recipe with a yield of about 7–8 half-pints.
Before you begin
Read the complete source procedure and prepare all equipment before filling jars. Safety depends on the recipe-specific controls shown here and in the card.
Tested source
NCHFP: Easy Hot Sauce. Preserve every tested proportion, preparation control, jar limit, headspace, time, temperature, pressure, and altitude adjustment.
Easy Hot Sauce — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 8 cups canned diced tomatoes 64 oz; undrained
- 1 1/2 cups Serrano peppers seeded and chopped
- 4 cups distilled white vinegar 5% acidity
- 2 teaspoons canning salt
- 2 tablespoons whole mixed pickling spices tied in a spice bag
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner
- 7 to 8 Half-pint canning jars
- 7 to 8 Two-piece canning lids
- 1 Food mill
Directions
- Wear gloves while handling hot peppers and avoid touching the face or eyes. Tie the pickling spices in a spice bag.
- Combine tomatoes, peppers, 5% vinegar, salt, and spice bag. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the spice bag. Pass the mixture through a food mill. Return the liquid to the pot and boil for 15 minutes.
- Fill hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rims, and apply lids.
- Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Chill after opening and serve in portions appropriate to the finished preserve.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the process?
No. Follow the tested source and recipe card exactly.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly or follow current NCHFP corrective guidance within 24 hours.
Recipe context
Do not combine this record with another preservation formula.
Troubleshooting
Verify jar size, headspace, complete processing control, and seals. If processing is interrupted, do not treat the jar as shelf stable.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
8–18 lb of Peppers per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.