Nasturtium Hot Sauce

Got nasturtiums growing in your garden? Like Tabasco sauce and other hot stuff? Put the two ideas together and you get this super tasty Nasturtium Hot Sauce. Who would think such a pretty flower packed such a punch of flavour.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Nasturtium hot sauce isn’t something you’ll buy in the shops so its a bit special.
• Making your own sauces is cheaper than buying them so this nasturtium hot sauce is economical.
• This is such an easy sauce to make and it last for ages so makes a great wee foodie gift too.

My garden is full of flowers just now.  Not the upright-in-the-borders-carefully-cultivated kind of flowers that look so park like. No, mine are cottage garden flowers and my nasturtiums spread like weeds right up till November so I like to make use of them.

Nasturtiums

They are in all shades of yellow and orange to deep rustic red. They look so pretty in your garden in borders, tubs and hanging baskets and of course nasturtiums are edible too.

Edible flowers

Nasturtiums are edible flowers, both the leaves and the flowers themselves are tasty in different ways. The leaves are great for adding to salads and as an accent on all sorts of dishes and the flowers look amazing on a summer salad.

i like to use my nasturtiums to make this simple nasturtium hot sauce, to make nasturtium pesto and even my gorgeous nasturtium soup.

Nasturtium Hot Sauce

One of the ways that I like to use my nasturtiums instead of just scattering the lovely flowers and fresh leaves in a colourful salad, is to make this super easy hot sauce.

It is fiery stuff and makes a great alternative to store bought sauce like Tabasco.

Making any sort of preserve (be it pickles, vinegars, sauces or jams and chutneys etc) is a great way to hold on to the essence of summer when the days start to get dark and stormy.

I love this hot sauce as it is bright and colourful and so very spicy, it makes me see those beautiful colourful nasturtium flowers with every taste.

Ingredients for nasturtium hot sauce

Nasturtiums – you can use any colour of your nasturtiums and the colour of the flowers will change the colour of the sauce. It is always best to pick the flowers in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun is too high in the sky (noon) and flowers are too dry.

Extra heat – I’ve added garlic and chilli pepper for extra heat in my nasturtium hot sauce.

Vinegar – I’ve used cider vinegar but you can use white wine vinegar instead if that is all you have. Do NOT use malt vinegar as it is far too strong.

The only equipment you need here is a jar large enough to hold all your ingredients. Please sterilise it first, see instructions on my sterilising resources page, and some small sterilised bottles to store the resulting hot sauce in.

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to make nasturtium hot sauce

Firstly you want to remove any dust and insects from your nasturtium flowers. Give them a good shake to do this.

Pack the flowers into a jar and add the garlic and chilli. Now pour in the vinegar.

Set aside for a week and shake every day

Strain out the solids and pour your homemade nasturtium hot sauce into sterilised bottles.

How long will this keep?

Your nasturtium hot sauce will keep for over 6 months in a cool dark cupboard.

How to serve this hot sauce

Enjoy nasturtium hot sauce just as you would any other hot sauce. Liven up salads, sandwiches and soups with it. Use it in your cooking just like Tabasco. And remember the garden and summer sunshine every time you use it.

Looking for more fun ways to use nasturtiums in the kitchen? Then check out these recipes before you go;

Nasturtium Pesto

Nasturtium Soup

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.