Lemon juice, lime juice, and other citrus juices are used in many hot sauce recipes. There are over a hundred successful hot sauces that use lemon juice as one of the main ingredients as well as lemon extract, lemon oil, or lemon zest. These flavorings a readily available and have many positive attributes to hot sauce.
Using lemon juice in a hot sauce will increase the acidity as well as adding some nutrition like vitamin C and protein. Lemon juice has a sour flavor to it that adds layers of flavors against saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness. Lemon juice works well with other common ingredients like hot peppers, garlic, and most vegetables. Some hot sauces use lemon juice as a replacement for vinegar to increase the pH and allow the sauce to be preserved.
Many hot sauces use lemon juice as an ingredient, but it is difficult to tell how much is used in a recipe from a nutritional label. Not many hot sauces use lemon juice as a complete replacement for vinegar because overuse of lemon juice can hot sauce taste too sour. For this reason, they are usually combined.
Lemon juice has a lot of acidity
Any citrus fruits will add a substantial amount of acidity to hot sauce, but lemon juice will add more than most. This is not necessarily a negative thing. A hot sauce doesn’t “need” the acidity, but this is what allows the preservation and extended shelf life that hot sauce is known for. Hot sauces are known to have a low pH level, and this is what allows them to be pathogen-free and safe to consume. Read more on Why The pH Of Hot Sauce Is Important. Because of the acidity, some hot sauces can have a longer expiration date to them, extending months or years.
Added nutrition
Aside from acidity, lemon juice added to a hot sauce will give the sauce additional nutrients it wouldn’t otherwise have. Hot sauce as a whole generally has few calories and few other attributes that add to an unhealthy condiment. Lemon juice and other citric juices will add vitamin C to a hot sauce. This could contribute to nearly 100 grams per cup of lemon juice in a single bottle of hot sauce. Lemon juice, a vinegar substitute, will not have any vitamin C. However, the same amount of juice will also add additional calories.
Other nutrients and health benefits
Lemons and lemon juice are not thought of as being unhealthy. They add many benefits to the human body to include protein, fiber, and water but these benefits may not always be transferred to a hot sauce. Although there is probably a minimal amount of lemon juice used in a single bottle and even less per serving, these positive attributes will show up on the nutritional label.
Sour flavor profile compliments spiciness
It is no secret that lemon juice and other citric juices are sour. This flavor profile is one of the five flavor profiles that can be utilized in a hot sauce to make the tasting experience fuller. Sour will stand out among the other four flavor profiles such as salty, sweet, bitter, umami, and spiciness. Find out How To Make A Hot Sauce Taste Better With Five Flavor Profiles. Adding lemon juice to a hot sauce allows this flavor to be tasted separately from the other flavors. Therefore, the sauce can be said to have layers of flavors. It is the different levels of flavor that can make a simple hot sauce stand out as being unique. Get ReaLemon juice from Amazon here!
Lemon works well with many ingredients
Many vegetables can often taste great with a spritz of lemon juice. This is true of many hot peppers as well. Many hot peppers have a fruity or sweet flavor profile to them aside from the heat. Habanero peppers are known to have a fruity flavor that works well with lemon or citrus juice. Overdoing the amount of lemon juice will not take away the heat from a habanero but it can cut its pungency slightly.
Garlic, a common hot sauce ingredient, also goes well with lemon juice. The lemon juice can “cut” or reduce some of the sharpness to some bold flavors like garlic. It doesn’t necessarily reduce the flavoring of garlic but will enhance it. Therefore, you can find lemon and garlic combined in many sauces and main dishes. Read the 50 Most Common Hot Sauce Ingredients.
Does lemon juice reduce spiciness?
Lemon juice will bind with capsaicin in the hot peppers and contribute to reducing the heat. However, this effect can be “lost” within a hot sauce. Also, adding lemon juice reduces the amount of the hot pepper used in the sauce so the heat is not as concentrated as much.
Other forms of lemon
There are many ways that an ingredient can be used and can also be found in many forms. Using lemon in another form within a hot sauce will create a slightly different flavor, usually intensified. Some reasons a variation of lemon juice may be used is for availability, cost, or how it works with other ingredients. A lemon extract does not need to be refrigerated and therefore can be stored without the additional costs of refrigeration.
Lemon zest
Lemon zest is scrapings from the outside of a lemon peel and is usually dried before it is used in a hot sauce. Zest has a much stronger flavor than lemon juice, almost to the point of becoming bitter if overused. Cooking or roasting the lemon zest along with the hot peppers will reduce the sharpness of the zest but add a great lemon flavor.
Lemon oil
Lemon oil is also made from the peel of a lemon by extraction. This has many uses for all types of baking and cooking. Often used as a replacement for lemon extract, lemon oil is more often used with lemon juice as well.
Lemon extract
Lemon extract is used more often in a hot sauce than lemon oil and will usually not have the same level of acidity as lemon juice. An extract is used more with vinegar for flavoring rather than contributing to the preservation. Lemon extract, oil, and zest will complement the flavor of most hot peppers varieties without reducing the pungency entirely.
