Learn how to make classic Louisiana hot sauce at home, either with fresh or fermented chili peppers. Louisiana style hot sauce is the best, and so easy to make!
Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce Recipe
There are many Louisiana hot sauces on the market. You probably have your favorite brand.
There are numerous artisan blends from smaller brand hot sauce makers, along with the big names like Texas Pete’s, Crystal Hot Sauce, Valentina, Melinda’s, Frank’s, and the biggest name of all when it comes to Louisiana Hot Sauce – Tabasco.
You can usually find them in grocery stores.
If you’ve dabbed the original Tabasco onto your food, you’ve tasted Louisiana hot sauce. It’s a gorgeous thing really, simplicity in its finest form, deliciousness delivered with only 3 ingredients – Chili Peppers, Vinegar, and Salt.
With those 3 simple ingredients, however, there are numerous variations, as you’ve most likely tasted.
- What types of chili peppers will you use?
- What type of vinegar?
- How much salt?
- What is your ratio of these 3 ingredients?
- How about a blend of peppers?
- Using more than one vinegar?
- What if we introduce other ingredients?
- What if we ferment it? Age it?
This is where your creativity comes into play, as well as your taste buds. Original Louisiana brand hot sauce used cayenne peppers, though Tabasco uses tabasco peppers, from which it coined its moniker.
You are free to use any peppers you’d like, though red peppers are ideal to retain the enticing red color. Consider red jalapeno peppers or red serrano peppers, which I can tell you from personal experience make EXCELLENT Louisiana hot sauce.
Let’s talk about the biggest factors that will affect the outcome of your Louisiana hot sauce.
Which Vinegar Should I Use to Make Hot Sauce?
This is the question with ANY hot sauce, as there are many choices, and each will compliment your chili pepper choice in different ways. Most common is Distilled White Vinegar, which is inexpensive and strong in flavor.
Use this if you are seeking to mimic the flavors of the larger commercial brands. White Wine Vinegar is a bit more mellow, and Rice Vinegar even more so, with a touch more sweetness.
Red Wine Vinegar is made from fermented red wine, which will introduce a slightly fruity flavor to your sauce.
Apple Cider Vinegar is quite fruity, and preferred for when you’re seeking a fruity sweetness. Malt Vinegar has a strong, distinctive flavor from its barley ale beginnings, and well worth experimentation.
There are others to consider, such as balsamic vinegar, coconut vinegar, raisin vinegar and more. Experiment to your personal tastes.
What Peppers Should I Use to Make Louisiana Hot Sauce?
As mentioned, traditional peppers include cayenne, tabasco, and red jalapeno peppers, though this style recipe can be made with ANY chili pepper. Carefully selected long cayenne peppers are great.
I have made Louisiana Hot Sauce from superhots and was quite happy with the results. Talk about heat!
Just consider that your end flavor, color and heat will be affected by your chili pepper choices.
To Ferment or Not to Ferment for Making Louisiana Hot Sauce
This is a big factor. Original Louisiana Hot Sauce is made with fermented peppers. Tabasco is famous for this. They ferment their peppers in oak barrels for up to 3 years before mixing the resulting mash with vinegar and salt. I have made Louisiana Hot Sauce with both fermented and fresh chili peppers and can tell you there is a noticeable difference in the final flavor.
Louisiana Hot Sauce made from fermented peppers is mellower and has more fully developed flavor.
That said, Louisiana Hot Sauce made from fresh peppers has a bit more bite to it, and doesn’t take nearly as long to make. I encourage you to make it both ways and see which way you prefer.
Because of this, I am including both ways for you to make simple Louisiana Hot Sauce, with fermented peppers and fresh peppers.
Fermented Louisiana Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Red Chili Peppers. 1 pound (use cayenne, tabasco, red jalapeno or others), chopped.
- Unchlorinated Water. 1 quart.
- Salt. 3 tablespoons.
- White Wine Vinegar. ½-1 cup, to your preference.
How to Make Fermented Louisiana Hot Sauce - the Recipe Method
First, ferment the chili peppers. Chop the peppers then pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash”, for further instruction.
After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
Pour the fermented peppers, including brine, into a pot along with the vinegar. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can strain out the fermented peppers and discard the brine, then boil the peppers with 1 cup vinegar and 1/2-1 teaspoon salt. Some people prefer to use the brine.
Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth.
Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
Non-Fermented Louisiana Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Red Chili Peppers. 1 pound (use cayenne, tabasco, red jalapeno or others), chopped.
- Salt. 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
- White Wine Vinegar. 1 cup, to your preference.
How to Make Non-Fermented Louisiana Hot Sauce - the Recipe Method (with fresh peppers only)
Add the chili peppers, 1 cup vinegar and 1/2-1 teaspoon salt to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Be sure you are only using 1 teaspoon of salt.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to soften everything up.
Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth. If it is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time and process until smooth.
Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
How long will this sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It's all about the acidity. Target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 3.5 or so, to account for errors. If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
See my post on "Does Hot Sauce Need to be Refrigerated?"
Where'd you get that sauce bottle?
I find them locally sometimes, but I also order through Amazon. Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4
. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack
.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
Check out These Related Recipes:
- Sweet Habanero Chili Sauce
- Pineapple-Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Caribbean Style Mango-Habanero Hot Sauce
- Pineapple-Mango Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Caribbean-Style Sweet Chili Sauce
- Sweet Pepper Chili Sauce
- Hawaiian Chili Pepper Water
- Homemade Sriracha
- Homemade Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- How to Cook with Hot Sauce
You can also mix it with butter to make a great wing sauce. See my Homemade Buffalo Sauce recipe.
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! -- Mike H.
Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce Recipe (fermented and non fermented)
Ingredients
- 1 pound red chili peppers chopped (use cayenne, tabasco, red jalapeno or others)
- 1 quart unchlorinated water (for fermented version only)
- 3 tablespoons salt (for the non-fermented version, use only 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, to your preference)
- ½-1 cup white wine vinegar to your preference
Instructions
FOR FERMENTED LOUISIANA STYLE HOT SAUCE
- First, ferment the chili peppers. Chop the peppers then pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
- Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
- Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash”, for further instruction.
- After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
- Pour the fermented peppers, including brine, into a pot along with the vinegar. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can strain out the fermented peppers and discard the brine, then boil the peppers with 1 cup vinegar and 1/2-1 teaspoon salt. Some people prefer to use the brine.
- Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
FOR NON-FERMENTED LOUISIANA STYLE HOT SAUCE
- Add only the chili peppers, 1 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Be sure you are only using 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to soften everything up.
- Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth. If it is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time and process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Homemade Louisiana Hot Sauce with Fresh Peppers – Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound red chili peppers use cayenne, tabasco, red jalapeno or others
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt or to your personal taste
- ½-1 cup white wine vinegar to your preference
Instructions
- Roughly chop the chili peppers and add them to a pot with the salt and vinegar.
- Bring to a quick boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cool, then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Strain the solids out through a strainer and discard (or keep them for dehydrating – they make great seasonings).
- Pour into bottles and use as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: This post was updated on 2/19/21 to include new information. It was originally published on 9/29/17.
Donna Lane says
Hi Mike,
I love your sauces recipes, while My husband loves extremely hot sauces, so does my family and friends, but even though I am French -creole and native American, with the meds I have to take for SLE Lupus the doctors warn me about nightshade peppers in order for me to eat them safely I have to first fire roast the peppers, then deseed them I need an idea form you how much of these peppers should I decrease the recipe to make a milder version of your sauces so its easier on My meds?
and please do feel free to pass the information on to others who have issues with nightshade peppers.. make sure you Tell them to peel the peppers after fire roasting them and make sure there's no white vain parts In them either..
Thank you for your help and guidance and consideration for this problem
Respectfully yours,
Donna Lane
Kingman Az USA
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Donna. I'll publish your comment, but I don't have any specific advice on amounts, as I'm not a medical doctor. You really should consult other medical professionals here. However, I can tell you than you can roast all of your peppers before making hot sauce with them. Also, you can swap some out for other vegetables, like tomatoes or carrots, which are often used in hot sauces. Example, you could make a hot sauce with a tomato and/or carrot base, then incorporate a single 7 Pot Chili Pepper, which would be VERY HOT despite the small amount of chili pepper. This is something you might consider.
Travis says
Loved this recipe. Did the non fermented this time. Turned out delicious! Used ripened jalopenos, a touch of onion and just a little bit of garlic. Next time I'm going to try Fresno peppers and maybe a habenaro or two.
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! glad you enjoyed it, Travis! So good. I think you'll love it with the added habanero.
Franklin Harlan says
Can I add mangos to this fermented hot sauce? I’m thinking of adding food processor processed mangos to the strained final sauce. And then bottling. I’ve made this recipe twice now and love it, but would love to “sweeten” it with some fruit.
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, Franklin. Fruit tends to ferment more actively, so be sure to burp as needed/often. I have several hot sauce recipes here on the site that use mango. Works great!
Dennis Piant says
My ferment has developed Kahm Yeast, the peppers are starting the second week of fermenting. How do I remove it and when?
Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Dennis, you can scrape it off the top as you see it, though it' best to not open the jar too much to avoid further infection.
angelia Bevels says
I have 4 pounds of pepper do I need to increase the salt or 3 tablespoon per quart good?
Mike Hultquist says
Angelia, use 2-3 tablespoons salt per quart of unchlorinated water. If you have more peppers to cover, you can make more brine in the exact same ratio. Enjoy!
Popeye says
This is similar to what I've made in the past. I use Serrano Peppers. I was wondering, will green Serrano or Jalapeño peppers ferment the way the ripe red ones do and how the flavor would turn out. I currently have a batch of red Serranos fermenting now and probably 1/2 pound left on my plant.
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, they'll all ferment the same, though the final flavor will changed based on the peppers you start with. Enjoy!
Heather Moffitt says
I made my first tobacco sauce today. I added fresh onion, fresh garlic, basil, red pepper, white wine vinegar. I roasted the veggies in a cast iron pan and add the peppers to mixture after they were boiling. I added more vinegar because mine turned out real thick. Which is fine and I really like the flavor of the white wine vinegar taste. It is smoother than just regular vinegar. I'm going to let it cool down to check the flavor because my mouth is on fire trying it out. It had good flavor all around. I will probably have more vinegar to make it more like a sauce than chucky. How long does this last in a glass bottle sitting out or does it have to be refrigerated?
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Thanks, Heather! This will last for months easily, longer in the fridge.
Heather Moffitt says
I figured out I water bath cann in the hot sauce bottles. For 15 mind
Jeromy says
Well, I may have made a wee little error….. I purreed the peppers and then realized they were only supposed to be chopped. I pours some brine in. Half purée stayed on bottom. Half mixed with brine. Hoping it will still ferment? Any suggestions? I sure hope I didn’t wreck it! I doubled, used all the peppers we’ve got left from our garden. So 2 1 quart jars full of purée and brine. Probably 2/3 purée and 1/3 brine.
Mike Hultquist says
Jeromy, they will still ferment. Use a glass weight or a baggie filled with a bit of water in it to stuff into the top and push the peppers below the brine. The main thing is you just want to keep it all below the brine to avoid spoilage.
Shane Keene says
Hey, Mike.
Thanks again for all you do here. Quick question: how does the pepper weight translate to dried chilis?
Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Shane, I know you found the answer you wanted (emailed me), but adding this here for others - Chili Pepper Measurement Conversions: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/conversions/
Brandon says
Hey! love the site and have been a frequent visitor for years. I know boiling the sauce prior to bottling is important for making sure there are no unwanted live cultures in it, but if the sauce isnt boiled (and there is vinegar) would the sauce still stay good? I know vinegar is a fermented liquid, and I was wondering if the sauce would take on a complex flavor by leaving it uncooked? Or would that just allow unwanted things to grow in the sauce?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Brandon! Absolutely, you can skip the cooking. Keeping it uncooked preserves the probiotic benefits of the hot sauce. You can keep it in the fridge to slow fermentation activity, but you may need to burp the jars/bottles to release built up gasses so it doesn't explode. Let me know how it goes.
Ryan says
Glad I took the time to read the comments! I was going to ask what the reasoning behind cooking the sauce was, since it didn't seem like it's strictly necessary. Is the brief cook to stop the fermentation process, then? Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Ryan, yes, it is to stop fermentation and meld the flavors. It is not necessary. Cook does remove the probiotic benefits. I encourage you to try it both ways, see what you prefer.
Jon Thornton says
Mike is there any reason you can’t use last year’s frozen peppers and make a small batches and just make more as needed. Also how about experimenting with a mix of different peppers to see what works. Have plenty of different peppers frozen whole in freezer
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Jon. I use frozen peppers for a lot of things, and I have made hot sauce with them, so yep, it works. The only reason not to is if the peppers have any freezer burn, as that will affect flavor. After a year, you may get some flavor compromise, but you could be OK. Also, yes, definitely works with a mix of peppers. I do this all the time. Let me know how it goes for you.
Lisa says
Thanks for this recipe! I’m just starting the fermentation process with homegrown cayennes. Is it ok if bits of the pepper pieces aren’t completely submerged in the brine? I can’t get them all to stay under, they keep floating up to the top even after I add more brine…?
Mike Hultquist says
Lisa, it's important to keep everything submerged, as anything exposed above the brine is prone to infection. Try using a plastic bag with some water in it pushed into the top to keep it all down.
Lisa says
Thank you, Mike! That’s what I did. Fingers crossed that the fermentation goes well—can’t wait to check out the final product.
McFIggy says
Great sauce! I added garlic. Will garlic be ok to leave in? It was boiled with the peppers. It's a delicious sauce though.
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely! Garlic is GREAT here.
Renee says
In the spirit of not wasting these days, I used serranos from this year's garden & habanaros that I had frozen whole last year... My nephew is a nuclear hot, asbestos guy, so hope this blend will be in his Scoville range!
Your recipe now gives me incentive to plant hots again next year! Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! I love to hear it, Renee!
Corinne says
Do you have any tips for avoiding a bitter tasting sauce? I used a mix of cayenne and ring of fire peppers (frozen from my garden) and it's so bitter, I'm throwing it out. I threw the peppers in whole and simmered on the stove for about an hour. Tried adding more vinegar, lemon juice and more sugar, frozen mango and frozen pineapple to cover the bitter aftertaste. Still awful. Thanks for any advice you might have.
Mike Hultquist says
Often a touch of sweet can counteract any bitterness from some peppers. You might try some honey or sugar, or other sweeter ingredients.
RunnerUp1 says
my advice is to try using a non-reactive pot. reactive pots can make a sauce taste horrible. hope that helps. by the way, I can't rate the recipe yet because I haven't tried it at this point.
Susan says
First: Thank you for sharing your knowledge and recipes! This is my first year growing peppers hotter than Jalapeños (Serranos, Habaneros, Ghost Peppers) and your guidance has been priceless!
I’m glad that I chose the fermented pepper method for this recipe. The flavor is amazing! I went with all red Serrano peppers, seeds and all, and let them ferment for 2 weeks. Well worth the wait! My husband tasted it about 10 minutes ago and is still making comments about how good it is and he’s very picky :-). Now I’m looking at the mash and wondering how hard it will be to breath if I choose to dehydrate it in the house…
Mike H. says
I am so happy to read this, Susan! I would suggest starting with little first to see how your body reacts and then moving on with the desired quantities. Enjoy!
Andrew says
I never thought I'd make a hot sauce that I liked better than Crystal, but after fermenting for 2 week, I used a cup of brine and a quarter cup of ACV, pureed in a blender and ran it through a wire strainer. It is delicious.
Mike H. says
I am glad to hear that Andrew. Enjoy!
Becky zelinski says
Do you remove the seeds before chopping? Recipes doesn’t say but since it doesn’t say to seed the peppers, I assume we leave them?
Mike Hultquist says
You can if you'd like, Becky, but I usually do not.
Alan Dunlop says
hi Mike,
I've a query around fermenting mash, I've just harvested one of my Cayenne plants and put down a ferment for 2 weeks, my other plant is still mainly green but the peppers are turning.
I was wondering if I could harvest the other Cayenne at 2 weeks, brine and then add to the existing mash and age it for another two weeks?
I'd have some fermented for 4 some for 2 hopefully would work out well?
ta
Alan
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Alan. Yes, some people do that. You can combine them and continue fermenting. The main thing is to be as clean as possible to avoid infection. Let me know how it goes for you.
Alan Dunlop says
hi again Mike here's an update
I did top up my mash and gave it another 2 weeks fermentation so 1/2 was 2 weeks 1/2 about 5 weeks total.
processed as per recipe.
I've had a good hot sauce all winter, spring & summer (I'm in England) & I've just opened my last bottle - flavour is good a little mild for me but the Mrs loves it - and checked pH and it's 4.0 so it's lasted a year and is still safely preserved.
so I'll play around with recipe to jazz it up within the parameters you outline. You have given me a real confidence boost in my preservation my friend.
thanks so much Mike.
Alan
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad to help, Alan! I love to hear this!
Guy Bayle says
Have you ever tried to add a little yeast to start up the fermentation process. I brew my own beer and mead and was wondering if it would help get it started quicker and push out any bad yeast on the peppers. ?
Mike Hultquist says
Guy, yes, you can use a fermentation starter if needed.