A recipe to make your own homemade cayenne pepper sauce in your own kitchen, with store bought or garden grown cayenne peppers, garlic, vinegar and salt. It's super easy and super flavorful.
Make Your Own Cayenne Hot Sauce
Cayenne pepper sauce is by far one of the most popular hot sauce varieties in the U.S. You'll see it packed into specialty hot sauce bottles all over the place, and there are some pretty famous cayenne pepper sauce products out there.
Perhaps you've heard of some of them - Frank's RedHot? Original Louisiana Hot Sauce? Crystal?
Yeah, some big names out there making some pretty awesome cayenne sauces. I love them all.
The thing is, when your garden is EXPLODING with several cayenne pepper type varieties, you really gotta make some yourself, because if there's anything better than hot sauce, my friends, it is Homemade Hot Sauce!
YES!
So yeah, we're talking Homemade Cayenne Pepper Sauce and it's fabulous.
I'm making this particular sauce purely with cayenne peppers, though I'm adding in some garlic for a bit of extra flavor. I flat out LOVE garlic in sauces.
Brings it over the edge for sure.
About the Cayenne Peppers
You may have heard of cayenne chili peppers, but there are also a number of cayenne types out there, so you don't have to limit yourself to what you find in the stores.
Check these babies out, picked straight from my garden.
Don't get me wrong. Store bought cayenne peppers are outstanding for this sauce, but I've made with this other cayenne types that I grew in my own garden, like the ones above, including:
Yes, I've even made this Cayenne Buist's, which are yellow pods, and the hot sauce came out great. It's a super simple base recipe, but that's the great thing about it.
You're free to play around with it and include other ingredients to your preference.
So let's talk about how to make cayenne pepper hot sauce, shall we?
Cayenne Hot Sauce Ingredients
- Cayenne Peppers.
- Garlic.
- Vinegar. I'm using white wine vinegar, though others will work.
- Salt.
How to Make Cayenne Pepper Sauce - The Recipe Method
First, gather up your cayenne peppers. Clean and dry them.
Chop up the cayenne peppers along with garlic cloves and add them to a pot with white wine vinegar and a bit of salt.
Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer everything for 20 minutes. The peppers and garlic will be nicely softened.
Cool the mixture slightly, then transfer it to a food processor or blender. Process it until the sauce is nice and smooth.
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve if you'd like a smoother sauce, or pour it into bottles as-is for a thicker sauce.
Done! Simple enough, right? I use this to make a great homemade Buffalo sauce recipe.
Recipe Notes and Information on Yields
My included recipe yields 5 ounces of strained sauce, which is the size of a typical hot sauce bottle. To make enough strained cayenne pepper sauce to fill a 5 ounce bottle, you'll need to start with 10 ounces of cayenne peppers, 6 garlic cloves, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. Plus some salt.
This is approximate, but should get you quite close. And note again that this is STRAINED. Unstrained, the above measurements will yield you about 1-1/3 cups of cayenne pepper sauce.
Straining definitely thins out the sauce, though you can also thin it and/or stretch the sauce out by adding more vinegar or water, or perhaps another liquid, such as lime juice or beer. Consider the flavor possibilities.
Just be sure to weigh out your peppers first based on how much you're looking to make.
Fermented vs. Non-Fermented Cayenne Pepper Sauce
As you'll see, this is a fresh pepper hot sauce, meaning I did not ferment it. I have no preference over fermented or non-fermented hot sauces, as either has their advantages, though fermenting your peppers first does mellow them out considerably.
If you're interested in fermenting, check out my post on How to Ferment Chili Peppers, and simply incorporate them into the recipe below.
Learn More About Hot Sauce Making
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy the hot sauce! Go cayenne!
Safety Advice
When working with very hot chili peppers peppers, including superhot chili peppers, it is important to wear gloves when handling the peppers both in raw and dried forms.
The oils can get on your skin and cause burning sensations.
Need help? How to Stop the Chili Pepper Burn On Your Skin.
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. To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors. If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
The best ph meters that I recommend are from Thermoworks. Get yourself a ph meter from Thermoworks today. I am a happy affiliate.
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.
What should I do with hot sauce?
Aside from drizzling it over anything you please, here's a post I did about How to Cook with Hot Sauce. As if you need even MORE reasons to eat hot sauce. I hope you find it helpful!
Try Some of My Other Popular Hot Sauce Recipes
- Homemade Sriracha (both fermented and non-fermented varieties)
- Roasted Red Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Fermented Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce
- Devil's Tongue Hot Sauce
- Honey Roasted Hot Pepper Hot Sauce
- Spicy Serrano Hot Sauce
- Ti-Malice – Hatian Creole Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Superhot Hot Sauce (The Hottest Damn Hot Sauce I Ever Made)
- Homemade Tabasco Sauce
- How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powders
Also see: Cayenne Pepper Benefits.
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Homemade Cayenne Pepper Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cayenne chili peppers
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (or more, as desired - use 1 cup for a thinner sauce)
- 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste
Instructions
- Chop up the cayenne peppers along with garlic cloves and add them to a pot with the vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer everything for 20 minutes.
- Cool the mixture slightly, then transfer it to a food processor or blender. Process it until the sauce is nice and smooth. Adjust to taste with more salt if desired
- Strain the sauce through a fine sieve if you'd like a smoother sauce, or pour it into bottles as-is for a thicker sauce.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Lorraine says
Love your website!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Lorraine!
Chris Orange says
Ooooh, this sounds so easy. Can I swap the chillies out for others such as Habenetos, jalapeños or even Nagas?
Mike Hultquist says
You surely can, Chris! Enjoy!
Suzanne - the Crazy Plant Lady says
Thank you so much for this recipe! We had lots of cayenne last year (I do my own crushed red pepper) so I turned the extra into sauce. My hubby named it "B---- Be Trying to Kill Me Hot Sauce". He put it on everything and we just ran out so he's beside himself. Can't wait until August when the peppers are ready!
Mike Hultquist says
Haha! I love it, Suzanne. Great name for the sauce. You should market it! LOL.
Nick Brown says
My first attempt at making chilli sauce and I was surprised at how simple/easy it was to make. I'm delighted with the results and already looking to making again and experimenting a little with different chillies etc.
Thanks
Larry says
How many ounces of dried peppers should be used for these recipes?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Larry, dried pods are typically 1/4 the weight of fresh pods. FYI. Also, see my post on How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Pods: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/. Have a good one!
Scott says
1/2 cup of vinegar isn't enough to cover the peppers in the pot. Are you sure thats enough? Only the bottom layer of peppers are in the vinegar
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Scott, yes, it is enough vinegar, though you can add more if you'd like to, as mentioned directly in the recipe. You don't need to totally cover the peppers, as they will break down into the vinegar to mostly cover anyway. I've made it many times this way, but again, you can easily add in more vinegar if you'd like. Just note that it will affect flavor. Let me know how it turns out for you. Perhaps well enough to adjust your rating to 5 stars. Haha, enjoy!
Penny says
I doubled the amount of peppers, garlic and salt. Then poured in a 12.7oz bottle of White Wine Vinegar. This was more vinegar than the recipe called for but covered the ingredients in the pot enough for a good boil and simmer. Sauce was very good. Spicy and not too vinegary tasting!
Penny The Cajun Girl from South Louisiana!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Penny!
Rysta McNeely says
Hello! How long is this shelf stable, or is it? I've been doing some canning, (only safe tested recipes) and I'm curious about the safety, as in shelf stable.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Rysta, you can preserve this in a water bath to make it shelf stable, but check the pH first. It should be 3.5 or lower for home keeping.
Erik says
Mike, this recipe was great! I used Thai chili peppers from our garden that were partially dried, so it came out in a more concentrated form, but the flavor is terrific and a really good amount of heat. Looking forward to more experimenting
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Erik! I appreciate it!
Mithila says
First time trying to make hot sauce, happy I came across this simple recipe. I am just wondering how long can I leave this sauce on the counter or do I need to put it in the fridge to last longer? I used scotch bonnet peppers and it turned out excellent .
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Mithila. With enough vinegar or acid, it can last quite a while out of the fridge, but longer refrigerated. Shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for longer keeping. I didn't measure this particular sauce, but you can always add in more vinegar as needed. Glad you're enjoying it!
Chris says
Mike. Chris from the UK. Until last year the only thing had ever grown was my facial hair! Then I got an allotment just prior to the first lockdown and have now put up an old greenhouse. Now I've grown jalapenos and cayenne chillies in it. I tried this recipe two days ago. I was a few grams short on cayennes so I had about 250g (approx 285g in the recipe). I removed the seeds. Used puree cheating garlic, and grab of sea sat and 3/4 a cup of white wine vinegar. I added water as it simmered for my consistency. Chucked it in the blender, and again slowly added water as required. Sieved the mixture. It is lovely. The deep orange/red colour is eye catching and packs a nice kick without masking the flavour. It made about the equivalent of a bottle and a half of the small franks sauce bottles. I got a small stopper bottle from Dunhelm for about £4. It pours nicely but is ideally a bit thicker than Franks. It is now in the fridge. I am quite a decent cook in my own kitchen and in my experience the simplest recipes are often the best. This sauce recipe fits that criteria perfectly. Thanks again. Chris.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent. Super glad to hear this, Chris. Happy to be helpful! Enjoy.
Sheadoobie says
Love this recipe. So simple. Went straight cayennes and it’s a mild heat. Going to kick it up a notch with some Thai firecrackers mixed in next batch.
Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks. Yes, very simple, very easy to adjust with other peppers and other ingredients, as mentioned in the post. Consider it a great base recipe. Thai will be GREAT here.
Cora says
I have a conundrum, I have already picked just over 4 ounces of cayenne from our garden with a ton still on the plants not ready to be picked. I'm worried that the peppers I have now will be either rotten or too dry to use by the time my remaining 6 ounces are ready. Long story short, what should I do with my peppers now?
Mike Hultquist says
Cora, there are a few ways you can preserve your peppers until ready to use. You can keep them in your crisper for a good week or so in the fridge, you can freeze them, or you can pop them into some vinegar in a container in the fridge. If you're making hot sauce anyway from them, the vinegar will hold them and you'll use the vinegar anyway. I hope this helps.
Boris Ukhov says
Man, it’s awesome. I did a small amount - just to try - it’s fantastic.
I also strained it so from the amount you list in the recipe I got 200 gr of sauce. Still thick a bit - I just wonder - if I add more vinegar at the cooking beginning - will it affect taste or hotness?
Will cook more but the case is that I want to try most of your recipes though some of them not too applicable in Russia.
Thanks Mike
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thank you, Boris. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, you can add vinegar to thin out the sauce. It will make the flavor more tart and acidic, but definitely delicious. I love it with extra vinegar.
Tina says
Hi. How many chili peppers are about 10oz?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Tina, it really varies from pepper to pepper, but for cayenne, about 30 or so by my estimation. Could be more or less, so be sure to weigh. You can also easily use less by weight and add more vinegar for a thinner sauce. This recipe is very easy to customize.