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
Ivonne says
Do you leave the seeds in the sauce?
Mike Hultquist says
You can if you'd like. They're edible. Some people don't like them floating around in their sauce.
Amy says
Would any vinegar work ? I have white ( not white wine )red wine or Apple cider vinegars ? Thank You
Amy
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, Amy, either of those will work as well. Enjoy!
Joe says
well i mixed my peppers..long red cayenne pepper with yellow hot banana peppers and added the juice from one lemon..with 16 ounces of chopped pepper 2 tsp af salt and 2 cups vinegar ..it turned out fantastic i thankyou so much.
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Joe!
mike says
Great recipe, i made it but the Cayenne was too hot for me so i made another batch with Hungarian wax peppers . a triple batch actually and added a couple tomatoes to get the weight and also added 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 can of beer and simmered longer to reduce the liquid .
Damn I love it , i'm gonna make more !
Thank you
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Mike!
Mari says
Hello Mike,
Thank you for all of your delicious recipes. I had a small pepper crop this year and am trying to make the best of it. Combined I have 13 oz of Tabasco and Cayenne peppers left, and about the same of Hungarian Wax Peppers. What recipes would you make? I already have a quart of peppers fermenting but could do more as a base.
Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Mari, those are perfect for sauce making (you can combine them), or really any of the recipes on this site. You might consider some jam, or a nice chili oil, or making some chili paste that you can freeze.
Mari says
Thanks, Mike!
Todd says
Hi, Mike. I've made many of your recipes and have loved them all. I've got a bumper crop of cayennes, and this recipe looks perfect. But I think I'll be making several pints of it (too much to use in a short time).
Have you ever processed this sauce with a canner to preserve it? I've used my water canner on 5-oz bottles of your Caribbean Sweet Chili Sauce, with good results, but that's got some sugar in it. Wasn't sure how something with no sugar would do in the canner.
Thanks!
Mike H. says
Hey Todd, the canner will work, too. In fact, some of the readers reported using it and getting some good results. Definitely give it a try!
Kristin says
When chopping, do you leave the seeds in?
Mike Hultquist says
I usually do, Kristin, but you can remove them if you'd like. Some people find them bitter and don't like the texture. Also, most of the heat is in the innards, which is often removed when scraping out the seeds. FYI.
Kathy says
I made this recipe and it’s fantastic! Very easy to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will make this every year!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Thanks, Kathy!
Lorna says
I stained the sauce, but it seems a shame to discard what remains. Can I use what remains?
Thanks,
Lorna
Mike Hultquist says
Lorna, I either dehydrate it to use as seasoning, or freeze it and use later to add to soups, stews, or other sauces. Enjoy!
Morg says
Great recipe!!! Husband loved it when I tried it just to see how it turned out. About to make more!
Oh and my dad named it “Fire Dragon” lol
Mike Hultquist says
Nice!!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Anna says
Hi Mike
I have just followed your recipe, but after blending it, it is a paste rather than a sauce. I don’t know why. Should I add water or vinegar?
Thank you.
Mike Hultquist says
Anna, sometimes the liquid can boil away too much, but you can just add in a bit more vinegar or water to the mixture to thin it out. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup, to your preference.
Louise says
I’m dying to make this with my home grown cayennes! Question… when I chop up the peppers should I de-seed them before cooking with the garlic etc? Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
You don't have to remove seeds/innards if you want, but some people find the seeds a bit bitter, and most of the heat resides in the pithy innards. FYI.
Jen says
Welp, the garden is coming in, and I happened to have some very pretty cayennes. I did a variation on this theme in my new Vitamixer! Cayennes are the star…added in some roasted red peppers from the grill, red serranos along with red jalapeños for extra heat. Does not disappoint! It has the sort of heat that stays with you and makes you want more. (which we all do) Next up...the habs. 🙂
I love your site Mike and have learned a lot thanks to you. Keep on keepin’ it spicy!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! I love the additions, Jen. Very happy to be helpful! Keep on crankin'!!!
Isabella says
How long will this last in the fridge? Can you freeze this as well?
Mike Hultquist says
This should last a few months or longer in the fridge. You can add more vinegar if you have concerns. Yep, you can freeze this hot sauce. Enjoy.