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
Kirk says
You say that you can ferment the peppers and substitute into the recipe. Fermented peppers already have vinegar and salt. So do you make any adjustments when using fermented peppers?
Also
Can you add in onions and garlic after the pepper mash is fermented ?
Mike Hultquist says
Kirk, if you'd like to ferment, check out this post - How to Ferment Chili Peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-make-fermented-pepper-mash/. Also, yes, you can add onions and garlic in after, or ferment them with the peppers. You can also check out my Homemade Tabasco Sauce Recipe, which uses fermented tabasco peppers. Just use the cayenne peppers instead. https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/tabasco-sauce/
RBThomas says
how many ounces will this recipe make??
Mike H. says
This recipe yields 5 ounces of strained sauce, which is the size of a typical hot sauce bottle.
Mike H says
Is the 10oz weight or volume?
Mike Hultquist says
By weight. =)
Paige says
Opening a new comment instead of adding to my comment below so that I can give stars. This is a great base! I will definitely be playing with different combinations as I can already see ways to improve / change my final product. I combined what I had from the garden: 5oz cayenne, 1.5 oz jalapeño, 1.5 oz poblano and made up the rest of the 10oz with carrot. Added 6 garlic cloves, 1 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup vinegar. Blended in processor and added an additional 1/4 cup water, more salt, touch of honey and a dash of vinegar.
It’s good and tastes very fresh. Will be great on grilled chicken or beef. Next time, I’ll reduce the garlic (super big cloves - I should have known better) and try other pepper mixes to compare combinations.
I think I’ve found another reason to pull the trigger on a Vitamix!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Paige! I love it! Glad to be helpful!
Paige says
Hello! I’d like to try this over the weekend, but I will probably only have 5 oz. Cayenne. Im not sure my plant is going to give off much more. Can I substitute the remaining with another pepper / veg? Any recommendations? I was thinking maybe another hot variety and a little bit of carrot. TIA!
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Paige. Yes, you can definitely swap in other peppers and/or other veggies. Carrot is GREAT for a touch of sweetness and body. Definitely great with hotter peppers. Let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!
Cindy Flake says
Been using these recipes for a while. Really good, I often substitute different peppers depending on what we grow or can buy fresh.
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome! Thanks, Cindy!
Coco w says
Quick question. Am I doing something wrong? When I put it all in a pit and simmered, the vinegar evaporated and I had to add more.
Mike Hultquist says
It sounds like the heat was too high. It should be a gentle simmer. Either way, you did the right thing by adding a bit more vinegar.
Neil says
Perhaps not. The water in the vinegar evaporated, but the acetic acid didn't. Adding more vinegar will up the sourness, perhaps significantly. I would have added more water, rather than more vinegar.
Mike Hultquist says
Water is fine, too, really depends on flavor preference. Cheers.
PAULINE KREMMYDAS says
Can this sauce be bottled in jars in the same way that I bottle jam?
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, Pauline.
Sharolyn says
I’ve made this twice (for my heat loving friends…and they love it!). After cook and purée, I tried putting thru cheese cloth and thru wire mesh but no liquid comes through those. What am I doing wrong? It’s so thick that I’ve jarred “as is” and just call it Satan’s Snot!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Sharolyn. Cheesecloth is very fine, so won't let much through. Definitely make sure you're pureeing the mix as much as possible with a very good blender. It's OK if you don't strain. I love the name.
Paul says
Sharolyn,
Sounds fine as it is, more of a paste than a sauce but a bit runny too: Satan’s Snot.
Love it!!
Heidi says
Do the cayenne peppers need to be red before using them, or can they be used for this recipe while still green? I am picking them from my garden. Is there a benefit to waiting until they are red? thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Heidi, you can use them green. They will have that "green", unripened flavor, but they are great for making verde sauces, etc. The benefit of ripening is more developed flavor.
Quentin Shetters says
Is there a way to keep your cayenne peppers good till you have 10 ounces of reds from garden?
Mike Hultquist says
Quentin, if you're going to make hot sauce, you can keep them in a jar in some vinegar if you need to store them a while. Otherwise, they should last a good week or so in your refrigerator crisper.
Cherry says
Roughly how many peppers is 10oz?
Mike Hultquist says
Cherry, it is best to go by weight, as the sizes of the peppers can really vary. But, figure an average bell pepper weighs 4-5 ounces, so as many cayenne peppers to equal close to the amount of 2 bells. I hope this helps.
Tom says
Are the peppers fresh or dried?
Mike Hultquist says
Tom, use fresh peppers for this recipe. However, I do have a post on How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/