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
Lorna says
Can I put everything in the food processor first and then cook it in the vinegar?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can do that, Lorna. Works great.
Bill says
Does this need to be refrigerated when done?
Mike Hultquist says
Bill, I have a post on this - Does Hot Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated? https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/refrigerating-hot-sauce/
Arlene says
I am about to make a second batch. Who knew that my son, the last of 4 at home, would initiate getting it out of the fridge to use since no one has liked the hot peppers I grow! I even took the strained discard, dried it and put in a grinder to sprinkle on when I need some heat!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! I love it, Arlene! You got yourself a young chilihead there! Awesome.
Artur says
It’s very yummy, thanks a lot! I added some white wine and I love it
Mike Hultquist says
Great!! Glad you like it, Artur! I like the addition of white wine.
Patric says
Am I reading your recipe correctly, that you need 10 ounces by weight? Was getting ready to make it with about 15 cayenne peppers that are 4-6" long, but the total weight is only 1.3 oz. Does that mean that I need almost 8 times that many? Thanks and can't wait to try this!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Hi, Patric. Yes, 10 ounces by weight. This recipe uses a lot. You can scale it down and make a smaller batch, or you can sub in other peppers. Also, you can dial back on the amount of peppers and up the vinegar for a thinner Louisiana style sauce. See my Homemade Tabasco Sauce Recipe, which uses only 5 ounces peppers: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/tabasco-sauce/. You can use your cayennes for that one.
Patric says
Thanks, Mike!!!
Margie says
I'm growing several types of chili peppers this ear and they are all full of peppers! I can not wait to try your recipes! Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Margie! Enjoy!!!
Linda Anderson says
can you freezer the peppers to make at a later date?
Mike H. says
Yes, you can freeze them to use later. Enjoy!
Jay Barnette says
I add a little ginger and turmeric with garlic and apple cider vinegar with the mother … delicious
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds tasty!
Anne says
Can you use dried peppers for this recipe? Reconstitute them first?
Mike Hultquist says
Absolutely, Anne. I have a post on this - How To Make Hot Sauce From Dried Peppers. See: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/
Kathryn Snell says
Thank you!
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!