Learn how to make hot sauce from chili powder and a few other simple ingredients with this easy method. You'll never go without hot sauce again.
It's hot sauce time in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. When isn't it? As spicy food lovers, hot sauces are a huge part of our overall food love, with bottles of the stuff never out of reach.
There are many, many great artisan hot sauces on the market, and I love many of them, but I also greatly enjoy making my own at home. I usually grow different varieties of peppers each year for this very purpose, to make my own personal hot sauce blends.
I have lots of information here on the site about how to make hot sauce from fresh peppers and how to make hot sauce from dried peppers, but did you realize you can also make hot sauce from chili powders?
One question I get a lot here is, "Hey, Mike, can I make hot sauce from chili powder?"
The answer is yes, absolutely.
Making hot sauce from chili powder is actually rather simple, probably one of the easiest ways to make hot sauce. Knowing how will ensure you never run out of hot sauce again.
Let's talk about how we make how to make hot sauce from chili powder, shall we?
Ingredients Needed to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powder
There are only 3 primary ingredients to make a hot sauce from chili powder. They are Chili Powder, Vinegar and Salt. Ratios can vary to your preference, but a good starter is 1 cup vinegar to 4 tablespoons chili powder to 1/4 teaspoon salt. You can adjust from there.
You can add other ingredients to change things up. Let's discuss.
- Chili Powder: 4 tablespoons chili powder of choice. You can use different powders, or a blend of different chili powders. I often like to use powders from peppers I've grown in my own garden, dehydrated, and ground into powder.
- Vinegar: 1 cup vinegar. Use your favorite vinegar here. My only suggestion is to use a good quality vinegar with a flavor you enjoy. A bad quality vinegar will result in a bad quality hot sauce. Try distilled white vinegar, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar, a combination of vinegars or others. Vinegar is also important for acidity and preserving.
- Salt: 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Salt brings out the flavor and really rounds things out.
- Optional Additions: Your additional ingredients are practically limitless here. Consider adding garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, dried basil, dried oregano, black pepper, dried and crushed carrot, citrus like lemon juice, lime juice, pineapple juice and other juices. You are only limited by your creativity.
- Water: My base recipe here calls for 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water. I prefer to dilute the overall vinegar taste, which can be quite overpowering, with water. However, this is optional. You can use pure vinegar if you'd like, but it is fine to cut it with water.
How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powder - the Recipe Method
Add all of your ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust for salt and vinegar. Add more water or vinegar for a thinner sauce.
You can use the sauce as-is at this point, or heat it in a small pot. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors develop even more.
Cool, bottle and enjoy.
Boom! Done! Easy enough, isn't it? Making hot sauces from chili powders is pretty simple. Questions for you include: Do you simmer yours or prefer it freshly mixed? Do you prefer more or less vinegar? What other flavor building ingredients do you add to your hot sauces?
Let me know. I'd love to hear!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Play with the Ratios. Consider this a base recipe. Play with the ratios of liquid to powders to achieve your preferred consistency. Want a thicker sauce? Add more chili powder and use less vinegar and/or water. Thicker sauces made with chili powders tend to be grainier. Want a thinner sauce, more like a Tabasco Sauce? Use more vinegar.
- Experiment. Experimenting with flavors and other ingredients is very important. Start with what you love. I love garlic so almost always include it. Love tomato? Tomatoes are great for hot sauce. Carrots, too. Do you enjoy fruit? Chili peppers and sweet fruit are best friends. Get crazy, experiment, and have fun.
- Make Your Own Chili Powders. If you are a gardener, or are thinking of starting one, I highly encourage you to grow your own peppers. There are so many types you just can't get anywhere else. Once they are harvested, you can dehydrate your peppers to make your own chili powders. Then, use some to make hot sauce!
That's it, my friends. Time to make some hot sauce! Let me know what you wind up making. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
See my post on "Does Hot Sauce Need to be Refrigerated?"
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- How to Make Hot Sauce: The Ultimate Guide
- How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers
- Fermented Hot Sauce
- Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Sriracha (both fermented and non-fermented varieties)
- Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- More Hot Sauce Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. 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.
How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powder - Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons chili powder of choice yes, you can use a mixture
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- Optional Additions: 1 teaspoon or more of onion powder cumin, dried basil, dried oregano, etc.
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust for salt and vinegar. Add more water or vinegar for a thinner sauce.
- You can use the sauce as-is at this point, or heat it in a small pot. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors develop even more.
- Cool, bottle and enjoy.
Video
Nutrition Information
slick mcfavorite says
you just made it possible for me to eat a bunch of nachos for dinner without going to the store, and for that i thank you.
Mike H. says
Enjoy! =)
Wynne says
This is my go-to recipe when I don't have dried chiles stocked up. We also enjoy adding a bit of cacao powder sometimes--no sugar or sweetness, but a deeper earthy richness. YUM!
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad to be helpful, Wynne!
JT says
I dehydrate fruits and peppers then grind them into my own spice mixes.
4 Tbsp Habanero
1 Tbsp Peach
is pretty amazing.
Thanks for the idea!
Mike Hultquist says
Perfection!! I love it, JT. Tanks for sharing.
Natalia says
can I skip the blender process?
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, you can, Natalia. Just mix well. Enjoy!
Karie says
Hi, just saw your link to this article on X. It’s important for food safety to note that bottles need to be sterilized.
Mike Hultquist says
The post doesn't discuss preservation, but thanks, Karie.
Paul J Eaton says
I just made your hot sauce recipe today with a few small add ins. I simmered for 30 minutes to reduce and thicken a bit. I used a shake or 2 of flour to help. Will let it mellow in my chill chest for a couple days then give it a taste. Thanks for all your great recipes and ideas. I won't rate it, but I'm sure it will be a winner.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds wonderful, Paul! I love it.
Alexander Lewis says
I have found that vinegar tends to reduce the heat of the pepper sauce drastically, so that a commercial very hot pepper sauce seems to contain less vinegar. But what is used instead in those cases?
Mike Hultquist says
It all depends on the sauce and the brand, and many use only vinegar. However, you can use other liquids, such as water, juices, even alcohols. For acidity, though, use citrus juice (lime, lemon, etc), or look into citric acid, which is a powder and can add acidity without the need for vinegar.