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
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.
Wynne Geikenjoyner says
Hi Mike, Thanks for this! I've always made hot sauce with rehydrated dried peppers (or chipotles in adobo), but now that I live in New Zealand, it's hard to source my favorite southwest chiles. I finally found chipotle powder though. I kept your ratios, and added 1/2tsp cumin and 1tsp cocoa powder as optional ingredients. I put it all in a hot sauce jar, without using a blender or food processor, because I'm concerned that the flavor could linger in the device and affect future recipes (chipotle-flavored fruit smoothies doesn't sound so great to me, haha). I gave the bottle a few minutes of shaking to combine, and I can see that none of the powders failed to incorporate. Yet, it is still really runny, more like a broth than a sauce. I am certain I used the ratios listed. Any ideas? Does the food processor make that much difference?
Mike Hultquist says
Hello, Wynne. You really need to use the food processor or blender. It won't come together and thicken up if you just stir it together, as you've discovered. Be sure to watch the video in the recipe card, which shows this exactly. You can always add in more powder when processing to get the consistency you prefer, then simmer to bring it all together. I hope this helps.
Robert Sargent says
My version consists of:
4 tbl fermented cayenne and garlic powder
2 tbl onion powder
3tbl garlic powder
2 tbl smoked paprika
75ml organic honey
150ml vinegar
100ml filtered water
1/4 Tspn Xanthum gum
And blitz in a Nutribullet
Make 3 variations with either fermented habanero powder and lastly a fermented Jalapeño powder, all different and tastes incredible.
Mike H. says
Thanks for the review and sharing, Robert. Hope you will try my version one day! 😉
Jose Chaparro says
I made this and modified it with Costco/Kirkland organic apple cider vinegar, 2 T Chipotle powder, 1 T ancho chile powder, 2 t habanero powder, 2 t smoked paprika, 2 t dried cilantro, 1 T each garlic and onion powder and 1/4 t salt. Spicy and Delicious! Thank you.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds GREAT, Jose!
Teej says
Love your site, thank you! This might be a silly question, but can you ferment hot sauce made from chili powders?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Teej. Yes, you can ferment sauces with chili powders, but you may need to use a fermentation starter to get fermentation going. Or, try mixing in some fresh peppers, which can help. Enjoy.
Pete says
I would like to add some fruit to a ghost pepper powder hot sauce. I'm thinking peach or pineapple. How much do you think I may need to 1 (knock down the heat) and 2 (not make the sauce too thin). Thanks in advance. I love your website!
Mike Hultquist says
Pete, yes, you can do that, no problem. Maybe start with 1/2 to 1 cup of peach or pineapple, see how the consistency feels. I have several recipes that use pineapple, peach, or other fruits, in the hot sauce section. Maybe start with this recipe to refer to: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/hot-sauces/caribbean-style-mango-habanero-hot-sauce-video/
Stan Stevens says
What is the shelf life of the hot sauce and does it require refrigeration or stable at room temperature?
Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Stan, this type of sauce will last many months, depending on the ingredients used. I have a post on this here: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/refrigerating-hot-sauce/
Brad M says
The yield says 20 servings, but how much is that actually? 1 5 oz bottle? 2 bottles?
Mike Hultquist says
Brad, this should fill close to 3 5-ounce bottles or so.
PeterB says
Thanks very much for the recipe for hot sauce made from powdered cayenne. It was very helpful to have some guidance. I started with two teaspoons cayenne, one teaspoon smoked paprika, and one teaspoon ground chipotle, with half and half vinegar and water as you suggested. Salt of course. The results were immediately good if slightly grainy. I'm wondering whether the graininess will decreas as the powder gets soaked with the liquid.
anyway, very helpful, thanks again, and I look forward to experimenting further.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Peter. You can reduce the graininess with more liquid, but that's one of the characteristics of sauces made from powders, to various degrees. Happy experimenting!
Karl says
Will it decrease the flavor if you were to strain the sauce through a strainer with cheese cloth to eliminate the graininess?
Mike Hultquist says
It won't dilute the flavor, but will thin it out considerably. You can always mix some of the pulp back in if you'd like.
Aaron Eagleburger says
I have two quarts of powder. a blend of habaneros, ghosts, and Carolina reapers. the powder is powerful!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes! Powerful indeed!
Ramy says
How long this sauce will last in the refrigerator or on the pantry?
Mike Hultquist says
Ramy, typical vinegary hot sauces will last 6 months or longer out of the fridge (they start to lose freshness), and 2 years in the fridge.
suzanne says
Excellent information. thank you so much. i have been experimenting with my 'bitch be trying to kill me' hot sauce made from my fresh cayenne peppers. my husband named it last year. he loved it so here we go again.
looking at suggestions to thicken hot sauces, how come no one ever mentions adding powders like chili or cayenne/ sorry my keyboard won't type caps anymore. need to upgrade ahaha. Also, whenever i use cornstarch or flour in gravy it solidifies in the fridge. Does thickening with cornstarch solidify the hot sauce too/ again, that's a question mark lol
thanks again for the video. btw love the blender. i have one from the 70's. inherited it from my mother. need to upgrade that as well.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Suzanne. Yes, you can thicken with powders and other spices, as long as you are happy with the added flavor. Starches and such CAN harden up a little in the fridge, but can loosen when they warm up a little. You don't need a lot, though. Xanthan gum is a good thickener you might try. I appreciate the comments!
Josh says
Hello! Great info! I was wondering if you could use cornstarch to thicken it up without adding more chili powder? Sometimes adding more chili powder will increase the heat. Let me know what you think?
Mike Hultquist says
You can, Josh. Xanthan gum is more often used as a thickener for hot sauce, though you can use corn starch or similar, like arrow root. Those are more used for other sauces, but will still work!
Josh says
Oh wow, you replied so quickly you read my mind! Haha thank you! I'll let you know what happens next!
Josh says
Sorry for the excessive replies.
I want to stick out when it comes to unique blends. That being said, if the cornstarch works and I wanted to substitute something more interesting like: Potato Starch, Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Arrowroot Powder, Xanthan Gum, Ground flaxseeds is that something that would go well?
Mike Hultquist says
Yep, you can really use any of those. I usually use cornstarch or similar for thickening something like gravy, chili sauces, even soups and such, but they'll work for hot sauces as well.
Bob says
Hi Mike. I really enjoy your blog and have tried several of your pepper sauce recipes. I also have a pepper garden with about 20 plants. Here in AZ, I get great crops in the spring and fall, and make more salsa style sauces. During the summer, the plants go dormant. So, I've started making sauce from dehydrated and ground peppers. I'm not very fond of vinegar, so I have been using grapefruit juice, which has a PH of 3.9, lower than white vinegar. IMHO, a big improvement.
Mike Hultquist says
I love the use of grapefruit juice, Bob. Sounds awesome!
Eivind Nilsen says
Have you tried blooming the spices at the start of this recipe? I wonder if it might deepen the flavors.
Mike Hultquist says
You can surely do so, Eivind. I often do that with recipes.
Brea says
What does blooming spices mean?
Mike H. says
Hey Brea, another word for blooming is tempering. It is a cooking technique from South Asia - really helps to bring the aromas to their maximum!
Mike says
Hey mate, wondering how you would go about doing this as a ferment? So you think it's possible and what would would you have to change about it? Thanks
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Mike, I've never tried to ferment powders. I think it would be difficult to keep it below the brine, but if you try, I would mix it with fresh peppers to make sure the ferment gets going. See: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/how-to-make-fermented-pepper-mash/
Chase says
I went off the deep end and totally winged a new sauce!
8 ghost pepper
1 head garlic
1 tbs kosher salt
1 sweet vidalia onion
4 cups chopped Roma tomato
6 peaches
6 cups vinegar
Roasted all the veg and fruit for 25 min at 350 F, then low boiled with vinegar for an hour. Let it rest for a half hour then processed it and strained it.
The end result is a beautiful sweet kick up front with a nice, lingering heat on the back end.
Let me know what y’all think!
Cheers!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
There you go, Chase! I love it! Very nice.
Rajen from Mauritius says
Hello Michael,
I made the sauce as per your recipe.
Taste hot and nice but a small foam when I bootle it.
Please advise the speed of your blender
Thanks
Rajen
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hello, Rajen. The foam is likely just a result of the blender and should settle.
decay says
I'm considering using pure ground Scorpion powder to up the heat on a batch of fermented hot sauce I have going. Would it be better to add the powder during ferment, or after? Maybe it doesn't matter...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
I would add it in afterward. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Tempest Hartley says
For a better all round flavour. Preheat a frying pan on a medium heat. Dry fry your spices for 1-2 minutes until aromatic and allow to cool completely before blending all of the ingredients. Do not dry fry herbs or salts.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes, nice way to develop flavor, though I would caution against the time. Be sure not to burn your spices. I usually dry fry seeds and such before grinding them. Thanks for the input!
Keith says
Love the recipe! I was wondering, could you substitute some of the ingredients for their fresh versions? For example, instead of using garlic power you use fresh garlic. Or is the general rule that for powder based hot sauces. Stick to powders?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Keith, yes, you can. See my post on How to Make Hot Sauce for using fresh ingredients. This site has a lot of those recipes: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce/
Dominic Hall says
Awesome recipe I love it!!! Anyone tried replacing the water with just vinegar? To make it more like a tabasco
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dominic, yes, you can totally use vinegar to make more of a Tabasco or Louisiana style hot sauce. Enjoy!
Fleischman says
Hello Michael,
1. TABASCO® Original Red Pepper Sauce does not list water as ingredient. If you wanted to imitate their result, how much vinegar total would you use for every 4 tablespoons of cayenne powder (don't have tabasco pepper powder yet)?
2. Do you have a favorite source/brand for tabasco pepper powder you'd recommend in order to try to imitate original Tabasco sauce? Do you sell tabasco powder?
Thank you,
F
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Fleischman, I don't have a source for the powders. I would personally make them myself from dehydrated tabasco peppers. For the sauce, try 1/2 cup to start then adjust from there. It's really to your personal taste. Also, see this recipe for Homemade Tabasco Hot Sauce: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/tabasco-sauce/
Tom Schwieger says
There is a pressure cooking technique where you can cook in canning jars.
I did this with your recipe.
I thought it might make the liquid more of a "colloidal" suspension by swelling the powder grains.
It worked and the power is no longer a sediment that settles out.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for the input, Tom.
Fleischman says
Michael,
Today I made my first hot sauce.
2 Tablespoons cayenne powder
1/4 distilled white vinegar
1/4 filtered water
blended it, then 1- min simmer, then through mesh strainer
I love it! (I then made Turkish-style coffee and was tempted to put some cayenne sauce drops in it, but did not 😉 )
If you wanted the dish to have both cayenne sauce and mustard, would you mix the store-bought mustard into the cayenne sauce (and, if so, before or after simmering)? Or would you add the cayenne sauce and the mustard separately into the dish?
Second batch will be with Chipotle Chile powder (smoke-dried jalapeños powder).
Thank you very much!
F
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Sounds great! I would simmer it all together with the mustard to let the flavors blend even more. Wonderful!
Fleischman says
Michael,
Thank you for directing me here from your homemade Tabasco hot sauce article.
If wanting to make “cayenne powder + vinegar hot sauce”, would you replace the 4 Tablespoons chili powder in this recipe with 4 Tablespoons cayenne powder?
Thank you again!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely. Very easy. Let me know it goes for you.
Mike says
OK...so how do I tell when it goes "bad"? Is it a matter of simply testing the Ph regularly? Is there a rule of thumb (2 months??)...I have an abundance of pepper dust made from my garden peppers I would love to try this out with, just have no idea the life of the end result....Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Mike, you'll know it's gone bad if there is visible growth on the sauce, like mold or fuzz, and if the taste is just off and/or a bad, rotten smell forms. If you use vinegar, it will last a very long time, especially in the refrigerator. If you make a non-vinegar sauce, like an enchilada sauce, it should keep a week or longer, depending, though you can easily freeze that. I hope this helps! Enjoy!
mark says
just tried my first hand at this. kind of a hybrid cholula/old bay, with Paquin, de arbor, garlic, old bay, lime juice, etc. Wow, what a kick! much hotter than cholula. very happy with it! thanks for guidelines.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear it, Mark! I love it. Glad you are enjoying it.
Charles says
I just made a Jalapeno aji amarillo hot sauce with the recipe. I used half apple cider vinegar and half water. I added a touch extra garlic, a bit of onion powder and some cumin.
The heat hits and sticks with you. The flavor is good. It's thick, potent and just what I was looking for.
Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Charles! Happy to hear it! Sounds wonderful.
Lila says
I loved this! I went a bit crazy with the modifications, I thought I'll try some things and see what happens. I used 2 tablespoons peri-peri powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, half cup apple cider vinegar, half cup brown malt vinegar, half cup water, a splash of wine (why not haha), a minced garlic clove and a tsp of guava jam! It sound like a wild mix but it's absolutely delicious! The smokey sweetness from the guava and paprika really balanced the spicy. And the wine gives it depth. I simmered it for 10 minutes to get the flavors going. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Very nice, Lila! I LOVE the addition of the guava jam! What a nice touch of sweetness. I'll have to try that!
Scott says
Hi, great recipie.
Im going to try this with Korean chilli flakes and as Korean food and fermentation go hand in hand, I was wondering if you could go down the fermentation route with chilli powder rather than simmering.
What do you reckon?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Scott, honestly I've never tried to ferment a powder and I don't know if that will work. It would be difficult to keep all the powder beneath the brine. You might try it with a mix of powder and fresh peppers to get thing started. I know you can ferment dried pods.
Hi says
I have a problem, i feel that the vinegar flavour is always way too overpowering and i only used half the amount of vinegar you suggested, i used standard malt vinegar. Anyone have any advice, should i use even less?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
You can definitely cut back on the vinegar and even omit it if you'd like. The only issue is if the acidity is not how enough (low pH), it won't last as long, even in the refrigerator. If you want it to last longer without vinegar, you can always try citrus. Let me know how yours turns out! Enjoy!
Dave Krassowski says
Looks great!! I will make this today. Does it need to be refrigerated?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hello, Dave! Ah, the ultimate hot sauce question! There is big disagreement in the hot sauce world, with people falling on either side. To refrigerate or not to refrigerate, that is the question. I personally refrigerate my hot sauces. Anything can go bad eventually. If you have enough acidity (vinegar, citrus), the hot sauce will last much longer and will resist spoilage. Shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for home keeping. Anything above that really should be refrigerated. 3.5 or lower is really up to you. Again, I personally refrigerate. I hope this helps!
simon says
Thanks for the great idea.
I have just started growing peppers so will use them. But will use the powder I have at home as I want to give it a go sooner rather than latter
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Sure thing, Simon! Glad I could help! Yes, no reason to wait for great hot sauce!
Maura says
Winner! Made this 2 hours ago - used your exact recipe - I grounded dried Japones for the pepper spice. AH-MAZING! Used it on Burgers tonight. Thank you SO much for posting!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Maura! So easy, right? Making hot sauce is something wonderful. Glad it helped.
Tony says
Never miss your ideas.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Tony! I appreciate it!
Peg says
Recipe looks fabulous, Mike! I’ve made hot sauce from peppers I’ve grown, but never from powder. I’m anxious to try this now. Thanks so much!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Peg! People ask me how to do this all the time, so I finally got a post online and video for it! I hope you enjoy the hot sauce.