Learn how to make hot sauce from dried peppers by easily rehydrating them. You can make just about any sauce or hot sauce recipe with this method. Very easy!
How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers
Hey, everyone! A question I get here on the site quite often is "Hey, Mike, can I make your hot sauce recipes with dried peppers?" The answer is -- Absolutely Yes!
You can very easily make hot sauce from dried peppers. In fact, you can make just about of the hot sauce recipes on my site with them, which is great because some times it is more difficult to get your hands on fresh chili peppers. I grow chili peppers in my home garden every year, but with my climate, I only get fresh pods on a limited basis.
To preserve my peppers, I often dry them whole, which allows me to keep them for years if I want. Whenever I want to make a hot sauce, no problem! I just rehydrate and hot sauce in on the way!
It really is a simple process. You only need to rehydrate the peppers, but there are a few other components to discuss to help you make the best hot sauce for you.
Let's talk about how to make sauces and hot sauce from dried peppers, shall we?
About the Chili Peppers
You can use any dried peppers to make hot sauce. You can also make sauces and salsas, like adobo sauce or chile de arbol salsa, with them. Dried peppers are extremely versatile and hugely flavorful.
When choosing peppers, choose good quality dried pods. Freshly dried peppers are best, but you can still make sauces and hot sauce from older dried pods. They don't spoil. They can lose flavor and potency, however, as they age.
Seeding the Peppers. You don't have to remove the seeds from the dried chili peppers, but most people do. Some people report a slight bitter flavor in the seeds. Also, the seeds can wind up floating in your final sauce, so they become a texture issue. For some, this is not an issue. The choice is yours.
How to Rehydrate the Peppers
The easiest way to rehydrate peppers is to add them to a bowl and cover them with very hot water. The peppers will steep and soften up in anywhere from 20 minutes or longer. Once they are softened, you can use them as desired.
Another method is to simmer the dried peppers in water or a mixture of vinegar and water until they are softened.
Steeping Water
You'll notice with some darker peppers that the water used to steep them and rehydrate them turns very dark. This is because some of the nutrients from the peppers leaches into the water. That nutrient rich water can be great to thin your sauces and hot sauce. However, some people feel it is somewhat bitter in flavor.
If you find it bitter, use fresh water or more vinegar or citrus to thin out your sauces.
Best Vinegar for Making Hot Sauce
You can use any edible vinegar for making hot sauce. I have made hot sauce with simple white vinegar, champagne vinegar, malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar and more. The key in choosing the appropriate vinegar is to consider the final flavors of your sauce. Some vinegars are sweeter and some are milder.
The best vinegar to use, in my opinion, is a good quality vinegar that you love. A better tasting vinegar will give you a better tasting hot sauce.
Ingredients for Making Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers
The only ingredients you need for making hot sauce is chili peppers, vinegar and salt. You can make some outstanding hot sauce with just those three ingredients, like this Homemade Tabasco Hot Sauce. However, that is only the beginning.
You can add in all sorts of other flavor building ingredients, like onion, garlic, other peppers. vegetables, herbs and spices, citrus, fruits, juices, alcohol, and so much more.
How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers - the Recipe Method
For Method One
- Lightly toast the dried chili peppers in a hot pan for a minute or 2 per side, until they become slightly pliable and loosen the oils in the skins. This step is optional and develops more flavor.
- Remove from heat and add enough very hot water to cover the peppers. Let them steep for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.
- Strain the peppers but keep the steeping water.
- Add the rehydrated peppers to a food processor or blender along with up to 1 cup of the steeping water (or use fresh water) vinegar (use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1 cup), garlic powder, salt, and other optional ingredients. Process until smooth.
- Taste and adjust with salt and vinegar. Strain if desired.
- Pour into bottles and enjoy, or simmer then in a pot for 10-20 minutes to develop the flavors even more, then cool and bottle. Store in the refrigerator.
For Method Two
- Lightly toast the dried chili peppers in a hot pan for a minute or 2 per side, until they become slightly pliable and loosen the oils in the skins. This step is optional and develops more flavor.
- Add water and vinegar (use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1 cup), garlic powder, salt and other optional ingredients. Use less vinegar or water for thicker hot sauce. Simmer the peppers for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.
- Add the mixture to a food processor or blender along with garlic powder, salt, and other optional ingredients. Process until smooth.
- Taste and adjust with salt and vinegar. Strain if desired.
- Pour into bottles and enjoy, or simmer then in a pot for another 10 minutes to develop the flavors even more, then cool and bottle. Store in the refrigerator.
The Difference Between the Two Methods: The first method rehydrates the dried peppers with water only, allowing you to add other ingredients later as desired. The second method simmers the dried pods and other ingredients together in vinegar and water, then simply processes it all to make the final sauce. Both methods work great.
Check out my resource on How to Make Hot Sauce: The Ultimate Guide, with a great deal more information on history, hot sauce types, fermenting and more.
See my post on "Does Hot Sauce Need to be Refrigerated?"
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy your hot sauce. Let me know how yours turned out for you. I'd love to hear it!
Try Some of My Other Hot Sauce Recipes
- How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powders
- Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
- Homemade Sriracha (both fermented and non-fermented varieties)
- Roasted Red Jalapeno Hot Sauce
- Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- Honey Roasted Hot Pepper Hot Sauce
- Ti-Malice – Hatian Creole Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Datil Pepper Sauce
- More Hot Sauce Recipes
Relevant Links
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 Dried Peppers - Recipe Method
Ingredients
- 2 cups lightly crushed and seeded dried chili peppers
- 2 cups water or enough to cover the peppers - FOR METHOD ONE
- 1 cup vinegar or as desired, FOR METHOD TWO
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- *Other ingredients as desired. See notes.
Instructions
FOR METHOD ONE
- Lightly toast the dried chili peppers in a hot pan for a minute or 2 per side, until they become slightly pliable and loosen the oils in the skins. This step is optional and develops more flavor.
- Remove from heat and add enough very hot water to cover the peppers. Let them steep for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.
- Strain the peppers but keep the steeping water.
- Add the rehydrated peppers to a food processor or blender along with 1 cup of the steeping water (or use fresh water) vinegar (use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1 cup), garlic powder, salt, and other optional ingredients. Process until smooth.
- Taste and adjust with salt and vinegar. Strain if desired.
- Pour into bottles and enjoy, or simmer then in a pot for 10-20 minutes to develop the flavors even more, then cool and bottle. Store in the refrigerator.
FOR METHOD TWO
- Lightly toast the dried chili peppers in a hot pan for a minute or 2 per side, until they become slightly pliable and loosen the oils in the skins. This step is optional and develops more flavor.
- Add water and vinegar (use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1 cup), garlic powder, salt and other optional ingredients. Use less vinegar or water for thicker hot sauce. Simmer the peppers for 15 to 20 minutes to soften.
- Add the mixture to a food processor or blender along with garlic powder, salt, and other optional ingredients. Process until smooth.
- Taste and adjust with salt and vinegar. Strain if desired.
- Pour into bottles and enjoy, or simmer then in a pot for 10-20 minutes to develop the flavors even more, then cool and bottle. Store in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Mitch says
What is the yield on the above recipe. I am putting them in 5oz bottles for individual sale. Thanks!
Mike Hultquist says
Mitch, it depends on the amount of water or vinegar you use. You'll get 3-4 cups or so, depending.
Tom says
I've never used dried chilies to make hot sauces so this was really helpful for me. I was just using dried Arbol chilies as the main ingredient and a couple of Gua Jillo (sp?) chilies for there beautiful deep red color. These are pretty mild peppers so I didn't even think about your warning to make sure you have a very well ventilated area before toasting the chilies... Let me tell 'ya --after the sneezing, coughing, wheezing, feeling like I needed to drop and roll to escape the fumes and setting up the fans and opening all the windows and doors I was grateful for two things; 1.) the outdoor temps were only in the 30's F and not in the teens or lower and 2.) the rest of the family was out shopping so they don't need to know anything about this. Lol Beyond that, the sauce turned out great! Thanks for sharing.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad it was helpful, Tom! Take care.
Emily Maunatlala says
Good
Chitwan says
I got furry mould at the mouth of the jar 2 days into the fermentation. What did I do wrong?
Chitwan says
Sorry posted this on the wrong recipe. I used fresh green peppers.
Mike Hultquist says
Chitwan, somehow the batch got infected, so it could be that the jar wasn't thoroughly cleaned before starting, or some of the peppers were above the brine, which can get infected. Sorry to hear.
Anna says
Have you tried making Sriracha with dried peppers?
Mike Hultquist says
You surely CAN, Anna. If you want to ferment them, you may need to add some fresh peppers into the mix to get the fermentation going.
Denise says
Have tons of dried peppers. Giving this a try! Want to process them to be shelf stable. Does that reduce the flavor? Thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Processing does not reduce the flavor, Denise. Enjoy!
Ru says
Just made an absolute steamer, and very much thanks to you! I used Devils Penis chilli's from these guys (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://thespiceshop.co.uk/devils-penis&ved=2ahUKEwjOi9zakrD5AhXMi1wKHZhVB0oQFnoECAwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0Pgbtoo61wfHbuX_e9ScxG)
2 roasted tomato
1 whole clove of roasted garlic
3 anchovies
12x DP Chilli's - rehydrated
200ml Steep water
100ml balsamic
Zest and juice of 1 whole lime
300gm caramelised onion
Goes great with sliced beef and chicken kebabs. Proper zinger though!
All thanks to advice from from you, keep up the good work man 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear, Ru! Devil's Penis peppers, Haha, I'll have to get some of those! Glad you enjoyed it.
Kevin says
Thanks for the recipe! Gonna try this with my harvest of Thai peppers. I live in the PNW, and we had a super wet spring which affected a lot of my crops. The corn didn't do anything this year for example, and a lot of my herbs drowned. The rest of the growing season was typical. Meaning pretty much no rain in July, August, September, and most of October. I'm in an 8b growing zone for reference. This year was my first attempt to see which peppers I could grow, and I hadn't discovered this website yet, so probably made some rookie mistakes 🙂 My Cayenne and Jalapeño did well. The Thai peppers exploded! Far and away the biggest yield. No luck with Habanero at all. Could have been a dud plant. Anyways, looking forward to next year and seeing what I can do with some other varieties and different sun exposure.
Mike Hultquist says
Sure thing, Kevin. Glad to be helpful! Good luck with the peppers moving forward!
Seaseas says
This information is so helpful. Haven't made hot sauce before but am now going to try it for sure. Thanks.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy! So many wonderful possibilities. =)
Renée says
Hello, I just made this with dried árbol chilies and I'm excited to taste it!
I do have a question, are there any uses for the leftover steeping liquid? Perhaps added to stocks or soup bases? Or should I just toss it?
Thank you
Mike Hultquist says
Renée, yes, you can use it for soups/stews, even sauces. It is somewhat bitter, but has lots of flavor and nutrients. Freeze it for later!
greg says
Great site and article.
Quick question, what is the best way to make hot sauce salt-free (or very low sodium) from dried chilis? Seems most/all the commercial sauces out there are full of sodium -- would prefer an in-house method I could control the sodium input.
Mike Hultquist says
Greg, honestly just don't include as much salt, or use a substitute. Salt is needed for fermenting, but you can make a hot sauce from fresh or dried peppers without salt if you want to. Use other seasonings to taste, vinegar/citrus, and either skip salt or replace it. Let me know how it goes for you.
Emily says
I grew up in California. I live in Germany now. Finding food with taste is hard to come by here. My brother in law sent me dehydrated peppers, as he found making his own sauce was the only way to recapture the CA salsa taste. Thanks for the guide as I was stumped as to how to rehydrate and prepare salsa. Both my sister and her husband were vague on the details. This is totally in my skill set. Yeah to having food that will shirly make my family cry and me sigh with contentment and hopefully a runny nose.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear, Emily! Yes, dried pods are a GREAT way to go for flavor building. Glad to help!! Thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
Thanks! What a wonderful recipe to get me started. I am a huge fan of dehydrating foods so I have an array of flavors to choose from.
today I used fresh ghost peppers and dried fish peppers with a bit of dried orange, carrot, and 2 anchos. A dash of cumin and cinnamon . red wine vinegar and soaking water. Came out fabulous.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome! Glad to hear it, Kathleen!
David says
Mike,
Your website and videos have long been an inspiration to me and have become my go-to place for all things chili. The best part, however, is how that inspiration has spurred me to action in an area of life that brings me so much joy. When blessed with a plethora of red jalapenos at the end of the season, I came here first to learn how to smoke them on my PitBoss. Then, once again, I turned to this site to learn how to make my own hot sauce from those peppers. I wish I could attach a picture of my first batch but my sincere thanks for all of your work here will have to suffice. May you have many more years of your own inspirations for this passion of yours and sharing it with the world. Is there any way I can order your books directly from you with an inscription?
All the best my friend!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks so much, David. I wish I could sign some books! Perhaps in the future!
JM says
I dried peppers from my garden and wanted to smoke them before rehydration to add a rich smoky flavor to my sauce. Would you recommend this process? Also, should I mess with fermenting the sauce or peppers afterword's?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely, JM! It is SO GOOD! I have a post here on How to Smoke Chili Peppers (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/preserving-chili-peppers/how-to-smoke-chili-peppers/), so you can use them to make spicy powders and flakes. Yes, you can ferment them as well, though you may need a starter or mix them with fresh pods to get the fermentation process going. Enjoy!
Denise says
Hi. If you use method 1, steeping in just water (no vinegar), is there still a concern of leaching metal from the pan?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
No worries, Denise.
Bill says
My only comment is that if you are going to simmer and steep anything in vinegar, please use a quality ceramic or glass pot that can take direct heat such as Asian-style ceramic rice pots, or Corning's "Visions" glass cookware. The vinegar can and will leech heavy metals from metal pots into solution and then into your brain/body, and also pit your metal cookware to some degree.
If you must use metal, use one coated with traditional ceramic enamel that is not damaged or chipped.
Teflon, although indicated as being toxic itself, is actually very resistant to acids. I still wouldn't use it. At the very least, use a high-quality stainless-steel pot, although some leeching will still occur to some degree.
Never use cast iron, or any soft metal such as aluminum or copper.
Eric Nelson says
Hi Mike. I finally tried to take a mix of our dried chilies, cascabels, guajillos, pasillas, possibly anchos and chipotles as well (they're not labled!) and ferment them and make a hot sauce out of them. I rehydrated them then roughly chopped them and soaked them in a brine solution, from your recipe. The chilies were covered, but there was say 2 to 3 inches of air in the jar above them. They've been hanging out in the cellar for about 5, 6 weeks. I burped them often with no burp action. This definitely allowed air to get in though. I didn't notice the brine getting cloudy at all. I did notice some mold start to form on top though. I looked up and found this website: http://fermentationpodcast.com/five-questions-mold-food-safety/ . So I scooped out the mold and processed my chilies after fermenting, only adding one third of a cup of organic apple vinegar to about 2 cups combined brine, chilies - to keep the first batch simple. All seemed a-ok. But the sauce was a bit too thin. So I simmered it for about a half an hour (definitely no more mold spores now) and thinned it down to a third. It made a mess, got way more salty, is nice and thick now and the flavor is wonderful! This is a wonderful site!! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge! I've got more dried chilies in the cellar. . . Eric
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Eric. Glad it worked out as desired! Enjoy.
Andrew Corradini says
Got a bone to pick with you! (and I'm saying that with a really big smile and lots of love, so don't take it the wrong way!) I've been a happy/grateful ChiliPepperMadness-devotee for years -- been growing my own peppers (including superhots) forever, used all kinds of things about fermenting mash; recipes, etc. from here, and am eternally grateful. But I was just looking up something as a reference when this one stuck in my craw:
"The best vinegar to use, in my opinion, is a good quality vinegar that you love. "
Oh, come ON. All that's saying is (a) don't use crap, and (b) use stuff you like -- so, that's advice?
Here's my advice: if you're making basic pepper mash or basic hot sauce, use apple-cider vinegar: it's flavorful, and it's reasonably inexpensive. Using distilled plain white vinegar is going to give you no character/flavor -- it's cheap, and you'll get basically the vinegar equivalent of water in your sauce/mash. Next up is just ordinary white or red wine vinegar -- depending on how much you spend, and what you get, those will be significant alterations to the flavor of your hot sauce (especially the red) -- so choose wisely.
Now if you want to try to use something like malt vinegar? or something even fancier/more expensive like balsamic -- more power to you -- but that's going to really alter your flavor profile (way beyond even red wine vinegar). You're making hot sauce, here -- but if you're shooting for something *custom* - like a pickapeppa, or whatever - - this is where your choice of vinegar is going to significantly alter what you come out with.
Other'n that -- I can't imagine using much beyond basic white, cider, or white-wine (if that), for your *typical* hot sauce *bases*. Anything else is an *ingredient* in and of itself, contributing taste to the profile.
So -- "best vinegar to use is a good quality vinegar that you love" -- man, I love your site, but I'm still going to call that out as a dodge. You need to recommend something, and it's probably either just straight white bulk, straight cider bulk, or "if you prefer, better-quality cider vinegar", etc. Seriously -- just pick something and commit! 🙂
Again, love the site. About to make some mash - from your instructions. 🙂
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Andrew. I appreciate the nice comments and can certainly take criticism, but I'm not quite sure you read the entire paragraph on vinegar? I mean, I'm sure I could elaborate more (I'm usually much too verbose for most), but I do mention flavor profiles, etc. Think I should expand the discussion to detail particular vinegar flavors? I figured hot sauces makers could do that on their own. Much love, my man. Here is the vinegar section, including the final offending paragraph:
"You can use any edible vinegar for making hot sauce. I have made hot sauce with simple white vinegar, champagne vinegar, malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar and more. The key in choosing the appropriate vinegar is to consider the final flavors of your sauce. Some vinegars are sweeter and some are milder. The best vinegar to use, in my opinion, is a good quality vinegar that you love. A better tasting vinegar will give you a better tasting hot sauce."
I'd hate to discourage any hot sauce maker from trying a different vinegar, such as malt vinegar, which of course is not traditional, but that they might enjoy. Best!
Michael Rafferty says
Cheers Michael
I think I became accustomed to the pickled taste, but switching from distilled white malt to red wine vinegar seemed to mellow it out. I also added some cassia and cloves to the dried chilli soak, removing them before blending. It might all be in my head (it is chilli pepper madness after all) but I'm convinced that adds layers of subtle flavour.
I tried a very small batch ferment - UK supermarkets sell chillies in 30g to 50g packs (1 oz to 1.8 oz). It was excellent. I thought the dried chilli hot sauce might seem inferior after, but it was still good, just different.
I've found a UK supplier selling chillies by the kilo (2.2 lb). Happy Days! Have got half a batch of a cayenne cultivar bubbling away in a brine, and have just set the other half off in a mash. I'm following your ratios with both.
Thanks again for a brilliant site.
Michael
Northumberland, England
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding, Michael. Yes, Madness it all is. I love to hear how others experiment with and develop flavor. It helps everyone else get ideas. Flavor first! Cheers, sir!
Chad says
Nice, my hot sauce addiction is costing too much so I'm giving this a first try. Question: is it easiest to remove the seeds from the dried peppers before rehydrating or after?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Chad. Yeah, you can make your own anytime! I find it easier to remove them before, especially with larger pods. You can always strain if you want as well. Good luck with your hot sauce making!