Learn how to make tabasco hot sauce with this homemade tabasco sauce recipe, using garden grown tabasco peppers, vinegar and salt. Fermented and non-fermented versions.
Homemade Tabasco Sauce Recipe
If you've ever considered making your own Tabasco hot sauce at home, I have the perfect recipe for you right here.
I've been making my own hot sauces for years, and I grew tabasco peppers in my garden this year just so I could make this sauce.
I'm a big fan of Tabasco Sauce. Some people in the chilihead community bash Tabasco Sauce because of its vinegary flavor and its low level of heat compared to other hot sauces on the market, but I personally have a huge amount of respect for the Tabasco brand and McIlhenny Company, as they've been around since 1868 on Avery Island, Louisiana, founded by Edmund Mcilhenny.
They practically started the hot sauce industry by bringing it to the masses.
Any company with such longevity and unquestioning popularity deserves respect in my book. Besides, I personally enjoy vinegary hot sauces, so here we are, making some at home.
Join me, will you?
I'll show you how to make it two different ways - fermented and non-fermented versions.
Let's discuss how to make homemade tabasco hot sauce at home, shall we?
Tabasco Sauce Ingredients
- FOR FERMENTED TABASCO SAUCE
- 5 ounces tabasco peppers, roughly chopped
- 2-2.5 tablespoons sea salt (.67 ounce or 19 grams by weight) (+ 1/4 teaspoon salt, if draining your brine)
- 1 quart unchlorinated water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- FOR NON-FERMENTED TABASCO SAUCE
- 5 ounces tabasco peppers
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
How to Make Tabasco Sauce - the Recipe Method
FOR THE FERMENTED VERSION
First, ferment the tabasco peppers. You can process them to coarsely chop them or rough chop them with a knife. Pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space.
The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 2 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go.
It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F.
The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases.
Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash”, for further instruction.
After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
Pour the fermented tabasco peppers, including brine, into a pot along with vinegar.
Alternatively, you can strain and toss the brine, then add the solids to a pot with vinegar and 1/2 cup water or more as desired + 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Or use only a part of the brine for a thicker sauce. More brine = more salty. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cool slightly then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy. You can adjust the volume with additional water and/or vinegar.
FOR THE NON-FERMENTED VERSION
Add the tabasco peppers, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt to a small pot.
Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to soften.
Cool slightly, then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
Gorgeous red pepper sauce right there already, much like the Tabasco original red sauce, but brighter in color.
Strain the pepper seeds and pulp mixture to remove the solids. Look at how much of the seeds and pulp remains.
You don't need to seed the peppers first, as we're straining the hot sauce.
Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy. You can adjust the volume with additional water and/or vinegar.
NOTE: Each version makes about 1 cup unstrained and ½ cup strained. I added in more vinegar to fill up 2+ woozy bottles and get the consistency more like original Tabasco hot sauce.
Boom! That's it, my friends. Now you have your very own homemade tabasco sauce, ready to drizzle and splash over all of your favorite foods.
Add a bit of spice to your lives! I hope you enjoy it.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Making hot sauce in general is easy, but there are a number of factors that can affect the overall quality and flavor of your finished hot sauce.
If you want to make tabasco hot sauce at home, consider some of these factors.
Fermented vs. Non-Fermented Tabasco Sauce
McHilleny Company ferments tabasco peppers for their original Tabasco Sauce brand in white oak barrels for up to 3 years. The longer you ferment, the more the flavor develops.
You'll have a difficult time duplicating the exact flavor of Tabasco without time, oak barrels, and trade secrets.
However, it is still worth making a fermented version at home.
The fermented version is quite a bit mellower than the non-fermented version. Fermenting breaks down the peppers chemically.
Essentially, lactic acid bacteria breaks down the carbohydrates in peppers and converts them to acid. It is a bit like a controlled decay process, and there are numerous benefits to fermentation, including more digestible foods, more vitamins, and more desirable flavors.
The non-fermented version, however, is much easier to make and tastes wonderful as well.
Comparatively, it has a stronger flavor with a bit more bite. Plus, you don't have to wait a week or more for fermenting. You can have it ready in less than half an hour.
Don't ask me to choose which version I enjoy more. I love them both!
The Vinegar
Your choice of vinegar will make a big difference in your resulting flavor. The key is choosing a good quality vinegar, and especially one of which you enjoy the flavor.
Using a cheap white vinegar will give you a cheaper tasting hot sauce.
Can I Make Tabasco Sauce without Tabasco Peppers?
You can make this recipe with any type of chili pepper you like. The original Tabasco Hot sauce, however, uses tabasco peppers, so using other peppers won't give you the same flavor.
If you use other peppers, you're technically making a Louisiana Style Hot Sauce, which is a larger category of hot sauces.
But go for it! I make hot sauces with different peppers, and also mix and match them, all the time with great results.
Learn more about tabasco peppers (capsicum frutescens) here.
Customizing Your Homemade Tabasco Sauce
Consider this a base recipe. It tastes great with only 3 ingredients - peppers, vinegar and salt.
After that, you can customize it to your own preferences with other ingredients.
Consider adding other flavors like garlic or onion, fruits like pineapple, mango or papaya, as well as herbs and seasonings such as cilantro, basil, chili powder or cumin.
You can also introduce other peppers for more flavor and heat, like the smoky chipotle pepper or fiery ghost pepper.
How Hot is Tabasco?
Even though tabasco peppers are very hot, actual Tabasco Hot Sauce is not quite as hot as the actual peppers, measuring in at 2,500–5,000 Scoville Heat Units. That is about as hot as a mild to medium-heat jalapeno pepper.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy the sauce. If you make it, shoot me a pic or post it on social. I'd love to take a look!
Try Some of My Other Hot Sauce Recipes
- Homemade Sriracha Hot Sauce
- Homemade Cayenne Pepper Sauce
- Aji-Garlic Hot Sauce
- Datil Pepper Sauce
- Fermented Hot Sauce
- Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce (Very Hot!)
- Habanero Hot Sauce
- Spicy Serrano Hot Sauce
- How to Make Hot Sauce from Chili Powders
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce with lots of answer to frequently asked questions, such as pH and acidity, processing, and where to buy hot sauce woozy bottles.
Grab a couple bottles of tabasco sauce!
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.
Homemade Tabasco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE FERMENTED VERSION
- 5 ounces tabasco peppers roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons sea salt (.67ounce - 19 grams)
- 1 quart unchlorinated water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar or more as desired
FOR THE NON-FERMENTED VERSION
- 5 ounces tabasco peppers
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white wine vinegar or more as desired
Instructions
FOR THE FERMENTED VERSION
- First, ferment the tabasco peppers. You can process them to coarsely chop them or rough chop them with a knife. Pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
- Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 2 tablespoons sea salt (4% brine solution). Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. Discard or save any unused brine. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
- Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. “Burp” the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, “How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash”, for further instruction.
- After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
- Pour the fermented tabasco peppers, including brine, into a pot along with vinegar. Alternatively, you can strain and toss the brine, then add the solids to a pot with vinegar and 1/2 cup water or more as desired + 1/4 teaspoon salt. Or use only a part of the brine for a thicker sauce. More brine = more salty. Bring to a quick boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cool slightly then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy. You can adjust the volume with additional water and/or vinegar.
FOR THE NON-FERMENTED VERSION
- Add the tabasco peppers, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt to a small pot.
- Bring the mixture to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes to soften.
- Cool slightly, then add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy. You can adjust the volume with additional water and/or vinegar.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This post was updated on 10/6/23 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 1/27/20.
Carla Miller says
Can this be processed
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes, Carla. There is plenty of vinegar in the recipe.
Curt Swindoll says
This is good stuff. Not for the faint of heart. Lit. Me. Up. Scalp and eye sockets are sweating. And I eat hot sauces all the time.
A couple of things: we used about a cup (which I think is about five ounces) of tobasco chilis and added 8-10 cayenne peppers. All harvested this morning. We substituted the cup of white wine vinegar for 3/4 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup of distilled water and a tablespoon of sugar. Simmered for 15 minutes (covered) to not lose too much of the vinegar/water. Blended it on “purée” since my food processor isn’t strong enough to blend it up. When filtering the mash you have to really pressed down on the sieve to get all the saucy goodness out. Added another half teaspoon of salt. It’s definitely redder than regular tobasco. And MUCH hotter. Might add a little more sugar. I’m guessing it is brighter red than store bought sauce because the chilis weren’t aged at all. All were orange and red. But it’s good.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Curt!
Joe says
Does it matter if dried tabascos are used? I'm just starting to harvest them now, but some will be dry before I get enough to try the recipe. Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Joe, you can make this with dried pods. Check out my post on How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Peppers to learn more: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/
Amy says
you recommended high quality vinegar. what is your preference?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Amy, I like to use white vinegar, though any will do, really. Just make sure you enjoy the flavor, as this is a vinegar heavy recipe.
Tom says
I want to add some pineapple to this recipe, when in the process would I add it?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Tom, I personally would add it at the end, when you puree everything. Just add some into the puree. You can strain out solids, if desired.
Chris says
The flavor is great. I just made this from my Tobasco peppers I grew in the garden. Awesome recipe. Quick question though. I followed the recipe to the T and I didn’t quite fill up one 5 oz hot sauce bottle. I’m wondering how you were able to fill up 2 with this recipe? Don’t get me wrong it is great. Just curious on how to get more bang for the buck in terms of effort. Thanks for great recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Chris, not sure if there was an issue, but it's ok if the jar isn't filled. You can use more peppers as well. Glad you enjoyed it!
Darrell Fluman says
You would think someone that presents themselves and their website as EXPERTS would take the time to do some research. TABASCO sauce IS NOT fermented. It is aged. The vinegar is in the mash, preventing fermentation. Fermentation is a process using bacteria, yeast or molds to transform the raw material. into something unique. A simple e-mail to McHilleny Company will confirm this. Do your own homework before posting.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dear Mr. Fluman, this is a direct quote from the Tabasco.com web site at https://www.tabasco.com/blog/about-our-barrels/:
"How are the barrels used in the production process? After red peppers reach the perfect shade of deep red, they are carefully handpicked, mashed, and mixed with a small amount of salt on the same day. This pepper mash is then transported to Avery Island, La. where it’s put into white oak barrels in the barrel warehouse. The barrel tops are then sealed with salt to form a natural protective barrier that also allows for the release of gases produced during the slow fermentation process. Pepper mash is aged in these barrels for up to three years before it’s blended with high-quality distilled vinegar for 28 days, strained, and bottled."
Please note the use of the phrase "fermentation process". While I appreciate comments, your tone is quite rude and flatly off the mark, good sir. Best to you.
Tim says
that was a very nice response to an otherwise $##_ comment. kudos.
Beth says
I have an abundance of hot peppers this year. I was wondering if youve ever tried to can this recipe?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Beth, I have not personally, but it is quite high in acidity. You can easily process the bottles or jars with a hot water bath for long term storage.
Jay says
So easy, my tabascos grew next to a habenero so it is pretty spicy. Love the heat. Time for ghost pepper sauce next.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Jay! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Bryce says
Just curious, after you've strained do you do anything with the seeds?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bryce, you can discard it, or dehydrate it to make a seasoning. Check out my post on this: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/seasonings-from-hot-sauce-pulp/
TJ says
Received a pepper plant for a gift a month ago....harvested all the peppers (5oz exactly!) and fermented for 2 weeks following your recipe. This turned out spectacular. I couldn't be happier!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, TJ! I love to hear it!
Justin Fendley says
Roughly how many peppers is 5 ounces?, I don't have a scale
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Try it with about 50 of them, Justin, though a scale is the best for this recipe for accuracy.
Stephanie says
I was confused with the directions. Firstly, what size jar? And do you use the entire quart of brine or just fill it enough just to cover the peppers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Stephanie, use a quart jar, and you only need enough brine to cover the peppers. Let me know how it goes for you.