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.
Isabel says
Due to unforseen events I was not able to work with the Tabasco peppers from our garden. Best I could think to do was dry them until I could give the recipe my attention. So, now my question is: can I rehydrate the peppers to make the sauce. If so can I go straight to fermentation. I have lots peppers, so I can do either recipe. Great ful for all your knowledge.
Isabel Potter.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Isabel, yes, you can make sauce with dried pods. I have a post How to Make Hot Sauce from Dried Pods here for your review: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-hot-sauce-from-dried-peppers/. You can also ferment them, but might need to include some fresh pods or a fermentation starter to get things going. Good luck!
Lee says
I have no experience making hot sauce so I appreciate how quick and easy this was to follow! I made the non-fermented version and it came out tasting great! My issue is it's a bit hotter than what I'm used to. I made only one bottle and that was the entire supply of homegrown peppers for the season. I also used half the amount of salt.
Is there anything I can do to this existing bottle to tone it down a little without having to cut it with sauce made from non-homegrown peppers?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lee. Yes, the easiest way would be to make another batch with milder pepper then combine them. You can age the sauce a bit to let it mellow, though that doesn't always happen. You can use it sparingly, of course. Or, keep a dairy on hand to counteract the heat. You can also try re-simmering the sauce with a bit of honey, which can help cut the heat a little. Otherwise, dilution is really the best way to cut the heat. I hope this helps!
Chef L says
Excellent and easy to follow - Hot Sauce Recipe!
If your sauce is too Spicy! . A smidge or more of sugar will balance the kick of the capsaicin. I’d be a bit worried using honey. If added after you have done the cook, it will add live bacteria that may activate another good or bad fermentation.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Chef!
Lisa Dunn says
I’ve made this with Tabasco peppers. It comes out a little tangier than store bought sauce.
I just made it with fermented macho peppers, and WOW! It’s a whole new level of delicious!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice!!! Thanks, Lisa!!
P says
I'm two days away from the two week mark and I have a ring of what just be mold just above the water and floating on top. It's white. I have to throw this whole batch out and try again? Why did this happen? I was keeping the peppers submerged.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
P, that could just be kahm yeast, which is not harmful, though it is sour. It is smooth, not fuzzy. You can scrape that off. If it is fuzzy, it is likely mold, and could have infected the entire batch.
Anne Temple says
Hi -- I have about 1 cup of red peppers and a bunch more of the orange and lighter colors still on the bush. Can I use the orange ones too? We are going to get a frost here so I am going to need to harvest them. Thanks! Dying to try this recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hi, Anne. Yes, you can use the lighter colored ones as well. Green are still edible, but will give it an unripened flavor. If the majority are nice and ripe, should be fine. Let me know how it goes.
Ollie says
What advice can you give on storage / shelf life? I’m assuming a dark cabinet should be fine but I have more than I’ll use anytime soon (I think). As I didn’t have enough ripe peppers at once I made a mixture of brined and fresh with garlic in both steps.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Ollie, if you want to store outside of the refrigerator, make sure to have enough acid. Shoot for a pH of 3.5 or lower for home keeping. For best results, consider preserving via water bath.
Teresa says
How many peppers would 5 oz be in volume, 1 cup, 1.5 cups, etc.? I don’t have scale to measure weight.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Teresa, this is difficult to say as sizes can vary quite a lot, so it really is best to get yourself a kitchen scale. But, I estimate about 20-25 tabasco peppers per ounce in weight. Again, sizes can vary.
Cynthia says
I just made the fermented recipe. It taste great and is very hot. The only question I have is why it is separating in the bottle.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Cynthia. That is normal with hot sauce making. A lot of commercial sauces use thickeners and stabilizers like xanthan gum (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/ingredients/xanthan-gum/), which you can look into as well. Otherwise, just give it a shake before use.
Megan M says
Made this with green tabasco peppers from our garden, the unfermented version. It is good but EXTREMELY hot. I didn't think tabasco sauce could get that hot!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Yes, you can get some heat, as peppers will vary from plant to plant based on many factors. If you need to tamp the heat, you can make a different batch with milder peppers, then combine them.
John H says
I followed the fermentation instructions and ended up with a sour tasting final product. The ferment smelled and looked fine and had a pleasant smell. Just curious if the taste profile changes over time or did something go wrong?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
John, sourness is fairly common with ferments, actually. It COULD be that you had a bit of kahm yeast, which is harmless but quite sour in flavor. I hope it isn't off putting.
Jan says
Can you cook up a batch of fermented and non- fermented at the same time?
Thanks,
Jan
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Do you mean together? Sure, you can mix them. Or in separate pots? Surely.
Dave says
Have made multiple of your hot sauce recipes (fermented and non) with different peppers. All have turned out wonderful. Thank you very much!
I've also read most of the comments and appreciate you answering each. I am making the fermented version of this recipe and want to try without boiling to retain the probiotic benefits. I know you've answered before but couldn't find the comment. What is the process I need to follow to do this?
Thanks again!
Dave
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Dave, you can just ferment the peppers and process all of ingredients, then simply skip the cooking/boiling step. Transfer the sauce to bottles and enjoy. It may continue fermenting so keep an eye on it. You may need to burp the bottles to release gas build up. Refrigeration will slow this down. Enjoy!
Andrew Ronnow says
Do you use all of the brine after fermenting? I've made several different batches of "tabasco" using different peppers and I've never measured the amount of brine that I use (I have never used all of it). I ask because you say you at some vinegar to fill up a woozy bottle, but did you use ALL of the brine or just some of it. I'm trying to create a recipe so that the only difference in bottles would be the heat level based on what type of peppers I'm using, but with the same consistent saltiness and such. Great recipe by the way, haven't been disappointed with my ghost pepper "tabasco" and my habanero "tabasco"!! Again, just looking for a consistent flavor (saltiness) with just the heat level being the difference.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Andrew, I use some of it, not all. It's quite salty, so that's the biggest factor. Enjoy all the sauces!!