When I was pregnant with my first son, I loved hot sauce so much that I put it on EVERYTHING, including ice cream {well, maybe not ice cream–but I did put it on salads and just about anything else}. But even now, without being prego, I love it.
However, now that I have health in mind and have been scrupulously staring at the backside of bottles to identify the ingredients, I’ve learned that most hot sauce is chock full of unhealthful preservatives and other unhealthful things. Which led me to researching and discovering how to make it myself.
The hot sauce recipe I’m sharing with you today is based off the ingredients on a Frank’s Red Hot Sauce label, only made with fresh garlic and real salt. And, of course, I had to tweak it to reach restaurant heights and make it original by adding a few more basic ingredients for extra flavor. The result is (in my family’s opinion at the very least) tastier than Frank’s!
This recipe is very simple and very easy to make. And the resulting sauce is fresh and delicious. It is a great way to use up the surplus of peppers you may have from your garden.
If you don’t have fresno peppers or if you simply prefer a different kind of pepper, just about any kind of hot pepper (including jalapeños or habaneros) can be used instead.
To enjoy the hot pepper sauce, simply use it as you would any other. Add it to recipes for some added heat and a boost of flavor or use it for dipping. My favorite thing to do is to mix two parts hot pepper sauce with one part melted butter then coat some chicken wings, cook them up in the slow cooker, and finish them off under the oven’s broiler for a crispy skin and the best hot wings you’ve ever tasted.
This recipe is a big hit at football parties, barbecues, men’s parties (such as Father’s Day or birthday), and even a girls’ night out. Everyone enjoys the fresh, flavorful taste and they’re always impressed when they learn that it’s homemade!
I want to try this recipe with all of the hot peppers from the garden.
How will this last in the refrigerator?
It should last probably about 6 months in the fridge, maybe longer because of the acidity of the peppers (I’d just keep an eye out for mold growth). It should taste better the longer it sits, too. 🙂
I was not able to get the direction for the hot pepper sauce. Can you tell me how I can get it. Thanks
Hi, Mike! The directions are with the recipe here in this post. If you are using Internet Explorer, you’ll need to use a different browser such as Chrome because IE does not display many websites correctly (and therefore you probably can’t see the recipe). Please let me know if you have any further troubles and I’ll email the recipe to you. Have a great day!
How about shelf life, can your recipe last for a year?
I found your recipe after I discovered that the sweet mini bell peppers I planted were in fact Fresno peppers (quite a shock!!). Just made your recipe, and it turned out beautifully! I used 1/2 jalapenos and half Fresno peppers. Super simple!! Thanks for the great recipe!!
You’re welcome. 🙂 Thanks for using it! Have a blessed day!
Hey! Ive made this recipe twice using a combination of Serrano and Habanero peppers (cant find Fresno, and I like it SPICY!) Very easy recipe and tasty! I replaced a 1/2 cup of the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar to add a bit of sweetness. I never really get close to the 3 cup yield though…I probably got closer to 2 cups. Thanks for sharing this!
Awesome! I’m glad to hear that you enjoy it. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing! 😀
Since this recipe yields about 3 cups and only lasts about 6 months in fridge, can I can the sauce for longer shelf storage?
yes
When I was pregnant, I put it on everything including ice cream. Favorite night time snack was strawberry ice cream with sea salt, mixed nuts and hot sauce.
Lol. 🙂
would love to try this recipe to make for wedding favors, but would it be ok not refrigerated ??? and if so how long? THANKS! excited if this can work! sounds SO good.
Possibly. I’m not sure how long since I’ve never tried it. 🙂 I do know you could can it, which could be stored probably up to a year or more unrefrigerated.
Hello, I’m trying this recipe now, smells great can’t wait to try! We’re going to can it. Should we take out the bay leaf before grinding it up?
Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
Gen
Nope, I leave mine in. 🙂
Hello!
Just about to make this as a stocking filler for Christmas.
I plan on making 6 – 8 small (150ml) bottles of it.
My question is, where you say “20 servings”, what do you mean by servings? A dollop or a jar?
Many thanks in advance 🙂
That’s a great idea! About a tablespoon is a serving. 🙂 The recipe card plugin I use doesn’t allow me to say things like “1 cup” or “12 ounces” or whatever, which is a bummer, because the only measurement is the vague “how many servings.” Hence the reason it’s vague.
How long would canning time need to be in order to properly preserve?
Hi, Denise. Here’s what I’ve done before: bring to a boil and process pint jars for 35 minutes and quart jars for 40 minutes (for high altitude, add 10 minutes per 1,000 feet above sea level). Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.
This recipe is amazing. I have made many times and once I tried using half white and half cider vinegar and it was not as tasty. I made it as gifts and had a lot of requests for more……
Make this!
Which is better white or apple cider?
Hello. I want to make this as wedding favours for my guests. If I make it and then fly it down to Mexico will it last outside the fridge for a week or so?
Thanks. Leslie
Hi, Leslie! If you can it properly and it is transported gently {meaning no tipping, rattling, shaking, etc.} it may be okay. I was always taught {via 4-H} that transporting canned goods is a risky affair though. If the seal is even slightly compromised, bacteria can get in. I definitely wouldn’t try actually shipping it. And with flying, the carriers can be pretty rough. One thing you could do is make it fresh when you get there, can it, then inform guests to store it in their fridges for two weeks before using it.
Hi! Just wondering if I need to remove the seeds from the chillis?
Hi, Mel–sorry for the late reply, I was off to a conference! No, you do not have to remove the seeds unless you want to. The seeds will make it hotter. 🙂
Thanks TJ! Looking forward to making it. Hope you enjoyed your conference!
Hi there, I’m wanting to try this recipe as we don’t have the franks hot sauce here in New Zealand (I’m making something that requires it) but was wondering if it will be alright to use straight away or do I have to refrigerate it for a week first? Thanks
Hi, Kimberly. It tastes better after it has set in the fridge for a while, but it should be fine using right away as well.
I just harvested 5 Habaneros from my garden. Given that they’re about 10x as hot (in Scoville units) as a Fresno, and somewhat larger, how many Habaneros would make the equivalent heat in this recipe? Around 2? Or would not the substitution not work that way?
I like hot, and love the flavor of Habanero, but I want to make a hot sauce that’s not weapons-grade. 🙂
Hi, Tim. I’d still use the same amount of peppers. The sauce will be hotter, but you can just use less. 🙂
I would love to try your recipe but did not see it on the site. May I be able to have it I would live to make it as my husband and I love hot sauce.
Thanks in advance, Tamara
Hi, Tamara. We had some technical difficulties with our website so recipes were down. They should be visible now. 🙂
Thank you so much TJ. I can’t wait to try it as I make hot sauce every year but don’t really have a real recipe. How about substituting the pepper with other peppers? Like cayenne peppers, habanero peppers or ever ghost peppers which I have all growing in my garden. Would that be ok?
And thank you once again for your reply.
Tamara
Hi, Tamara. Yes, absolutely, you can substitute with any peppers you want. 🙂
Hi TJ, Can I use Sweet Banana peppers?
Scott
Probably. Let me know if you try and how it turns out. 🙂
Curious, why you didn’t list it as Paleo also? As i’m sure, this recipe will work perfectly fine with regular Vinegar, you could try it or list it as an option?
Hi, Ole! I just forgot honestly lol. I’ll add that now. 🙂 Thank you kindly!
I always remove bay leaves at some point from all my soups, stews, etc.
But I did not see you explicitly specify removal of the bay leaf. So do you remove the bay leaf prior to blending or does it stay and blends in?
Eugene
I read previous post that TJ told someone that she leaves it in and grinds it.
Best sauce I ever expect! Just made it!
Used chili peppers. Devided all ingredient in half, because wasn’t sure about the result.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Glad you liked it! 🙂
Hey TJ, what have i done wrong, it tastes so vinegary? Help lol.
I even used half a cup less vinegar this time.
Would it be possible to give me a gram weight of 18 cayenne pepper? I have never seen a fresh one, and we don’t have them here. If I know the aprox grams, I can sub some quite hot peppers grown here locally. Thanks so much for your post.
Very good recipe..
I will be making this many times.
I savendy the smushed stuff with a little bit of the juice in a separate container to spoon on to eggs. 🙂 No waste.
Hi , what makes it red if you using green peppers . It looks red in display picture. Thanks, dennis
Fresno peppers are red
Thanks. I’m going to try this one.
1 question. What do you mean with Paprika? In the Netherlands a Paprika is also a bell pepper. I think you mean paprika powder? Just want to be sure.
Hi, I just finished running it through my sieve and had to try it. I used 20-22 scotch bonnet peppers for the recipe. The sauce turned out great nice heat, beautiful color and smell. Hot at first but not too hot that you cant enjoy it, lips also burning but after a couple of minutes the burning toned down.
I will definitely continue making this hot sauce for my family!
Thanks for posting the recipe.
Cheers
Ron
Great recipe. Just tried it over the weekend with a few of my own modifications. Used apple cider vinegar instead of white, and an extra tbsp of lime juice. Also loved that I didn’t need any xanthan gum to thicken it after running the sauce through the sieve.
My sauce is to thick to strain. What should I thin it with.
You can add a little more vinegar if needed. I usually force my sauce through the sieve with a silicone spatula.