Easy Homemade Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce Recipe – Fresh, Spicy & Flavorful

If you’ve ever looked at a pile of fresh, ruby-red cayenne peppers and thought, “What the heck am I supposed to do with these?”—welcome to the club. And congratulations! You’re about to embark on a spicy little adventure that ends with a bottle of homemade hot sauce that’s equal parts fire, flavor, and bragging rights.

We’re talking homemade cayenne pepper hot sauce—the kind of stuff that perks up your eggs, ignites your tacos, and might just make you cry a little (in a good way). It’s the kind of kitchen experiment that feels both rebellious and resourceful. You've got peppers? You've got power.

Step 1: Know Thy Peppers

Cayenne peppers might look unassuming—long, skinny, and bright red—but don’t let their appearance fool you. These little devils pack a punch somewhere in the 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville unit's range. In other words, they’re not here to play. But that’s what makes them perfect for hot sauce: they bring heat, but they also have a clean, peppery flavor that plays really well with garlic and vinegar.

So, grab about a cup of fresh cayenne peppers—that’s around 20 to 25 depending on size. Wash them up, and pro tip: wear gloves unless you want to discover what “burning hands syndrome” feels like when you accidentally touch your eye later.

Remove the stems. If you want a tamer sauce, take out some seeds. If you want to scare your friends (or yourself), leave ’em in.

Step 2: Gather the Flavors

This isn’t one of those 30-ingredient sauces that requires rare Himalayan salt and a whisper from Gordon Ramsay. You only need a few simple ingredients:

• 3 cloves of garlic (because garlic makes everything better)

• ½ cup white vinegar (for tang and preservation)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar (totally optional, but it balances things out)

• ¼ cup water (optional to mellow the intensity, just a bit)

It’s a short grocery list, but don’t underestimate it. These humble ingredients come together like the Spice Girls of your pantry: each one doing its thing, and somehow, the result is magical.

Step 3: Heat Things Up (Literally)

Now toss everything into a small saucepan. Your peppers, garlic, vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Bring it to a gentle simmer over low heat for about 5-7 minutes. This step softens the peppers, mellows the garlic, and makes your kitchen smell like something spicy and wonderful is about to happen (because it is).

While it’s bubbling away, resist the urge to stick your face directly over the pot. Vinegar steam plus cayenne is basically nature’s pepper spray.

Step 4: Blend It Up

Once it’s cooled slightly (you don’t want a lava blast in your blender), pour the whole mix into a blender or food processor. Give it a good whirl until smooth. If you like a chunky, rustic hot sauce, you’re basically done. But if you’re after that smooth, professional hot sauce vibe, you’ll want to strain it through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth.

Either way, you’re looking at a glorious, vibrant red liquid that smells like spicy victory.

Step 5: Bottle the Magic

Pour your masterpiece into a clean glass bottle or jar—something with a tight seal, because you’re going to want to shake it. A lot. Store it in the fridge, where it will happily hang out for up to 3 months (but honestly, you’ll use it up way sooner).

Hot tip (pun intended): The flavor gets even better after a few days as everything mingles. It’s like a honeymoon for your ingredients.

Optional Side Quest: Fermentation

Want to get fancy? Skip the simmering, toss chopped peppers, garlic, and salt in a jar, cover it with a fermentation weight, and let it sit at room temp for a week. Then blend, strain, and enjoy that tangy fermented flavor hot sauce connoisseurs drool over. Think of it as leveling up your spice game.

There you have it: a fiery little bottle of boldness that you made from scratch. Drizzle it, dab it, or dare your friends with it—this homemade cayenne pepper hot sauce is your ticket to becoming that person with “the good hot sauce.”

And next time someone asks what to do with all those fresh cayenne's, you can smile, hand them a bottle, and say: “Welcome to the hot side.”