Delicious, easy, 5-minute, homemade hot sauce with only 5 ingredients! Here's how to make hot sauce from fresh peppers - any sort you like.
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Have you ever tried making your own hot sauce? It's super easy and fun! And this fresh pepper hot sauce recipe might be the easiest yet. You can make it using any fresh peppers you like, and you only need a handful of simple ingredients and five minutes to do it.
This is a completely fresh hot sauce, which means no boiling and no fermentation process to worry about.
I love both cooked and raw hot sauces, but I tend to go for raw when I have just a few peppers handy. Cooking your peppers mellows their heat level, so going raw lets you achieve more heat with fewer peppers.
This hot sauce is freaking amazing and only uses six fresh, hot peppers to make.
As a bonus, since you don't have to boil any vinegar to make it, it doesn't make the whole house smell like vinegar. My husband was pretty happy about that part.
I've been using this green hot sauce on pretty much every meal I make. But don't worry - you can use the same technique with hot red peppers. This recipe is super flexible!
🌶️ Ingredients and Variations
- hot peppers - Choose your favorite fresh peppers to make this hot sauce: jalapeños, Scotch bonnet peppers, habaneros, Serranos, cayenne peppers, Fresno peppers, etc. If you don't have fresh peppers, check out my recipe for dried pepper hot sauce instead.
- garlic - Garlic gives this hot sauce such an amazing flavor and ups the heat level, since we are leaving it raw. Feel free to use more or less garlic, to taste. Just blend between additions, so you can get a sense of the flavor.
- apple cider vinegar - This is my favorite vinegar for making hot sauce. You can use white vinegar, but you may need to add some water, because it's more acidic than apple cider vinegar. Vinegar acidities can vary, so just add water by the tablespoon, if needed, to get the tanginess you want.
- sugar and salt - This is really up to your personal tastes and the peppers you used. Sometimes, I don't use any sugar or salt. Sometimes, I like to add a little of one or both. Taste your hot sauce and adjust the flavor, adding a little bit at a time and blending in between additions until you reach your perfect flavor. You can also use alternative sweeteners, like agave nectar or maple syrup, for a different flavor profile. Salt will bring out the smoky flavors of the fresh peppers, while a little bit of sweetness will cut the heat, if it's too strong.
- optional additions - You can flavor your hot sauce with herbs and spices of choice, if you like. For more umami, add fresh onion or shallot to the blender. You can also sweeten it with fruit or preserves, like pineapple, mango, peach, etc. To cut the heat and add even more umami, add some fresh or canned tomatoes to the mix. And, you can experiment with other acidic elements, replacing some of the vinegar with lemon or lime juice.
How to Make Fresh Pepper Hot Sauce
Chop the tops off of the peppers, and toss them into your food processor along with the garlic. If you are handling very hot chilis, like Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, wear gloves to protect your hands.
Add just enough vinegar to cover them ½ to ⅔ of the way, then blend until you reach a smooth texture.
Taste and add salt and sugar, if needed, blending in between additions.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to use a mason jar or an old sauce jar, so it's easy to use.
💡 Helpful Tips
- Because we aren't cooking this sauce, it will separate as it sits. Just shake or stir before using to get it back to an even mixture.
- If you want your sauce less hot, you can remove the pepper seeds and/or the veins.
- You can use a mix of peppers, but know that if you mix red and green hot peppers, you can end up with a sauce that doesn't have the most appealing color. It will still taste great!
- If the sauce is too thick, add more water or vinegar or strain out some or all of the pulp to reach your desired consistency. If it's too tangy, add water or sugar. Too hot? More sugar will offset that. To thicken the sauce, add more peppers and/or garlic.
🫙 Serving and Storage Directions
Store fresh pepper hot sauce in a jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for two to three weeks.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! All that will change is the amount of vinegar that you use. I have found that a 1:1 pepper-to-garlic ratio works with basically any fresh, hot pepper. Have fun with this recipe!
This is natural, since this recipe doesn't contain any emulsifiers. Just shake the jar or stir the sauce before using.
I use a blender, rather than a food processor, to ensure that I my sauce gets the smoothest possible consistency.
You don't! You certainly can, if you want that fermented flavor, but this hot sauce recipe uses fresh pepper with no fermenting needed.
You can use either! If you want to use dried peppers, follow my recipe for dried pepper hot sauce instead.
That really depends on you. The more seeds and the more of the inner veins you leave in the peppers, the hotter your sauce will be. If you aren't sure, you can remove the seeds and veins and add them back, blending in between, until you reach your desired heat.
🔥 More Hot Sauce Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
🌶️ How to Make Hot Sauce from Fresh Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 hot peppers of your choice
- 6 cloves garlic or more, to taste, depending on your peppers
- apple cider vinegar
- salt and sugar to taste, optional
Instructions
- Chop the tops off of the peppers, and toss them into your food processor along with the garlic. If you are handling very hot chilis, like Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, wear gloves to protect your hands.
- Add just enough vinegar to cover them ½ to ⅔ of the way, then blend until smooth. Taste and add salt and sugar, if needed, blending in between additions.
Steve Baten
Could you water bath or regular pressure can this Raw Pepper sauce?
Becky Striepe
Ooh I'm not sure! Proper canning like that isn't something I've done a ton of, so I'd hate to give you the wrong advice on that.
Linda Church
I have lots of fresh peppers but don’t want it so hot. An I cook the peppers first the. Follow the recipe?
Becky Striepe
Try a mix of hot and sweet peppers! Just choose bell peppers that match your hot peppers in color, so the sauce won't end up with a muddy color.
James
Can you post a chart showing the amount of White Vinegar or lemon juice to add to a mason jar of Hot Sauce? Not one article explains HOW MUCH to use...
Tanya
Thank you I was looking for simple easy recipe. I heard since it’s got vinegar it can last forever. I’m sure it won’t last forever in my household lol.
Becky Striepe
You are welcome! Haha I know what you mean about it lasting. Hot sauce goes fast in this house. Enjoy it!
Liza
Thank you, Becky! This is now my go-to hot sauce. I have been making this for weeks now and I have always got some in the fridge! If you add some agave to it, it makes a great sweet chili garlic sauce for dipping spring rolls or drizzled on popcorn!
Becky Striepe
Ooh I'll have to try adding agave. What a great tip! Thank you, Liza.
Cadry
Wow! I had no idea that making hot sauce was this easy. I'm a huge hot sauce fan. I can't wait to try this!
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Cadry!
Anonymous
I add 5 different hot peppers total weight 1 lb. of peppers. Came out great used different spices
Dianne
This is so helpful! Thank you! I always say that I want to make my own hot sauce, but it seems to daunting, but you've shown how easy it is! Thank you!
Beth
Just wanted to let you know we used a jar of this hot sauce as verde enchilada sauce and it was SO GOOD!!
Becky Striepe
I am so glad you liked it. There's a jar in my fridge right now that I've been putting on everything!
meemsnyc
Is it possible to use dried peppers too?
Becky Striepe
Ooh good question! I have some dried red peppers - I'll give that a shot and let you know how it goes!