Your First Batch of Hot Sauce

Making hot sauce at home requires four things: chillies, acid (vinegar), salt, and something to blend with. That's it. Everything else is refinement.

The simplest recipe

Ingredients:

• 200g fresh red chillies (jalapeño, cayenne, or bird's eye)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 120ml white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)

Method:

1. Roughly chop chillies and garlic.
2. Simmer with 100ml water for 10 minutes until soft.
3. Transfer to a blender with vinegar, salt, and sugar.
4. Blend until smooth. Taste.
5. Add more vinegar for tanginess, salt for depth, or sugar to balance.
6. Strain for a smooth sauce, or leave textured.
7. Bottle and refrigerate.

Shelf life: 2–3 months refrigerated.

Key principles

Balance is everything. Heat, acid, salt, and sweetness all need to work together. If it's too one-dimensional, add more of whichever element it's missing.

Taste as you go. Hot sauce is forgiving. You can always add more of anything.

Start milder than you think. You can always add more chillies next batch. Your first sauce should be enjoyable, not a challenge.

Next steps

Once comfortable with the basic cooked sauce, try fermentation — it produces more complex flavour. See our fermented hot sauce guide for the next level.