Spicy, crispy, and HOT, in all imaginable ways.
I created these homemade buffalo potato wedges when my husband was on a restrictive diet – no grains, legumes, dairy or sweeteners – but still wanted to have a little “fun food” for a Super Bowl party.
He loves spicy stuff and went completely head over heels for Frank’s hot sauce, which is Whole30 compliant and pretty clean as far as ingredients go. But I have a thing for cute peppers at the Farmer’s Market, and when I’m wandering the stands on a sunny Michigan summer day, I tend to make impulse buys and then wonder what to do with a quart of cute peppers.
Turns out it’s not hard at all to make a homemade Frank’s hot sauce substitute, and you can even choose from naturally fermented or vinegar versions. Both are good, although as expected, the version with vinegar mimics the real Frank’s more precisely.
Related: Love spicy food? Try this spicy fish seasoning.
Recipe: Homemade Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce (“Frank’s” Taste-a-like)
Homemade “Frank’s” Hot Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 1 pint 1x
- Category: condiment
Description
Grab some cayenne peppers when they’re fresh from the farmer’s market and make a homemade version of the popular “Frank’s” hot sauce. Super quick and easy and lasts forever!
Ingredients
- 18 cayenne peppers
- 1 1/2 c. white vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic, paper removed
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Wash the peppers and trim off the stem.
- Put all the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
- Simmer on low for 25 minutes.
- Once cooled enough to handle safely, pour everything into a blender and blend into a smooth, saucy consistency.
- Pour back into the pot and simmer another 15 minutes.
- Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Lasts at least 6 months.
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Fermented Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce
- Category: condiment
Description
Fermentation adds valuable probiotics to a spicy condiment, and it’s so easy to do!
Ingredients
- Cayenne peppers, enough to fill a pint jar
- 3–5 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 1/2 tsp. salt
- water to fill the jar to the top
Instructions
- Wash the peppers (you don’t even have to remove the stems if you don’t want to).
- Place the garlic in the bottom of the jar.
- Fill the jar with peppers, attempting to press them in firmly so that they sort of hold each other down to prevent floaters from poking out of the liquid.
- Either add the salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase) and water and simply shake to dissolve, OR ensure success by heating 1/2 cup of water and dissolving the salt into it. Once cooled to body temp or below, pour the water into the jar and add more to cover all the peppers completely.
- Put a lid on the jar and ferment in a dark place (cupboard is fine) for 2 weeks. I usually set a calendar reminder so I don’t forget to get it out. (You can use an airlock, see below, or just a regular lid.)
- After 2 weeks, pour the contents of the jar into a blender and puree into a smooth sauce. Store in the jar in the refrigerator for up to a year. (I don’t recommend using two-part canning lids with a ring, because they’ll corrode with this recipe. Use a plastic lid.)
Notes
Recipe adapted from Frugally Sustainable.
The fermented version is less of a favorite although still delicious, especially in recipes instead of just poured on top. See that nifty air-lock on top of the jar in the photo on the right? That helps your ferments stay safe and mold-free. It’s possible to make a ferment without any special equipment at all – and if you’re interested in fermented foods you totally have to check out my friend Wardee’s incredible class – but to make this recipe without worry you can get an air-lock kit that fit regular mason jars.
The one in the picture is not in business anymore, but some on Amazon look very similar, like this one and this one. This set also would do the trick.
My husband seriously puts this hot sauce on everything:
- egg scrambles
- fried potatoes
- beans and rice dishes
- rice dishes
- bean dishes
- cooked meats
- tacos and nachos
- salad
- yep…I know…truly everything (but dessert)
Some days I worry he’ll leave me and marry Frank.
That’s why I have to keep cooking for him. 
I guarantee that when Super Bowl comes this year and he’s right in the midst of another Whole30, we’ll be having these spicy roasted potatoes. Probably with extra hot sauce on the side!
Recipe: Buffalo Potato Wedges
Spicy Buffalo Potato Wedges
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Category: side dish
Ingredients
- 3 lbs potatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 Tbs. seasoning salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase)
- EVOO (use the code STEWARDSHIP for 10% off at that site!)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 c. butter or ghee melted
- 6 Tbs. hot pepper sauce (Frank’s or homemade)
Instructions
- Toss potatoes with seasoning salt and EVOO. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on cookie sheets or baking stones. Bake at 425F for 25-30 mins.
- Mix melted butter or ghee with hot pepper sauce and toss with potatoes in a bowl.
- Return wedges to the oven for another 10-15 minutes (can be at a lower temp if you need to bake something else at the same time). Watch carefully for browning.
Notes
Feel free to serve with extra hot sauce, although these are SPICY already!
You can find this recipe in Plan to Eat and put it directly into your meal plans! Grab a 30-day free trial of PTE if you’d like to give it a test run. I find it particularly helpful when we’re doing a different sort of diet and I’m trying lots of new recipes, because the auto-generated shopping list saves so much time – PLUS, I was able to copy much of my meal plan from last year’s Whole30 into next month. So. Handy.
Want to adapt it for kids with more sensitive tongues? Just leave off the hot sauce and follow the same directions. We usually do one pan of “Daddy’s fries” and one for everybody else.
