Whether it is your favorite store-bought sauce or your batch of homemade hot sauce that's turned runny, here's how to thicken hot sauce using different thickening agents and kitchen techniques to get it to that smooth, uniform and spreadable consistency that you want to.
If you're like me and the millions of others around the world who love that kick of heat that a good hot sauce can lend your foods, you know how the sauce having the right texture is almost as crucial as the spice and heat.
Think about it- you're trying to make your favorite Buffalo chicken wings at home, and all you have is a watery hot sauce to work with. Well, if that's the case, here's how you can thicken the hot sauce, or practically any other commercial hot sauces that you want to improve the texture of.
Jump to:
PinHow to Thicken Hot Sauce Using Different Thickening Agents
There are several add-ons and ingredients you can use as thickening agents to make your hot sauce thicker, ideally without affecting its flavor.
Using Cornstarch
Cornstarch is an absolute favorite thickener for most home cooks, and that's just because of how easy and simple it is to put to use. When I'm making a batch of hot sauce at home, I almost always turn to using it to give the sauce some body and make it thicker.
If you're making your own hot sauce, I would highly recommend using cornstarch, especially if you're in need for just a bit of light thickening.
To thicken a cup of hot sauce, you can prepare a simple slurry made using a tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of water, and add it to your sauce while it is till on heat, making sure you stir the sauce continuously until it thickens.
Take this off heat and allow the sauce to cool down. Remember to stir the sauce continuously while you're adding the cornflour mixture, or you'll end up with a lumpy sauce.
Using Pectin
Pectin is natural, healthy fiber found in many fruits. At high temperatures, it behaves just like gelatin, and can transform your thin hot sauce to a nice, thick hot sauce jelly of sorts.
I actually used it for my homemade sweet and spicy pepper jelly too and you can see how the results turned out.
Just like cornstarch, a little goes a long way with pectin when you're using it to fix your runny hot sauce and get it to its correct consistency.
By Adding Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is a common thickener used in commercial hot sauces and a lot of other packaged foods, and is actually a great choice too, especially if you want that full-bodied thick sauce.
You can use Xanthan gum to thicken your homemade hot sauce too. Simply add ⅛th teaspoon per cup of hot sauce and blend it well into the sauce while it is still hot, using a blender.
Using Arrowroot
Arrowroot is an excellent gluten free thickener that you can use to thicken your favorite hot sauce if you don't have cornstarch or any other ingredients.
Arrowroot powder is pretty much flavorless, which is another plus, and you can simply add it to your hot sauce while it is still on heat and stir it continuously until it has combined well, just like you would with the cornstarch slurry.
I like to use arrowroot powder to thicken my favorite Buffalo wing sauce, simply because it can fix its texture and consistency without affecting the flavor of the sauce.
Can You Thicken Your Hot Sauce Without Any Thickening Agents?
You definitely can! If you want your hot sauce to thicken without adding any additional thickening agent, you can simply reduce the sauce by letting it simmer on low heat for a while, until all the excess water has evaporated.
This technique is one of the best methods for thickening hot sauce that is homemade in particular, as most store-bought and commercially available hot sauces already use a thickener, and you don't necessarily need to employ any additional methods unless you really want to.
- Start off with a non stick pan and empty all of your hot sauce into it.
- Let the sauce simmer on low heat until you start to see it bubbling. Keep stirring the pan occasionally to prevent the sauce sauce from burning.
- You can also scrape the sides of the pan and keep mixing the sauce together to ensure that the sauce has a uniform consistency.
- Avoid reducing the hot sauce on very high heat as it can cause the sauce to end up burning and even losing its flavor.
- Once the sauce has reduced to a decent amount, take it off heat and allow it to cool down completely before you use it or store it for later. This will actually thicken up your hot sauce even more.
PinWhat is the Best Way to Thicken Hot Sauce?
The best way to thicken hot sauce depends on the kind of hot sauce you're using. The idea is to employ a method that doesn't affect the flavor of the hot sauce, but still manages to transform it into a thicker sauce that you can team up with your favorite foods.
You can choose to simmer your hot sauce if you don't want to use any additional ingredients, or use any of the above thickeners to help thicken your hot sauce.
Cornstarch and flour are the most readily available ingredients, which is why, they are great to make your sauce thicker when you're looking for effective thickening.
Pectin is useful in more ways than one, because it doesn't just make the hot sauce thicker, but also keeps the sauce from separating when stored for later, acting as a great stabilizing agent too.
