Humble House Ancho & Morita
Whereas most hot sauces these days are in a competition to see who can singe your tonsils the most, I like that there’s an actual balance to Humble House Ancho & Morita. It’s a surprisingly versatile team player, with a nice blend of smoky-sweetness, richness, and acidity, thanks to the tamarind. Andrew Bui, food writer and photographer
Bright And Fruity: Char Man Caribbean Hot Sauce
Heat level: Moderate to hot
Flavor: Char Man is fruity and tropical, with mango and pineapple flavors mingling with a few curry-esque spices. It’s made with a combination of three different chilies that pack a not-insane but moderately hot punch. I’d use this sauce on grilled chicken or fish, or mixed into beans and rice.
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Best Grocery Store Hot Sauce Brands Ranked
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Hot sauce might be the perfect food. The condiment section in grocery stores has ballooned in the last couple of decades to accommodate a range of spicy sauces. We’ve taken on the impossible task of taste testing and ranking the best grocery store hot sauce brands to determine what deserves to be in your pantry collection.
For hot sauce lovers, ranking can be a joy and a burden. While each country or region puts its spin on what can be considered an umbrella category of hot sauce, we decided to rank widely available spicy condiments . Many of these brands also offer different sauces with miscellaneous peppers. We aimed to select standard varieties from what was available at our local grocery store or for delivery.
For uniformity, we used one of our favorite unsalted Mexican-style tortilla chips as a sauce vehicle that would avoid altering the flavor. Then, we dabbed and dabbed again. Each grocery store hot sauce received a 1-to-5 ranking for flavor, heat, usability, and balance. Since the sizes ranged from 2oz.-to-17oz, we also considered the bottle’s value for the price. The price per bottle ranged from $1 to $17. But, hotter or more expensive doesn’t mean better. So, while we didn’t find many true stinkers, this ranking list found a few unexpected gems.
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What To Make With Hot Sauce
While hot sauce is great as a condimentover eggs on Sunday morning or a dash to add even more kick to Taco Tuesdayit can really help add zip to so many recipes. In fact, hot sauce is a major component of many Buffalo sauces. But dont stop with just wings! Check out all these tasty recipes with hot sauce.
Caribbean Pepper Sauce: Marie Sharp’s
A blend of Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, onion, garlic, citrus, and fruit and vegetables such as mango, carrots, or pineapple, this style is characterized by its floral aroma. Habaneros are hot, but they also have seriously amazing fruity flavor, and it makes the sting worth it.
The Famous Marie Sharp’s comes from the mainland of Belize, but its proximity to Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, where the habanero originated, and the Caribbean islands lends the best of what both regions have to offer. Most well stocked grocery stores carry this one, or it’s easy enough to pick up online.
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Melinda’s Original Habanero Pepper Sauce
Home cook and breadmaker Laura Wolfgang freely admitted to buying this hot sauce at the airport on a return trip from Mexicoeven though it’s pretty widely available in the States. Laura loves the mild heat and “lovely flavor” and doesn’t care if you judge her for not coming home with something more esoteric.
El Yucateco Red Habanero Hot Sauce
Sodium: 90 mg
Ingredients: water, habanero pepper, tomato, salt, spices, acetic acid, xanthan gum, citric acid, colored with fruit juice, sodium benzoate
We appreciate El Yucateco’s low sodium count, but we’re not huge fans of the ingredient list. Xanthan gum, which is also found in oat milk, is a stabilizer that could cause bloating. But if you’re hot and heavy for El Yucateco and can’t resist its savory spice, pair it with one of these healthy chicken recipes to at least get some nutrition and belly-filling protein.
Sodium: 92 mgIngredients: vinegar, aged peppers , water, xanthan gum, and benzoate of soda
Texas Pete is one of the most popular hot sauces in the United States, and we’re not happy about it. Texas Pete is just fraud all around. Harsh, we know. But this hot sauce doesn’t even come from Texas! What’s more? This North Carolina-born condiment contains artificial ingredients. Add on a 92-milligram sodium count, and this is one not-so-awesome sauce.
Sodium: 110 mgIngredients: water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate
If you’ve been paying attention, you probably know what’s coming. We’re slowly creeping up the sodium-additive scale, and Tapatío takes it to the next level. Feel free to drop Tapatío like it’s hot. Each serving contains 110 milligrams of sodium there are much better options out there.
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Is Hot Sauce Keto
Some hot sauces contain added sugar that adds 1 to 2 grams of carbohydrates to each serving. The ketogenic diet allows for a little sugar, as long as it’s under the daily carb limit. This means that many types of hot sauce will be okay in moderation as long as you pay attention to the servings and keep the carb count low the remainder of the day. Make sure youre reading ingredients lists and nutrition labels.
Dave’s Gourmet Crazy Caribbean Hot Sauce
This spicy sauce is definitely on fire, thanks to a generous dose of Puerto Rican red habaneros. The secret ingredientcarrotsadds a bit of sweetness and earthiness to the flavor profile. One Amazon reviewer said that the price is a steal since one bottle contains “more hot sauce than one person would ever be able to use in a lifetime.” Challenge accepted.
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Tastes Like Fancy Booze: Blis Blast Hot Pepper Sauce
Heat level: Mild
Flavor: BLiS is a chef’s hot sauce. The creators are probably most famous for their bourbon-barrel-aged maple syrup, and that syrup plays a unique role in their hot sauce. No, the sauce doesn’t contain any actual maple syrup, but the sauce base, made from cayenne, árbol, and chipotle chilies, is aged for a year in barrels that have previously aged bourbon, maple syrup, and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout. The result is a hot sauce with an insanely complex, layered flavor profile that you’ll almost want to sip from a whiskey glass.
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Trader Joe’s Habanero Hot Sauce
The Trader Joe’s Habanero Hot Sauce is by far the spiciest sauce on this list. After taste-testing it, I had to drink a whole glass of milk and stop testing other sauces for about 30 minutes to regain full ability in my taste buds again. If you’re looking for something that’s just pure spice, this is it. While there should definitely be a little skull on the label, there’s not, but know that habanero peppers rate at 100,000350,000 on the Scoville Scale, which is 100 times hotter than a jalapeño.
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The Second Slapping Jalapeno Hot Sauce
Well, this guy Chet who adorns the label of Tijauna Flats bottles was up to no good again, so his wife slipped some of this stuff in his moonshine , and Chet paid a hefty price for his misdeeds. Chet got a hearty kick of jalapeño peppers, vinegar, and salt into that grain alcohol. No one would recommend putting The Second Slapping Jalapeno Sauce into any kind of alcohol, but depending on how you feel about jalapeno peppers, it might be what you want poured over a meal.
Jalapeño peppers are by no means even close to the hottest peppers out there, so if you’re looking for a sauce that really singes your mouth, you’re better off looking elsewhere. However, what this sauce lacks in heat it makes up for in a pleasant flavor that we found offers a great balance of spice and vinegar. It really tantalizes the taste buds and leaves you wanting more. One jalapeño-loving customer praised this sauce online, saying, “This one is my jalapeño sauce of choice.”
How We Ranked Them
When you look at the nutrition label on any hot sauce, you’re bound to find 0s everywhere. 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 fiber. You get the picture. Hot sauce is made with a few, simple, low-calorie ingredients that have a negligible impact on the nutrition facts at such a low serving size .
However, as we said, there are two red flags that do make an appearance on the label: sodium and artificial ingredients. We ranked the best and worst supermarket hot sauces based on these two factors.
Still, it’s important to keep in mind that this article comes from a zoomed-in standpoint. Theoretically, you’re not eating hot sauce in massive quantities at any given meal. In moderation, the bad brands won’t kill you! But the whole Eat This, Not That! lifestyle is about making small, easy swaps for overall good health.
Think about it: If you eat a certain hot sauce that is high in sodium and additives every day, over time you may see some adverse effects. Conversely, if you swap out that hot sauce for one of our faves, you avoid these negatives. It’s as easy as thatjust like steering clear of these unhealthiest foods on the planet.
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Cajun Hot Sauce: Crystal
Characterized by their intense vinegar flavor, American hot sauces tend to be thin in texture and packed with the good funk of fermentation. Texas Pete and Tabasco have their fans, but my vote goes to Crystal for being the most versatile, all-purpose sauce when you want to spice up a dish. Many in the south wouldn’t make a pot of greens or a buttermilk fried chicken brine without it, and I can’t blame them. It’s available everywhere in the East, Midwest, and Southern US, and as well as the majority of supermarkets in West, and, of course, online. It’s extremely affordable, so there’s no reason not to keep it around for when the occasion calls.
Best Kit: The Chili Lab Homemade Hot Sauce Kit
If you love hot sauce, why not make your own? This handy kit includes two different spice blends that will let you make two different 4-ounce bottles of hot sauce. One spice mix is fruity and smoky, while the other has citrus and herbal notes. It only takes a few minutes to prep the hot sauce mix, and then it needs to age for three daysso youll have your own hot sauce blend in no time. The bottles with corks are included, along with a fine-mesh strainer and a stainless steel funnel, so you can continue experimenting with your own spice mixes after youve made and used your first batches.
Price at time of publish: $49.95
Size: 4 fluid ounces | Sugar: Not indicated | Heat rating: Medium
If the kit gets you inspired to make your own hot sauce, your possibilities are endless. Trevor Sullivan, owner of Pingala Cafe and Broccoli Bartwo vegan hotspots in Vermontoften uses hot sauce to heat up his dishes. He recommends making this tropical hot sauce:
Heat coconut oil in a pan and throw in a fistful of coriander seed. Just as the coriander finishes toasting, add carrot, onion, garlic, and fresh ginger and allow to sweat. After some caramelization on the onion, add a 2:1 ratio of water to white vinegar. Bring to a simmer. After the carrot is cooked through, transfer ingredients to a high-powered blender and add in fresh habanero peppersseeds and all. Season with salt to taste. Should be the viscosity of Sriracha.
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Great Flavor Without The Burn: Melinda’s Original Habanero Pepper Sauce
Heat level: Mild to moderate
Flavor: Melinda’s Original may list “habanero” on its label and among its ingredients, but the sauce is one of the mildest on this list. The base is made with carrots, onions, and garlic and spiked with lime juice and vinegar, so it has a great vegetal flavor, with just a hint of heat to liven things up.
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
The Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce Is Our Top Pick
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The Spruce Eats / Lecia Landis
If you’re looking for a middle-of-the-road hot sauce in terms of spicinessand one that will add the perfect flavor to a variety of mealsyou can’t go wrong with Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce. Another great option is the Tapatio Hot Sauce.
Like many condiments, hot sauce brands have attracted cult followings, with die-hard fans prepared to fight for what they believe to be the best recipe. Popular in Mexican, Central and South American, and Caribbean cuisine, there are many different types of hot sauce, also called chili sauce or pepper sauce, but they all contain chili peppers. The variety of pepper used influences the spice level of the sauce, with ghost pepper and habanero peppers on the hotter side.
The list of ways to use hot sauce is seemingly endless: Put it on everything from eggs to tacos, or add it to soups, marinades, stir-fry dishes, and sauces .
Whether you want to buy bottles in bulk or try your hand at making your own with the help of a handy kit, here are the best hot sauces on the market.
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Seed Ranch Flavor Co Thai Green Hot Sauce
Here’s a great companion for a stir fry or rice bowl. This handmade hot sauce includes lemongrass, Thai ginger, cilantro, basil, Serrano peppers, and lime juice. Plus, it’s vegan and sugar-free, if you’re into that kind of thing. Take the extra advice from Amazon reviewer Lodro: “After I tasted it I ordered a box and handed it out to friends as gifts for a month I can’t recommend it more highly.”
Why Trust The Spruce Eats
Donna Currie is a writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats. She specializes in product reviews and recipes, has written her own cookbook, and knows what to reach for when she wants to add a spicy kick to everything from eggs to tacos to marinades.
Lindsay Boyers, who updated this piece, is a functional nutritionist specializing in gut health and mood disorders. She’s written more than a dozen books and cookbooks and created over 1,000 original recipes, using the highest-quality and tastiest ingredients she can find.
Another update was completed by Amanda McDonald, an editor at The Spruce Eats who has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days.
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Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha
A twist on classic Sriracha, this Brooklyn-made spicy sauce has the sweet and spicy flavors you know and love in addition to the fermented complexity of Korean gochujang. Amazon reviewer Jimmy Deanpresumably the country singer and breakfast sandwich guru from beyond the etheradded, “What really sets this sauce off is the hint of sweetness that you get before the heat kicks in, creating a good balance that pairs nicely with a lot of different types of foods . Long story short, this is definitely one of the best Sriracha variants I’ve ever had.” You know Jimmy wouldn’t lie to you.
Best Sriracha: Bushwick Kitchen Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce
Amazon
This sriracha sauce and gochujang sauce from Bushwick Kitchen has a delicious and unique taste that lends itself to a variety of dishes. Customers praise the subtle sweetness, the fermented flavor, and the kick from the peppers. However, this isn’t the hottest sauce on our list, which means you can add more to get the flavor you crave on eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, stews, marinades, and more. The only complaint people seem to have is that they wish it came in a larger bottleit comes in a 10.5-ounce bottlebecause it gets used up so fast!
Price at time of publish: $10.99
Size: 10.5 fluid ounces | Sodium: 65 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates: 2 grams | Sugar: 2 grams | Heat Rating: Mild to medium
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Best Louisiana: Slap Ya Mama All Natural Louisiana Style Hot Sauce
Amazon
Do you remember when jalapeños used to be considered very hot peppers? Now, compared to the hotter varieties of peppers, jalapeños are pretty tame, but theyve still got a little bit of a kick along with great flavor. While this is a Louisiana-style sauce, you dont have to stick to Cajun recipes when you use it. Feel free to drizzle it on all your favorite foods, from tacos to jambalaya to your grilled chicken, smoked ribs, or oven-roasted meats. Its also great in your red beans and rice or your black bean soup.
Price at time of publish: $6.99
Size: 5 fluid ounces | Sodium: 200 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates: 0 grams | Sugar: 0 grams | Heat Rating: Medium
Tabasco The Granddaddy Of Hot Sauces
Tabasco has been around since 1868. Pages have been written about this trail-blazer sauce, the McIlhenny Family and their company. I may take some heat from readers for even mentioning Tabasco, but its hard to argue its popularity. And dammit, I like it. I love it on pizza, it keeps well needing no refrigeration, so I can carry it with me all the time.
For all you Tabasco fans out there, be sure to check out Tabascos History Tent and their Info Booth .
By the way, the correct pronunciation of the family name McIlhenny is mac-ull-henny
Ingredients: distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt
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