The Best Hot Ones Sauces: In Conclusion
Im already hearing the following:
- This list sucks! How could you leave out ?
- If it werent for , you wouldnt even like hot sauce! It deserves a place on this list!
- is the best ever how did you put on and leave out ?!
With over 100 unique sauces that have appeared throughout the 16 seasons, theres no way Im going to make everyone happy.
Remember, this is just my opinion.
The margins to make the Top 16, to the Top Six Out, to the dozen or so sauces that just missed that list were razor thin.
I had more agony than I thought when I first conceived putting this together.
One sauce I think all fans of the show can agree on is that any best Hot Ones sauces list will never include Da Bomb.
My personal tastes are pretty obvious with my choices: For the most part, I like for mild and medium heat-level sauces that are versatile in their uses.
Another analysis I took is I think its evident that the hot sauce lineups in the later seasons have been stronger overall.
Only the best make the show and Im glad Im not the one who has to make those choices.
I started this blog in April 2020 and it took me seven months before I was comfortable putting together my first list and it has changed several times with the new seasons that have been added since that time.
Im very thankful that a show like Hot Ones exists. It has given many small craft hot sauce makers a shot at the big time.
What did I get wrong? Leave your best Hot Ones sauces list below in the comments.
What Temperature Should I Cook The Dairy To
Reader Lindsey was kind enough to take the temperature of her dairy as it caramelized.
For her, the magic temperature was just shy of 235F stage.
Shoot for between 230F-234F.
So if you dont want to go by color, use your instant-read thermometer and cook to Lindseys recommendation. (Thank you, Lindsey!
Ninja Squirrel Hot Sauce
Ninja Squirrel hot sauce is the Whole Foods version of the forever-famous Sriracha hot sauce, and it’s the 10th most popular, according to Instacart. The sauce was created by Derek Sarno, the Senior Global Chef at Whole Foods. What makes this version stand out from its fellow contenders is its garlicky taste, which is not overpowered by the heat from its top three ingredients: red jalapeño purée, red chili purée, and a habanero pepper powder.
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Hot And Creamy: Formosa Chipotle Hot Sauce
Heat level: Mild
Flavor: One of the most distinct hot sauces I tasted, this creamy sauce has the consistency and texture of a loose mayonnaise, thanks to a vegetable-oil emulsion. It’s hot, but that creaminess provides nice balance. After water, tomatillos are the main ingredient, but the flavors of smoky chipotle and cumin come through strongest. This would be a great sauce for burgers and sandwiches.
Great For Barbecue: Pain Is Good Louisiana
Heat level: Moderate
Flavor: Sweet and spicy, with an umami backbone thanks to Worcestershire sauce. Despite its name, it’s not really “Louisiana-style” in any sense that I can identify. It has some smokiness, and a thick texture that makes it more like a cross between Kansas Citystyle barbecue sauce and hot sauce. That’s not a bad thing. I’d reach for this one to dip my ribs in.
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Best Hot Sauce For Bloody Marys
Bloody Marys and oysters go hand in hand, and Seabury notes that both are great with an additional splash of any Louisiana-style hot sauce, but I love a chipotle-style hot sauce for that extra flavor explosion. Bloody Marys and oysters taste amazing with that hint of smoky flavor.
Walsh recommends a classic Tabasco because of its vinegar tang and says, Its long been a favorite for oysters on the half shell where the vinegar flavor works perfectly.
Crystal Louisianas Pure Hot Sauce
A quintessential Louisiana hot sauce, Crystal has a rather simple profile, combining aged red cayenne peppers with vinegar for the perfect amount of heat and flavor for seasoning just about everything.
Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce
You simply cant go wrong drizzling this chipotle-flavored Cholula hot sauce wherever you want to add a dash of smokiness.
The Best Hot Sauces Ranked In Order Of Their Hotness
October 7, 2019
If you are a hot sauce connoisseur, we made a definitive list of the best hot sauces ranked from not spicy to burn your insides and call an ambulance spicy
The Scoville scale is used to measure the hotness of a chili pepper. For some perspective, Taco Bell Fire Sauce is rated at 500 SHU, a jalapeño pepper is rated at 3,500 SHU, habanero is rated at 100,000350,000 SHU and the worlds hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper is rated at 2,200,000 SHU.
How far do you want to test the limits of your taste buds?
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Kumana Avocado Hot Sauce Less Than 450 Shu
For all the avocado lovers, this mild hot sauce enhances grilled steaks, burritos, eggs, salads, marinated chicken and pretty much anything that you want to add a little extra flavor to.
This is the ultimate condiment for garlic lovers! Its not very spicy, however it packs a punch in taste. Goes great with everything.
Franks is a great introductory hot sauce. Its very versatile and is great as a condiment for pizza, fries, etc. Absolute best sauce for wings . Good flavor, weak heat. A staple, if not remarkable.
The best-selling hot sauce in Mexico. It has tons of flavor with a nice kick and wont overwhelm a novice.
Bravado Spice Black Garlic Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
More products featured on Hot Ones? You bet. They know whats up, and this Bravado Spice Co. sauce is basically the best thing on the planet. Gluten-free, vegan friendly, totally natural, and spicy as a lava hurricane. Theres no official Scoville unit rating, but much like the Torchbearer that we just reviewed, this includes garlic and the Carolina reaper in its sauce. What could be better?
Well, thats what Bravado Spice Co. was wondering, but they figured it outmaple syrup. You read that right, maple syrup is the secret ingredient here. Its what makes it work. Its what takes the heat and makes it a bit more savory, turning it into a versatile sauce that you can marinade with, or just pile it on top of your food to feel the concentrated fire of a dwarf star in your mouth. Be sure to also check out our guide to the best garlic pressers that will make preparing food much easier.
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Hot Sauce Scoville Scale
The Hot Sauce Scoville Scale lists numerous hot sauces sorted by their pungency and their amount of capsaicin in Scoville Heat Units . A hot sauce, also known as chili pepper sauce is a spicy seasoning sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients such as various fruit and vegetables, vinegar and spices. In addition to changing the degree of spiciness, hot sauce is also used to alter the actual taste of a dish. The production of hot sauces can be done by cooking, fermentation, but also by using only raw ingredients.
The Best Old Fashioned Hot Fudge Sauce In The World
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Ice cream sauce fans, get ready to wow your family, your guests, and even yourself with this old fashionedhot fudge sauce recipe in all the land. This deeply flavorful dessert sauce is the same sauce I made in huge quantities at both fine dining restaurants I worked in. Its the kind of sauce that solidifies into chewy goodness in the fridge and melts to pourable perfection when warmed.Hands down my favorite and the best hot fudge sauce recipe for pretty much any of my ice cream recipes, but might I suggest chocolate caramel ice cream or caramel vanilla ice cream?It is seriously the best Ive ever hadnot kidding! Plus you can vary the flavor to suit your taste, too. Enjoy!For ease of browsing, here are all of my dessert sauces. Thanks for stopping by!
Lots of dairy and chocolate all cooked together yield the most delicious and rich hot fudge sauce!
Watch the web story for my Absolute Best Hot Fudge Sauce, you guys!
This is a superb hot fudge sauce recipe! I have made it twice now. I found I did not need to strain the sauce as it is pretty smooth as is. It is a very easy recipe to follow with big flavour!
Reader C. Teshima
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Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar
This is a chili sauce rather than a hot sauceso it has a thicker, jammier texture. But it’ll serve you just as well as any hot sauce on eggs, sandwiches, curries, and wherever you want some heat. In addition to spice it offers tangy sweetness from tamarind and savory depth from asafetida and fenugreek.
La Victoria Salsa Brava
Sodium: 60 mgIngredients: water, tomato paste, red jalapeño peppers, onions, modified food starch, salt, distilled vinegar, spices, citric acid, garlic, sodium benzoate
Were not fans of the modified food starch found in the recipe. With so many other hot sauces on the shelf, theres no reason to splash processed carbs on your food. Leave behind the La Victoria!
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Mad Dog 357 Pepper Extract
Coming in at #6 is another Mad Dog specialty: Mad Dog 375 Pepper Extract. It may be sixth on the list, but dont get comfortable because a drop of this hot sauce is anything but. A total of 5 million SHUs target every corner of your mouth, summoning the flames of Hell itself to make you choke, heave, and of course, enjoy a dash of 357 with your food.
Price Disclaimer
Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co
Another Ontario-based company that exploded in popularity following their multiple residencies on Hot Ones, Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. is a small-batch producer with an affinity for big flavours. In addition to their three Hot Ones heavy-hitters Scorpion, Pineapple Habanero, and Red Habanero, Heartbeat also currently offers a selection of sauces made in collaboration with the likes of Heatonist, Dustin Poirier, and Lake of the Woods Brewery.
Heartbeat Hot Sauce offers shipping across the country and can also be found at a number of select Canadian retailers.
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For Real Jerks: Pickapeppa Sauce
Heat level: Mild
Flavor: No, not that kind of jerk, this kind of jerk. This classic sauce from Jamaica is packed with warm spice flavors from cloves, ginger, black pepper, thyme, and a stint in oak barrels. It’s not very hot at all, but the heat does tend to build up over time. Raisins are used in the base, and once you know they’re there, you’ll taste them every time. It’s a great complement to grilled meats, soups, and stews. This sauce has been produced for nearly 100 years for a reason.
Best Hot Sauce For Wings
Much like peanut butter and jelly, wings and hot sauce are a match made in culinary heaven. For chicken wings, I love the traditional Buffalo-style wing sauces, but I am also a fan of sweet heat on my chicken, Seabury says. Any fruit-based hot sauce goes great with chicken wings.
The classic hot sauce for wings is Franks RedHot, long a regional favorite in upstate New York, says Walsh. The original Buffalo chicken wings from the Anchor Bar were tossed in a sauce made of nothing more than melted butter and Franks RedHot. Franks now sells a wing sauce in addition to its hot pepper sauce.
Franks RedHot Buffalo Wings Sauce
Theres nothing more classic than pairing the original Franks RedHot with your wings, though the brand also makes this spicier version for those with a more daring palate. Made with a dairy-free, natural flavor that mimics the flavor profile of butter, this hot sauce is also an excellent choice for dipping or drizzling on a burger or veggies. And if youre ready to get serious about your Franks fandom, you can buy it by the gallon .
Try Me Tiger Sauce, 6-Pack
Walsh recommends the sweet-and-sour, cayenne pepper Tiger Sauce as a classic complement to both grilled shrimp and Asian chicken wings. With a medium level of spice, its sure to be a crowd favorite.
Torchbearer Son of Zombie Wing Sauce
Heartbeat Hot Sauce Pineapple Habanero
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Best Mexican Hot Sauces
Valentina salsa picante
This is food & reviews writer Anna Lawsons favourite hot sauce of all time . Not only is the consistency satisfyingly thick and smooth, meaning it pours really well, its also packed full of flavour. It has a low-medium level of heat, rather than blow-your-head-off spice and loads of tangy, citrussy acidity. This makes it excellent for drizzling over tacos, nachos, huevos rancheros or any Mexican-inspired dish. We also like it with eggs, in halloumi wraps or swirled through yogurt to make an easy dip.
Available from:
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
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This article was originally published in 2017. It has since been reformatted for ease of browsing and updated to reflect what sauces are available as of 2021.
Naming a best hot sauce is an impossible task, akin to naming a best episode of MacGyver or a best style of dumpling. Different hot sauces fulfill different needs, and I wouldnt want anyone to live in a world in which each fridge held only one bottle. In that spirit, I wont even attempt to limit my hot sauce recommendations to a single best, or even to a top five or 10. Nope: These are 28 of my favorite hot sauces. I can tell you from experience that if you are planning on attempting this kind of taste test, give yourself a few weeks to space it out, stock plenty of milk and white rice, and keep your plumbers number on speed dial.
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A Childhood Favorite Returns: Todd’s Inner Beauty
Heat level: Hot
Flavor: Anyone who’s lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the last several decades is familiar with Inner Beauty, the hot sauce made famous at Chris Schlesinger’s East Coast Grill. His original recipe, which blends mustard with habanero peppers, molasses, Chardonnay wine, honey, and a whole slew of tropical fruit juices, is the kind of thing you’d come up with only in an expanded mental state. Throughout my childhood, my dad kept a bottle of Inner Beauty in our fridge door at all times, so I was saddened to hear that the sauce was being discontinued.
Thankfully, Todd’s Salsa, out of Bangor, Maine, decided to revive the sauce a few years back. The first taste I had of that distinctly mustardy, tropical flavor was an immediate punch in the mouth that sent me back in time to those early, formative years of hot sauce tasting. It’s exactly as I remember, and just as glorious. This stuff really shines on grilled seafood, but it’s a great all-purpose sauce you’ll want to keep in your fridge door, just like my dad did.
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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.
A Word Of Warning About Working With Hot Peppers:
Lets stay safe here when working with hot peppers. So even when youre working with mild hot peppers like poblanos and jalapeños, its important to:
- Wear gloves while handling and cutting.
- Wash hands extremely well after handling.
- Wear goggles and work in a well-ventilated area .
- Wash all cutting boards, knives, and utensils well after preparing.
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Hot Sauce Tasting In Berlin: How To
Pfefferhaus is located at Dircksenstraße Bogen Nr. 94 on the outside ground floor area of Alexanderplatz U/S-bahn station. The tasting table is near the cashier’s desk. Inform Emil as to your heat tolerance and hot sauce taste preference: smoky, sweet, sour, citrus, etc. Pick up a beer from the grocery store across the street and enjoy the ride. Open from 11-19:00 Monday-Saturday.
Do I Have To Caramelize The Dairy Mixture
Taking the time to caramelize the sugar/dairy mixture adds an extra layer of flavor and yields a fudge sauce with a chewy texture.
No, you dont. But if you dont take the 20-30 minutes to cook the dairy until it has caramelized, you will not have made the best hot fudge sauce in the world.
You will have made a very good one, but it wont be the best.
Caramelizing the sugar/dairy does a couple of things:
- It evaporates out some of the water, concentrating the flavor and allowing for a thicker sauce and that old-fashioned chewy texture that is so incredibly addictive.
- The caramelized sugar and milk solids lend a deep, complex base flavor that you would not get if you dont take this step.
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And Check Out These Reader Favorites
- Bread and Butter Pickles. These are the simplest pickles you can make. Mix up a batch to eat straight out of the refrigerator, or can a batch for later!
- Mixed Berry Jam. Jars of this red-purple jam make for beautiful giftsjust wrap a ribbon and label around the rim, and youre all set.
I hope you have fun experimenting with hot sauce making in your own kitchen! It is easy and the results are absolutely delicious. Enjoy!
