13 Best Hot Sauce Brands, Ranked
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Hot sauce is one of the greatest condiments. Typically made from a simple base of peppers and vinegar, hot sauce can be an uncomplicated addition to any meal. However, there are a lot of options when making hot sauce. Different peppers have different flavors and spice levels. Additional herbs and spices can be added to the mix to create a more complex flavor. The world is really your oyster when it comes to hot sauce, which is probably why there are so many different kinds found all over the world.
Hot sauce finds its roots in Central and South America, which is where peppers originate from. Over time, colonization and global trade led to peppers — and pepper sauces — moving all over the world, with different communities developing their own styles and favorite ways of creating them. It was not until 1807 that the first hot sauce was bottled and sold commercially in America. It made waves then as a hot new commodity. But since then, the market has become practically overrun with hot sauce. Different styles and flavors, all of varying quality, have popped up on your favorite grocery's shelves. We have decided to try and narrow it down and rank the top hot sauces using data on sales, ingredients, and consumer reviews to find the best hot sauce.
13. Trappey's
Trappey's is an early brand of hot sauce that first came on the market in 1898. Unlike some hot sauce, which includes cooked peppers, Trappey's is produced using uncooked cayenne peppers. The brand has two main hot sauce styles; one is Trappey's Louisiana Brand Original and the other is Trappey's Red Devil. Both blends have artificial thickeners and preservatives, and the Louisiana Original even has red dye #40 in it. This seems ironic coming from a company with a website boasting its method is used to "retain the pepper's color."
Still, what is most important is the flavor. One of the significant issues we have is that for a brand with a bottle called "Red Devil," which uses a medium heat pepper and cayenne, there really just is no heat to either hot sauce. Pepper Scale notes that the sauce is surprisingly mild. A review on Amazon agrees that both, not just the Red Devil, also lack a vinegar taste. Overall, Trappey's is fine, but it just doesn't have the kick to be a top-ranked hot sauce.
12. Texas Pete
Despite the name, Texas Pete is not made in Texas. In actuality, the name came as a way to try and elicit spicy imagery for the brand. The company was founded in 1929 and started as a restaurant that specialized in barbecue. The BBQ sauce is what really took off, and eventually, the restaurant closed, and the company's focus turned to jarred products, including Texas Pete Hot Sauce.
One of the advantages of the line is that it has a whole host of products, ranging from the Original Hot Sauce to its own versions of sriracha and garlic hot sauce, among many others. We appreciate the variety, but it does not fully make up for where the company falls short.
First, due to the blatant misnomer of "Texas" in the title, the company has been sued. Second, Texas Pete is also not particularly spicy, coming in at less heat than even a poblano pepper (via Pepper Scale). One Target reviewer described it as "not even close to hot."
Heat, of course, is not the only determination of quality. The ingredients are fairly simple, though they do contain some preservatives. Of course, without any other spices or flavors, we are really relying on the pepper itself to be forward. And while the flavor is simple, it really just tastes peppery and lacks any heat to elevate it past a basic hot sauce. Perhaps the company should have stuck with BBQ sauce.
11. Tabasco
Just because a product was one of the first on the market does not mean that it is the best. Tabasco came on the scene in 1868 in Louisiana. The company was founded by Edmund Mcllhenny when he returned from fighting for the Confederacy at the end of the Civil War. Today, the company is still family-owned.
The company now makes a whole range of products with varying flavors and spice levels, but we are going to focus on the original Tabasco variety. Like many of the original hot sauces, Tabasco Original is made from just peppers, vinegar, and salt. The sauce is barrel-aged in the same method that the company has used since its founding.
The Scoville rating, which is a method of ranking the heat, is 2500 to 5000, which does make Tabasco hotter than many of the previous pepper sauces on this list. The company also does not load up on artificial preservatives or flavors, which we appreciate. This creates a clean hot sauce that is easily palatable to consumers. That is likely why it is the sixth best-selling hot sauce on Instacart when measured per pound. Sixth is not shabby, but not ideal. As one Redditor commented, it has a very acidic bite to it, and there just is not much to set it apart from the crowd.
10. Louisiana
Louisiana Hot Sauce was founded in 1928, and unlike Texas Pete, it is actually from its namesake state. The company now makes a whole line of hot sauces made from peppers, vinegar, and salt, creating a simple, if somewhat uninspired hot sauce that reaches a measly Scoville rating of 450 (via Pepper Score). The company also now makes a hotter habanero sauce, as well as a Hotter Than Hot variety, and more flavorful options, such as Sweet Heat With Honey and Roasted Garlic. We appreciate the variety, but what of the taste?
According to 2022 data from Instacart, Louisiana is the ninth best-selling hot sauce brand based on pounds of hot sauce sold. This shows some increase over 2018 when the hot sauce brand did not make the list (via Instacart). So it is not surprising they are rising in the ranks. When questioned about their preferences, many Redditors commented that they found it to be a solid staple for a basic hot sauce. However, some preferred the spicier varieties that come from the company. While many did have hot sauce brands they preferred, they agreed that Louisiana is a solid option.
9. Firelli
This list has hot sauces from all over, but Firelli's is the only Italian hot sauce to make the cut. Firelli's is a unique hot sauce made in Parma, Italy. What sets it apart from other hot sauces is its ingredient list. Firelli Original hot sauce is made from roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, apple vinegar, Calabrian hot peppers, lemon juice, sugar, flavorings, salt, spices, porcini mushrooms, xanthan gum, and garlic. That is the longest ingredient list of any hot sauce here, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. It makes Firelli's more divisive and less universally loved. Some reviewers love the flavor, while others do not.
Unlike other hot sauces, which are often meant to work on an assortment of foods, this one seems to be made specifically to pair with foods such as pizza and pasta. The discernible flavor is complex and delicious but will not necessarily pair with all food items. It is also not particularly hot, as Spicy Food Reviews notes. It really acts more as a flavored sauce than a hot addition. That said, if you can find it or the extra hot or truffle varieties, they are worth a try.
8. Valentina
People love Valentina hot sauce, and we can see why. The brand just made it into the top 10 hot sauces sold on Instacart. In 1960, Don Manuel Maciel Mendez founded his company with Tamazula hot sauce and soon after introduced Salsa Valentina hot sauce. The company is located in Guadalajara, Mexico, and sells there as well as all over the world.
The ingredients are simple: just chile peppers, vinegar, salt, spices, and sodium benzoate. Unlike many of its competitors, the company does not offer a large selection of flavors. But for what Valentina hot sauce is, the brand does it well. The hot sauce is not overly spicy, coming in at 900 on the Scoville rating (via Pepper Scale). Plus, the price is right, coming in at just over one dollar at Walmart. A Reddit thread in the Hot Ones subreddit agrees that for the price, Valentina is hard to beat. Does that make it the best hot sauce ever? No, but it is a solid option that, as many note, makes a great breakfast condiment.
7. Melinda's
Melinda's Hot sauce did not find its way onto the top 10 most-sold hot sauces on Instacart, but it should have. The brand does not have much company information available on its website, but that is okay; the product's quality and wide range of products speak for itself. Based in Texas, the company offers more than 30 pepper sauces, which is more than any other company on this list. The company's spices provide both a wide range in flavor and heat. Melinda's website provides customers with a ranking system from one to five fire's so you know how hot each one is. This means you can go from a basic tangy hot sauce all the way up to a ghost pepper sauce.
Melinda's Original starts with a slightly more complex ingredient list than others. It is made of habanero peppers, carrots, onions, vinegar, lime juice, salt, garlic, citric acid, and xanthan gum. This gives it a flavor profile that is slightly different from a traditional pepper sauce, making it more complex. However, while it also makes it somewhat less versatile, the company offers enough options you can likely find one for every use.
Reviewers echo this sentiment. One Redditor commented that they are not a big fan of the base but enjoy the other flavors. Another commenter had a similar opinion. The base Melinda's is not everyone's cup of tea, but there is enough from the company to make everyone happy.
6. Tapatio
Tapatio hot sauce currently sits as the fifth best-selling hot sauce for Instacart, which is not too shabby at all. Tapatio Hot Sauce was founded in 1971 by Jose-Luis Saavedra Sr. At that point, Saavedra was still working an additional job in order to support his family and business. Over the years, the company grew in popularity, and the company was able to expand and grow into the successful company it remains today.
Tapatio is made with red peppers, salt, spices, and garlic, as well as a few preservatives and thickeners. You may have noticed vinegar is not on that list; this means the flavor comes from the peppers and spices. It has a 3000-unit rating on the Scoville scale, making it hotter than some other popular hot sauces, but not too spicy (via Pepper Scale).
Tapatio is a quality hot sauce that is versatile as well as tasty. As one Amazon reviewer put it, it is a solid everyday hot sauce, especially for those who do not want the flavor found in those that use vinegar.
5. Burman's
What list would be complete without the addition of Aldi brand Burman's? Aldi is one of those rare grocery store brands that lives up to, and even sometimes supersedes the products on which it bases the store brands. While we would not go so far as to say Burman's is better than the original, it is a pretty darn good hot sauce.
As Aldi Reviewer keenly observes, Bernman's is clearly trying to imitate Frank's. From the label to the name to the bottle shape, everything about it is Frank's-like. Except for the price, of course, which is much lower than even the Walmart price for Frank's.
The ingredient list is nearly identical as well; however, Burman's does include xanthan gum, which Frank's does not. As one commenter noted, it is not particularly spicy, but neither is Frank's. However, Frank's offers more than just one flavor of hot sauce.
Overall, it is a pretty decent option, though as many Redditors note, you will taste the difference between it and Frank's. Still, it will do the trick as an inexpensive tangy hot sauce.
4. Cholula
Cholula hot sauce is made by the spice company McCormick. The original recipe is based on a family recipe dating over 100 years. Unsurprisingly, being owned by a spice company, Cholula has a wide range of flavors, including the original flavor, tequila and lime, chili garlic, and so many more. The hot sauces range from 1000 to 2000 on the Scoville Scale.
The Original Hot Sauce features a combination of chile de arbol peppers and piquin peppers, salt, vinegar, garlic sauces, spices, and xanthan gum. While not totally free of additives, it is fairly unadulterated. This mix gives it a peppery flavor hotter than many other commercial hot sauces but not unbearably so. It also adds a nice herb-filled flavor. In fact, this has one of the more distinct flavors on this list, according to Pepper Scale. This makes it great for adding to food that could particularly use a bump in flavor. Some people argue that the flavor, combined with its less pungent vinegar flavor, makes it the superior hot sauce. This is echoed by it being the top-selling hot sauce in 2018 (via Instacart). It has since been dethroned and currently sits in third place. This high ranking is clearly justified for this flavorful hot sauce.
3. Three Mountains Sriracha
Though not as popular or well-known in the United States as Huy Fong, Three Mountains Sriracha is a delicious hot sauce worthy of praise. The first thing you may notice about this hot sauce is that it is yellow instead of red. Like many sriracha-style hot sauces, though, it perfectly blends sweet and spicy and has a thicker consistency than Louisiana-style hot sauce. Also, according to Pepper Scale, this hot sauce is made with Thai Burapa chilies, which makes it taste hotter than Huy Fong. In fact, based on Pepper Scale's review, as well as other commenters, there is just more to this hot sauce; it has more flavor and more spice. While this does not always equate to being better, at least one commenter on Amazon thinks it is superior to red sriracha-style hot sauce.
Still, its intensity can be a drawback to some consumers. Combined with it being less accessible to buy means it has not hit the same reach as the more popular sriracha brand.
2. Huy Fong Sriracha
Huy Fong Sriracha has gained in popularity over the past, jumping to being the top-selling hot sauce on Instacart in 2020. Huy Fong Sriracha was founded under a different name in 1975 by David Tran. Tran was born in Vietnam, where he first developed his sriracha. Eventually, he had to flee the country and did so on a freighter called Huey Fong, which gave the inspiration for the company's names.
Tran is a true success story. When he arrived in the United States, he began making his hot sauce. Eventually, in the 1980s, he was able to expand to a larger facility in California to start producing larger quantities. And it was a huge hit.
The flavor is simple, composed of chili, sugar, salt, garlic, and vinegar, as well as some preservatives and thickeners. This creates a spicy sweet sauce that lingers on the tongue. Sadly, due to a bad pepper crop, 2022 and 2023 are seeing a Huy Fong Sriracha shortage (via NPR). The public outcry and skyrocketing price for the sauce show just how coveted it has become. It is now impossible to think of sriracha hot sauce without thinking of the Huy Fong brand.
1. Frank's RedHot
Frank's RedHot tops our list of best hot sauce brands. Of course, to be marked as the best, there has to be more than just one reason, and Frank's has it all.
Frank's was founded in 1918, though it did not appear on markets until 1920, as a project between spice store owner Jacob Frank and pepper farmer Adam Estillete. The two teamed up to make a perfect pepper sauce that blends both a traditional vinegar, salt, and pepper mix, as well as spices, to give it a more robust and distinct flavor. Frank's RedHot uses cayenne peppers but only comes to about 450 on the Scoville scale (via Culinary Lore). This original variety is not particularly spicy, but the company does now offer some other flavors.
What Frank's lacks in heat, it makes up for in flavor. The hot sauce is made from simple ingredients, including cayenne pepper, vinegar, salt, and garlic; there are no extra fillers or thickeners. As a result, Frank's is clean yet flavorful, ranking as 2019's best selling hot sauce for Instacart. Part of the appeal is that true to the flavor, as a step above other Louisiana-style hot sauces, it still pairs well with a wide variety of foods. Plus, without Frank's RedHot, we might not have Buffalo wings!
People do not really have a bad thing to say about the product itself and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. As the slogan says, "I put that s*** on everything."