Spicy! Mild! Fruity! Zingy! We Rounded Up 25 of Our Favorite Hot Sauces

A Fantastic, Fermented All-Rounder

Rhed's Original Hot Sauce

View on Rhedshotsauce.com

“This Rhode Island-based hot sauce company makes some super flavorful offerings. And while I love all of them, I'm particularly obsessed with their original iteration, which goes exceedingly well on homefries, eggs, and well, just about everything else. It has a garlicky note, faint sweetness, and, of course, spicey, tangy kick with a hint of fermented fizz.”— Grace Kelly, commerce editor

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Distilled white vinegar, jalapeño pepper, yellow onion, carrot, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, garlic, habanero pepper, coriander

A No-Frills Classic

Tabasco Original Red Sauce

$5 at Amazon

“Call it basic, but Tabasco holds a special place in my (heartburn-plagued) heart. My dad would never eat dinner without a bottle within arm's reach, and I too fell in love with its vinegary bite and vibrant heat. It goes well with just about anything, though I have a particular fondness for adding a few dashes to soups, especially chicken and slicks dumpling soup, to offset the richness and add tang.”— Grace

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt

The OG Buffalo Sauce

Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

$4 at Amazon $6 at Walmart View on Instacart.com

“As someone born and raised in Buffalo, NY I can't not love Frank's. It's incredible when used for Buffalo wings (OBVIOUSLY), but I buy giant bottles of it and employ the sauce over eggs, on grain bowls, in salad dressings—you get the idea. It's mild, but also nostalgic—two important criteria.”— Riddley Gemperlein Schirm, senior commerce editor

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, garlic powder

A Hot (but Not Too Hot) Habanero Hot Sauce

Tia Lupita Habanero Hot Sauce

$15 at Amazon

“This sauce is milder than I would've expected, but packed with flavor. I particularly love it on burritos or tacos or dashed onto grilled meats or fish. I've yet to try the brand's other flavors, but the salsa verde also sounds delightful.” — Riddley 

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Water, carrots, onion, distilled vinegar, fresh habanero peppers, organic date syrup, canola oil, mangoes, salt, garlic, black pepper, red bell peppers, oregano, cumin, habanero powder, turmeric

A Spicy Belizan Hot Sauce

Marie Sharp’s Habanero Hot Sauce

$15 $14 at Amazon

“It was during a work trip to Belize that I first encountered Marie Sharp's, a hot sauce so ubiquitous that it appeared on literally every single table, during every single meal (including breakfast!) for the entire time I was in the country. It was easy to see why it's so beloved. Not only is it a Belizean product, but its blend of habanero pepper, carrot, vinegar, white onion, lime juice, sea salt, and garlic gives it heat that's tempered by the natural sweetness and acidity. And Marie Sharp's also comes in a wide variety of flavors, of varying spiciness levels, so if habanero isn't your jam, you can certainly find a variation to your liking.” — Jacob Dean, former updates editor

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Extra Hot
• Ingredients: Red Balizan habanero pepper, carrots, vinegar, white onions, sea salt, lime juice, and garlic

A Dark, Umami-Rich Hot Sauce

Salsa Huichol Negra

$7 at Amazon

“I almost always have a salsa negra in rotation. While we sometimes will make SE's homemade salsa negra recipe, salsa Huichol is a great bottled salsa negra that pairs perfectly with seafood, but really it's good with everything. It has a hint of warm spice to pair with the heat from the chiles, rounded out with a very savory backbone (most likely from a touch of soy sauce). I highly recommend it!” — Leah Colins, senior culinary editor

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium-Hot
• Ingredients: Water, chili pepper, iodized salt, acetic acid, spices, xantham gum, caramel coloring, hydrolyzed corn protein, monosodium glutamate, silicon dioxide

A Fiery, Cumin-Forward Pick

Flavor and Fire Foods Taco Cat Sauce

$12 at Amazon View on Flavorandfire.com

“While this hot sauce pegs itself as ‘super hot,’ I still really enjoy it (and I’m not a fan of hot sauces that feel like acid is burrowing its way through your tongue). It’s spicy—yes—but the heat fades quickly, and it’s super bright, with a cumin-forward profile that goes well on chilaquiles or tacos.” — Grace

Good to Know

• Heat level: Hot
• Ingredients: Cayenne sauce (aged cayenne red peppers, distilled vinegar, water, salt, and garlic powder), water, chile peppers (ghost pepper), distilled vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, Ancho pepper, xantham gum

A Hot Sauce That Slays

Shaquanda Will Feed You Hot Pepper Sauce

View on Amazon View on Shaquandawillfeedyou.com

“I love Shaquanda's Hot Pepper Sauce. I love how it tastes, I love its consistency. I love that it has horseradish in it. I love founder/creator Andre Springer's drag persona, Shaquanda Coco Mulatta. I love our former editor Elazar Sontag's visit to Shaquanda's production facility. I love that Shaquanda's is, according to their description, ‘The World's First Drag Queen Hot Sauce.’ I love it all.”— Jacob

Goot to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Onions, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, chili peppers, tomato paste (tomato, citric acid), demerara sugar, sea salt, ginger juice, horseradish, mustard powder, turmeric powder

A Fruity, Tropical-Inspired Hot Sauce

Adoboloco Island Wings Pineapple Cayenne Pepper Sauce

$13 at Amazon View on Adoboloco.com View on Heatonist.com

“This sauce is so good on wings (obviously)—or any grilled meat, really. It’s sweet, with a caramelized fruity note from the roasted pineapple and a nice tangy offset from Cayenne peppers and red wine vinegar. Think agro-dolce, but Hawaiian.” — Grace

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Pineapple, chili pepper, red wine vinegar, honey, onion powder, nutritional yeast, sea salt, mustard seed powder, spices

A Bright, Not-Too-Spicy Hot Sauce

Picamas Hot Sauce

$10 at Amazon

“My favorite brunch spot in all of Brooklyn is Claudia's, an amazing Guatalman restaurant on Bushwick Ave, and on every table you will find a set of Picamas hot sauces. While both are delicious, the Picamas Salsa Brava Verde is the one that sticks out in my mind. It's bright, not too hot, and full of flavor. I have at least four photos of the bottles on my phone because every time I'd eat at Claudia's, I'd immediately take a photo so I could remember to buy some for home. After the fifth time going to take the photo, I finally just ordered some while sitting at the table instead, and my fridge is all the better for it.” — Amanda Suarez, associate visuals director

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients for salsa verde: Hot Peppers, water, vinegar, wheat flour, salt, spices, colorings: FD&C Tartrazine E102 (coloring)*, FD&C Brilliant Blue FCF E133 (coloring), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate 

A Smoky Chipotle Hot Sauce

Rancho Gordo Hot Sauce

View on Ranchogordo.com View on Baccoswineandcheese.com

“Toasted pumpkin seeds are the real kicker in this vinegary and smoky chipotle-based sauce. They give it richness and creaminess without muting any of its brighter flavors. This is a great sauce to season a bowl of beans with, or try it on huevos rancheros or just plain old scrambled eggs.” — J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, contributor 

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Apple cider vinegar, water, chipotle powder, toasted pumpkin seeds (hulled pumpkin seeds, canola, or cottonseed oil, salt), sea salt, garlic powder, spices

A Zesty Green Hot Sauce

El Yucateco Salsa Picante Verde De Chile Habañero

$14 at Amazon

“When I want to go fresh and vibrant with a side of scorched earth, I reach for the green Yucateco hot sauce. While it's not the hottest hot sauce out there, my palate has started to wimp out the closer I get to 40, and this is about as high as I can go before I'm no longer enjoying myself. I love the flavor of this sauce though, so I'm willing to risk it on the right days—it's verdant, spicy, lightly sweet, floral, and super complex. Made with green habañeros, garlic, and a variety of spices, it's a great kick in the teeth and taste buds.” — Jesse Raub, former Serious Eats commerce writer

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Water, habanero peppers, salt, acetic acid, spices, xanthan gum, citric acid, onion powder, colored with turmeric, fruit juice and vegetable juice, sodium benzoate

A Hot Sauce for Making Micheladas

The Pepper Plant Original Hot Sauce (2 Pack)

$27 at Amazon View on Thepepperplant.com View on Safeway.com

“If you hit up the Mexican restaurants and diners around Carmel or Monterey, this is the stuff you'll be pouring on your eggs. It has a flavor dominated by dried herbs and dried garlic, which would typically get dings in my book. But somehow, it seems to work just fine in this context. It's by far the saltiest sauce I tried, but sometimes saltiness is what you crave. If I were nursing a Sunday morning hangover, this is the one I'd reach for to spice up my Bloody Mary or michelada.” — Kenji

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Jalapeño puree (green jalapeño peppers, salt, acetic acid), water, chili pepper, dehydrated garlic, spice, dehydrated onion, olive oil, xanthan gum
  

A Spicy, Piri Piri Hot Sauce

Nando's Peri Peri Sauce

$30 at Amazon View on Instacart.com

“This sauce is bottled by Nando's, a South African grilled-chicken restaurant chain popular in the UK but far less known in the US (there are locations in only four states at this time). The sauce is based on West African bird's eye chilies, but a whopping 5% concentration of lemon gives it its uniquely citrusy flavor. Even the "Extra Hot" bottles are mild enough to pour on thick, which is what you'll want to do with that grilled chicken anyway.” — Kenji

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium to Hot
• Ingredients: Water, vinegar, spices (African bird's eye chili, cayenne pepper, paprika), lemon puree, salt, onion puree, sunflower seed oil, green chili, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate (derived from seaweed), garlic, thickener (modified maize starch), preservative (ascorbic acid), rosemary extract
  

A Classic Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce

Crystal Pure Hot Sauce

$15 at Amazon

“Crystal is a vinegar-based sauce made from aged cayenne peppers (just like the rest of Louisiana hot sauces). However, the thing that sets Crystal apart is its depth of flavor—it's slightly richer than other Louisana-style varieties, with a bit more heft to balance out the zing of the vinegar acidity and punch of the peppers. It's my go-to for home fries and hashbrowns, but is pretty good on everything.” — Jesse

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Aged red cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, salt, and water

Another Great Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce

Louisiana The Perfect Hot Sauce

$17 $14 at Amazon View on Target

“This is a tangy, lightly spicy hot sauce that goes toe-to-toe with other Louisiana-style hot sauces (not naming any names, ahem—but don’t worry, Jesse and I still get along). It's slightly thick and is comprised of so few ingredients (just aged peppers, distilled vinegar, and salt), that you'll be flabbergasted how nuanced it tastes. It's a great all-rounder that I like on wings, pizza, and eggs.” — Grace

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Aged peppers, distilled vinegar, salt

A Super Fruity Hot Sauce

Matouk's Calypso Sauce (4-Pack)

$22 at Amazon

“Tasting this ketchup-thick hot sauce for the first time, you'd swear that there was tropical fruit in it. But nope, that's just the fruity pickled Scotch bonnet peppers you're tasting. There's garlic, mustard, and celery seed in the bottle, too, but there must be some kind of magic going on to make the flavors of mangoes and pineapples appear where they aren't. In any case, it's darned delicious on eggs and sandwiches.”— Kenji

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Pickled scotch bonnet, mustard, cane sugar, onion, garlic, celery seed

A Mexican Classic

Cholula Original Hot Sauce

$5 at Amazon $8 at Walmart View on Vitacost

“We are a Cholula fam through and through. Goodnight!” — Tess Koman, senior editorial director

“On the tables of nearly every taqueria I've been to (well, sometimes they have Tapatio or Valentina, both of which have their merits), this is my go-to hot sauce when I want to level up a quesadilla, burrito, taco, or even some guilty-pleasure toaster oven taquitos. It's a simple, delightful, and pretty mild hot sauce made with water, arbol, and Piquin peppers, salt, vinegar, and spices. You've probably had it/heard of it, but it's still worth mentioning.” — Grace

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Water, peppers (arbol and piquin), salt, vinegar, garlic powder, spices and xantham gum

Another Delightful—and Spicy—Mexican Classic

Tapatio Salsa Picante

$13 at Amazon

“If I want to bring the heat to something, I reach for Tapatio. It's a classic red pepper hot sauce that's a little thicker and spicier than other Mexican-style hot sauces, and I love the way it hits the high notes. It's great to add a little heat into a spicy mayo or salad dressing, and its clear, sharp flavors don't cover up the eggs, wings, or burritos you're dabbing it on.” —Jesse

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Water, red peppers, salt, spices, garlic, acetic acid, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate

A Classic Mexican Hot Sauce with a Thicker Viscosity

Valentina’s Salsa Picante

$2 at Walmart

“We are a hot sauce household. We grow a variety of chile peppers every summer and will process and make our own hot sauce to enjoy at home and give to family and friends. We also have at minimum three different hot sauce varieties open in our fridge or cupboard at any given time. One that stays in consistent rotation is Valantina's. I love that it has a bit of body to it, to cling to whatever I am pouring it over, and its vinegary finish brightens food while adding heat.” — Leah

Heat Level: Hot and Extra Hot

A Hot Sauce with a Mischievous Twist

Adoboloco Hot Sauce Kolohe Kid Hawaiian and Ghost Pepper Sauce

$13 at Amazon

“Kolohe means mischievous in Hawaiian, and this hot sauce is just that—the two chilis (ghost peppers and native Hawaiian hot peppers) sneak up on you with a pow, kinda like that kid you babysat who couldn’t get over the fart bag gag. But for real, this is one of my (and my husband's) favorite hot sauces, with a punchy heat and snappy tang from apple cider vinegar that I can’t get enough of.” — Grace 

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Hot
• Ingredients:  Apple cider vinegar, Hawaiian chili pepper, ghost peppers, sea salt, garlic

A Curry-Forward Caribbean Hot Sauce

Hot Sauce Depot Iguana Gold Island Pepper Sauce

$10 at Amazon

“This sauce gets its bright gold color from cayenne peppers, mustard, and turmeric—it's definitely the most curry-forward of all the Caribbean-style hot sauces in this lineup. Uniquely, it contains cucumbers (along with onions, carrots, garlic, and habaneros), which have a welcome cooling effect in the face of all that heat. It hits you fast but doesn't linger long. Try it on fried eggs.” — Kenji

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium
• Ingredients: Caynenne peppers, cane sugar, vinegar, carrots, salt, onions, cucumber, habanero peppers, corn starch, mustard, cumin and other spices, garlic with ascorbic acid

A Smoky Habanero Hot Sauce

Angry Goat's Sacrifice Fire-Roasted Habanero Sauce

$20 at Amazon View on Angrygoatpepperco.com

“This hot sauce is another family favorite, with a bit of smoky char, a good amount of heat, a touch of sweetness from maple syrup, and fruity notes from orange juice, ginger, and apple cider vinegar. This is really good on meats of all kinds, but it SINGS on pulled pork.” — Grace 

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Medium-Hot
• Ingredients: Fire-roasted orange habanero peppers, red bell peppers, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, water, fire-roasted poblano peppers, pure Vermont maple syrup, bhut jolokia (ghost) peppers, olive oil, dried New Mexican red chiles, fresh ginger, lime juice, gluten-free soy sauce (water, soybeans, rice, salt.), granulated garlic, smoked habanero powder, sea salt

Jamaican-Style Hot Sauce

Pickapeppa Hot Sauce

$36 at Amazon

“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.”  — Kenji

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Cane vinegar, onions, sugar, tomato paste, sea salt, peppers, raisins, ginger, mango concentrate, cloves, thyme, garlic, black pepper, orange peel

A Mild, Fruity Hot Sauce

Siete Family Foods Chamoy Botana Sauce

$8 at Amazon $5 at Walmart View on Sietefoods.com

"The Siete Chamoy Botana Sauce is perfect for hot sauce wienies like me. The spiciness is tempered with a fruit purée (pears, apples, dates, and apricots) and a bright, astringent hit of hibiscus. Hot sauce purists may say this doesn't even qualify, but that's fine: More for me." — Rochelle Bilow, commerce editor

Good to Know

• Heat Level: Mild
• Ingredients: Water, tapioca syrup, pear puree concentrate, apple juice concentrate, dates, apricot puree concentrate, lime juice concentrate, sea salt, guajillo pepper powder, New Mexico chili powder, hibiscus powder