When you're in pursuit of the very best hot sauce, the familiar bottle at the corner store just won't cut it anymore. Maybe you've built up a tolerance—or maybe you've realized that its tepid flavor doesn't give yourscrambled eggs你正在寻找的魅力。
At a certain point it become necessary to branch out. Luckily, the internet has made it more than easy to explore the best hot sauces that the world has to offer—and have them delivered conveniently to your front door. Below we offer a collection of some of the best-tasting hot sauces—both favorites of the Epi staff and fan faves of the Amazon community.
1. Huy Fong Sriracha in Bottle-Shaped Packets
Yeah, you can getstandard Sriracha bottleson Amazon, but these packets are perfect for stashing in your bag, your back pocket, or your desk drawer to fuel that Sriracha craving, whenever, wherever. And the bottle shape of the packets isn't just for the cute factor—they also serve as easier-to-rip-off tops than your standard fiddle-with-each-corner-til-the-ketchup-explodes-all-over-your-shirt condiment packet. Stop stealing handfuls of mediocre hot sauce packets from your deli. Spring for the good stuff because you're worth it.
2. Pain 100%
This habanero-based sauce has just a bit of tomato paste for sweetness. Copy this Amazon commenter idea: Mix a bit with olive oil, then brush it over a steak before grilling. He said the resulting heat was like sipping "an expensive whiskey—lots of flavor, but the steak didn't burn my mouth."
3. Pickapeppa Sauce
Mangoes and raisins give this Jamaican condiment a fruity profile. In addition to cloves, Pickapeppa is spiked with sour tamarind, black pepper, and warming ginger. Clearly there's a lot going on here. Don't pick it up expecting any old one-note hot sauce. Definitely serve it alongsidejerk chicken. And then dash it over eggs,grilled pork, and anything else that would benefit from a taste of the islands.
4. 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 ingredient—carrots—adds 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.
5. 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."
6. Yellowbird Habanero Condiment
This super-citrusy habanero hot sauce is a little thicker than standard hot sauce—more akin to Sriracha. A kick of both tangerine and lime give it good backbone to stand against the heat. Amazon user JennaBuysThings says it "works well with an array of foods that normal habanero sauces don't. I can put this on just about anything and be completely satisfied!" Plus, it'sa favoriteof Epi staffer,Emily Johnson.
7. Matouk's Calypso Sauce
这个苏格兰bonnet-based酱来自特立尼达. Onion powder and mustard seed bring extra flavor, but it's the peppers themselves that give it the fruity, tropical profile it's known for. Bonus: Its thickness is similar to ketchup, so for anyone who's been looking for the perfect hot condiment forFrench fries, you've found it.
8. The Pepper Plant California-Style Hot Sauce
Did we know that California had its own style of hot sauce? Not until now. This one is noted for being as much of a salty seasoning as it is a mildly hot one, so be mindful when dashing it over absolutely anything and everything (but especiallyburritos).
9. Marie Sharp's Habanero Pepper Sauce
Habaneros are often picked when they're still orange—but the ones used in this spicy sauce were left to ripen until fully red. That makes them fruitier, sweeter, and yes—hotter. Marie Sharp may sound like the name of a 3rd grade music teacher in a children's book, butshe's actually a real person(whodidin fact start out as a teacher, before she began selling her signature hot sauce in Belize circa 1981).
10. D.L. Jardine's Blazin' Saddle XXX Hot Sauce
KatieD on Amazon put it right: "This is my favorite hot sauce. My obsession is real and I'm not even slightly ashamed. It has a kick that will get you, but the taste is amazing and is worth the sting." This sauce is deservedly popular in its home state of Texas. Now you can make it a thing in your home state, too.
11. Yucatan Sunshine Sauce
This habanero pepper sauce is inspired by flavoring used throughout the Yucatan for over 2,500 years. With a blend of carrots, onions, and other natural ingredients, the heat level stays controlled. Reviewers love its depth of flavor—this isn't a hot sauce that will burn for the sake of burning, but rather one that will add complex flavor to any dish.
12. Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
Billed as a Tex-Mex and Caribbean hybrid, this sauce has a base of habaneros and roasted tomatoes, but the flavor is rounded out with mustard, turmeric, "spices," and...I don't know...magic? Advocates of the Aardvark say it goes well with anything: burgers, eggs, pizza, etc. Suzanne on Amazon called it "Incredible! Really yummy, smokey, with a hint of citrus flavor." Made in Portland, Oregon, it's become nearly as ubiquitous on restaurant tables there as ketchup.
13. El Yucateco Green Chile Habanero Sauce
Who says hot sauce has to be red, orange, or yellow? This classic sauce, made with green habanero peppers, has a grassy, fresh quality that most habanero hot sauces lack. Little else goes into the mix to block the heat. Lovers of El Yucateco praise its low vinegar profile and clean, fresh flavor.
14. 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 Dean—presumably thecountry singer and breakfast sandwich gurufrom beyond the ether—added, "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 (Southern fried chicken tacos have been my favorite thus far). Long story short, this is definitely one of the best Sriracha variants I've ever had." You know Jimmy wouldn't lie to you.
15. Wing Time Garlic Buffalo Wing Sauce
This hot sauce starts with cayenne peppers and tomatoes. And then they add the Parmesan cheese. Yes, Parmesan cheese. Which is no doubt the reason that proponents call it the "creamy sauce that met hot sauce and made even terrible ramen taste like Heaven on Earth." Also, this is obviously the best hot sauce for wings—imagine your standard Buffalo wings, but creamier and with more umami flavor.
16. Nando's Peri Peri Hot Sauce
This blend of four chiles, including cayenne and African bird's eye, plus lemon and garlic, started out at a Portuguese restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa. It's now the signature sauce of achain of fast-casual restaurants. As you can tell from the logo, and the restaurants, it goes well with chicken, but I think you'll find plenty of other things to put it on, too.
17. Crystal Louisiana's Pure Hot Sauce
Now you don't have to stock up at the Louis Armstrong gift shop next time you're flying out of New Orleans. Just satisfy your craving for the cayenne pepper sauce seen on nearly every table in NOLA via a quick click to Amazon.
18. TryMe Tiger Sauce
The brand name commands and heat-seekers obey. This hot sauce starts with a base of cayenne, and then brings Worcestershire into the mix, adding sweet, sour, and umami notes. Use it anywhere you would use that other flavor-packed sauce to add a kick of intensely-flavorful heat. (Hint: It's especially good inmarinades.)
19. Melinda's Original Habanero Pepper Sauce
Home cook andbreadmaker Laura Wolfgangfreely admitted to buying this hot sauce at the airport on a return trip from Mexico—even 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.
20. Valentina Salsa Picante
Recipe developerKat Sacksvotes for Valentina's yellow label hot sauce as her top pick. "It's the right amount of heat, vinegar, and flavor. I use it for everything!" she says. Made in Guadalajara, it's the best selling hot sauce in Mexico. Fans describe it as a little earthy, a little sweet, and altogether delicious.
21. La Comandanta Salsa Bien Macha
Salsa machais a Mexican-style chile crisp that typically contains a variety of nuts or seeds. La Comandanta's delivers a mild heat, and gets its texture from toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds. It's great on top of eggs, or over a bowl of creamy grits. Be sure to stash this—and any oil-basedhot sauce—in your fridge.
22. Tennessee Sunshine Hot Pepper Sauce
Reviewers praise this sauce for its abundant spice—without sacrificing flavor or causing a numbing affect. It's not “volcano hot” and has a tangy, vinegary quality. It can be difficult to find locally, so ordering online is a great bet.
23. Brooklyn Delhi Tomato Achaar
This is a chili sauce rather than a hot sauce—so 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.
