To the uninitiated, hot sauce is a combination of spice and Scoville heat units that will roast your taste buds. To the connoisseur, the best hot sauces are a heady blend of chili peppers, onions, garlic, and other herbs, balanced against tangy vinegar and crafted with enough regional variations to justify keeping a cupboard stocked with a bunch of different brands.

The hot sauce trend is definitely heating up — some pop stars are reputed to carry their favorite brand with them at all times. Hot sauce was once a staple of regional cuisines, and it’s now as ubiquitous as ketchup and mustard, being added to everything from mashed potatoes to cheesecake. As international cuisine continues to influence domestic food trends, we’ll see increasing varieties of hot sauces on the grocery store shelves. 

So how do you know what bottled hot sauce to buy? That depends on your tolerance for spice and openness to trying new things. Are you a complete pepper sauce newbie? You might want to go with a popular grocery store brand that gets put on everything. What to add medium heat to your food and beverages? A Louisiana-style hot sauce is a great place to start. Are you a heat-seeking aficionado looking to shake up your existing hot sauce routine? Look at artisanal brands incorporating different regional influences, unique ingredient blends, or a gourmet take on an old favorite. 

Whatever you’re looking for in a hot sauce, the sky and your spice tolerance are the limits. Grab a tall glass of something cool to drink, and let’s begin your spice journey with a tour of the best-tasting hot sauces that will turn up the heat of your meal.

1. Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce 17oz

This is the brand that kicked off the sriracha craze in the United States. Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce is crafted from sun-ripened chilies and then blended with garlic, vinegar, and sugar into a delectably smooth paste that is a magical addition to everything from phở to your morning eggs. 

$4.99

2. Cholula Original Hot Sauce 5oz

Cholula Original Hot Sauce is just the thing to add some distinctive south-of-the-border heat to pizza, rice, or eggs. As one of the best brands of Mexican hot sauces you can buy, this tasty condiment uses a blend of arbol and piquin peppers and a blend of signature spices that deliver a unique flavor with just the right amount of fiery heat. They also carry a popular chipotle hot sauce.

$3.29

3. TRUFF Black Truffle Hot Sauce 6oz

TRUFF Black Truffle Hot Sauce delivers a meticulously crafted flavor profile for days when you desire a little sophistication with your heat. It’s created using ingredients usually reserved for fine tequilas, rare delicacies, and elegant dining experiences — the ideal finishing touch to your avocado toast.

$17.99

4. Cutino Sauce Co. Habanero Hot Sauce 4oz

There’s a whole lot of flavor packed into these little bottles. Bright and zesty with a mouth-watering balance of acidity and sweetness, this habanero hot sauce will bring the heat while the intense flavors shine. Ignite your taste buds without scorching your tongue by adding Cutino Habanero Hot Sauce to your favorite grilled pork or shrimp recipe.

$9.99

5. Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce 12oz

Add some unapologetic zip to your food with one or two (or five) dashes of Frank's RedHot. As a buffalo wing staple, you can drizzle this premium blend of hot cayenne peppers and secret ingredients onto just about anything for the perfect combination of flavor and heat.

$4.49

6. Tapatio Salsa Picante Hot Sauce 5oz

Tapatio Salsa Picante brings the heat to your favorite dishes. It’s perfect for just about anything. This Mexican-style hot sauce is carefully crafted from red peppers, salt, spices, and garlic for a bold and flavorful taste with a kick of heat. It delivers a strong, spicy flavor accent to tacos, burritos, or your favorite guacamole. 

$1.39

7. Hank Sauce Camouflage Hot Sauce 8oz

Sweet, tangy, and zesty — Camouflage Hot Sauce delivers a “hidden heat” that comes through moments after registering its initial sweetness. Camouflage makes a perfect wing sauce and is excellent in ground beef, wild game, and other lean meats. Use it on anything and watch it blend in for a saucy game of hide-and-seek with your taste buds.

$6.59

8. Arizona Gunslinger Green Jalapeno Pepper Sauce 5oz

It’s perfectly OK to play things cool from time to time. Arizona Gunslinger Green is a little on the milder side but still packs a rich, full-bodied Jalapeño flavor. This sauce is the perfect sidekick for your tacos or huevos rancheros or as a dip for your favorite crispy tortillas chips.

$4.39

9. Horsetooth Hot Sauce Rubin's Red Hot Sauce 5oz

Prized cayenne peppers are partnered with fresh black peppercorns and garlic to create the milder bark in this hot dog of a sauce. Horsetooth Hot Sauce is one of the hot ones. It’s from a family-owned and -operated company from Fort Collins, Colorado, and dishes up some of the most delectable sauces and mixes you’ll ever taste.

$6.59

10. Jah Mama Caribbean Hot Sauce 5oz Bottle

Looking to add some spicy sunshine to your food? Jah Mama Caribbean Hot Sauce has the perfect answer with its unique twist on a family’s scotch bonnet sauce recipe. This extra-hot sauce is the ideal addition to seafood, roti, or any dish that needs a dash of spice, some Caribbean flavor, and most importantly, a side serving of soul.

$13.99

11. Gilberto's Dirty South Peach Habanero Hot Sauce 5oz

Gilberto’s is perfect for when ordinary hot sauce brands simply won’t do. This gourmet condiment combines the sweetness of fresh peaches with spicy red habanero peppers, ginger root, and other flavors to deliver the spark your taste buds need. Serve this fruity concoction slathered on your hamburgers or anytime you want to mix a bit of sweetness with your heat.

$5.49

12. Tabasco Pepper Sauce 2oz

As the legendary and one of the most popular hot pepper sauces, Tabasco is a Louisiana original. Its timeless flavor comes from a blend of ripe, hand-picked peppers, salt, and vinegar, aged in oak barrels for three years. From cocktails like the Bloody Mary to marinades and entrées to ice cream, Tabasco is the perfect addition to any dish.

$3.49

FAQ

What are the most popular hot sauces?

Whether it’s because peppers grow across the globe in one form or another or because humans have a universal need to prove their grit using spicy condiments, hot sauce is a standard accompaniment to most cuisines. It’s an international favorite that spans cultures and has given rise to many variations. 

If you seek to supplement your collection, here are a few globally inspired hot sauces for you to try.

Mexico. There are a lot of Mexican hot sauces on the market. Our pick for the tastiest addition to any dish would be Cholula Original Hot Sauce. It adds a lovely kick to your food without overwhelming your palate.

West Indies. Hot sauces originating from the Caribbean generally use scotch bonnet chilis or ghost peppers to turn up the heat. Enter Jah Mama Caribbean Hot Sauce, a zippy adaptation of a family recipe that dishes up a modern twist on traditional West Indian hot sauces.

East Asian. Sriracha sauce’s Thai origins are somewhat clouded by controversy, but there is no doubt that the popular Rooster variety, Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, rules the roost.

United States. Regional varieties of hot sauces abound in the United States, but only one has found a home in most people’s pantries, and that’s  Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. Frank’s is people’s go-to when they first start seasoning their food with hot sauce, sprinkling it everywhere – eggs, soups, BBQ hamburgers, and Buffalo chicken wings. It’s truly an American hot sauce. 

No matter where in the world you find yourself, you’ll discover a new regional hot sauce to tantalize your taste buds. Enjoy the trip.

What is the most versatile hot sauce?

Some hot sauce lovers put hot sauce on everything, but does it really suit every food? That’s debatable. If you’re looking for a hot sauce that’s flexible enough to be incorporated into various dishes, simple is better. You don’t want a lot of extra seasonings to get in the way of that pepper-powered heat. Here are our recommendations.

Tabasco Pepper Sauce is one of the original hot sauces on the market. Impressively, Tabasco is made from just three ingredients, peppers, vinegar, and salt, that enhance the flavor of any food. 

Arizona Gunslinger Green Jalapeno Pepper Sauce is a mild-flavored hot sauce that won't overpower the taste of your dish. Created with jalapenos instead of red peppers, it serves as the perfect accompaniment to any dish.

Horsetooth Hot Sauce Rubin's Red Hot Sauce uses cayenne peppers as the base for their hot sauce, seasoning it with peppercorns and garlic. Its straightforward flavor is perfect for marinades, hamburgers, or anywhere you want a touch of heat but not a lot of burn.

What is the best-selling hot sauce in the world?

Hot sauces sales are certainly on an upswing. Sales of the spicy condiment toppers 2.71 billion in the US and are expected to generate 4.38 billion by 2028. 

That’s a lot of peppers. 

So what are the top-selling hot sauce brands anyway? According to Food and Wine’s market survey, the top choice is the tried-and-true Cholula Original Hot Sauce.

All the hot sauces on our list are great staples to have in your spice cabinet but don’t be afraid to try something new. With so many flavor profiles available on the grocery shelves, you’re bound to find your next favorite hot sauce that expands your palate and boosts your heat tolerance by a few Scoville heat levels.