If you’re new to the hot sauce market, it can be hard to know where to start. We have talked to industry experts, sauce aficionados, and everyday hot sauce consumers to create a list to save you both time and money. Continue below to see our list of the top 5 hot sauces on the market today, and trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
1. Battle Red Hot Sauce
Why We Love It: Battle Red Hot Sauce tops our list due to its unique recipe and authenticity. This sauce clearly comes straight from the Caribbean, and you’d be hard pressed to find a sauce with such an inclusive list of quality ingredients. In ours, as well as the opinion of many, this sauce is unrivaled.
Price: $8.99
Pros:
• Robust Flavor
• Authentic Ingredients
• Sustainable Packaging
• Unique Recipe
• Unbeatable Cost-to-Value Ratio
Cons:
• Often Sold Out
Verified Review: “I use this sauce as both a condiment and as a cooking Ingredient. It’s amazing on seafood, steak, and just about everything else. The flavor is delicious, and surprisingly its heat doesn’t linger in my mouth like other hot sauces available on the market. Battle Red doesn’t take away from the flavor of food, but is instead a mouthwateringly delicious addition.” – Susie
Try It: https://tropicsauces.com/
2. Melinda’s Original Habanero Hot Sauce
Why We Love It: Melinda’s ranks second on our list due to its strong habanero flavor and not-too-hot profile. As a result, it makes for a great addition to a variety of dishes. We’ve had no issues with this sauce, but their Amazon reviews mention inconsistent ingredients and unreliable seller practices. Despite the complaints, the flavor of this sauce speaks for itself.
Price: $5.63
Pros:
• Great Flavor
• Very Versatile
• Sustainable Packaging
Cons:
• Inconsistent Shipping
• Inconsistent Product
Verified Review: “Melinda’s goes with just about any dish. Enjoyable, spicy, and yet not overpowering. I have a few super powerful death sauces which have spent years in my fridge, but this bottle goes fast. Make sure to take off the dropper top before you use it, so that pouring it on is easy.” – Steve
Try It: https://melindas.com/
3. Secret Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce
Why We Love It: Secret Aardvark is a self-described “Caribbean/Tex-Mex hybrid”, and we find that to be spot on. It lacks some of the sweet and fruity flavors of other Caribbean hot sauces, but makes up for it with the addition of roasted red tomatoes. Overall we love it, and this is a solid choice for an all-around addition to your kitchen.
Price: $9.49
Pros:
• Versatile Flavor
Cons:
• Fairly Expensive
Verified Review: “It’s a very tasty, thick, unique looking hot sauce. In my opinion, it’s about a medium heat, but maybe a little less. This sauce has tons of great flavor and goes great on just about anything, but it is a little pricey if you’re eating it with every meal.” – Lindsey
Try It: https://secretaardvark.com/
4. Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha
Why We Love It: Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha Hot Sauce hails from Brooklyn, NY, and has the flavor to prove it. The unique Gojuchang and Sriracha combination seems to be quite appealing to many, but there are also quite a bit of reviews online from people who were underwhelmed with the presence of the sriracha.
Price: $10.99
Pros:
• Unique Flavor
• Fairly Versatile
Cons:
• Not Very Spicy
• Overpriced
Verified Review: “As other reviewers have noted, it is not particularly hot, and is pretty expensive. That aside, the flavor is excellent and it goes well with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In fact, that is actually a problem. It is too expensive to use as often as we would like to, so we can’t really keep it on the shelves. Not sure if I would buy it again, but it sure tastes darn good.” – Jim
Try It: https://bushwickkitchen.com/
5. Truff Hot Sauce
Why We Love It: Truff is a well known sauce, mainly due to its most unique ingredient: Truffle Oil. We consider this a love-it-or-hate-it hot sauce for sure. Go ahead and read the reviews on Amazon and you’ll see how many sauce fans agree with us. Plus, the price of this one makes it hard to justify the risk. Who knows though, it may become your new favorite.
Price: $17.98
Pros:
• Unique Flavor
• Unique Recipe
• Sustainable Packaging
Cons:
• Unreasonably Expensive
Verified Review: “Let’s get this out of the way, if you’ve never had black truffle before, familiarize yourself with it before you spend 18 bucks on a bottle of hot sauce. Black truffle has a very unique flavor and aroma. If you’re a picky eater then this flavor probably isn’t for you.” – Brendan
Try It: https://www.truff.com/
Bottom Line
Hot sauces can make wonderful additions to any meal, and with so many to choose from you are sure to find the perfect sauce for whatever you are craving.
We recommend going down the list and giving all of these sauces a try. Each one is uniquely flavored, made with quality ingredients, and a great option to keep in any kitchen. Happy hunting!
