Seventeen hot sauce brands were put to the test. Find out which our Test Kitchen experts recommend.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.
We Found the Best Hot Sauce Brands in Our Test Kitchen’s Hottest Test Ever
When you’re craving a little extra heat in your dishes, the easiest way to bump up the flavor and the spice is with a dash or two of hot sauce. The right amount can take simple recipes to the next level (our spicy shrimp with rice is a real knock-out!).
But not all hot sauces are created equal. You never know if you’re going to end up with the ideal balance of heat and flavor when you pick a bottle off the shelf. What if it’s too vinegary? What if there’s not enough flavor? Not enough heat? That’s where the Taste of Home Test Kitchen comes in.
Finding the Best Hot Sauce
Our team of experts put 17 hot sauces to the test in our hottest and most daring test ever. Our culinary and editorial teams judged all of the sauces according to these standards:
- Flavor: What are the flavors in the hot sauce? What type of spice and peppers are prominent?
- Balance of heat: Is the hot sauce just hot? Are there other flavors to give the heat some complexity?
- Consistency: Is the hot sauce runny, thick or somewhere in-between?
Our Test Kitchen-Preferred Hot Sauce Brands
This test was a real scorcher, but in the end we feel like we found three great sauces perfect for adding that little something extra to any savory dish.
Best Hot Sauce for Heat Lovers: Ghost Scream
For a hot sauce that’s more than just hot, we can’t recommend Ghost Scream enough. This spicy sauce offered us plenty of heat—courtesy of fresh ghost peppers—along with great flavor and spice. The formula boasts red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, red peppers and an array of spices to give this sauce that perfect balance of heat and flavor. Our Test Kitchen also ranked this product highly for its nice consistency—no watery sauce here!
And if you love ghost peppers, try a few dashes of this hot sauce in our recipe for ghost pepper cornbread.
Best Everyday Hot Sauce: Cholula
For an all-purpose hot sauce that you can find at any grocery store, our Test Kitchen recommends Cholula. This wood-corked bottle probably looks familiar to fans of spice. What our culinary experts really enjoyed about Cholula was its nice depth of flavor—cumin, garlic, chili and vinegar all contribute to this hot sauce’s signature taste. Cholula definitely gives your favorite foods a bit of kick, but it’s not overly spicy. This familiar sauce is a good one to keep on hand since it’s easy to find at the supermarket and it’s typically a people-pleaser.
Best Nontraditional Hot Sauce: Yellowbird Jalapeño Condiment
Another brand worth stocking in your cupboard: Yellowbird Jalapeño Condiment. This sauce has a strong garlic flavor with a nice, lingering heat. It also has a bit of sweetness—via carrots and a hint of lime juice—that helped to balance out the spicy jalapeño flavor. Yellowbird’s hot sauce also had a unique consistency: It’s definitely more of a condiment (think Sriracha or ketchup) than a traditional hot sauce.
What to Make with Hot Sauce
While hot sauce is great as a condiment—over eggs on Sunday morning or a dash to add even more kick to Taco Tuesday—it can really help add zip to so many recipes. In fact, hot sauce is a major component of many Buffalo sauces. But don’t stop with just wings! Check out all these tasty recipes with hot sauce.
1 / 14
Spicy Shrimp with RiceNo one will doubt that "light" cooking can be tasty when you put a helping of this zippy shrimp in front of them. The seafood is seasoned just right with garlic, pepper and hot sauce. — Jeannie Klugh, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Â
Not sure which brand of hot sauce to buy? Check out the brands our editors and the Taste of Home Test Kitchen recommend. 
Roasted SalsaMake the most of fresh tomatoes with this recipe for roasted salsa. It's so tasty, you might find yourself eating it right out of the bowl with a spoon!
Buffalo Chicken SaladDelicious, and even better—quick! This buffalo chicken salad is a summer staple at our house. Sometimes we cook the chicken on the grill, then sprinkle the hot sauce over it with the dressing, because you've gotta have that kick! —Cori Cooper, Flagstaff, Arizona
New Orleans-Style Spicy ShrimpWe have family members who attended college in New Orleans. This shrimp captures their favorite flavors from the Big Easy, with the right touches of spice and heat. —Susan Seymour, Valatie, New York
Buffalo Turkey BurgersCelery and blue cheese dressing help tame the hot sauce on this turkey burger recipe. For an even lighter version, pass on the buns and serve the burgers with lettuce leaves, sliced onion and chopped tomato. —Mary Pax-Shipley, Bend, Oregon
Spanish Beef HashThis tasty blend smells so good as it cooks that it lures people into the kitchen from all over the house. —Thomas Reynolds, Tampa, Florida 
Buffalo Chicken MeatballsSpicy, flavorful and—best of all—easy to make. Buffalo chicken meatballs will be a hit at any party.
Hot & Spicy Roasted Turkey LegsWho doesn’t love turkey legs at a street fair? Why wait for the next fair when you can make incredible turkey legs at home? Grab the seasonings and begin! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Sausage, Rice and BroccoliA recipe folding in sausage, rice and broccoli is what everyone needs in their weeknight dinner rotation. If fresh zucchini or summer squash is available, add it to the mix!
Grilled Cherry-Glazed Chicken WingsWhen I take these grilled wings to events, there are never any leftovers! Friends and family love them. —Ashley Gable, Atlanta, Georgia
Easy Buffalo Chicken Lettuce WrapsOne time when making sloppy joes, I wanted mine spicy, so I doused it in hot sauce. After that, my mind went wild and I made it Buffalo chicken-style with ground chicken, diced celery and blue cheese crumbles. I've been making it this way ever since. —Jennifer Nielson, Spanish Fork, Utah
Spicy Fried ChickenAdd a pinch of heat to your favorite fried chicken with this spicy version. Don't be fooled—this tender chicken's hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper seasoning might seem mild at first, but it'll linger in your mouth. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Corned Beef Pizza SwirlsOffer these fun little bites that taste like a Reuben for St. Patrick’s Day. Even better, don't wait—deli meat and cheese make them doable all year long. —Colleen Delawder, Herndon, Virginia
Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese BitesIn this vegetarian Buffalo-style appetizer, macaroni and cheese get heated up with Louisiana-style hot sauce, then breaded and baked. These tasty nibbles are served with blue cheese dressing. —Ann Donnay, Milton, Massachusetts
