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Some like it hot and some like it 🔥🔥! And as we all know, Rach is a "spicy girl" who loves a good douse of hot sauce or smattering of pickled jalapeños to finish off a dish. Since we're all pretty familiar with the regular players we typically see at our local grocery stores, we decided to look for some spicy sauces that aren't quite as common! This led us to Amazon's best sellers list of hot sauces. Our Senior Social Media Producer, Matthew, was brave enough to give some of them a try. Below, he shares his thoughts—from spice level and taste descriptions, to pairing ideas to get you started.
1. Yellowbird Sauce Habanero Condiment
This hot sauce is a lovely shade of orange that looks just like the vibrant color you see from the habaneros it's made from. It has a thicker texture than most of the other hot sauces—making it great for dipping. It has a very slight sweetness (most likely from the carrots and tangerine juice in the ingredients list) to it that balances out the heat level nicely.
TRY IT WITH
This sauce works well as an all-arounder: eggs, burgers, chicken, pizza—you name it, this sauce makes a great addition.
I also want to give credit to the bottle this sauce comes in—nice and big, easy to squeeze, and the extended tip (with a little cover!) makes it a breeze to squirt out the right amount exactly where you need it.
2. TRUFF Hot Sauce Black Truffle Infused Hot Sauce
The first things to catch my eye about this sauce? The bottle and color. Somewhat tall—with a chic black label and geometric cap—it holds a bright, almost glowing, orange sauce. As the name suggests, this condiment has a mild truffle flavor that doesn't overpower. Though, if you aren't the biggest fan of truffle flavor, this probably won't be a sauce for you. If you love it, then you're in luck. The taste is rich and robust and lingers on the taste buds.
TRY IT WITH
Avocado toast or your favorite type of French fries would be delicious with this sauce.
3. POIRIER'S Louisiana-Style Hot Sauce
Like most Louisiana-style hot sauces, this condiment has a vinegar base. Because of that, it's a much thinner sauce than some of the others on this list. It has a deeper reddish-orange color from the aged cayenne and red habaneros that also provide its heat factor. The acidity of the vinegar amplifies the hotness just a little so it tingles from the tip of your tongue all the way to the back of your throat.
While similar to Louisiana-style grocery store brands, Poirier's has a much bolder flavor that sets it apart. The screw-top squeeze bottle is also convenient for whatever food you squirt it on.
TRY IT WITH
Use this sauce to add a kick to marinades (hello, spicy pulled pork sandwiches!), mix into dips and cheese sauces, or sprinkle over your eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast!
4. HOT ONES The Classic Hot Sauce
Our friends over at Hot Ones definitely know their hot sauces and this one proves it. A rich, reddish-brown color with visible flecks of the chile de arbol peppers that make this sauce sing. We totally understand why they call it "The Classic"—it has a classic "hot sauce bottle" shape and as the label says, "just the right spice."
TRY IT WITH
The sauce is not too hot or too vinegary. It has a perfect balance that makes it an all-around winner to keep on hand for any of your hot sauce needs.
5. SECRET AARDVARK Habanero Hot Sauce
Be warned, the heat level certainly kicks it up a notch compared to some of the others, I had to take a little break after enjoying this one as the spicy tingle lingers on your tongue for some time!
This orangey-brown sauce comes complete with a cartoon aardvark on the front and bills itself as a "unique Caribbean/Tex-Mex hybrid." It has a lovely spicy-sweet aroma thanks to habaneros and tomatoes—and has a taste that is almost reminiscent of the mustard-based barbecue sauces prominent in South Carolina.
TRY IT WITH
Use this sauce in a meat marinade for your next barbecue, toss with chicken wings or mix in with baked beans.
6. FLY BY JING Sichuan Chili Crisp
I'd never tried anything quite like Fly By Jing. Chili crisp is a Chinese condiment made by infusing oil with chili flavors. The "crisp" comes from the crunchy bits of dried chili peppers and other seasonings. This particular brand uses preserved black beans, garlic, shallots, ginger, mushrooms and Sichuan pepper. While not as spicy as some of the habanero-based sauces on this list, it definitely has some zing to it. In each bite, the Sichuan pepper provides a tongue-tingling sensation that is balanced by a yummy umami flavor.
Pro tip: The crisp parts settle to the bottom of the glass jar, so make sure you mix and spoon some of it out when serving.
TRY IT WITH
This chili crisp is superb on eggs, proteins like chicken and pork, veggies, rice and noodle bowls and—bear with me—vanilla ice cream 😲. The label suggested it, so I tried it and was not disappointed!
7. DA BOMB Beyond Insanity Hot Sauce
I can't lie, I was nervous to try this one. I knew this one was INTENSE from when Rach tried it on Hot Ones. A deep, dark red in color with an atomic bomb and small warning on the label, it just looks intimidating. When I unscrewed the cap and took in the aroma, I could tell it was going to be next-level hot.
I put just the tiniest drop on the piece of chicken I was eating it with and the moment my tongue made contact, it was on FIRE. As I began to chew, that heat spread throughout my entire mouth. For me, it was tough to even get an idea of what the sauce tastes like because the heat is so overwhelming. It definitely has some smokiness to it, but it was difficult to discern other flavors through the searing heat. The label says that habaneros and chipotle peppers make up the bulk of the flavor—I'll take their word for it.
The stinging sensation lingered throughout my entire mouth for longer than I would have liked. It’s fair to say this one was too spicy for me, but if you're into that level of heat though (we know you're out there!), this one might be for you – but don’t say you weren’t warned!
BONUS: Old Fashioned Cheese: Jalapeño Squeeze Cheese
I saw this on Amazon's best sellers list and knew I had to try. Do you remember that yummy nacho cheese sauce that was served on tortilla chips at sporting events and movies? It reminds me of that, but with the convenience of a squeeze bottle. It's that nostalgic flavor that really made me smile. It’s gooey and melts easily. It has tiny bits of jalapeño mixed in that give it a mild kick.
TRY IT WITH
Anything and everything that you'd want to put a spicy cheese sauce on, this would do the trick!
For more of our Amazon favorites, check out 9 Of The Bestselling Spicy Foods On Amazon Right Now.