Our Favorite Healthier Hot Sauce Brands to Fire You Up

By Geraldine Campbell

May 16, 2024

Courtesy of Mina

Some like it hot — so they say. And if you’re one of those people, these hot sauce brands are for you: super-spicy honey, better-for-your Sriracha, fiery harissa, and more. Everything brings the heat and does it without tons of added sugar, artificial flavors, or unpronounceable ingredients.

1. Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp

Chili crisp has been popular for a few years now (so much so that it invited competition and controversy). Headlines aside, it’s addictively good, savory, spicy, and crunchy. Several hot sauce brands make it, but this one is a favorite. Crafted in small batches in Chengdu and made with Sichuan peppercorns, chilis, and oil, it’s the perfect mix of savory and spicy, crunchy and oily, and you’ll want to drizzle a bit on everything from eggs to pizza, noodles, and ice cream.

Buy it: Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp, $10 for a 6-ounce jar

2. Mina Harissa

Harissa is a North African hot chili paste that’s at home as on eggs, on sandwiches and burgers, and as a marinade. Toss it with vegetables before roasting, or stir a spoonful into a stew or braise. Mina’s is magical for coaxing complex flavor out of just 6 simple ingredients: red chilies, red bell pepper, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Once you try it, you’ll want to add it to everything.

Buy it: Mina Harissa, $18 for 2 10-ounce jars

3. Kitchen Garden Farm Sriracha

Made from organic, sustainable ingredients and naturally fermented, this small-batch Sriracha can be hot, extra-hot (habanero), or super-hot (ghost pepper). We love it for spicing up eggs, swirling into yogurt for a spicy-cool dip, or squeezing on top of anything grilled.

Buy it: Kitchen Garden Farm Sriracha, $12 for an 8-ounce bottle

4. Momofuku Chili Crunch

Another take on the classic chili crisp, David Chang’s version is a total umami bomb. Made with Mexican chilis, garlic, shallots, mushroom powder, seaweed, and more, it’s sweeter and less spicy than Fly by Jing’s — but no less delicious. Because there are no Sichuan peppers (which have a famously numbing effect), you could easily eat this straight from the jar.

Buy it: Momofuku Chili Crunch, $25 for 2 5.3-ounce jars

5. Yellowbird Habanero Hot Sauce

Yellowbird Habanero hot sauce has a cult following (and for good reason): It’s slightly sweet, tangy, super spicy, and has a shockingly wholesome ingredients list. We love it on top of scrambled eggs, fish tacos, or just about anything grilled; if you’re feeling extra spicy, it even works as a dip for chips or carrot sticks.

Buy it: Yellowbird Habanero Hot Sauce, $12 for a 19.6-ounce bottle

6. Mike’s Hot Honey

If you’ve never tried Mike’s Hot Honey, stop what you’re doing right now and order a combo pack (hot and extra-hot). This stuff is incredible drizzled on pizza, garlic bread, avocado toast — you name it. Made with just honey, chilies, and vinegar, it’s also delicious on anything with barbecue sauce, and also on — wait for it — brownies.

Buy it: Hot Honey Combo Pack, $25 for 2 10-ounce bottles

Disclaimer: We only recommend products we seriously love and want to share. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which includes affiliate links.