All the Spice and Flavor of Sriracha, none of the Weight

Spring is almost here and we are gearing up for backpacking season with a tutorial on how to turn a heavy bottle of Sriracha into an ultra-light backpacking condiment. We put Sriracha on pretty much every meal, but it's hard to pack a bottle of hot sauce on a backpacking trip. Not only do you add weight to your pack, but if it leaks you are left with a sticky mess that could attract some unwanted friends. For years, we've gotten by with cayenne pepper and red chili flakes, but we recently came up with a new method that allows us to bring the delicious flavor and spice of Sriracha on every backpacking trip.

You can start from scratch with a homemade Sriracha recipe or use the popular Huy Fong, Sriracha like we do here.

Items You Will Need

Food Dehydrator Parchment Paper Blender Sriracha

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread Sriracha on Dehydrating Tray

Pour the Sriracha on a parchment paper lined dehydrating tray. With a spatula spread the Sriracha in a thin and uniform layer to ensure even dehydration.

2. Dehydrate Overnight

Dehydrate overnight or until the Sriracha is dry and easily peels from the parchment paper like fruit leather.

3. Blend the Dried Sriracha into a Powder

Place the dehydrated Sriracha leather into a blender and blend into a fine powder. Turn off the blender and wait for a few seconds to allow the dust to settle before opening the lid.

Caution: We recommend wearing protective eyewear and a dust mask to avoid inhaling Sriracha powder or irritating your eyes.

4. Dehydrate Sriracha Powder

You will probably notice that the Sriracha powder still has some moisture in it and will begin to clump. Spread the powder back on the parchment paper lined dehydrating tray and dehydrate for another hour or two.

5. Blend a Second Time

After the Siracha powder has dried completely in the dehydrator, you will notice that some clumps have formed. Carefully pour the Sriracha powder back into the blender and blend again until your Sriracha is the consistency of chili powder.

6. Place Your Sriracha Powder into Containers

For Home Storage

Store your Sriracha powder in a ziplock sandwich bag or airtight container.

Pro-Tip: Add a few dried beans to your powder to absorb any remaining moisture.

For Backpacking Use

We recommend a small spice container like the GSI Spice Missile for backpacking trips. It has 6 compartments that are easily filled with your favorite backpacking spices (we usually fill 2 with our Sriracha Powder!) .

Pro-Tip: Bring enough Sriracha powder to share and you will be the most popular chef in camp.

Spice Up All of Your Backpacking Meals

You can use this method with other sauces as well. Try it with your favorite hot sauce, bbq sauce, or ketchup, the possibilities are endless!

New to backpacking? Read tips from a beginners first backpacking trip.