The hot sauce industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and is an excellent low-calorie way to add flavor to any dish. There are thousands of hot sauces and chili pastes out there that vary in regional flavors, heat levels, textures and acidity. Your taste palate and number of heat receptors will be unique to you, so it will be up to you to find what you enjoy. This hot sauce guide can help you understand where to start and what heat and flavors you prefer. Do you breathe fire or want just a slight kick? Find the heat levels you love and pair them with foods appropriately. Learn by tasting and indulging in different types of foods and condiments.

We are always looking to add and improve this guide. Please leave any suggestions for hot sauces in the comments section!

Beginner’s guide to hot sauce

If you are just beginning to embrace spicy flavors and want to increase your heat tolerance, here’s a few starter tips:

Only add several drops of hot sauce or paste when cooking. You’ll be able to taste and enjoy the flavor with less or no heat. Begin with milder sauces full of flavor but not too much heat. Trying mixing a hot sauce like Sriracha with mayo to temper the heat but still add creamy flavor. Tastes delicious and adds some spice to any meal. Goes great on sandwiches. Exposure and building up heat tolerance. Keep tasting hot sauces and involving them in your meals and through repeated exposure your heat tolerance will increase quickly. A common mistake is drowning food in hot sauce. Don’t do this! Taste your sauces with a fork and add it slowly to your meal. You’ll be able to taste the flavor and guage the level of heat better. Drowning your food can ruin the flavor of your entire meal and turn you off of hot sauces. Understand and respect hot peppers. With the number of hot sauces today, you can quickly work your way up to the upper echelons of heat. Don’t overwhelm yourself simply because you want to keep pushing that Scoville number higher. Remember to enjoy hot sauces for the added flavor and kick, not to fatigue your taste buds and heat receptors.

For hot sauce newbies and veterans, here’s some flavorful hot sauces we recommend trying out as a base before heading into the higher echelons of heat. We’ve included some well-known brands and condiments as well as some fantastic lesser known brands that deserve more recognition and praise.

Scoville heat scale



How are levels of heat between hot sauces compared? How does one quantify the spiciness of an individual pepper or hot sauce? The component in peppers that is spicy is called capsaicin. It is heavily concentrated in the internals and seeds of peppers. The capsaicin concentration levels are the standard in which heat and spiciness are measured by, represented by what is known as Scoville Heat Units (SHU). For example, Sriracha is measured at 2,200 SHU, Tabasco Original is measured at 2,500 SHU and Mad Dog Inferno is measured at 89,500 SHU. A higher number means more heat and capsaicin. The current test to measure Scoville Heat Units (SHU) is called the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This method takes a dried pepper, grinds it up and extracts its capsaicinoids through a water filter. Over 22 types of capsaicinoids are measured and evaluated to give the SHU. The heat of a pepper primarily comes from capsaicin, but each type of capsaicinoid offers a unique flavor that contributes to the overall taste of the pepper.

Hot sauce is produced by combining the capsaicin and flavor from various peppers with other ingredients such as vinegar. The type of pepper and capsaicinoids determines the heat levels, flavor profiles and preparation going into each individual hot sauce. For example, Poblano peppers are earthier, richer, often smoked and range from 1,000 – 3,500 SHU, while Habanero peppers are more fruity and sweet but range from 100,000 – 350,000 SHU. Peppers of the same type can also range in heat intensity simply depending on the batch used. If you want to learn more, a good idea is to try peppers in their raw form to understand how their flavor transforms each hot sauce. You’ll certainly gain a new appreciation for the many variations of peppers and how hot they can get. Below is a list of common peppers that are used in hot sauces, organized by their Scoville rating.

0 SHU – No heat, Bell pepper

– No heat, Bell pepper 100 – 1,000 SHU – Banana pepper, Cubanelle, paprika, Pimento

Banana pepper, Cubanelle, paprika, Pimento 1,000 – 3,500 SHU – Gochujang, Pasilla pepper, Peppadew, poblano (or ancho), Poblano verde, Rocotillo pepper, Espelette pepper

Gochujang, Pasilla pepper, Peppadew, poblano (or ancho), Poblano verde, Rocotillo pepper, Espelette pepper 3,500 – 10,000 SHU – Guajillo pepper, ‘Fresno Chili’ pepper, Jalapeño pepper

Guajillo pepper, ‘Fresno Chili’ pepper, Jalapeño pepper 10,000 – 30,000 SHU– Byadgi chilli, Serrano pepper, Peter pepper, Chile de árbol, Aleppo pepper, Chungyang Red Pepper, Peperoncino

Byadgi chilli, Serrano pepper, Peter pepper, Chile de árbol, Aleppo pepper, Chungyang Red Pepper, Peperoncino 30,000 – 50,000 SHU – Guntur chilli, Cayenne pepper, Ají pepper, Tabasco pepper, Capsicum chinense

Guntur chilli, Cayenne pepper, Ají pepper, Tabasco pepper, Capsicum chinense 50,000 – 100,000 SHU – Malagueta pepper, Chiltepin pepper, Piri piri, Pequin pepper, Siling Labuyo, Capsicum Apache

Malagueta pepper, Chiltepin pepper, Piri piri, Pequin pepper, Siling Labuyo, Capsicum Apache 100,000 – 350,000 SHU – Habanero chili, Scotch bonnet pepper, Datil pepper, Rocoto, Madame Jeanette, Peruvian White Habanero, Jamaican hot pepper, Fatalii Wiri Wiri, Bird’s eye chili

Habanero chili, Scotch bonnet pepper, Datil pepper, Rocoto, Madame Jeanette, Peruvian White Habanero, Jamaican hot pepper, Fatalii Wiri Wiri, Bird’s eye chili 350,000 – 580,000 SHU – Red Savina Habanero

Red Savina Habanero 855,000 – 2,200,000 SHU – Komodo Dragon Chili Pepper, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, Infinity Chilli, Naga Morich, Bhut jolokia (ghost pepper), Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper, Bedfordshire Super Naga, Spanish Naga Chili, Carolina Reaper

Komodo Dragon Chili Pepper, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Naga Viper pepper, Infinity Chilli, Naga Morich, Bhut jolokia (ghost pepper), Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper, Bedfordshire Super Naga, Spanish Naga Chili, Carolina Reaper 2,000,000 – 5,300,000 SHU – Standard pepper spray

Standard pepper spray 15,000,000 – 16,000,000 SHU – Pure capasaicin

Hot sauce heat profiles



Different chili peppers have different types of burning sensations that cannot be adequately represented by Scoville Heat Units. Each type of pepper can have different ratios of over 22 different types of capsaicinoids that create a unique heat and flavor profile. The Chile Pepper Institute has determined five questions that make up a chili pepper or hot sauce’s profile:

How fast do you feel the heat? Is the heat instant, delayed or a slow build? For example, Chili peppers instantly hit while Habaneros have a delayed heat. How long does the heat linger? Does the heat instantly hit and fade quickly or does it linger and increase over a few minutes? Is the heat sharp or flat? Pins and needles or does the heat spread out across your mouth? Where in your mouth do you feel the heat? Does it burn on your tongue or back of the throat? Where does it rank on the Scoville scale? What is the measured Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and number of capsaicinoids as measured by the HPLC test?

A lingering heat can taste hotter even if there are fewer capsaicinoids compared to other hot sauces with higher Scoville ratings. Certain peppers and chemicals in a hot sauce can trigger different heat receptors on the tongue and feel hotter or linger longer. For example, a hot sauce with multiple types of peppers but lower SHU can offer a broader heat profile in your mouth and trigger burning in more areas compared to a hot sauce with a higher SHU but only one type of pepper. The Scoville scale is a good guideline for hot sauces, but the hot sauces themselves can vary immensely in their flavor, intensity and heat profile. Preparation of the chilies is also important. Many red and green chilies are made from the same pepper but they are prepared differently.

Once you start consuming hot sauces over 1 million SHU, it may be more heat than taste. Hot sauces are about adding flavor and heat and often people consume too much heat that they can lose the entire flavor of their dishes.

Tip: Hot sauces of the same brand can also vary in heat. The Scoville scale is an average when discussing peppers and hot sauces. It can happen that one hot sauce contains peppers that are extreme while the next bottle of the same brand can be less intense simply because of the variations in the peppers themselves. Your own reaction can also vary over time.

Regional hot sauce variations



Over the past hundred years, chili peppers and spices have spread throughout the world resulting in many regional variations of hot sauces, seasonings and pastes. In Spain, milder and flavorful red peppers are popular while in East Asian countries such as Thailand and Indonesia they prefer peppers with a spicier and sharper heat profile. Understanding the styles of hot sauces and chili pastes from different regions will tell you what flavors to expect and to help match them (like wine pairing) with what you’re eating. It is always fun to mix and match sauces and pastes with different cuisines to find what combinations you enjoy.

Neutralizing the burn

The burn you feel when you eat spicy foods is caused by capsaicin, a hydrophobic, volatile and waxy compound. This means it cannot be neutralized by drinking water, which will actually spread it around your mouth. The best solution to reduce the heat of capsaicin is to consume milk or yogurt. Dairy products are so effective because they contain a protein called casein which breaks the bonds of capasaicin on your nerve receptors. Fatty foods will also help by binding with capsaicin. A healthy recommendation is adding avocados or guacamole to complement your dishes and to cut the heat when necessary.

If you are dealing with heartburn or indigestion from spicy foods on the go, we highly recommend carrying a pack of mint Rolaids. If you’re eating spicy food at home, its also always good to have Alka-Seltzer Heartburn Relief Chews on hand for yourself or your guests.

Scoville Rating Hot Sauce Guide

This list is organized starting from the lowest to highest Scoville rating. This list uses Scoville (SHU) measurements provided by the manufacturer or the most accurate information that we could find. It is important to note that the SHU is not always comparable from brand to brand. For example, some hot sauce companies will market the heat of their peppers based on dried samples, but they don’t account for the dilution once mixed with other ingredients to create the hot sauce. Other companies will base their SHU measurements on the final hot sauce which is the most honest and accurate method. Be wary of this as a 500,000 SHU hot sauce could feel much hotter than a 1 million SHU hot sauce. Also pay attention between a hot sauce and an extract. Once you start looking at the higher echelons of heat, many of them are extracts and pure capsaicin that should only be used sparingly with a dropper for entire pots of chili or dishes. That being said, use this list as a general overview and shopping guide to the best hot sauces out there! Happy tasting!