The Best Hot Sauce, According to Professional Chefs

People are extremely loyal to their favorite hot sauce. They have it in their fridge at all times, they make sure their local diner carries it, and they might even carry it in their purse for emergencies. 

Every hot sauce is different — some are runnier and some are thicker; some are water-based and some are vinegar-based; some are spicy and some are mild; and every single brand has a different blend of chiles. With so many brands on the market, you might wonder which ones deserve a spot in your kitchen. To help you sort through the spice, we asked 10 professional chefs for their favorite bottle. Here are seven that are worthy of your pantry or purse. 

Butterfly Bakery of Vermont Taco Vibes Only 

Two chefs’ favorite hot sauce is one that you might never have heard of — but you might have seen smothered on wings in the YouTube show, Hot Ones.

“In my opinion, Butterfly Bakery of Vermont makes the best hot sauces in the country,” says 2013 F&W Best New Chef Jason Vincent. “They are all delicious — they have about 30 flavors and I have them all — and they are hot as fuck.” Vincent’s favorite bottle is Butterfly Bakery’s Taco Vibes Only, made with red serranos, reaper peppers, and ghost peppers. “It lives on my counter at home.”

Taco Vibes Only is also a favorite for 2014 F&W Best New Chef Gabrielle Quiñónez Denton, who was gifted the hot sauce by her husband’s Vermont-based family. “It is ferociously spicy, yet it somehow manages to be complex and flavorful without blowing out your palate with its brutal heat,” she says. “It’s great on tacos, as the name implies, but I really enjoy it as a snack, drizzled over some cottage cheese and scooped up on chips, crackers, or a warm tortilla.”

El Yucateco Green Habanero

For only $3 a bottle, this is one of the most affordable hot sauces on the market. “The spice flavor is round and pronounced, but compared to other hot sauces, I feel like the aromatic expression is more present,” says 2019 F&W Best New Chef Matt Kammerer. He uses this hot sauce for everything, but especially loves combining it with Kewpie mayonnaise. “It’s a force to be reckoned with.”

Crystal

2017 F&W Best New Chef Rico Torres’ favorite ingredient is chiles, so it comes as no surprise that his refrigerator is stocked with all sorts of hot sauce. But when he’s making greens or enjoying a platter of raw oysters, he always reaches for Crystal. Simply made with aged red cayenne pepper, distilled vinegar, and salt, Crystal is a staple ingredient in Southern cooking, but chefs like 2022 F&W Best New Chef Ana Castro add a dash or two to everything and anything. “It’s not super spicy and not super vinegary — it’s just right.”

Cholula

This mild, Mexican hot sauce, made from arbol and piquin peppers, is beloved by chefs for its versatility. “It’s my go-to bottle,” says 2019 F&W Best New Chef Bryan Furman. “It is bold, but not numbingly spicy, and it goes with everything,” adds 2002 F&W Best New Chef Hugh Acheson. Try drizzling it over your eggs for breakfast, or stir it into potato salad for an extra kick.

Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce

Tabasco, the iconic vinegar-based hot sauce, is a favorite among chefs for cooking — it adds a great, spicy tang to stews, soups, and braises. 1994 F&W Best New Chef Greg Sonnier specifically sings the praises of the garlic pepper flavor. “It has the kick of Tabasco with a hint of garlic,” he says. “I like to use it to make what my kids call ‘hot sauce pickles.’ I put half a dill pickle on a plate, and cover the entire thing — plate included — with hot sauce.”

Salsa Valentina

Salsa Valentina is a thicker hot sauce, made with puya chiles from Jalisco, Mexico. “I love the flavor [of Valentina],” says 2013 F&W Best New Chef Michael Hudman. “It has a little bit of smokiness and a good bit of spice.” Drizzle it on some chicken wings, grilled corn, or even fresh fruit. 

Truff Original

“A mainstay in my fridge is definitely Truff Original,” says 2023 F&W Best New Chef Edgar Rico. Infused with black truffles and sweetened with agave, this medium-spicy hot sauce has an unmatched complexity. “I love the light truffle flavor profile it adds to whatever you’re eating, and it’s a good everyday hot sauce if you like to be a little spicy.”