Even though it burns our lips and makes our eyes water, hot sauce is commonly consumed and adored.

We hot heads always add a little more spice to our burgers, eggs, and chicken wings because it’s a feeling we can’t get enough of. But what if you run out of spicy sauce in the midst of preparing a meal?

Tragic, to say the least! In any case, you may still salvage your supper by substituting hot sauce with a variety of spicy alternatives.

Hot Sauce Alternatives

1. Mexican hot sauce
2. Chili powder
3. Sriracha
4. Green pepper sauce
5. Sambal oelek
6. Red pepper flakes
7. Gochujang
8. Chili-garlic sauce
9. Harissa
10. Curry Paste

Mexican Hot Sauce

Mexican-inspired hot sauces are less acidic than traditional hot sauces. As a consequence, these sauces have more chili flavor and less tang.

Furthermore, they may look thicker than typical hot sauces. This is a wonderful choice if you want thicker sauces with a spicy taste.

Valentina, Cholula, and Tapatio are well-known brands in this category that stand out in terms of flavor and texture.

Chili Powder

If all you want is a hint of dry heat, a good chili powder would suffice.

There are several chili powder replacements to select from. Cayenne pepper, for example, is not very hot but has a strong peppery flavor that is ideal for adding spice to meals.

Another chili powder option to explore is paprika spice. This spice may provide a sweet, spicy, or smoky flavor.

Sweet paprika adds a sweet peppery flavor to chicken soups and beef stews. It’s not unusual to serve it with avocado toast, eggs, or mashed potatoes.

Hot paprika is a Hungarian paprika that adds a peppery, spicy kick to any dish.

Smoked paprika is made from dried, smoked peppers and has a strong, smoky flavor. This spice’s heat rating goes from mild to medium to very intense.

Sriracha

This beautiful crimson sauce was born in Thailand’s coastal resort of Si Racha. Its recipe calls for garlic, sugar, and the three main hot sauce ingredients: chile peppers, salt, and vinegar. It has a thick consistency that some people equate to ketchup.

Sriracha has a gentler heat than typical hot sauce, but it will surely deliver a peppery taste with a hint of fire, followed by a sweet tang.

Spread this sauce over burgers, tacos, burritos, or anything else that goes nicely with something sweet.

Green Pepper Sauce

Green pepper sauces are made from green Jalapeno chili peppers and have a unique green colour.

Red chili chilies are more intense than green chili peppers in our traditional spicy sauce. As a consequence, green pepper sauce is less sweet, more vegetable-flavored, and has a more mild spiciness.

Cholula and Tabasco are two of the most well-known brands of green pepper sauce.

This green pepper sauce complements Mexican-inspired foods, particularly burritos, empanadas, and enchiladas.

Sambal Oelek

Introducing sambal oelek, an Indonesian delicacy and another best spicy sauce replacement on our list.

This sauce is rich and created with fresh chili peppers, salt, and vinegar.

It is thicker and somewhat chunkier than traditional hot sauce since it includes whole pepper seeds.

This peppery sauce is great as a burger and hot dog topping, but it also works well as a culinary component in stews, marinades, or stir-fries when you don’t have any hot sauce on hand.

Red Pepper Flakes

One of the most prevalent spicy spices is red pepper flakes. Red pepper flakes are made from chili peppers such as bell, cayenne, jalapeno, Fresno, and others.

Their heat level may vary from moderate to fairly intense depending on the pepper mix.

The number of seeds in red pepper flakes affects the heat level as well, with more seeds equaling greater heat.

Gochujang

Gochujang is a dark crimson paste made from flakes of red chili pepper, fermented soybeans, salt, and sticky rice.

It’s a popular Korean dish with a rich tomato taste that’s sweet, tart, and somewhat spicy.

Gochujang has a thicker consistency than spicy sauce, but you may dilute it with water if you like it to be more watery.

Gochujang complements chicken wings, roasted vegetables, and tofu. It also goes well with stir-fries and stews.

Chili-Garlic Sauce

This spicy sauce alternative is dedicated to all garlic lovers out there.

Because to the inclusion of crushed chili peppers, chili-garlic sauce has a very similar consistency to Sambal Oelek. However, this one is far more delicious because to the addition of, you guessed it, garlic.

Because it contains less chili peppers, chili garlic sauce is less intense than conventional hot sauce.

Nonetheless, its sweet, spicy, garlicky flavor will compliment Chinese meals such as shirataki noodles. It also works well as a dipping sauce for chicken or fish sticks.

Harissa

Those who are acquainted with North African food, notably Tunisian cuisine, will recognize this spicy alternative.

Harissa is a thick and somewhat gritty chili paste made from crushed red chili peppers, cumin, coriander, and olive oil.

The inclusion of spices like cumin and coriander, as well as the rich olive oil, distinguishes Harissa from many of the other spicy sauces on our list.

It has a deeper flavour that is sweeter and smokier than hot sauce because it has the proper amount of heat balanced by lemon and garlic.

One of the best aspects of harissa is its versatility. You may add it to a basic tomato or marinara sauce to liven up a chicken breast or sea bass.

Curry Paste

This fundamental Thai ingredient might be a great replacement for adding a lot of flavor and spice to a dish.

Curry pastes are available in three colors: red, yellow, and green. The red curry paste, which includes up to 20 distinct dried chilis, is the spiciest.

Green curry paste has the same chilies as red curry paste and has a moderate spiciness that is both rich and herbaceous.

Meanwhile, yellow curry paste is substantial and somewhat sweet, with varying degrees of spiciness depending on the kind of pepper used.

Conclusion

Fans of hot sauce are well aware that no two hot sauce substitutes are identical.

Each one is distinct in its own way and was specifically crafted to achieve a certain taste character.

Sambal oelek, for example, is thicker, Mexican hot sauce is more peppery than acidic, and green pepper sauce adds a vegetable taste to your foods.

Sriracha and chili-garlic sauce are wonderful alternatives for spice aficionados who desire a garlicky aftertaste.

If you want your spice to be fragrant, use curry paste, gochujang, or harissa.

The sauces may be used as a dip or while cooking, whilst the dry alternatives, such as chili powders or red pepper flakes, can be sprinkled on top of foods.