If you’re looking for a nutrient-rich condiment, hot sauce probably isn’t your best choice. Most hot sauces contain zero grams of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Which means they have zero calories. They do, however, have a lot of sodium.
While sodium is an important mineral for a balanced diet, it should be consumed sparingly.
And, given how many hot sauces are available (literally hundreds), it can be hard to figure out which ones are the healthiest and which ones you should avoid.
We’ve got you covered though!
We reviewed over a hundred different brands, their ingredients and nutrition facts, and selected the top 10 healthiest hot sauces of 2021.
1. Brother Bru Bru’s; African Hot Sauce (Very Hot)
0 calories | 0g fat | 0g sugar | 0mg sodium
The first hot sauce on the list of healthiest hot sauces goes to Brother Bru Bru’s African Hot Sauce. This stuff is fire! The sauce is made with no sugar and no sodium, making it a great choice for diabetics and anyone with hypertension.
It was created by Bruce Langhorne, the musician known as “Brother Bru Bru”. In his 50’s, after learning he had extremely high blood pressure, he decided to start experimenting with different low-sodium hot sauce recipes.
Through the blending of different spices and peppers, he stumbled upon this specific blend which he later named “African Hot Sauce”. It’s made with habanero and Japones peppers, garlic, and various “domestic and African spices”.
This stuff is not for the faint of heart, it’s got some kick to it!
SPICY RATING (4/5):
2. Palo Alto’s Firefighters; Pepper Sauce
5 calories | 0g fat | 1g sugar | 0mg sodium
This is another hot sauce with a great backstory. And, it’s definitely a healthier choice if you’re looking to limit your sodium intake. This hot sauce has zero milligrams of sodium!
The Pepper Sauce from Palo Alto’s Firefighters is actually made by a real-life Firefighter. Lee Taylor has been growing peppers in the fire station since 1994. His hot sauce quickly gained traction with his fellow firefighters, and not long after, with the country.
The sauce itself is made from red jalapeño peppers, habanero peppers, tangy vinegar, a blend of paprika. Its worth mentioning this sauce does have some sugar in it, but zero sodium!
One of the neat things about this sauce is 100% of the proceeds go to the Palo Alto Firefighters. So, you’re definitely supporting a great cause!
Check em out!
SPICY RATING (2.5/5):
3. Mr. Spice; Tangy Bang
4 calories | 0g fat | 1g sugar | 0mg sodium
The hot sauce from Mr. Spice, Tangy Bang, is a must-add for this list. It’s an award-winning sauce that combines the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, sour, and a little heat. And, surprisingly, it’s one of the healthiest hot sauces available.
While it does have 4 calories per serving, due to the 1 gram of carbohydrates, it has zero milligrams of sodium and only 1 gram of sugar. It’s also vegan, GMO-free, organic, and gluten-free.
The Mr. Spice brand is actually built on the idea that you shouldn’t have to sacrifice taste and quality to stay healthy. In fact, they make some of the best sauces, all of which are either no sodium or low sodium, gluten-free, and organic.
If you’re a big sauce fan, like me, you might want to check out some of the other products in their line. They make a great Sweet & Sour and Thai Peanut sauce.
Give em a look!
SPICY RATING (2/5):
4. Dave’s Gourmet; Original Insanity Sauce
10 calories | 0g fat | 0g sugar | 10mg sodium
If you’re looking for a hot sauce that may, or may not, singe off your taste buds, look no further. Dave’s Original Insanity Sauce is literally insane… It’s made from red habaneros, hot pepper extract, red chiles, and tomato paste.
While it does have 10 calories per serving, due to it being made with oil instead of vinegar, it has only 10 milligrams of sodium! Great for anyone on a low-sodium diet. There’s also zero grams of sugar, making it a great choice for any diabetics.
That said, hot sauce rookies beware!
Given that the sauce uses oil as the base, instead of vinegar, means it’s much harder to “rinse out” the heat with a glass of water. This hot sauce is definitely for the more seasoned heat head. It tastes great though, a perfect combination of rich and peppery.
SPICY RATING (5/5):
5. Gringo Bandito; Original Red Hot Sauce
0 calories | 0g fat | 0g sugar | 25mg sodium
I actually came across Gringo Bandito’s Hot Sauce while grocery shopping back home, in Seattle. I thought I’d give it a try, and I’m glad I did. This stuff is the real deal, and it’s healthy!
The sauce itself is made from a variety of different peppers. They use red fresno peppers, hot yellow chili peppers, habanero peppers, dried chilis, a blend of spices, garlic, and some onions. While it does contain a bit of sodium (25 mg), it has zero sugar and zero calories.
It’s also vegan and gluten-free.
This is another hot sauce with a great back story, too. Dexter Holland, the singer for the punk rock band The Offspring, created this hot sauce because “hot sauce makes people happy” and “the world needs a great hot sauce”.
They’ve sold over a million bottles and, similar to the band, have a huge fan base.
Compared to some of their other hot sauces, this one isn’t nearly as spicy (1,590 Scoville Score). However, it definitely still has some kick to it.
It goes great with just about anything, including burgers, burritos, tacos, pizza, in chili, and with Bloody Marys. Highly recommend!
SPICY RATING (2/5):
6. Sinai Gourmet; Jalapeno Hot Sauce
4 calories | 0.3g fat | 0g sugar | 24mg sodium
This is actually the first sauce created by Sinai Gourmet, and it’s tasty. It’s made with a variety of herbs and spices, a blend of fresh jalapeno peppers, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic. And, it definitely has a kick to it!
It’s a great healthy hot sauce, too.
Due to the olive oil base, it has a small amount of fat (0.3 grams per serving). Aside from that, it has 0 grams of sugar and only 24 milligrams of sodium. Great choice for anyone watching their salt and sugar intake.
Additionally, the sauce is made gluten-free and vegan.
Sinai Gourmet is actually a great brand and has a lot of health-conscious products. They have a vegan maple syrup, a vegan mayonnaise, and some other interesting vegan options.
SPICY RATING (2.5/5):
7. PexPeppers; HornetBomb Habanero Hot Sauce
0 calories | 0g fat | <1g sugar | 0mg sodium
This hot sauce is a great addition to just about any dish. And, given it uses a milder blend of habanero peppers, it’s a great choice regardless of heat tolerance. It’s also one of the healthiest hot sauces available.
The HornetBomb Habenero Hot Sauce, by PexPeppers, has 0 milligrams of sodium, 0 calories, and less than 1 gram of sugar. It’s also gluten-free, making it a perfect hot sauce for anyone with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
The sauce itself is made from only 4 ingredients, red habaneros, white vinegar, raw wildflower honey, and lime juice. And, all the ingredients used are 100% natural.
PexPeppers is a family owned, small batch boutique hot sauce manufacturer, so their stock is limited. Go check em out!
SPICY RATING (3/5):
8. Rosie’s; Sneaky Wife Hot Sauce
0 calories | 0g fat | 0g sugar | 0mg sodium
Rosie’s Hot Sauce is another healthy hot sauce brand. Their hot sauces are made with the freshest, all-natural ingredients, include zero added salt, have no preservatives or food coloring, and are gluten-free. A great choice for the health-conscious heat head.
Their Sneaky Wife Hot Sauce, specifically, is made with only 5 ingredients. A combination of habaneros, honey, apple cider vinegar, agave, and a little bit of ghost pepper.
It has 0 calories, 0 milligrams of sodium, and 0 grams of sugar!
While the sauce has a ton of flavor, the heat is definitely not subtle. Make sure to use this sauce sparingly.
SPICY RATING (4/5):
9. HotMaple; Smokey Habanero Hot Sauce
0 calories | 0g fat | 0g sugar | 40mg sodium
Had to get this one on the list. The Smokey Habanero Hot Sauce, from HotMaple, is one of my favorite healthy hot sauces.
They spent nearly 10 years perfecting this recipe, and it shows.
This sauce is made with a blend of various spices, yellow onion, diced tomatoes, habanero peppers, liquid smoke, and a touch of dark amber maple syrup. It’s a unique and flavorful combination that you need to try!
It’s also one of the healthier hot sauces. It’s both vegan and gluten-free, has 0 calories, 0 grams of sugar, and only 40 milligrams of sodium per serving. Definitely worth adding to your pantry.
As far as spice goes, this one packs a medium heat…
HotMaple makes a variety of other vegan sauces too, most of which look really tasty. They make a bourbon habanero sauce that looks interesting, and they also make a black walnut syrup. I’ve yet to try either of those.
SPICY RATING (2.5/5):
10. Craic Sauce; Mill City Red
0 calories | 0g fat | 0g sugar | 25mg sodium
The Mill City Red Hot Sauce, from Craic, is a newer and lesser-known hot sauce. It’s totally worth mentioning though as it’s both healthy and extremely tasty.
Craic, an Irish word which means “having a great time”, was started in 2017 after the owner interviewed hot sauce manufactures all over the world. Through his research, he created this unique take on a classic Louisiana-style hot sauce.
The sauce itself is made from vinegar, cayenne pepper, beets, carrots, onion, Zavory Pepper and a little garlic and salt. It has 0 calories, 0 grams of sugar, and only 25 milligrams of sodium.
Highly recommend!
In regard to spice, this one definitely comes in on the more mild side of the spectrum.
SPICY RATING (2/5):
