# Sriracha Hot Sauce **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617 "2015-03-21T17:25:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/1 "2015-03-21T17:25:23Z")
I’ve never tried it. I want to try it, but I don’t want to buy a big bottle of it, in case I don’t like it. Can anyone describe it for me? Is it at all similar to Mexican hot sauces, which I love? For example, I am a big fan of Cholula, El Yucateco, and sauces of that nature, but I don’t care for sauces that taste heavily of vinegar. Will I like Sriracha? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/2 "2015-03-21T17:45:42Z")
It’s a somewhat thick sauce that doesn’t seem to be overly vinegary to me. It’s a little hotter than Cholula but about the same consistency. It’s kind of like a thick garlic-y cayenne sauce. If you like Mexican hot sauces you shouldn’t find anything offensive about Sriracha. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/3 "2015-03-21T17:46:22Z")
Try it - you’ll like it. Sriracha is much heavier on the garlic than most hot sauces, which have none. It is also thicker. Instead of buying some, why don’t you just head over to the nearest Chinese take-out restaurant and try some on your fried rice? Pretty much every Chinese place out here below a certain price point has bottle sitting on every table. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/4 "2015-03-21T17:47:52Z")
A big bottle of it is like $4.00, so you’re not spending that much if you don’t like it. Also, you could go to a place like Noodles where they have it out on the tables and try some there. Taco Bell has it on there new taco as well. But mixed in with all that other stuff the taste is sort of muted. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/5 "2015-03-21T18:12:30Z")
Speaking of the ubiquitous Huy Fong sriracha: There’s vinegar in it, but I wouldn’t call it “vinegary.” It’s certainly not like a Tabasco or Frank’s in that way. There’s a reasonable amount of sugar in it. While most, I’d think, would not describe it as “sweet,” there is a definite sweetness to it that rounds out the flavor. It also has a pronounced garlic powder flavor to it. I think of it as a bit distinct from the Mexican hot sauces I’m used to. It’s also much thicker that most hot sauces—something around a ketchup-y thickness, I’d say, probably slightly thicker. Like if you squeeze a line out of the bottle, it’ll hold its shape. Just give it a shot. If you like hot sauces, you’ll probably like it. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/6 "2015-03-21T18:20:25Z")
I will echo the above comments. It is not heavy on the vinegar like Tabasco or the Louisiana hot sauces. The taste is fairly balanced between the peppers and the garlic. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/7 "2015-03-21T18:38:37Z")
If you don’t like it, I’m certain you will have no problem finding someone to take it off your hands. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/8 "2015-03-21T18:43:20Z")
Buy it, you’ll like it. Or a friend will. I buy two bottles at a time. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/9 "2015-03-21T18:48:51Z")
Try it. There ARE small / pocket sized bottles available, but they’re hard to find and almost as expensive as the normal medium-sized bottle. I’ve heard Sriracha described as a grown-up equivalent to ketchup, and I think that’s somewhat apt. It’s not just a hot sauce. It has a sweet roasted pepper flavor, a big kick of garlic, and some decent chili heat. It’s unique, tasty, and _incredibly_ versatile. I’ve gotten out of the habit of overdoing it, but I’ve seen it work well in everything from scrambled eggs to pasta sauce to grilled cheese to chili to tacos. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/10 "2015-03-21T18:56:12Z")
I find it also has a lot of peppery flavor. If you like peppers for their flavor as well as for their heat, you’ll probably like it. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/11 "2015-03-21T19:01:16Z")
**Typoink** is correct, they make a sampler size- but, it’s very hard to find. Why? Because most everyone who tries it, likes it and goes right to only purchasing the big bottle! If you don’t care for it especially, just use it up fast in BBQ sauce, etc! ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/12 "2015-03-21T19:14:16Z")
I like it too. I’d never thought there’d emerge a hot sauce that almost everyone can agree on. I especially like seeing it replace Tabasco as the standard “hot” sauce in restaurants. From a purely nutritional point, it’s a little too heavy on MSG and probably other additives, but you’re probably not eating _that_ much that it’s gonna be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/13 "2015-03-21T19:45:51Z")
Well, I have to buy some now. Garlic added to it sounds like a stroke of genius. I’m weird about food, so I’ll roll the dice with the ketchup-ish consistency. Thanks for the advice! ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/14 "2015-03-21T20:01:44Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Taco Bell has it on there new taco as well. But mixed in with all that other stuff the taste is sort of muted. Note that the guy that started Huy Fong famously refused to trademark the name Sriracha. So a lot of the things out there that are ‘sriracha’ flavored may not taste like the real thing because they use their own recipe. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/15 "2015-03-21T20:49:34Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > From a purely nutritional point, it’s a little too heavy on MSG and probably other additives, but you’re probably not eating _that_ much that it’s gonna be a problem. MSG? It doesn’t taste MSG-y to me (and I like MSG), and looking on the ingredients, [there isn’t any](http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/images/sriracha-hot-sauce-2.jpg) in there, nor any MSG substitute. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/16 "2015-03-21T20:51:50Z")
Make sure you get Huy Fong brand sauce to try first. It’s the “original” and IMO still the best. Just ask for “rooster sauce” if you don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/17 "2015-03-21T20:52:03Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Note that the guy that started Huy Fong famously refused to trademark the name Sriracha. So a lot of the things out there that are ‘sriracha’ flavored may not taste like the real thing because they use their own recipe. Well, it’s not the first [sriracha](http://www.bonappetit.com/trends/article/the-original-sriracha). (That one is available here. It’s a good bit sweeter than the Huy Fong version. Apparently, it’s difficult to find, according to the article, but I’ve been able to find it at Southeast Asian stores here in Chicago since the early 2000s.) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/18 "2015-03-21T21:28:42Z")
Lee Kum Kee also has a sriracha that’s pretty good, and their sriracha mayo is outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/19 "2015-03-21T21:29:36Z")
I was in a Christmas Tree Shop a couple of days ago and they had bottles of Sriracha on sale for under three dollars. So if you have one of those in your area, you can try out Sriracha on the cheap. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617/20 "2015-03-21T21:32:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Lee Kum Kee also has a sriracha that’s pretty good, and their sriracha mayo is outstanding! There’s a sriracha [taste-off](http://coolmaterial.com/feature/we-tasted-nine-sriracha-sauces-to-find-the-best/) here. Interesting, as their #8 (Shark brand) is my favorite, but one of their least favorites. ETA: Ah, [Serious Eats](http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/taste-test-the-best-sriracha.html) has a run-down that I could more get behind. 🙂 (Although I like Sriraja Panich.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sriracha-hot-sauce/715617.md?page=2)