It’s a terrifying thought. You’re ready to sit down to eat, you reach to grab your favorite hot sauce, but the bottle is empty! There’s no time to run to the store, but you don’t want your meal to be bland. Have no fear! There are plenty of substitutes for sriracha hot sauce to save your meal. These are also great if you have a friend or family member who doesn’t like the taste of sriracha but is interested in trying other hot sauces. Based on our exhaustive research, these are the best substitutes for sriracha hot sauce.
1. Sambal Oelek
If we look at Indonesian cuisine, sambal oelek is very similar to sriracha hot sauce. The ingredients are very similar, utilizing chili peppers and garlic for heat and flavor, but sambal oelek has less sugar. As a result, the spiciness tastes stronger with sambal oelek even though the heat level between the two sauces is similar. No surprise that Hoy Fong makes their own version of this classic spicy sauce. Make it at home with this recipe.
2.Chili Garlic Sauce
If you’re not familiar with this spicy sauce, you’ve actually probably encountered it on the table of local Asian restaurants. It usually comes in a jar with a small spoon to dish out portions for your meal. At home, you may incorporate it into a stir fry dish. It’s very similar to sriracha, in fact, Huy Fong makes their own version of it! There are some subtleties in flavor and differences in the recipe. Chili Garlic sauce is thicker and features whole chili seeds which can add an extra kick. Some hot sauce fans even prefer it to sriracha, so it’s worth giving it a try. Make your own at home with this copy-cat recipe.
3. Gochugjang
Korean cuisine also offers a delicious sriracha alternative: gochugjang. If you’ve enjoyed bibimbap before, then you’ve already tasted this delicious condiment. Chili powder brings the heat to this paste, which features a glutinous rice base. Because of the thicker consistency, you can’t just squirt it on a bowl of ramen, but it’s perfect to add to recipes for some extra heat. Follow this recipe to make your own gochugjang at home.
4. Chili Garlic Cholula Hot Sauce
This substitution is different from the other recommendations on this list, as it isn’t an Asian sauce. But if you really love the garlic flavors in sriracha and are looking for another hot sauce to sprinkle on a completed dish, Cholula is a great option. Their Chili Garlic flavor has a nice complexity and not too much heat. I enjoy it on ramen, mac and cheese, and tacos, so it’s great for a variety of cuisines.
5. DIY Sriracha Sauce
If you don’t want to stray too far from the original sriracha flavor, you can make your own sriracha sauce at home. It’s relatively simple to make as it only requires four ingredients, but the sauce needs time to ferment so it won’t be ready to use right away. If you’re craving sriracha now, try one of the other substitutes on our list.
Hungry? Check out our favorite sriracha recipes and recipes for 10 unexpected foods to spice up with sriracha.
