Taste Test: Who does the best Sriracha sauce?
With the arrival of America’s much-hyped Huy Fong Sriracha sauce in Thailand, we put all the main Sriracha supermarket contenders to a blind taste test.
7 years ago
A. 863 (B63/530ml) RUNNER UP!
Don’t let the look of this thick, deep-red sauce in the beef tomato-inspired bottle fool you. There are no tomatoes evident in the sauce, only an intense hit of chili with a bitter aftertaste that reminds us of Mexican chili sauce or even sambal. It’s very, very hot, too.
The verdict: Some like it hot
B. Heinz (B23.75/300ml) YUCK!
Tastes exactly like what you’d find at KFC. Pale, gloopy, sweet—and anything but hot.
The verdict: Orange syrup
C. Thai Dancer (B51/450ml) BK PICK!
This sauce ticks all the boxes of how a good Sriracha sauce should look, with its smooth texture and just-right orange color. The flavors are also very well balanced: not too hot but not at all bland.
The verdict: Picture (and palate) perfect
D. Jim Jam (Medium Hot) (B30/350ml)
Strongly flavored with a slightly gritty texture. The problem with this one is it’s just so salty it all but kills the heat.
The verdict: Salty and sour
E. Maepranom (B33.50/226ml)
The fried chicken dip specialist’s interpretation of Sriracha tastes like ketchup with chili flakes. Yep, there’s a very weird, tomato-like flavor. Nope, it’s not what we want from a Sriracha sauce.
The verdict: Stick to the chicken dip
F. Deksomboon (B22.50/350ml)
“It tasted like nam jim kai (fried chicken chili dip),” said one taster. Runny and syrupy just like Heinz but saltier and a bit hotter.
The verdict: This Thai-Chinese company makes better soy sauces
G. Huy Fong (B155/266ml)
We detect a different chili. The grainy sauce is hot and punchy, with a lingering heat on your palate and nose.
The verdict: Not Sriracha as we know it, but not the worst… if you can stand the heat
H. Three Mountains (Medium Hot) (B37/285ml)
This Thai brand makes the greatest effort to mimic the US Sriracha bottle. The sauce’s subtle floral aroma distinguishes it from others.
The verdict: A worthy imitator
I. Sriraja Panich (Medium Hot) (B22/250ml)
This vivid orange sauce looks and tastes just like the good ol’ stuff they serve you at most street-food stalls. The medium-hot variety is only mildly spicy, and more on the tangy and sweet side.
The verdict: For those who like to play it safe
*Note: All sauces were tasted both neat and on kai jeaw (Thai omelet). For those sauces that come in a range of different spiciness levels, we chose the medium hot variety.
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