Not many foods can boast the success of sriracha (it’s pronounced see-ROTCH-ah). The bright red condiment went from a specialty topping for Thai food to a nationwide obsession, spawning an entire industry of cookbooks, flavored snack foods and, of course, knockoffs.
While copycats abound, the original sriracha sauce is made in California by Huy Fong Foods. (It also goes by “rooster sauce,” thanks to the design printed on its ubiquitous bottle.) A single factory produces 3,000 bottles every hour, 24 hours a day, six days a week. That’s about 20 million bottles a year.
What’s the secret to this amazing sauce? Let’s dive in.
Curious to try more hot sauces? Read our guide.
So, What’s In Sriracha?
The label says chiles, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar, potassium sorbate, sodium bisulfite and xanthan gum. The closely-guarded secret recipe doesn’t give much more away, so let’s take a closer look.
Start With Peppers and Vinegar
These ingredients form the basis of most hot sauces out there, both commercial and homemade. Sriracha gets its heat from red jalapeños peppers. Surprisingly, the sauce is only moderately spicy. On the Scoville scale, developed to measure the level of heat in chiles, sriracha measures 2,200. By contrast, Tabasco sauce clocks in at 3,750 and cayenne pepper at a startling 50,000!
Can’t get enough heat? These recipes are for you.
The chiles are ground up, seeds and all, and combined with vinegar, which generally serves two purposes in hot sauces. First, it helps break down the peppers—important as sriracha is not cooked. Vinegar also acts as a preservative for the sauce.
Add Salt and Let It Sit
Because their particular peppers are only in season four months out of the year, the Huy Fong factory mixes the chiles with salt, vinegar and preservatives and seals them in barrels. They draw from their stash to make sauce throughout the year. (Fun fact: 100 million pounds of chiles are processed in Huy Fong Foods’ single factory every year.)
Psst: You can make these popular condiments at home.
Add Sugar and Garlic
Sriracha also flavors their sauce with sugar and garlic, which adds complexity to the spicy chile flavor. Its sugar content is roughly equal to that of ketchup. (Some worry about the added sugar, but according to National Geographic: “To eat the Food and Drug Administration’s recommended limit for sugar consumption of about 12 teaspoons a day, you’d have to down half a bottle of Sriracha.”)
And Make It Thick
Most hot sauces are pretty thin—you shake the bottle and it splashes onto your taco or eggs. By contrast, you have to squeeze sriracha sauce: it’s thick and unctuous, more like America’s other favorite condiment, ketchup. The secret to the thick sauce is probably in a combination of the ratio of ingredients, as well as in the xantham gum, a powerful thickening agent.
How to Make Sriracha Mayo
Need an excuse to eat more sriracha? Stir the sauce into a scoop of mayo and, boom, you’ve got an instant burger/brat/sandwich spread, a dip for roasted potatoes and veggies, a dash of something to brighten up your morning eggs or your evening chicken.
See whether or not sriracha won our Test Kitchen’s award for the best hot sauce.
True Fans Should Know How to Make All Kinds of Sriracha Recipes!
The convenience and simplicity of this chicken dinner make it extra awesome. Change up the veggies throughout the year—the sticky-spicy-sweet sauce is good on all of them! —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland
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A creamy peanut butter sauce coats moist slices of pork in this delectable dish from Amy Van Orman of Rockford, Michigan. “This recipe is from a friend in my cooking club, and it's always a favorite,” she notes.
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This versatile chicken recipe is very similar to chicken pad Thai but easier to make and tastes just as good. Rice noodles can be swapped with mung bean noodles or any type of egg noodles. —Kristina Segarra, Yonkers, New York
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This recipe is a Cambodian version of the classic Vietnamese dish banh mi. This sandwich has acidity from the pickled vegetables, freshness from the cucumber, spiciness from the sriracha mayo, and sweetness from the marinated beef. —Hudson Stiver, Bowen Island, British Columbia
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I love the marinated sides and salads that come with meals at Japanese restaurants and wanted to try some at home. After some research, I came up with this cool and crisp salad with a little Asian zing. We love it with meat hot off the grill! —Kimberly Ludvick, Newburgh, New York
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These fun little apps are an instant conversation starter wherever they're served. We love them on game day, but they'd be a hit at brunch, too. —Crystal Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota
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Think of this stir-fry as your chance to play with heat and spice. I balance the beef with coconut milk and a spritz of lime. —Joy Zacharia, Clearwater, Florida
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Serve my fiery hot wings on game day or any time friends and family gather. If you don’t like a ton of sweetness, add the honey slowly and taste as you go. —Logan Holser, Clarkston, Michigan
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I threw some always-available condiments into my slow cooker with a pork roast to create this fantastic pulled pork. It has become a staple sandwich filler for large get-togethers. The flavor of the pork goes well with a cold glass of white wine.—Lori Terry, Chicago, Illinois
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My husband loves the spicy Thai flavors in this speedy, simple dish and often breaks out the chopsticks for a more immersive experience. — Jennifer Fisher, Austin, Texas
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My creamy crab salad gets a boost of heat from Sriracha and a tangy touch from lime. It’s ready fast, leaving me more time with guests. —Patti Lavell, Islamorada, Florida
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While in the Bahamas, friends suggested a restaurant that served amazing chicken spring rolls. When I got home, I created my own version. Such a great appetizer to have waiting in the freezer! —Carla Mendres, Winnipeg, Manitoba
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I wanted to find a way to use pineapple salsa in a recipe. I came up with this super simple, delicious and quick dish! —Erin Schillo, Northfield, Ohio
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The grilled apples in this salad combine so well with the blue cheese, walnuts and balsamic dressing. I like to serve it on pink Depression glass dessert plates from my great-grandmother. —Paul Soska, Toledo, Ohio
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Chicken and mushrooms make up the filling in these pot stickers, a traditional Chinese dumpling. Greasing the steamer rack makes it easier to remove them once they're steamed. —Jacquelynne Stine, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Dump everything in a slow cooker and watch these spicy-sweet sliders become an instant party time classic. —Julie Peterson, Crofton, Maryland
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With so many awesome veggies out there, I'm always playing around with the ingredients in these sandwiches. Sometimes I add extra protein, too—chicken, shrimp, pork, beef and tofu all work. Check for sriracha and hoisin sauces in the Asian or international foods section of your grocery store. —Athena Russell, Greenville, South Carolina
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On cool-weather weeknights, the slow cooker is our friend. The plums might surprise in these juicy pork sandwiches, but they add a little sweetness and make the meat extra tender. —Holly Battiste, Barrington, New Jersey
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We love big-time spicy chicken wings. I do a caramel sauce to balance the heat, but you could also glaze the wings with melted brown sugar. —Nuraniza Salazar, Westminster, Colorado
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We bought loads of apples and needed to use them. To help the flavors come alive, I roasted the apples and tossed them with a sweet dressing. —Janice Elder, Charlotte, North Carolina
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My colorful Lo Mein is a lighter version of the classic Chinese dish that everyone at our table loves. Try it with a squirt of Sriracha. —Loanne Chiu, Fort Worth, Texas
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My three sons can polish off a watermelon in one sitting. Before they dig in, I set aside a few slices to make these zesty shrimp kabobs. —Jennifer Fisher, Austin, Texas
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On a whim, I stuffed eggs into potato shells as a way to use up leftover baked potatoes. It’s the brunch dish people ask for the most. —Lisa Renshaw, Kansas City, Missouri
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Shakshuka is a dish of poached eggs with tomatoes, onion and cumin. I learned it while traveling through Southeast Asia, and it's been my favorite way to eat eggs since. —Ezra Weeks, Calgary, Alberta
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This is a lighter version of a restaurant favorite. I also recommend trying these wraps with ground chicken or turkey.—Robin Haas, Cranston, Rhode Island
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As a writer and busy mom of three boys, I need tasty meals on the quick. We serve these glazed meatballs over a steaming bed of rice. —Amy Dong, Woodbury, Minnesota
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When this homemade ketchup is bubbling on the stove, the aroma takes me back to childhood. One taste and I’m home again. —Karen Naihe, Kamuela, Hawaii
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As a fan of mangoes and avocados, I love these wraps. You can substitute tortillas for rice paper wrappers, and lettuce or spinach for sprouts. —Gena Stout, Ravenden, Arkansas
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These sweet, tangy, spicy chicken sliders have an Asian style that tingles the taste buds. At our potlucks, they quickly vanish. —Priscilla Yee, Concord, California
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At holiday time, I always have cream cheese and crabmeat on hand. In case of drop-ins, mix up an easy spread by adding mango chutney and spices. —Jennifer Phillips, Goffstown, New Hampshire
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We love Asian flavors and finger foods. Using chicken, crescent rolls, Sriracha and chili sauce, I made an appetizer that encourages second helpings. —Jeanette Nelson, Bridgeport, WV
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This dish combines the hearty, spicy flavors of my beloved slow-cooker short ribs with my all-time favorite comfort food: fries and gravy. With a little prep in the morning, it's just about ready when I come home from work (plus, the kitchen smells amazing!). If you are sensitive to spice, reduce the amount of Sriracha chili sauce. —Erin DeWitt, Long Beach, California
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I grew up eating ramen and love it to this day. A fun spin on my favorite type of noodle soup, these sliders are topped with an egg and kimchi. —Julie Teramoto, Los Angeles, California
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We love it when opposites attract. A sweet-and-sour gingery dressing goes hand in hand with soft soba noodles, edamame and crunchy slaw. Add grilled shrimp or chicken for a protein-packed finish. —Mandy Rivers, Lexington, South Carolina
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We’ve made these tacos with corn and flour tortillas, but naan flatbread is our favorite. Set out toppings and let people make their own. —Jessie Grearson-Sapat, Falmouth, Maine
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The post What Is Sriracha and Why Do People Love It? appeared first on Taste of Home.
Kelsey Rae Dimberg
