Italian food is a crowd favorite whether you are at a formal family meal in a restaurant, or a quick dinner by yourself in your home. You may find that Italian food is your go-to meal because it is readily available and easy to prepare. Suppose you want to switch up your food routine and add some spicy flavor to your pasta, pizza, or meat dish, what are your options?
The best hot sauces for Italian food use a blend of chili flakes, olive oil, simple spices and vegetables.
The rest of this article examines the best ten hot sauces for Italian food, including the best brands for each type and what they best mix well with. So, if you are tired of tasting the same tomato, cheese, onion, and garlic flavors repeatedly, read on.
1. Tutto Calabria Crushed Hot Chili Peppers
Since spicy flavors are not particularly common in Italian food, most people tend to stick with chili peppers when adding
The Tutto Calabria Crushed Hot Chili Peppers (available on Amazon.com) are a classic Italian brand of chili peppers. They are made with 100% authentic Italian chili peppers, also known as peperoncino. This brand offers the peppers whole, sliced, or crushed leaving you free to choose the appropriate option for you.
The best thing about these crushed chili peppers is that they are made with 100% hot chili peppers. What’s more, they do not contain any added ingredients. These chilies sport a spicy taste with a slightly fruity aroma and flavor. They are therefore a great addition to any pasta, pizza, or stew.
The flavor of this hot sauce is quite spicy though accompanied with a hint of sweetness. Still, the spicy, sweet flavor mixes well with many Italian ingredients, such as tomatoes, onions, and garlic. If you want to maintain the flavors of your Italian dish while simply adding a bit of
2. Coluccio Italian Arrabbiata Sauce
Another excellent option when it comes to spicing up your Italian food is using the Coluccio Italian Arrabbiata Sauce. This sauce is made in Italy with all-natural and authentic ingredients. The sauce contains hot chili peppers, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, basil, and white wine vinegar. These ingredients create a consistent spicy taste for every bite of your food.
The arrabbiata sauce is best used with pasta. It contains the perfect
This arrabbiata sauce also does well as a meat varnish. Therefore, you can add it to your cooked meat for additional flavor or you may find that you most enjoy the sauce with pasta and meatballs.
This sauce includes natural, fresh ingredients. And since it’s also made in Italy, it is a top choice for many people looking to add an authentic taste to their Italian food.
3. Sanniti Italian Arrabbiata Sauce
Some Italian food enthusiasts are fans of this Sanniti Italian Arrabbiata Sauce (also available on Amazon.com). The sauce is also an excellent option for pasta and meatball dishes. It is a bit spicier than the Coluccio arrabbiata sauce, which is why some people prefer it. If you are a real fan of spicy food, this may be the perfect option for you.
This product is also produced locally (in Italy), which gives it an authentic taste. It’s an aromatic red sauce mixed with Italian chili peppers and a favorite for adding
It is important to note that the SannitiItalian Arrabbiata Sauce features a few extra ingredients that are not organic. It also contains sugar and modified corn starch. As such, the sauce may not be the best option for those looking to consume products featuring natural ingredients only.
4. Casarecci Bomba Ortoboom Explosive Hot Sauce
Another famous hot sauce for Italian food is this Casarecci Bomba Ortoboom Explosive Hot Sauce. This sauce is also produced in Italy, and boasts authentic and all-natural ingredients. Made in the southern part of Italy, it is cleverly packaged to look like an explosive, calling attention to its spicy flavor.
The Casarecci Bomba Ortoboom hot sauce is a remarkably textured sauce. It contains many vegetables, among them zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, and artichokes. The sauce is also made with chunks of vegetables rather than blended vegetables. As a result, many people enjoy the more textured sauce, finding it more filling. They also enjoy seeing the vegetables they are consuming.
This is an excellent choice of hot sauce for pasta, meat dishes, and pizzas. Its textured nature plus the level of
5. Firelli Hot Sauce
Next on the list is the Firelli Hot Sauce (available on Amazon.com). This hot sauce is also made in Italy and makes an excellent addition to pasta, pizza, eggs, or meat. The sauce boasts the texture of a more traditional hot sauce, smooth and thin, like salsa; it’s not a textured sauce. With just a few drops of this hot sauce to any meal, you will be pleasantly surprised by the
Firelli Hot Sauce is made with authentic ingredients such as Calabrian chili peppers, roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and mushrooms. This is an excellent option if you are looking for a product made with healthy ingredients, no added sugar, and no preservatives. So, if you are in search of a smooth hot sauce to add to your Italian food, this is a great option!
6. Cholula Hot Sauce
While there are several excellent options for hot sauces made with local products in Italy, some people prefer to use Mexican hot sauces for their Italian food. One of the most popular hot sauces for pizza is the Cholula hot sauce (available on Amazon.com).
This hot sauce is made in Mexico with arbol and piquin chilis, which are native to Mexico. Additionally, it includes many regional spices from the specific area where it is made – near the ancient city of Cholula. The thin sauce is perfect as an addition to your food – in small quantities. Note that it is not a dipping sauce.
Cholula hot sauce is ultra spicy and hot, and most people need just a few drops to
7. Secret Aardvark
The Secret Aardvark hot sauce (available on Amazon.com) is another favorite for Italian dishes, particularly pizza. In contrast to some of the other sauces, this sauce is produced as a Tex-Mex-style sauce to accompany Mexican food. However, it also adds great flavor to pizza and Italian dishes.
Secret Aardvark is made with habanero peppers, white vinegar, roasted tomatoes, carrots, and prepared mustard unlike the other hot sauces mentioned above. The habanero peppers and white vinegar give it a more sour and spicy taste. Habanero peppers are one of the most piquant peppers, making this sauce extremely hot and spicy.
If you prefer a more sour and spicy taste over a sweet-spicy taste, you may find that this is the perfect hot sauce to use on pizza. The flavors combine well with the cheese flavors, especially if your pizza has strong cheeses. Additionally, the flavors mix well with vegetables when you are having a vegetarian pizza.
This hot sauce is traditionally used for pizza rather than meat, such as meatballs because meatballs and other Italian prepared meats already have their own flavor. These meats will not combine as well with this hot sauce, as the sour, spicy flavor can be pretty intense and take away from the taste of the meat.
8. Howler Monkey Original Hot Sauce
The Howler Monkey Original Hot Sauce (available on Amazon.com) is a traditional hot sauce made and produced in Panama. This is a unique hot sauce. It has traditional spices used in Latin America and a few traditionally Asian spices. The combination of these flavors is particularly enticing and surprising.
This hot sauce is made with vinegar, red scotch bonnet peppers, garlic, mustard, turmeric, cumin, and black pepper. Most of these flavors, such as garlic, peppers, and black pepper, will combine well with many flavors found in Italian food, such as cheese, tomatoes, and onions. The addition of other more robust flavors such as mustard, turmeric, and cumin brings a sharper taste to your dish.
Since this is a vinegar-based hot sauce, it will also be more sour than sweet. If you are a fan of sour, spicy hot sauces on your food, then this is a flavor journey that you will be excited about. Try out this hot sauce on your pizza, and be ready for a burst of surprising flavors.
9. Garlic Reaper Hot Sauce
As you can likely guess, the Garlic Reaper Hot Sauce (available on Amazon.com) is an explosion of garlic flavor that goes well with many Italian dishes. With garlic being the main ingredient, this hot sauce is a great combination to go with pizza, pasta, and even meat. The sauce also contains red pepper, canola oil, chili powder, and lime juice.
The canola oil base makes it creamier and thicker than other sauces that are vinegar-based. Many people enjoy this sauce because you can use it liberally on your pizza and even use it to dip the crust in.
While the garlic flavor can be pretty intense, the additional ingredients help round out the strong garlic flavor. The
10. Sriracha
One of the most popular hot sauces for all types of food is Sriracha. Sriracha (available on Amazon.com) is made with ripened chilis, vinegar, and garlic. This hot sauce is spicy, but it is not as spicy as other hot sauces. By using chilis instead of habanero peppers, the spiciness is reduced.
Many people enjoy the more mild
Sriracha is also made with several added ingredients such as sugar. This is something to keep in mind if you prefer a product made with pure ingredients.
Final Thoughts
Finding the perfect hot sauce for your Italian food requires a thorough investigation into the ingredients in a given hot sauce. Also, it is crucial to consider the food flavors that you are combining it with. For instance, for a slightly sour but spicy taste, choose a vinegar-based hot sauce.
However, if you want a spicy, hot flavor, go for one of the hot sauces that contain habanero. Alternatively, try an oil-based hot sauce if you want a creamier, thicker flavor explosion.
Sources
- WholeSale Italian Food: Tutto Calabria Crushed Hot Chili Peppers 33.5 Oz.
- Supermarket Italy: Coluccio Italian Arrabbiata Sauce, 6.34 oz
- Supermarket Italy: [BB 8-31-2023] Sanniti Italian Arrabbiata Sauce, 12.3 oz
- Italian Food Online: Bomba Ortoboom Explosive Hot Sauce, by Casarecci di Calabria 9.87OZ
- Casa Firelli: About Firelli
- Cholula: Cholula, the Mother of Sauce
- Heatonist: Habanero Hot Sauce | Secret Aardvark Trading Co
- Heatonist: Original Hot Sauce | Howler Monkey
- Heatonist: Garlic Reaper Sauce Hot Sauce | Torchbearer Sauces
- Huy Fong Foods: Products
