No matter how many toppings there are on your pizza, sometimes you feel that there’s still something missing–that little bit of extra
The best hot sauce for pizza is Torchbearer Garlic Reaper Sauce. It’s versatile, packed with flavor, and satisfyingly hot. If you love garlicky, flavorful pizza that leaves your mouth burning, you’ve found the perfect sauce. A little goes a long way, so avoid going all out on this one.
We will talk about different hot sauce brands that may satisfy your various pizza cravings and how their ingredients complement pizza flavors. We will also discuss some interesting facts about these sauces and how much heat you can expect from them. Let’s get the ball rolling!
The Best Hot Sauce for Pizza: Torchbearer Garlic Reaper Sauce
The combination of zesty garlic and hot peppers will leave a fiery flavor in your mouth that will make you reach out for another slice. This sauce is not to be trifled with, though. After all, it features the Carolina Reaper, which tops the Scoville scale at 2,200,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
The Carolina Reaper isn’t all about heat–it’s packed with flavor too. Some detect a cherry undertone in this chili pepper, while some say there’s a subtle hint of chocolate. This is probably why this hot sauce is perfect with pizza because it offers the ideal balance between heat and flavor.
Another factor that sets this hot sauce apart is the amount of garlic in it. The garlic is what shines through, so much so that Torchbearer Garlic Reaper Sauce is almost like a creamy and extremely spicy garlic sauce. There would be no need to ask for extra garlic toppings on your pizza with this thick sauce!
Here’s what this fiery, flavorful sauce is made of:
- Carolina Reaper chili pepper
- Garlic
- Canola oil
- Water
- Distilled white vinegar
- Lime juice
- Granulated garlic
- Mustard powder
- Chili powder
- Salt
Torchbearer Garlic Reaper Sauce clocks in at 116,000 SHU–a far cry from Carolina Reaper pepper’s 2.2 million SHU. Still, this hot sauce is not something you should slather or drizzle all over your pizza unless you’re a true blue chili aficionado. I suggest tackling this sauce drop by drop until you get to the heat level you can handle.
Pizza in the Tropics Vibe: Pineapple Mango Ghost Pepper Sauce
Add a tropical vibe to every pizza slice with the Pineapple Mango Ghost Pepper Sauce (available on Amazon.com). This orange sauce has fruity undertones from the pineapples and mangoes to combat the intense heat from the Ghost Peppers. What’s nice about this hot sauce is that it’s made only in small batches. They always use farm-fresh ingredients, so you can always be sure about getting top-quality flavor.
The Ghost Pepper is called such because the heat slowly creeps up on you, much like how a ghost might be creeping up behind you right now. This sauce goes so well with pizza because it lets you enjoy all the flavors in your pizza slice. When the heat hits you, you’re taken aback by the intensity and complexity, and you’re left searching for more. Pineapple Mango Ghost Pepper Sauce’s fruity, tangy heat can really take your pizza game up a notch.
What it’s made of:
- Ghost Pepper powder
- Water
- Distilled vinegar
- Pineapples
- Torani mango syrup
- Salt
- Paprika
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Cilantro
The Ghost Pepper, also known as Bhut Jolokia, is one of the hottest peppers in the world, clocking in at 855,000 – 1,041,427 SHU. It earned the record for World’s Hottest of All Spices at the Guinness World Records from 2007 to 2010. The record is currently held by the Carolina Reaper chili pepper, which weighs in at a whopping 2.2 million SHU. However, the Pineapple Mango Ghost Pepper Sauce only registers at 4,000 SHU.
Good Ol’ Hot Sauce: Crystal Hot Sauce
Crystal Hot Sauce is a staple in most households and is popular and well-loved for its spicy and peppery flavor. It’s one of the saltiest sauces, with about 135 mg (1.48 US tons) of sodium per teaspoon. The sodium content gives food a bolder, more flavorful boost. The vinegar tang takes a back seat in this sauce, which is probably why many people like Crystal Hot Sauce with their pizza.
What’s inside:
- Aged red Cayenne Peppers
- Distilled vinegar
- Salt
Red Cayenne Peppers register at 30,000 – 50,000 SHU. The addition of the other ingredients tempers the heat a bit, and Crystal Hot Sauce comes down to a manageable 2,000 – 4,000 SHU. It’s great for drizzling over pizza because it isn’t too hot, and the balance of flavors is evident.
A Healthier Take on Pizza: Siete Habanero Hot Sauce
You can count on this sauce to deliver a punch, with Habanero Peppers front row and center in their list of ingredients. However, Siete Habanero Hot Sauce refuses to sacrifice flavor for heat. They’ve developed a unique blend that gives this sauce fiery tanginess, subtle sweetness, and a bold peppery taste, with boosted nutritional value to boot.
What’s unique about this sauce is the incorporation of chia seeds, flax seeds, avocado oil, and apple cider vinegar. These ingredients offer multiple health benefits. Enjoying them with a delicious slice of pizza is like killing two birds with one stone!
Chia seeds and flax seeds are good for:
- Digestion
- Heart health
- Regulating blood sugar levels
Avocado oil contributes to increasing good cholesterol while reducing bad cholesterol. It is also a good source of these vitamins and nutrients:
- Vitamin E
- Monounsaturated fats
- Oleic acid
Apple cider vinegar offers these health benefits:
- helps burn fat
- decreases blood sugar levels
What each bottle contains:
- Habanero Peppers
- Puya Peppers
- Water
- Apple cider vinegar
- Avocado oil
- Golden beets
- Carrots
- Dates
- Sea salt
- Garlic
- Flax seeds
- Chia seeds
- Quillaja extract
- Turmeric
Habanero Peppers weigh in at 100,000 – 350,000 SHU. Not surprising for a chili pepper that sits comfortably among the top performers in the chili pepper hot zone. However, all this heat isn’t just shifted over to the sauce. Siete Habanero Hot Sauce is known for its tolerable medium heat, just enough for you to enjoy a slice of pizza with some added zing.
Mustard Lovers’ Pizza: Howler Monkey Original Hot Sauce
This bright red hot sauce has a pleasant Caribbean vibe that will take your pizza to a whole new level. The flavors that stand out here are from the onions, garlic, and mustard, giving the sauce a perfect balance between sweetness and spiciness. The Red Scotch Bonnet Peppers then take charge of the heat, but at just the right level so as not to overpower the flavors. The spiciness doesn’t linger but leaves a soothing warmth in your mouth.
This sauce is an excellent complement to the usual pizza toppings we enjoy. Mustard, in particular, works well with meats, vegetables, and spices. If you love mustard, you will enjoy this intriguing hot sauce with every slice of pizza. The mustard flavor is front and center, while the heat and hint of fruitiness from the Red Scotch Bonnet Peppers give the sauce some complexity.
What’s in the bottle:
- Red Scotch Bonnet Peppers
- Distilled vinegar
- Garlic
- Onions
- Mustard (distilled vinegar, # 1 mustard seed, salt, turmeric, spices)
- Cumin
- Black pepper
- Turmeric
Red Scotch Bonnet Peppers weigh in at 100,000 – 350,000 SHU, quite in the same range as Habanero Peppers. Howler Monkey Original Hot Sauce clocks in at roughly 1,500 – 2,500 SHU. This brand uses fresh ingredients, so it is important to note that flavor intensity and spiciness level may often vary.
Buttery Smooth Hot Sauce: Kitchen Garden Farm Habanero Sriracha
This is an organic, naturally-fermented chili sauce with peppers grown from the company’s own farm in Western Massachusetts. The heat from the chilis is sharp but not overpowering. The sauce is rich, fruity, and garlicky. What sets this sauce apart is its velvety smooth consistency, perfect for drizzling over different kinds of food, especially pizza.
Check out the list of ingredients below, and you’ll be amazed at how such a seemingly simple sauce can have such intense and complex flavors. The secret lies in how the ingredients are prepared and how much of each is incorporated into the sauce. Additionally, fresh, organic ingredients are used each time, so you can always look forward to top-quality taste.
What this sauce is made of:
- Organic Chilies
- Organic Vinegar
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Organic Garlic
- Salt
- Xanthan Gum
There’s no information on how much Kitchen Garden Farm Habanero Sriracha registers on the Scoville scale. So instead, let’s factor in the Habanero Peppers used, which clock in at 150,000 – 300,000 SHU. Some say that the heat is comparable to most sriracha in the market–which weigh in at 1,000 – 2,5000 SHU – so let’s factor that in as well. It would be safe to say that you could expect about 2,000 – 3,000 SHU from this hot sauce.
Jamaican Style Pizza: Tabasco Habanero Sauce
You can never go wrong with good ol’ Tabasco. Their Habanero Sauce is particularly great for pizza, especially since it has a sharp, peppery, and fruity taste. It’s hot enough for
What you’ll find in every drop:
- Habanero Pepper
- Distilled vinegar
- Cane sugar
- Tabasco brand pepper sauce (distilled vinegar, red pepper, salt)
- Tabasco pepper mash (aged pepper, salt)
- Salt
- Mango puree
- Dehydrated onion
- Banana puree
- Tomato paste
- Tamarind puree
- Papaya puree
- Spices
- Garlic
Tabasco Habanero Sauce weighs in at 7,000 SHU. It isn’t anywhere near the intense heat level of Habanero Peppers (150,000 – 300,000 SHU), thanks to the sweet, fruity components thrown into the sauce. It makes a great pizza sauce, especially for Hawaiian-style pizzas, because it can complement the fruity flavors while elevating the taste by adding just the right level of
A Fiery Purple Punch: PexPeppers Purple Pulsar Ghost Pepper and Blueberry Hot Sauce
Blueberries may seem like an odd mix for hot sauce, but surprisingly, it rounds off the radiating heat from Ghost Peppers really nicely. Throw in some strawberries and wildflower honey to the mix, and you’re left with a sauce that’s fiery hot, sweet, and tart all at the same time. You might find the dark purplish tint of the sauce a bit strange (or appealing, if you’re a purple lover like me), but it’s great with pizza, particularly with mushroom and prosciutto toppings.
What’s in the bottle:
- Ghost Pepper
- White wine vinegar
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Wildflower honey
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
Ghost Peppers tip the scales at 1,042,000 SHU, so it is safe to say that Purple Pulsar Ghost Pepper and Blueberry Hot Sauce might not be your everyday go-to hot sauce. However, the fiery heat you’ll enjoy from this sauce won’t be anywhere near this extreme level, thanks to how the tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the honey tempers the punch. This sauce would be great for pizza lovers looking for a unique, flavorful punch in every bite.
The Perfect Veggie Pizza Hot Sauce: Thai Green Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce
There is so much going on with this sauce that it is pretty challenging to pinpoint exactly what about it is fantastic. Thai Green Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce is herbaceous and citrusy, but it delivers quite a punch. It goes so well with pizza, especially if you prefer lots of vegetables on each slice. This sauce will round up all the flavors nicely and will satisfy you with a fiery heat that lingers in the mouth.
The good stuff:
- Organic green Carolina Reaper Pepper
- Organic Serrano Pepper
- Organic white vinegar
- Water
- Organic lime juice
- Thai ginger
- Organic garlic
- Organic cilantro
- Shallots
- Lemongrass
- Organic basil
- Salt
- Organic coconut flakes
- Organic coconut sugar
- Organic coriander
- Organic cumin
- Organic white pepper
This sauce is spearheaded by the green Carolina Reaper Pepper, known as one of the hottest peppers in the world. It clocks in at a massive 1,400,000 – 2,200,000 SHU. Fear not because this extreme heat will be cushioned by the infused herbs and spices in the sauce. You’ll enjoy a robust heat that lends a fresh citrusy flavor to your food.
Final Thoughts
Finding the perfect hot sauce for your pizza won’t be a walk in the park. You might need to sample quite a few and potentially make your mouth feel burning hot before finding the right ones that satisfy you. However, with the vast array of ingenious sauces available these days, going on a hot sauce-tasting spree sounds like such an adventure!
Sources
- Slice: The Best Hot Sauces To Put On Your Pizza – The Sauce by Slice
- Homemade Pizza School: Hot Sauce and Pizza Pairings to Try on Your Next Pizza Night
- Pepper Geek: The Best Habanero Hot Sauces – Our Favorite Picks
- PepperScale: Torchbearer Garlic Reaper Sauce Review
- Ghost Scream: Top 10 Hottest Peppers on the Scoville Scale
- Chili Pepper Madness: Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) – All About Them
- PepperScale: Crystal Hot Sauce Review
- Manhattan Medical Arts: Difference between Chia vs Flax Seeds
- WebMD: Avocado Oil: Is It Good For You? Pros and Cons, Nutritional Information
- Healthline: 6 Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
- Small Axe Peppers: How Hot Is Habanero Peppers?
- Food Points: Howler Monkey Hot Sauce (Original) Review
- Hot Sauce Fever: Hot Sauce Reviews: Tabasco Hot Habanero Sauce
- PepperScale: Tabasco Habanero Sauce Review
- Pex Peppers Hot Sauces: Purple Pulsar Ghost Berry Hot Sauce
- Chile Mojo: Seed Ranch Flavor Co. Hot Thai Green Sauce with Carolina Reaper
- Bohica Pepper Hut: Fresh Carolina Reaper Peppers (Green/Unripe)
