17 Best Condiments You Absolutely Need

You can’t just buy any condiments and call it a day. You need the best condiments. It’s like investing in a good capsule wardrobe—these are things you’ll be using every day, so you want them to be high quality. And, as a member of the Sporked team of taste testers, I can tell you with certainty that there are differences between yellow mustard brands and that not all sweet pickle relish is worthy of your hot dog. 

So, what is the best condiment? After many, many, many taste tests in which we ate condiments straight from a spoon—as well as on foods—we pulled together all the best of the bests to make this list. Here are the best burger condiments, best hot dog condiments, and more top condiments that deserve a permanent place in your fridge and pantry.


best horseradish sauce

Best Horseradish Sauce

Woeber’s Sandwich Pal Horseradish Sauce

Who doesn’t want a sandwich pal? Especially when it tastes this good. It’s creamy, zesty, and has a ton of horseradish kick. Feel free to use this however you see fit, but, if you eat red meat, do yourself a favor and try it on a roast beef sammie. This is the best condiment for a roast beef sandwich, for sure. 

Read the full ranking of the best horseradish sauce

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

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best yellow mustard: kroger

Best Yellow Mustard

Kroger Yellow Mustard

Yes, a store-brand yellow mustard took the top spot in our yellow mustard taste test. In their review, senior staff writer Jordan Myrick wrote that it earned the title because it is the “mustardy mustard of the bunch.” It’s extremely tangy and tart—perfect for cutting through some sliced deli turkey and Swiss cheese

Read the full ranking of the best yellow mustard

Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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maille dijon mustard

Best Dijon Mustard

Maille Dijon Originale

Not only will this Dijon mustard upgrade anything you slather it on, it will also add some class to your fridge. In their review, Jordan wrote that, of all the Dijons we tasted, Maille was the “punchiest [and] zestiest.” It will clear your nasal passages. 

Read the full ranking of the best Dijon mustard

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

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best mayo

Best Mayo

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise

Hellmann’s has stayed in the number one spot as best mayo over the course of two separate taste tests. It’s just that good. Sporked contributor Danny Palumbo wrote in his review that it is “triumphantly decadent” with “less acidic bite than Duke’s.” It’s just tart enough, but mostly it’s savory and slick. One of the best sandwich condiments, all around. 

Read the full ranking of the best mayonnaise

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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best ketchup

Best Ketchup

Heinz Tomato Ketchup

After two separate taste tests of many, many ketchup brands, Heinz remains on the top of the list. It has a little more zip and sweetness to it than the other ketchup brands we tasted. It’s the top dog for a reason, and definitely one of the best burger condiments. 

Read the full ranking of the best ketchup

Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

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best sweet pickle relish

Best Relish

Del Monte Sweet Pickle Relish

This relish was so good it changed Jordan from a sweet relish skeptic into a sweet relish lover. The blend of cucumber, red peppers, onions, mustard seeds, and, of course, sugar, creates a delicious melange of flavor that is great on a burger or hot dog, or mixed into foods like deviled eggs. 

Read the full ranking of the best sweet pickle relish

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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best hot sauce: sriracha

Best Hot Sauce

Huy Fong Foods Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

You know it. You love it. You might even think it’s the only sriracha out there (it’s not, there are many srirachas). And it’s a classic for a reason. It’s spicy—but not too spicy. It’s thick enough to be squirtable (a big plus when it comes to the best condiments). And, according to Jordan’s review, it’s good on anything, from scrambled eggs to avocado toast to pizza

Read the full ranking of the best hot sauce

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

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best chili crisp

Best Chili Crisp

Natural Plus Green Sichuan Chili Oil

Over the past few years, chili crisp has gone from being a niche condiment to being the trendy, must-have condiment that people put on literally anything—including ice cream. Natural Plus’s version was so good, Jordan even said it was better than the stuff from their favorite dumpling restaurant. It’s numbing and packed with extra umami. And it’s definitely spicy. 

Read the full ranking of the best chili crisp

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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best vegan mayo

Best Vegan Mayo

Follow Your Heart Original Vegenaise

We’re big fans of Follow Your Heart’s vegan products over here at Sporked, and that goes double for their vegan mayo. In Jordan’s review, they wrote that it was “nearly indistinguishable from egg-based mayo.” It’s creamy. It’s tangy. It’s a must-have condiment for pretty much anyone. 

Read the full ranking of the best vegan mayo

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

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best soy sauce

Best Soy Sauce

Silver Swan Special Soy Sauce

Our soy sauce taste test left the Sporked crew feeling particularly dehydrated, but it was all for the best because we discovered Silver Swan, a Filipino-made soy sauce. According to managing editor Gwynedd Stuart’s review, it “has an ultra-rich flavor, a hint of sweetness, and huge amounts of umami.” And it comes in a really big bottle so you don’t have to keep re-upping your stash. 

Read the full ranking of the best soy sauce

Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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legal sea food tartar sauce

Best Tartar Sauce

Legal Sea Foods House Tartar Sauce

Legal Sea Foods isn’t just the best dining option in Logan Airport, it also makes the best tartar sauce. “It’s creamy, mustardy, and briny with a great dill pickle flavor,” Danny wrote in his review. It’s sweet, salty, and sour all at once. And it’s so very creamy—perfect for every morsel of flaky fried fish or crispy fried shrimp

Read the full ranking of the best tartar sauce

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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best burger sauce

Best Burger Sauce

Kroger Burger Special Sauce

When it comes to the best burger condiments, it’s hard to do better than the best burger sauce. Kroger makes another entry on this list with their store brand special sauce, crafted specifically for burgers. It’s tangy and sweet, thick and creamy. It’ll make any homemade burger taste like the best fast food burger. 

Read the full ranking of the best burger sauce

Credit: Merc / Ralphs

Rating:

10/10

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best guacamole

Best Guacamole

Hope Foods Spicy Green Chile Guacamole

It’s not easy to make a great store bought guacamole, but Hope Foods did it. Theirs is creamy, zesty, and a little bit spicy, thanks to the habanero pepper, which also lends it a touch of fruitiness. And this guacamole actually tastes like avocado!

Read the full ranking of the best guacamole

Credit: Merc / Amazon

Rating:

9/10

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best red salsa

Best Salsa

Casa Sanchez Foods Hot Salsa Roja

We’ve tasted a lot of salsas, but picking the best salsa was easy. Casa Sanchez Hot Salsa Roja is so flavorful and just spicy enough (not so hot that only true heat seekers can handle it). The company manages to do so much with just a few simple ingredients: tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cilantro. That’s all it takes!

Read the full ranking of the best salsa

Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon

Rating:

10/10

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best bbq sauce

Best BBQ Sauce

Famous Dave’s Sweet & Zesty BBQ Sauce

It’s sweet and it’s zesty—just like the label promises. And it is just thick enough to click to ribs or chicken or even veggies. Use it as a glaze, use it as a dip, use it on burgers. As Jordan wrote in their review, “This is the gold standard of BBQ sauce.” 

Read the full ranking of the best BBQ sauce

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

10/10

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best store bought pesto

Best Pesto

Kirkland Basil Pesto

This is not only the best pesto, it’s also one of the best things to buy at Costco, in general. It has a bit of a cult following and for good reason. It’s herby, and cheesy, and nutty, and not too garlicky. Plus, the olive oil tastes like high quality olive oil. Look for it in the refrigerated section!

Read the full ranking of the best jarred pesto

Credit: Liv Averett / Costco

Rating:

10/10

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best sweet chili sauce

Best Sweet Chili Sauce

Pantai Sweetened Chili Sauce for Spring Roll

While I still think you should save those packets from your local Chinese takeout rather than throwing them away, you should also get a bottle of this sweet chili sauce for things like frozen egg rolls or dumplings or pretty much anything fried. You can see the pepper bits floating in the sauce, but don’t worry, it’s not spicy at all. It’s sweet and mildly tangy and just as good as (if not better than) the stuff from the takeout spot. 

Read the full ranking of the best sweet chili sauce

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9.5/10

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About the Author

Justine Sterling

Justine Sterling is the editor-in-chief of Sporked. She has been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and is an avid at-home cook and snacker. Don’t worry, she’s not a food snob. Sure, she loves a fresh-shucked oyster. But she also will leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and loves a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.