We love Frank’s RedHot around here. Our two favorite Buffalo sauces? Made by Frank’s. But Frank’s makes a lot more than just hot sauce and Buffalo sauce. In fact, they just released six new sauces: Frank’s RedHot Dip’n Sweet ‘N Sour, Dip’n Secret Chicken Sauce, Wings General Tso Sauce, Mango Habanero Wings Sauce, Squeeze Korean BBQ Sauce, and Squeeze Burger Sauce. That’s a lot of sauces—and despite the name (RedHot), not all of them are meant to be spicy. Question is: Do they taste good? We slurped each one off of a spoon to find out whether that Frank’s hot sauce in your fridge door should be joined by a new Frank’s sauce.
- Frank’s RedHot Mango Habanero Wings Sauce
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Pros: If you come to Frank’s RedHot for heat (understandable), this is the only one of the new Frank’s sauces that’s actually hot. And it is quite spicy, as habanero sauce should be.
Cons: This might taste better on wings than it tastes straight out of the bottle, but the flavor just doesn’t work. “It tastes too much like chemicals to me,” my colleague Jordan Myrick said, and I totally agree. It’s sweet and fruity, but there’s a strong, bitter aftertaste that we really didn’t like. If you’re looking for a spicy Frank’s hot sauce for wings, I’d stick to the Buffalo varieties.
- Frank’s RedHot General Tso Wings Sauce
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Pros: This thick, gloopy sauce has a lot going on. It’s sweet like plum sauce, but also savory like steak sauce. There are lots of bits in here—hot red peppers, garlic, black pepper. I could swear I could even taste some sesame oil, although it isn’t listed in the ingredients. It’s complex, and the mild-medium heat level makes it good for everyone. It’s actually a little spicier than I thought it would be, but totally tolerable for people who are sensitive to heat.
Cons: It doesn’t really taste like General Tso’s sauce. There are definitely more accurate versions out there, but this is good for a spicy, Asian-ish sauce with lots of stuff to chew on.
- Frank’s RedHot Dip’n Sweet ‘n Sour Sauce
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Pros: This is a pretty good sweet and sour sauce. It’s surprisingly tomatoey, and with the vinegar and sugar in the mix, it kind of tastes like an Asian-influenced ketchup. It has a pleasant, creeping burn that hits on the finish. This would be really good with some chicken nugs.
Cons: It’s not terribly exciting, but if you always wish your fast food sweet and sour sauce had some heat, this is a fun condiment to have in the fridge.
- Frank’s RedHot Korean BBQ sauce
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Pros: This thick, fruity BBQ sauce comes in a squeeze bottle that makes it perfect for drizzling on rice bowls or homemade sushi. It’s medium heat, so it has the same simmering burn as the Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce. It’s good! I’d cook up some Impossible vegan steak pieces (our favorite vegan steak) and white rice and drizzle this on top for bulgogi vibes.
Cons: This stuff is sweet with a capital S. The soy sauce definitely balances out the sugar and pear juice (the top two ingredients), but still—if, say, Kansas City BBQ sauce is too sweet for you, this will be, too.
- Frank’s RedHot Burger Sauce
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Pros: I’ve tasted a lot of grocery store burger sauces (hey look, I ranked them, too) and most of them are either really gross because they taste like spoiled canola oil or they’re just glorified thousand island dressings. I love that this Frank’s RedHot sauce is doing something different. It’s creamy, a little sweet, and a little savory—but most of all it’s dilly. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dill-forward burger sauce, but it’s really tasty. Even though I don’t make a lot of burgers at home, I brought this sauce home because it will be good with fish, shrimp, and fried chicken, too.
Cons: This sauce has almost no heat. It’s labeled “mild,” so they aren’t misleading anyone, but why is a hot sauce brand making mild sauces? Give it some heat!
- RedHot Dip’n Secret Chicken Sauce
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Pros: A lot of brands have put out Chick-fil-A sauce dupes lately, and this is yet another one. So it isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s still so, so good. It tastes like a mix of BBQ sauce and ranch dressing with a little mayo in the mix for a nice, thick consistency. It’s smoky, tangy, and delicious. They didn’t reinvent the wheel here, but that’s just fine with me.
Cons: The label says this sauce is “medium” heat, but it’s really not very spicy. I think they could have kicked it up a notch.
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Rating:
3.5/10
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New Product!
Rating:
6/10
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New Product!
Rating:
8/10
Sporks
New Product!
Rating:
8/10
Sporks
New Product!
Rating:
8.5/10
Sporks
New Product!
Rating:
8.5/10
Sporks
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!