What’s the Best Hot Sauce? Here’s What America Has to Say

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Justine Sterling | January 14, 2026 | 3 Comments

top selling hot sauce in america

credit: liv averett (illlustration) / wikimedia commons (photo)

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Look, if you really want to know what the best hot sauce is, you just have to ask us. We’ve tasted so many. We can give you a real answer that addresses your specific needs, whether you want the best Mexican hot sauce, Louisiana hot sauce, habanero hot sauce, etc. But if you’re solely interested in the general public’s favorite hot sauce, well, Instacart can help with that.

Frank’s RedHot is the most-purchased hot sauce brand

According to Instacart data obtained by Food & Wine, Frank’s RedHot is the hot sauce brand that Americans reach for the most. It’s the number one hot sauce in 31 states. Controversially, Frank’s didn’t even make it onto our ranking of the best hot sauces. But! Two flavors of the brand’s Buffalo wing sauces take the top two spots in our best wing sauce ranking.

But Frank’s RedHot isn’t the only hot sauce Americans love

According to Food & Wine, the other four hot sauces that top the charts for American Instacart users are: Huy Fong Foods (the sriracha with the rooster), Taco Bell, Cholula, and Texas Pete. Taco Bell is the major player here, having moved from the number five spot to the three spot this year.

Some states have their own regional preferences

California eschews the national top five hot sauces, instead opting for Tapatio (as fellow Californians, we totally get it, we’ve ranked sauces from Tapatio on multiple occasions). Cholula takes the crown in Hawaii and Montana. And, of course, Louisiana Brand hot sauce is the go-to in Louisiana, as well as Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Who orders the most hot sauce?

According to F&W, New Mexico is the number one consumer of hot sauce, followed oddly enough by Alaska. Guess you gotta stay warm somehow. And if you’re wondering who’s eating the least amount of hot sauce? It’s Alabama. It’s a state known for its extremely mild mayo-based white sauce, so that’s no surprise to us.

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About the Author

Justine Sterling

Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients. Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now). Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test! Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.