Why Costco Shoppers Aren't Picking Up Kirkland's New Sriracha Seasoning

Costco's done it again with its new Kirkland Signature sriracha seasoning, offering an affordable and convenient alternative to the classic Huy Fong — only, shoppers seem to be leaving this one on the shelf. The reason why is right there on the ingredient label, which lists sugar as the first and primary ingredient. That's a pretty big red flag, especially when you check the nutrition label and find it doesn't disclose exactly how much there is. According to FDA guidelines, anything with less than .5 grams of sugar per serving can be listed as 0 grams. That's pretty substantial for a seasoning that's rationed at .8 grams per serving, meaning it could be made up with as much as 60% sugar.

Kirkland Signature sriracha seasoning isn't the only one of its kind that contains sugar. In fact, you might be surprised to find how much is in the original Huy Fong sauce, but the major difference with that is that chili peppers are listed as the first ingredient. So, it would make sense for people to expect the same in a seasoning blend that's intended to replicate the flavor of the sauce, seeing it as a mark of quality and taste familiarity. While there's really no way to know exactly how prevalent the sugar flavor is unless you taste it for yourself, it seems like most people can't be bothered and would rather stick with the sriracha seasonings they know. Or they just don't know how to use it.

Kirkland Signature isn't the first brand to put out its own take on sriracha powder. In fact, McCormick's and Trader Joe's have both made sriracha seasonings before — each of which has an ingredient list that names spices prior to sugar. In accordance, each of these tastes slightly different. Kirkland Signature's has been described as sour, with a flavor of sweet barbecue. Trader Joe's, on the other hand, tastes much like its sriracha sauce, which, as described by our taste testers in their ranking of Trader Joe's seasoning blends, is average at best. Of course, there's also Huy Fung's own sriracha seasoning blend but, interestingly enough, it lists sugar first and tastes like it too.

Regardless of what sriracha seasoning you buy, you're never going to get the authentic sriraja panich flavor — but there are still ways for you to use them. People seem to prefer these when they want the sriracha flavor without the saucy consistency, dusting it on top of everything from mac n cheese to popcorn. It also would work particularly well tossed into your french fries, added to chicken noodle soup, or mixed into the dry seasonings in your frying batter. Just know it's not going to be quite as intense as a sriracha sauce would be, especially if it's one of the brands that list sugar first. But, that could be a good thing if you're serving kids or someone who isn't quite ready for that kind of heat.