Every Tabasco Hot Sauce Flavor, Ranked Worst To Best

Tabasco — it's arguably one of the most popular brands of hot sauce out there, readily available at most grocery stores and perhaps even the option given at most restaurants, too. First invented in Louisiana by Edmund Mcllhenny in 1868, Tabasco has come a long way since the conception of the Original Red Pepper Sauce, though there's no denying that this classic and iconic sauce is one that is still dearly beloved by hot sauce fans to this very day. Containing just red peppers, vinegar, and salt, Tabasco's classic hot sauce is known for its super vinegary flavor profile, with just the right amount of heat to keep things interesting.

While most of us are likely familiar with the Original Red Pepper Sauce or perhaps the jalapeño-based Green Pepper Sauce, Tabasco actually offers many, many more flavors than just those two. As someone who regularly keeps the Red Pepper Sauce stocked in my cabinet at all times and adds hot sauce to most of my meals, I knew that I'd be well-equipped to determine which Tabasco sauce is the best of the best. 

To rank each Tabasco hot sauce, I purchased each one and gave them a little taste on their own so as to get a clear picture of how each one tastes without other foods interfering. Since hot sauce typically isn't just eaten on its own, however, I also paired each Tabasco sauce with a neutral food vessel, a cheese quesadilla, to get a crystal-clear scope of how good the sauce is and how well it pairs with food.

If there was one Tabasco flavor that I was downright nervous to try, it was definitely the Scorpion Sauce. Now, I love spicy food, and I love hot sauce, but like most people, I have a certain threshold for spice; once that threshold is surpassed, it's pretty hard to focus on anything other than the sheer unbearable heat on your tongue and panic in your brain. Unfortunately, Tabasco's Scorpion Sauce vastly surpasses my spice threshold, which is why I have to rank this sauce in last place.

Before it seems that I'm being too biased in my low ranking of Scorpion Sauce, keep in mind that I think this sauce is considerably too spicy for most palates. Sure, if you simply can't get enough heat and most hot sauces barely trigger any sort of spice response on your tongue, then maybe Scorpion Sauce will be just spicy enough for you. The biggest issue with a sauce that's as spicy as this one is that you lose the ability to pick up on any other flavor profiles or nuances — it just becomes an intense and overwhelming heat and not one that's particularly enjoyable, in my humble opinion.

Sriracha is not a sauce unique to Tabasco — in fact, there are countless brands of sriracha out there, and you could even make homemade sriracha if you were really feeling up to it. Indeed, Tabasco's Sriracha Sauce joins a long line of sriracha predecessors, and though the Tabasco version wasn't bad by any means, it just didn't really stick out enough to make it notable or necessarily worth purchasing, especially if you've already got a go-to brand that you purchase time and time again.

As for the positives about the Sriracha Sauce, it boasted a nice heat that was neither too spicy nor not spicy enough. I found the sauce to be pretty balanced overall, and on its own, it tasted like just about any other sriracha sauce out there. On a quesadilla, the sauce was able to shine a bit more, offering a nice contrast of heat, but truthfully, not much else. I tend to look for a certain tanginess and perhaps a subtle sweetness in sriracha, but I felt like these flavors were missing a bit in Tabasco's version, making it a skippable option in this sauce lineup. 

If there was one sauce on this list that I was most looking forward to trying, it was the Sweet and Spicy Sauce. If there's one thing I love better than a plain hot sauce, it's a hot sauce that has elements of sweetness to balance out the heat. Unfortunately, this sauce ultimately left me a bit disappointed, and if anything, I'm just not sure Tabasco's Sweet and Spicy Sauce really even counts as a hot sauce at all. 

The biggest issue with this sauce is that it's way more sweet than it is spicy, and that lack of balance really threw me off when I first tasted the sauce on its own. There wasn't much improvement once I put the sauce on a quesadilla, though, to be fair, a quesadilla really isn't the most apt pairing for this kind of sauce. Somewhat reminiscent of sweet and sour sauce, I could see this Tabasco flavor pairing well with something like crab rangoon or tempura shrimp, where a hit of sweetness works well to counteract the richness of the food itself. As far as hot sauces go, however, this one was way too sweet to really even count as a hot sauce, hence a pretty low ranking overall.

At first glance, Tabasco's Garlic Pepper Sauce looks an awful lot like the brand's classic Red Pepper Sauce, and a closer look at the ingredients proves that the two sauces really are super similar. The classic red sauce includes red peppers, vinegar, and salt, whereas the garlic sauce includes these ingredients, plus garlic (of course) and water. If anything, I thought that the simple inclusion of garlic should only make this sauce tastier than its classic counterpart, but the undeniable lack of garlicky flavor really made this sauce a miss for me.

Another issue with this sauce seems to be the inclusion of water in the ingredients, which really just made it seem like a watered-down version of the Red Pepper Sauce. If I tried really hard, I could maybe catch glimpses of garlic, but when a sauce's main flavor profile boasts garlic, you really shouldn't have to strain to find that garlic flavor. I had high hopes for Tabasco's Garlic Pepper Sauce, and while it's certainly not a bad sauce, it's a little too muddled in flavor and watered-down to come across as a strong contender.

This may be the most controversial take on this entire list, but I wasn't a huge fan of Tabasco's Green Pepper Sauce — aka, the one made with jalapeños. I love jalapeños on their own and tend to enjoy jalapeño-based hot sauces, but this one just felt a little too bland to stand out amidst a sea of sauces that boast so much more flavor. Plus, I'd argue that this is the mildest sauce out of any on the list, which may be a perk for some, but even just a little more spice would have done this sauce much more justice.

For spice context, most bottles of Tabasco have five little flame symbols on them, and depending on how spicy the sauce is, as few as one or as many as five flames will be filled in. This Green Pepper Sauce only has one flame symbol, and for comparison, the Scorpion Sauce has all five flame symbols. So, a big issue here (and with the Scorpion Sauce) is a lack of balance in the spice level. This jalapeño-based sauce did boast a nice peppery, sort of zingy flavor, but the lack of spice ultimately made this one a little too forgettable.

Fans of Buffalo wings or Buffalo chicken dip know that any good Buffalo sauce is a little bit tangy, a little bit spicy, and ideally a little bit buttery, too. The good news with Tabasco's Buffalo Style Sauce is that it checks the tangy and spicy boxes, but I wouldn't exactly describe this sauce as buttery. Since Tabasco's sauces are notoriously very vinegary, this sauce is realistically no different, but it does still achieve that classic Buffalo flavor that we all know and love.

My biggest issue with this sauce, similar to the Sriracha Sauce, is that it isn't particularly unique to Tabasco, nor does it necessarily stand out amidst a sea of Buffalo sauce options. That said, it is a tasty sauce with a nice, tangy flavor profile, and tasting it with a quesadilla really didn't do the sauce justice. I could picture drizzling this sauce on pizza, over wings, or even over mac and cheese and enjoying it much more. It's not the most amazing sauce on this list, but it's far from the worst — a true middle-ground sauce and one that I ultimately have few complaints about.

If you've ever gone to Taco Bell and have picked up a few packets of the chain's mild or fire sauce, then congrats — you pretty much know how Tabasco's Salsa Picante tastes. As a big fan of fire sauce myself, I was pretty excited to taste this Tabasco sauce and discover its likeness to the fast food chain's spicy condiment. As the name suggests, this hot sauce sort of has a salsa-like flavor to it, but much smoother and a little spicier. Though not the spiciest sauce on this list, Salsa Picante did pack a little bit of heat, which I found to be very balanced and, overall, quite enjoyable.

The only downside to Salsa Picante is that it is a bit forgettable, especially compared to sauces that boast more complex flavor profiles. But in its supposed neutrality also comes versatility, as this sauce paired just as well with a quesadilla as it would with tacos, on top of pizza, or even just on plain old tortilla chips. Though this sauce may not have the most complex or memorable flavor profile, it is a solid, balanced, and tasty sauce.

While my excitement for trying Tabasco's Sweet and Spicy Sauce ultimately left me disappointed, my excitement for trying the brand's Raspberry Chipotle Sauce left me rather pleased. I wasn't sure if the sauce would really come through with a strong raspberry flavor, but it really did, with plenty of smokey chipotle flavor to back it up. Sweet, smokey, and a little spicy, this sauce checked all the boxes for me, and I particularly enjoyed the tart undertone of the raspberry puree that added even more complexity to an already flavorful sauce.

The only reason that I'm not ranking Raspberry Chipotle higher is because I can recognize the fact that this sauce sort of requires a very specific love for both raspberries and smokiness. To me, these flavors work really well together, but I can see how this sauce might be straight-up overbearing to some. What's more is the fact that this is far from the most versatile sauce on the list; while it was tasty with a quesadilla and would pair exceptionally well with an al pastor taco or ribs, there are only so many foods that you can slather in smokey raspberry sauce. 

Unlike most of the sauces on this list that include plain distilled vinegar, Tabasco's Roasted Pepper Sauce boasts balsamic vinegar as the first ingredient on the list, a flavor profile that really worked in the sauce's flavor. Tangy, slightly sweet, and just a little bit smokey, I was immediately impressed by the nuanced complexity of the Roasted Pepper Sauce. Other flavors at play included garlic and onion, but more than anything, this sauce really did taste like roasted peppers, which made it a considerable win in my book.

A unique thing about this sauce was that the texture was slightly different than most of the other sauces — a bit grainy, likely due to the inclusion of roasted peppers and spices like garlic and onion powder. I didn't find the texture to be an issue, but I could potentially see some people not enjoying the fact that this sauce isn't super smooth. The flavor, however, was completely on point, hence making Tabasco's Roasted Pepper Sauce a no-brainer for the top five on this ranking.

The only difference between Tabasco's Family Reserve Pepper Sauce and its Red Pepper Sauce is the vinegar; Family Reserve uses white wine vinegar, whereas Red Pepper Sauce uses distilled vinegar. On the Family Reserve bottle, there is a note about how the sauce uses peppers that have been "aged for up to eight years," so perhaps that also makes a slight difference. Realistically, however, the difference in vinegar was more noticeable than I thought it'd be, with a white wine vinegar flavor shining through very strongly in the Family Reserve sauce.

Considering Family Reserve is taking the number four spot on this list, it's safe to say that I enjoyed the white wine vinegar flavor, but not more than the classic distilled vinegar flavor. Perks to this hot sauce include a subtle sweetness, a nice, balanced spice, and a likeness to the classic red sauce we all know and love, with enough flavor distinction (thanks to the difference in vinegar) to keep things interesting. 

After trying the ultra-spicy Scorpion sauce (and it taking a little too long to regain feeling in my tongue), I was a little nervous to try the second-hottest sauce on this list, Tabasco's Habanero Sauce. Much to my relief and pleasure, this Habanero Sauce was nothing short of delicious. Yes, it did pack a whole lot of spice, but it was a spice that was balanced alongside notably fruity flavors, including mango puree, banana puree, and even papaya puree. And, unlike with the Scorpion Sauce, I could enjoy the Habanero Sauce in much larger quantities, meaning that the heat was much more balanced in this bottle.

Thanks to its fruity undertones and balanced spice, I found Habanero Sauce to be very enjoyable with very few flaws. I would still say that this sauce should be used sparingly because the spice level can build up quite quickly, but this is a good option for those who want some extra heat but still want to enjoy the other flavors of their food. The sauce paired well with a quesadilla, though I'd see it being really good with something like grilled pineapple.

While the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce was delicious but perhaps a bit too bold with its notable raspberry smokiness, Tabasco's plain Chipotle Sauce harnesses all of that smokey goodness, minus the added raspberry flavor. This sauce really hit all the right notes for me, boasting a notably smokey flavor that was bold without being incredibly overpowering. While the sauce didn't strike me as being particularly spicy at first, a certain heat crept up after a few moments, leaving a lingering tingle on the tongue that was once again super enjoyable without being overpowering.

This Chipotle Sauce is so successful because it incorporates all of the goodness of classic Tabasco sauce — tanginess and spice — with added smokey flavor, which makes for a winning trio of flavors in my book. I get that not everyone likes smokey flavor, but for those who do, you simply can't go wrong with Tabasco's Chipotle Sauce, which is simultaneously very simple yet just complex enough to earn the number two spot in this ranking.

I went into this ranking assuming that there might be at least one sauce that would beat out Tabasco's classic Red Pepper Sauce, but as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, there's no need to fix it. Indeed, Tabasco's classic formula of distilled vinegar, red peppers, and salt is one that is a tried-and-true winner, and despite being so simple, I found the Red Pepper Sauce to be the ultimate winner in this ranking.

My logic comes down to a couple of reasons. One, there was no other sauce on this list that managed to balance spice better than this one. Red Pepper Sauce isn't super spicy, but it's got just the right kick to it to make your lips tingle and zest up even the most boring of foods. Two, the classic flavor is hard to beat; tangy, spicy, and perhaps a bit more savory than many of the others on this list, the Red Pepper Sauce truly proves that hot sauce doesn't necessarily need to be super dolled up to make an impression. Between the expert balance of heat and sheer versatility, Tabasco's Red Pepper Sauce is the one I'd see myself returning to again and again without getting tired of it.

None of the sauces on this list were particularly bad, so ranking them more came down to balance, spice level, and how well any added flavors worked or didn't work. For example, I found that Scorpion Sauce was simply too spicy and lacked balance, whereas the Green Pepper Sauce lacked spice a little too much. Sauces like Garlic Pepper or Sriracha weren't bad in flavor, but I just didn't find them to be complex enough (or representative enough of their supposed flavor profile, in the garlic sauce's case) to be worth ranking higher. Successful sauces, like Habanero, Red Pepper, and Chipotle, all boasted a solid spice balance and perhaps offered a little more versatility than other options.

As for pairing the sauces, I used a plain cheese quesadilla made with a flour tortilla and shredded Colby-Jack cheese. I chose a quesadilla because it's something that people commonly put hot sauce on, and it felt like a nice, neutral vessel to be able to get the full scope of the hot sauce's flavor without just simply eating the hot sauce on its own (because, realistically, most people aren't eating hot sauce like that). I did try to consider where some sauces would perhaps pair better with other foods, and ultimately, how good the sauce tasted on the quesadilla wasn't my final deciding factor, but rather just how good the sauce tasted in general.