Spicy foods are a part of many types of global cuisine. Some folks dislike the burn, while others seek it out gleefully. The spiciest hot sauces in this fiery category are not for beginners. In fact, even veterans of the spiciest cuisines will have reason to pause when sampling these piquant condiments.
If you tend to reach for spicier foods, chances are you lead a spicier life. That’s according to a new survey of 2,000 American adults, which sought to reveal if there are any personality correlations between people who are spicy food enthusiasts. Spicy food eaters are more likely to enjoy trying new things (76%), consider themselves attractive (62%), and are more content with their lives (66%) than those with milder heat preferences.
They say variety is the spice of life. Interestingly, according to a new study conducted in Italy, spice may actually go a long way towards prolonging life as well. Researchers tracked the eating habits and health of over 20,000 Italian citizens for an average period of eight years and discovered that people who ate chili pepper on a regular basis were 23 percent less likely to die by any cause in comparison to those who avoided eating chili pepper.
Whether diners are seeking an extra hit of hot and spicy flavor, or long-term health benefits, the humble hot pepper has plenty to offer. Our sources helped us research the spiciest hot sauces on the planet according to their Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating. These are sure to add a hefty amount of flare to any dish you choose to add it to. Let us know your favorites in the comments below!
The List: Spiciest Hot Sauces, According to Foodies
1. Wiltshire Chilli Farm Regret Hot Sauce
One of the singularly hottest sauces available, Wiltshire Chilli Farm Regret Hot Sauce is more of a novelty than a usable food additive, yet it can be considered a sauce because it contains ingredients beyond pure capsaicin. Spicy Exchange articulates on the finer details, “Regret uses 12 million Scoville oleoresin (similar to extract) as its main heat source, which is often misinterpreted and misrepresented as the hot sauce scoring 12 million SHU. It uses 12 million SHU oleoresin, but that SHU is diluted by its other ingredients including: tomato, cider vinegar, bourbon, garlic, lime, ghost pepper, habanero, salt, and herbs.”
Luxatic writes, “Made from Oleoresin extract, tomatoes, lime, garlic, and herbs, even the label warns you of its intensity. This limited-edition hot sauce adds real fire to any dish, so please use it with caution. The extreme thrill seekers are probably the only people on the planet to have tried this.”
ManOfMany assures, “Currently known as the hottest hot sauce available on the market, Regret is also the hottest hot sauce on the menu at Wiltshire Chilli Farm, you’ll be having instant Regrets after trying this one. Best enjoyed with a plate of Chili Con Carne, Meatballs, or Fiery Curry, we might leave this one to the professionals.”
2. Mad Dog 357, No. 9 Plutonium, 9 million SHUs
One of the hottest products on the market today, Mad Dog offers several varieties of tongue-searing sauces. No. 9 Plutonium is one of their most intense products in terms of heat, and its recommended use is as a food additive. Luxatic raves, “Mad Dog No.9 Plutonium counts 9 million SHU, and it contains 60% pure capsicum… One of those condiments that only thrill seekers are willing to try, the sauce is so hot there’s even a warning on its label that says: ‘use sparingly and do not consume directly!’ That pretty much says it all.”
Pepper Geek mentions the bottle’s numerous disclaimers: “The warnings are plastered across the packaging of Mad Dog 357’s Plutonium No. 9 ‘hot sauce’ (if you can call it a sauce). Coming in at a whopping 9 million SHUs, this can hardly be considered an actual condiment.”
“One of the most painfully hot pepper extracts [is]… Mad Dog 357, No. 9 Plutonium. This diabolical formula from Ashley Food Company, Inc., drops a bomb on the Scoville scale at 9 million SHUs, earning its retro, biohazard packaging and a solid position near the top of our list of scorchers,” exclaims howstuffworks.
3. The Source Hot Sauce, 7.1 million SHUs
Have you ever wanted to buy a bottle of hot sauce that will set you on fire if you try to consume it? If the answer is yes, then this pepper extract could be the ultimate experience for spicy connoisseurs. Parade comments, “Without any flaming-hot red, orange or yellow messaging on its label, you might mistakenly view The Source Hot Sauce as non-threatening… But don’t be fooled. It may have non-descript packaging and a seemingly innocent bottle, but this hottie registers 7.1 million SHUs.”
Truly adds, “You may be forgiven for not even realizing what this is when you see the packaging. It looks like it could be a book with a fancy cover that is all about Ancient Egypt. What it actually is, is one of the hottest hot sauces in the world with a Scoville Scale rating of 7.1 million SHUs. The Source even has a warning on the packaging to never consume this hot sauce directly and only ever add it in drops to your food while cooking.”
Spicy exchange details, “‘The Source’ is another pepper extract that is sometimes wrongly named the hottest hot sauce in the world. Similar to Mad Dog, it is a pepper extract, not a multi-ingredient hot sauce. The Source comes in at 7.1 million SHU, which is less than Mad Dog but much hotter than most hot sauces on the market.”
4. CaJohns Get Bitten Black Mamba SIX, 6 million SHUs
When SHUs are measured in the millions, it can be difficult to taste anything beyond the burning sensation. It is worth noting that sauces of this intensity typically do not subside quickly, rather they can burn for hours at a time. Grow Hot Peppers says, “CaJohns Get Bitten Black Mamba 6 hot sauce rates at 6 million Scoville units. This is the hottest hot sauce Scoville rating in my list. The sauce is made with Chocolate Habaneros and 6 million Scoville extract.”
ManOfMany describes, “The Get Bitten Black Mamba 6 Hot Sauce is made with a select blend of chocolate habaneros and pure capsaicin extract. This deceiving mix looks like barbecue sauce, but this hot sauce will give you one hell of a burn. The Black Mamba 6 sauce is even hotter and [more] evil than its predecessor, its mission is to bring pain, with a never-ending wave of venomous fire.”
CBS News elaborates, “The warning that comes with this sauce says: ‘Avoid contact with eyes and sensitive areas. Keep away from children and pets! USE RESPONSIBLY!!!’ It has more than [6 million] SHUs.”
5. Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally Habanero Hot Sauce, 1.5 million SHUs
At 1.5 million SHUs this is one of the few items on this list that is a true sauce rather than a pepper extract. Though to be fair at this heat level, it may still be difficult for many consumers to experience anything other than the burn. Extrabux explains, “Smack My Ass and Call Me Sally is a great all-around, full-flavored, great-tasting hot sauce you can use on just about everything. The label features Chet – a precocious young man with a red imprint of a hand on his hindquarters.”
Luxatic offers, “We must admit that the name of this hot sauce is very catchy. The crying man on the bottle is a great indication that it’s a jazzy sauce. The picture does speak a thousand words, so we don’t have to… Made from habanero peppers, it does have a nice flavor to it. Just like any other hot sauce on this list, use it sparingly.”
ManOfMany states, “With a name like Smack My Ass & Call Me Sally you begin to imagine the heat of this hot sauce. The picture is painted further with the cartoon visuals of a crying man on the bottle. If all of that doesn’t scare you, then maybe the fact that it’s made with hot Habanero Peppers will.”
6. Da’ Bomb the Final Answer Hot Sauce, 1.5 million SHUs
This righteously hot extract straddles the line between additive and table condiment. As with any sauce that is north of one million SHUs, extreme caution is needed. Luxatic claims, “Made with habanero peppers, apricot nectar, spices and extract, this hot sauce is tangy, but it has a touch of sweetness. At first dab you might be thinking that you’ll be able to handle it, but with 1.5 million SHUs, it is still a pretty spicy condiment.”
Parade relates, “With extract, apricot nectar, habaneros, and other various spices, you may think that Da’ Bomb The Final Answer is a pretty safe bet. But thanks to its 1.5 million SHUs, you’d be wrong. Sure, it’s no Mad Dog 357 No. 9 Plutonium but it’s certainly not an alternative to Frank’s Red Hot Sauce either!”
Truly reviews, “The bottle for this one looks like a medicine bottle with a comedic label – like it comes straight out of a cartoon. Be careful, you might find your head blowing off like they do in the cartoons with this sauce and it’s 1.5 million SHUs. The heat all comes from habaneros, with sweetness from apricot nectar mixed in.”
7. Blair’s Ultra Death Sauce, 1.1 million SHUs
Coming in with a relatively low 1.1 million SHUs, this hot sauce is only deadly rather than straight lethal. With this concentration, it is still recommended as an additive rather than a table sauce. “Between the name (Death Sauce) and its label (um, there’s a skeleton on the front?), it’s no wonder Blair’s is one of the hottest hot sauces ever made. It’s got 1.1 million SHUs and in this formula, cayenne, serrano, habanero and hot Jolokia peppers do the brunt of the work,” according to Parade.
Truly asserts, “The name and the label will make it abundantly clear that this hot sauce means business and at 1.1 million SHUs, it can deliver. The bottle’s label is covered in flames and a skull, with the motto ‘FEEL ALIVE’ emblazoned across the front.”
Extrabux evaluates, “Blair’s Ultra Death Hot Sauce label states that it should not be used without dilution. That’s probably an accurate recommendation as Ultra Death Hot Sauce is made with Ghost Peppers, and it is from the master of burn after all.”
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Sources:
- Spicy exchange
- Luxatic
- Pepper Geek
- howstuffworks
- Grow Hot Peppers
- ManOfMany
- CBS News
- Parade
- Truly
- Extrabux
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.
Pepper palace has the end flat line hot sauce it looks like black tar has 6 million shu and goes good with anything
Seriously where is the Gator sauce made with Pepper X or the Last Dab on that list.