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The Best Hot Sauce Kit

Last updated on April 7, 2023
Best Hot Sauce Kit

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Gourmet hot sauce has become a hot commodity in recent years, as consumers have learned about the wide variety of flavors and spices available. You no longer have to be content with store-bought sauces. Instead, you can find shops and online retailers dedicated specifically to hot sauce in all types of flavors and heat levels.

But why buy a pre-made sauce when you can make your own? Hot sauce kits pack in everything you need to make sauces in different flavors and spice levels, allowing you to customize the sauces to suit your own personal taste.

Sauce-making kits aren’t the only way you can indulge your love for hot sauce. You can buy variety packs that come with a range of flavors. Some can even be made into a game, so you and your friends can challenge each other to try the hotter sauces in the range.

Hot sauce kits can make great gifts, and many are packaged that way. All you’ll need to do is slide it into a gift bag or add a bow and you’ll have a ready-made gift for birthdays, Christmas and more.

If your gift is geared toward making your own hot sauce, it will usually include dry seasoning packets and vinegar. Hot sauce is made using salt, vinegar and hot peppers, so the seasoning packet includes the hot pepper flavoring and salt you need.

The heat put out by the peppers in hot sauce is measured in Scoville heat units, with pepperoncini being at the low end of the range, at 100-500 units, while Carolina Reaper is at the top of the range, at 1.4 million to 2.2 million units. For reference, law enforcement pepper spray falls within Carolina Reaper’s heat range, at 2 million to 5 million units.

Unless you’re feeling particularly daring, you’ll likely choose hot sauce in the middle of those two extremes. Lowest to highest, there are jalapeno, cayenne, habanero and ghost peppers. Favorites can also vary by region of the world. Tabasco is popular in Louisiana, while salsa picante is popular in Mexico.

Our Picks For The Top Hot Sauce Kits

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Product Overview
Our Take
  Top Pick

Tabanero Variety Pack Handcrafted Hot Sauce Kit, 4-Piece

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

Tabanero

Variety Pack Handcrafted Hot Sauce Kit, 4-Piece

You'll love the variety provided in this hot sauce kit. Each box includes four flavors - original, spicy agave, curry habanero and extra hot. All are handcrafted using only natural ingredients and formulated to work with a variety of diets, such as vegan, gluten-free and kosher.

Overall Take

Perfect PresentThis hot sauce kit comes in attractive packaging that makes it ideal for gift giving.

  Runner Up

Craftly Natural Non-GMO Hot Sauce Kit, 46-Piece

Craftly

Natural Non-GMO Hot Sauce Kit, 46-Piece

If you love spicy, you'll want to grab this hot sauce kit. It comes with everything you need to create your own bottle of hot sauce. All of the included chilis and herbs and spices are 100 percent natural and designed to be mixed and matched to create a variety of unique flavors.

Overall Take

Create Your Own BottleSince this hot sauce kit makes up to 15 bottles, it's a great option for a party or friendly get-together.

  We Also Like

DIY Gift Kits Heirloom Peppers Hot Sauce Making Kit, 26-Piece

DIY Gift Kits

Heirloom Peppers Hot Sauce Making Kit, 26-Piece

You’ll get all the supplies you need to make your own hot sauce, including the ingredients, recipes and a flavor guide, custom label stickers, squeeze and glass bottles and a bottling funnel. The kit includes fifth-generation heirloom peppers, along with spice blends that include ancho pasillas, chipotle, habanero and ghost peppers. You can creat...

Overall Take

For the ChefThis hot sauce kit includes everything needed to make hot sauce, including bottles and recipes.

  Strong Contender

Thoughtfully The Good Hurt Fuego Assorted Hot Sauce Kit, 7-Piece

Thoughtfully

The Good Hurt Fuego Assorted Hot Sauce Kit, 7-Piece

Perfect for gifting, this hot sauce sampler features seven different hot sauces in a variety of flavors like garlic herb, smoky bourbon, cayenne pepper, and whiskey habanero. If you prefer more of a mild hot sauce, you can find that in this set, as well as hot sauce on the extra-spicy end of the spectrum.

Overall Take

Great for Pairing With Various FoodsThe sauces in this hot sauce kit work with a variety of foods, including pizza, eggs and seafood.

  Strong Contender

Millhouse Spice Co. 3-Pepper Hot Sauce Creating Kit, 17-Piece

Millhouse spice

Co. 3-Pepper Hot Sauce Creating Kit, 17-Piece

This gourmet hot sauce-making kit features brown sugar, three types of dried peppers, vinegar, a gourmet spice blend, glass bottles, test strips, labels, gloves and a stainless steel funnel. Recipes are included.

Overall Take

Kitchen Flavor ExcitementWhy buy pre-made hot sauce, when you can make it your way with this fun all-in-one kit?

  Also Great

ASS KICKIN’ Hot Sauce Challenge Party Kit, 12-Piece

ASS KICKIN'

Hot Sauce Challenge Party Kit, 12-Piece

You'll get 12 bottles of hot sauce in this set, with flavors like bacon, wasabi and roasted garlic. The bottles are enclosed in a book that includes a checklist so you can try all the flavors, including ghost pepper and habanero. This kit is great for enjoying with friends or giving to that hot sauce lover in your circle.

Overall Take

Party OptionIn this hot sauce kit, you get a checklist of challenges, so you can make a game out of tasting hot sauces at your next party.

What to Look For

  • If you’re planning to bottle up your own homemade hot sauces, make sure your kit includes labels that you can put on each of the jars. Whether you’re keeping your hot sauces for yourself or passing them on as gifts, labels are a necessity.
  • For kits designed for making your own sauces, check to ensure there are at least some recipes included inside. This can help you get the hang of making your own before you move on to mixing and matching seasonings to create your own unique flavors.
  • The bottles that come with hot sauce kits can vary in size and type. You can find glass bottles and jars, as well as squeeze bottles. Squeeze bottles make it easier to dispense the sauce, but glass bottles are better for chunkier sauces. If it’s a glass bottle, you might prefer a dasher dispenser that drips only a drop or two at a time to control the amount of sauce you’re getting.
  • Funnels can come in handy for pouring hot sauce into the bottles, particularly if they have smaller mouths. If your kit doesn’t come with a funnel, you can purchase one separately.
  • Hot sauce is all about the food it’s applied to. Foods like chicken wings and pizza might call for one type of sauce, while tacos or sliders might call for another. If you’re purchasing hot sauce for someone else, pay close attention to how that person typically eats hot sauce to make sure your set covers it.
  • Those who like hot pepper challenges will likely prefer a range of hot sauces, going from mild to the absolute hottest on the Scoville scale. This will allow you to gradually scale up to find out just how far you can go.

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