There's A Sriracha Shortage—Here's What To Buy Instead

Update, July 12, 2023: Back in April when the threat of another Huy Fong sriracha shortage was merely looming, you could still pick up bottles online even if they weren't at your local grocery store. Now, that's probably not a good idea. As USA Today points out, prices on both Amazon and eBay have skyrocketed as everyone's favorite hot chili sauce grows scarce.

The issue continues to be the failure of the crop of chili peppers central to Huy Fong's recipe. Sriracha is made with red jalapeño chili peppers, grown in areas such as Mexico currently experiencing drought. Huy Fong had to halt production entirely for a period last year, and not just on its sriracha; the company's popular Sambal Oelek was also affected. In 2023, the company is back to producing a small amount of its products, but it's nowhere near satisfying demand. That's why it's important to know about all the best alternatives until that green cap comes back into our lives.

So look to our three best alternative recommendations below, and check out these seven hot sauces as well. We want your next meal to have as much flavor as possible, even if the iconic Huy Fong rooster can't be the one to deliver it.

Update, April 13, 2023: Just when we thought it was safe to enjoy sriracha with abandon once more, manufacturer Huy Fong Foods told CBS MoneyWatch this week that another shortage is looming.

The latest strain on Huy Fong's supply is being caused by a continuing drought in Mexico. These weather conditions are the same ones that caused a shortage of quality chili peppers last year, lowering the company's overall sriracha output in 2022.

"Unfortunately, we are still experiencing a shortage of raw material," Huy Fong Foods told MoneyWatch. "At this time, we have no estimations of when supply will increase."

For now, online retailers like Amazon do still have Huy Fong sriracha in stock (you can buy what you need here), so if you order some soon, you should be okay. And if you see the classic red bottle with the rooster (and the green cap) on store shelves, I'd probably pick one up, just to be safe.

If you're in need of more spicy stuff, there are plenty of alternative brands to consider that should tide you over until Huy Fong's production ramps back up. Check out our list of suggestions below.

Original post, June 8, 2022: Uh oh, Huy Fong sriracha fans. Stock up if you can, because NextShark reports that all orders will be majorly delayed due to a "severe shortage of chili." Huy Fong sriracha orders placed after April 19 this year won't be fulfilled until after Labor Day (September 6), in the order that they were placed. Unfortunately, that problem extends to all of Huy Fong's products, including their sambal oelek, which is a chili paste that is not only a condiment, but a versatile ingredient in the kitchen that you can toss into any dishes that need a kick of crushed red pepper. As far as we can tell, only Huy Fong is being impacted by a pepper shortage now and no other sauce manufacturers are affected, but we'll keep an eye on things for you.

So what's a Huy Fong sriracha lover to do? Don't worry, we have some alternatives for you.

Fix Hot Sauce (available on Amazon) is a family-run company (by siblings plus a friend) that produces the family's recipe for sriracha. We're fans of the green bottle of Lemongrass Sriracha (seen here), because who says all sriracha has to be red? Plus we love supporting family-run sauce companies, like Bachan's barbecue sauce. You'll definitely want to give Fix Hot Sauce a shot. 

I asked a friend of mine, Brian, who's a huge sriracha fan, about his favorite brand. He swears by Three Mountain's yellow sriracha (available here). It only has five ingredients: chili, sugar, vinegar, salt, and garlic. He loves it because "it's mild enough that you can add it to things that are already spicy," and he also says "it's not super salty and it has no preservatives."

In terms of flavor, he said it has "notes of banana peppers and slight sweetness, but still has sriracha as its dominant flavor." Brian suggests using it on seafood dishes and any type of poultry sandwich. He said he even snuck it into alfredo sauce, which ended up being unexpectedly great as well. Thanks, Brian! You can order it online through Amazon here, and some Asian supermarkets also carry it.

I am a big fan of Yellowbird's hot sauces (available here). Normally I can't take down the ultra-spicy stuff—I briefly lost hearing in one ear when trying an extreme hot sauce once—but I managed to happily plow through a bottle of Yellowbird's Ghost Pepper Condiment.

Maybe you don't want to go with that much intense heat. In this case, my recommendation is the Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha (seen here), which is made with red jalapeños and includes blue agave nectar as a sweetener, which gives it a slightly different character. I love the garlicky finish, which reminds me, I'm just about out of my Huy Fong. Better scribble down Yellowbird on my shopping list. You can pick up some Blue Agave Sriracha at many local supermarkets, but you can also purchase it directly off Yellowbird's website or on Amazon.

Good luck, sriracha fans, and if you've got any suggestions for alternatives, tell us in the comments section, because I'm always on the hunt.