How Long the Bottle Has Been Open*?
*With no label designation
This is an important consideration.
Does hot sauce need to be refrigerated if you plan to use it within a small period of time?
If that’s the case, I say you are probably fine not refrigerating it.
If it’s a case where it won’t be fully consumed within a week or two then you should consider refrigeration for the sole reason to keep the hot sauce fresher for longer.
Restaurants leave theirs out, why can’t I then?
Restaurants go through their hot sauces fairly quickly due to frequency and volume used.
They don’t have to worry about shelf life like the average person or household.
But what about the national brands?
Typically, when you think of hot sauce, the ones with the biggest name recognition and visibility come to mind.
I’m talking brands like:
Cholula®
Crystal®
Frank’s RedHot®
Huy Fong Foods®
Sriracha
Old Bay®
Original Louisiana Brand™
Tabasco®
Tapatio®
Texas Pete®
Truff®
Valentina®
For those stumbling across this website for the first time, Flower City Flavor Company doesn’t carry these specific brands.
Instead, we focus on small and medium size brands, ones you (mostly) can’t find in your local grocery store.
For the casual condiment consumer, these listed brands are the most recognizable and popular.
I took a look at all of their websites for their “original” styles of hot sauce to see if they answer our question or not if hot sauce needs to be refrigerated.
Does Cholula Need to Be Refrigerated?
(I found no specific info on their website that talks about refrigeration).
Ingredients: Water, Peppers (Arbol and Piquin), Salt, Vinegar, Spices and Xantham Gum.
Does CrystalNeed to Be Refrigerated?
(I found no specific info on their website that talks about refrigeration).
Ingredients: Aged red cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar & salt.
Does Frank’s RedHot Need to Be Refrigerated?
We recommend that Frank’s RedHot Sweet Chili and Frank’s RedHot Slammin’ Sriracha Chili Sauce be refrigerated after opening; All other sauces do not have to be, but, doing so will keep the product fresher for a longer period of time.
Ingredients: Aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt And Garlic Powder.
Does Sriracha Need to Be Refrigerated?
No, they do not have to be refrigerated. Just make sure they are stored in a cool, dry place.
Ingredients: Chili, sugar, salt, garlic, distilled vinegar,potassium sorbate,sodium bisulfiteandxanthan gum.
Does Old Bay Hot Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?
Our Old Bay Hot Sauce is a shelf stable item. Store in a cool, dry location away from heat and moisture.
Ingredients: Hot Sauce (Aged Red Cayenne Peppers, Distilled Vinegar, Water, Salt, Garlic Powder), Distilled Vinegar, Spices (Including Celery Seed), Salt, Paprika & Xanthan Gum (Thickener).
Does Louisiana Hot Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?
It is not necessary to refrigerate Louisiana Hot Sauce. It is simply just a personal preference.
Ingredients: Aged peppers, vinegar, salt.
Does Tabasco Need to Be Refrigerated?
(I found no specific info on their website that talks about refrigeration).
Ingredients: Peppers, Vinegar, Salt
Does Tapatio Need to Be Refrigerated?
No, but nothing will happen to it if your choose to do so.
Ingredients: Water, Red Peppers, Salt, Spices, Garlic, Acetic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benozate as a preservative.
Does Texas Pete Need to Be Refrigerated?
All of our Texas Pete® Sauces are shelf stable food products that do not require refrigeration after opening. However, as with most food products, ours will stay fresher longer if they are stored in the fridge.
Ingredients: Vinegar, Aged Peppers (Peppers, Salt, Vinegar), Water, Xanthan Gum and Benzoate of Soda (To Preserve Freshness and Flavor).
Does Truff Hot Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated?
Yes. Since we do not use any preservatives in our formula, please make sure to refrigerate after opening.
Ingredients: Truff® Chili Blend (Red Chili Peppers, Vinegar, Organic Sugar, Garlic, Salt, Black Truffle [Tuber Melanosporum]), Organic Agave Nectar, Olive Oil Infused with Black Truffle Essence, Lycopene and Glycerin (for color), Spices, Xanthan Gum
Does Valentina Need to Be Refrigerated?
(There is no info on their website. Their bottles say store in a cool and dry place.)
Ingredients: Water, Chili Peppers, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, 0.1% Sodium Benzoate as a Preservative.
The hot sauces listed above are all registered trademarks for their respective companies.
For the most part, the big brands are in agreement with my findings.
I took a look further at their varieties of sauces.
For example, Frank’s RedHot® and Texas Pete® have specific variances of sauces they recommend refrigeration for.
The sauces and their ingredients are:
Frank’s RedHot® Sweet Chili
Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Red Chili Peppers, Salt, Garlic, Modified Food Starch and Acetic Acid.
Frank’s RedHot® Slammin’ Sriracha Chili
Ingredients: Distilled Vinegar, Aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Sugar, Salt, Jalapeno Pepper Puree (Red Jalapeno Peppers, Salt and Citric Acid), Water, Carrot Fiber, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavor (Soy), Xanthan Gum, Spice and Smoked Paprika.
CHA! by Texas Pete® Sriracha Sauce
Ingredients: Chile (peppers, vinegar, salt), sugar, garlic, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness and flavor), sodium bisulfite (to preserve freshness)
The common denominator here is sugar. What else has sugar in it? Fruit. Coincidence? Maybe.
Unfortunately, this research didn’t give me a conclusive answer because Sriracha’s website says it doesn’t have to be refrigerated, even with sugar as a main ingredient.
