This Spicy Map Shows the Most Popular Hot Sauce In Every State (2024)

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Ree Drummond isn’t afraid of a little spice. She’s been known to kick things up by adding a dash of hot sauce to her enchiladas, fried eggs, chicken recipes, marinades, and even soups. Actually, make that several dashes—her love for hot sauce really can’t be beat! “In my ideal world, almost everything I’d eat would have some spice to it,” Ree says.

As it turns out, most Americans would agree!

According to the folks at Instacart, 74 percent of Americans enjoy hot sauce with their meals. But as any spice enthusiast knows, hot sauce is not a one-size-fits-all type of product. There are tons of varieties and flavors to choose from, not to mention levels of spiciness that can range from "regular hot" to "as hot as it gets."

With that in mind, the online grocery platform looked at their purchase history (which added up to 444,854 gallons of hot sauce!) and conducted a survey with The Harris Poll to determine which hot sauce brands are…shall we say…"hottest" according to each state. And the findings might just surprise you!

The findings revealed that the most popular hot sauce in the United States is Huy Fong Sriracha. The green-topped bottle has a uniquely spicy flavor with a touch of sweetness that's garnered a cult-like following. It can be added to stir-fry dishes for bold flavor, mixed into mayonnaise for a hot dipping sauce, and can even be used as a fun variation on spicy popcorn. While Huy Fong took the lead in a whopping 31 states, Frank’s RedHot, a popular hot sauce used for chicken wings, took second place in 14 states.

And while not favored by any state in particular, the other most popular hot sauce brands in the country include Cholula (a Pioneer Woman favorite), followed by Burman’s, Tapatio, Tabasco, Texas Pete, Heinz, Louisiana, and Valentina.

Of course, when it comes to hot sauce, you don’t have to limit yourself to just one brand. This study found that 68% of people have two or more different types of hot sauce in their kitchens. On top of that, you can use different hot sauces depending on the dish—for instance, Frank’s RedHot is a must for buffalo wings while Tabasco is a classic choice for Bloody Marys.

Did your favorite hot sauce make the list? Let us know in the comments!