If you’re able to handle spicy (or mildly spicy) foods, you can’t visit Portland without trying some of our local hot sauces! We love our brunch and we also love the variety of hot sauces we can put on any type of food.
Those who know me know I LOVE spicy food. I have at least 8 different hot sauces in my fridge at all times and sometimes am known to carry a travel sized container with hot sauce if I know I’m going somewhere lacking spicy food options (Ireland, I’m looking at you…).
To do this hot sauce research I bought and tried many different hot sauces and salsas made in the Portland area and tried them on different food with the exception of those I’ve already had over the years. I only include sauces that can be bought in grocery stores and not “in-house” sauces.
If you’re flying home with it remember to check your bag or put it in a container under 3.4 ounces.
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Best Classic Portland
Secret Aardvark Habanero
This isn’t the spiciest or tastiest of them all, but Secret Aardvark has been a Portland staple for years, and is the easiest local sauce to find from pizza places to coffee shops. It’s super popular for being not too terribly spicy but has enough kick to satisfy most people.
Best On: Pizza and eggs
Spice Level: Medium
Best Spicy Jelly
Rose City Pepperheads Scorpion Sting
Rose City Pepperheads makes great mild, medium, and super spicy jellies. Scorpion Sting is my personal favorite and a close second is the award winning Raspberry Habanero. I first found them at a Holiday Food Expo but now they’ve branched out and can be found at farmers markets, New Seasons, and Made in Oregon. There’s also a Made in Oregon store at PDX if you want to take some small jellies back home!
Best On: Bagels, Bread, Crackers, Egg Rolls
Spice Level: Hot
Best Vinegary Sauce
Hot Mama Fermented Fresno Chili
I’ve been a fan of Hot Mama ever since I found their salsa at the Woodstock Farmers Market, and now they’ve branched out and added hot sauces to their repertoire. While their hot sauces are all tasty, their Med/Hot fermented Fresno chili has managed to make a tangy/vinegary hot sauce taste amazing. I’m not the biggest fan of vinegar based hot sauces, and I love this one. Their “secret ingredient” is balsamic vinaigrette, making it a great additive to anything with lettuce you want to spice up.
Best On: Salad, Chicken, Fish
Spice Level: Mild/Medium
Best Habanero Sauce
Hot Maple Bourbon Habanero
I love habanero sauce on various cuisines and this habanero is my current favorite. The flavor is a slow burn, with the after taste being spicier than the front. Their “secret ingredient” is maple syrup which combats the spiciness of the habanero to create a marriage of flavors.
Best On: Latin American cuisine, nachos, burgers
Spice Level: Medium
Best Spicy “Verde”
Secret Aardvark Serrabanero
I’ll admit I’ve been a bit bored of Secret Aardvark’s habanero as it’s been around for so long and other, and dare I say *better* hot sauces do exist. Then I saw that familiar sauce but in green. After that I saw some local food places using Serrabanero as a flavor on pizza and the bottle appeared in shops around town. I then knew I had to try it, and Serrabanero is now a fixture in my fridge.
Best On: Eggs, Pizza
Spice Level: Medium/Hot
Best Mild Verde
Wet Wizard Los Roast Verde
Wet Wizard isn’t going to make you go home crying to mama- but it is a very flavorful local green sauce that is tasty and uses tomatillos and hatch chilies to deliver a great product. We first found WW at our local Woodstock farmers market and tried their three different hot sauces which are all tasty, but the verde is our favorite due to its versatility.
Best On: Eggs, Chips, Nachos, etc
Spice level: Mild
Best Wing Sauce
Fire on the Mountain Hot Sauce
Fire on the Mountain is a popular local wing chain in Portland and they’re known for their quality wings and variety of sauces. My favorite in house sauces are the Extra Hot and Raspberry Habanero, but they don’t sell them in the bottle unfortunately. Out of their bottled sauces I enjoy their Hot Sauce which is a twist on Frank’s Red Hot with butter and jalapeno, but I recommend that spicy connoisseurs stop by Fire on the Mountain to try their in house sauces. They have vegetarian wings too!
Best On: Chicken Wings, Pizza Dip
Spice Level: Medium/Hot
Best Chili Oil
Thai and True Chili Oil
Thai and True makes curries, chili oils, and chili sauces right out of Portland! The owner grew up in Bangkok and moved to Lake Oswego where she opened up a restaurant serving her homemade sauces. The restaurant is no longer there, but the sauces have spread around the Pacific Northwest so we can still have a fresh local substitute for Sriracha.
Best On: Thai, Chinese, wok, stir fry etc.
Spice Level: Medium
Best Creamy Sauce
Thrive Extra Special Sauce
Thrive is a great sauce because it’s multipurpose- want ketchup, mustard, and relish?! Use Thrive! Therefore it’s my favorite creamy sauce and it’s also a great replacement for mayonnaise since it’s vegan/egg free. The “secret” ingredient is carrot and it tastes like a normal creamy slightly spicy sauce.
Best On: Burgers, potatoes, anything that needs a ketchup/mustard replacement with something spicier.
Spice Level: Mild/Medium
Best Pico de Gallo
D.A.M. “David A Martinez” Hot! Salsa
David A Martinez started making his own salsa for guests at the family restaurant La Casa de Rios in SE Portland. La Casa de Rios has since closed, but the homemade salsa is still around! Everyone knows that house salsa at Mexican restaurants tend to be amazing, and I prefer pico de gallo without huge tomato chunks which this sauce does well. The Hot sauce is my favorite as it has serrano and jalapeno peppers, but his other salsas are also great. D.A.M. also makes a “Santa Maria” spicy Bloody Mary additive.
Best On: Mexican cuisine, salads, chips
Spice Level: Hot
