The Scoville Scale was created in 1912 by Wilbur Scoville to measure the hotness of chile peppers. The chemical found in chile peppers that gives them their heat is called capsaicin. The Scoville Scale measures the amount of capsaicin using Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Here are some popular peppers and how they rank on the Scoville Scale.
| Pepper | Scoville Heat Units (SHU) |
|---|---|
| Carolina Reaper | 2,200,000 |
| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion | 2,009,000 |
| Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) | 1,041,000 |
| Habanero Pepper | 200,000-350,000 |
| Thai Peppers | 50,000-100,000 |
| Serrano Peppers | 5,000-19,000 |
| Jalapeño | 5,000-9,000 |
| Pasilla Peppers | 1,000-1,500 |
| Bell Peppers | No Heat |
Here’s how Sriracha stacks up to other hot sauces on the Scoville Scale.
| Hot Sauce | Scoville Heat Units (SHU) |
|---|---|
| Marie Sharpe's Fiery Hot Sauce | 6,775 |
| Tabasco | 3,750 |
| Cholula | 3,600 |
| Tapatio | 3,000 |
| Huy Fong Sriracha | 2,200 |
| Tabasco Chipotle | 2,000 |
| Crystal | 800 |
| Texas Pete | 750 |
| Frank's Red Hot | 450 |
Due to the data above, many hardcore heat enthusiasts actually don’t consider Sriracha to be very spicy, but instead a chili sauce on the sweeter side. Whatever it is, it’s amazing and I need more of it.
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I don’t think I can handle that much heat, but I still don’t think Sriracha is that hot
SU’s vary widely from batch to batch, bottle to bottle. Why?
tabasco? haha thats gotta be wrong they taste like vinigar and are not hot
<1g/serving is not a LOT of sugar
Smh…i love sriracha on almost everything.
It is not very spicy IMO, could use a bit more heat.
To all of you who think habenero sauce is hot, if you aren’t sweating off the first bite it is not hit enough.
I grow Carolina reapers and usually eat a chunk each morning in place of coffee/caffine just to wake up.
Try it, you are welcome…
Did you ever tried the PAIN 100%?
A drop will do it.
The reason so many people love Sriracha is they add A LOT of sugar. Number two on the ingredient list. After seeing this, I have removed Sriracha from my diet.
I love many hot sauces. My favorite HOT sauce is El Yucateco XXXextra Habanero. But I only use it occasionally as it is very hot. I love Sriracha as it is just right for so many uses. So I use Sriracha more than any other hot sauce.
You don’t really want ,,as strange as it may seem ,,hot sauce to be too hot,, it masks the flavor that is so good in the pepper itself,,Sriracha does it very well,, has a nice bite and great flavor……….
Leap Day (Feb. 29th) only comes once every 4 years, basically. To celebrate, check out this list of 29 signs that validate your Sriracha obsession. How many are true for you?
"If you like Sriracha, then you will love these cookies! Chewy and chocolatey with a hint of chili heat." ~Steve Cylka, Recipe Developer~
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Debbie Rhode
May 14, 2019
I agree with whomever dais it isn’t the hotness, it’s the taste. I like heat but it must have flavor. I like a medium to hot but if it doesn’t have flavor I’m done. I’m still searching for my perfect sauce. That being said, I do like sriracha on my ramen noodles lol.