Turn up the heat with these must-try hot sauces from homegrown brands

Hot sauce lovers, it’s time to give credit where it’s due. While sriracha and Tabasco have had their moment, Indian hot sauces are bringing the fire—literally. From ghost peppers that could bring a tear to your eye to kanthari chillies that pack a sharp, tingling punch, these sauces are made with some of the fiercest homegrown chillies. Whether you're a heat seeker or just love a bold burst of flavour, here’s a lineup of Indian hot sauces that deserve a spot in your pantry. Consider this your official spice challenge.

Sprig Bhut Jolokia Extra Hot Chilli Sauce, ₹349

Think of an Indian hot sauce and the famous ‘ghost pepper’, one of the hottest chillies in the world, can’t be very far away. This one from Sprig has just that. Actually, it has 75,000 Scoville heat units, which surpasses most chilli sauces by over 30 times! Ready for a real hot sauce challenge?

Naagin Indian Hot Sauce Kantha bomb, ₹250

A classic green chutney with a twist. You have your usual turmeric, ginger, garlic, and celery with a kanthari chilli hit. Fun fact: homegrown in Kerala, this one is close cousins with the popular Thai bird’s eye chilli and African peri peri.

Pico Konkan Mango Chilli Sauce, ₹275

“When we drove down the famous Konkan coast on an ancient, sputtering motorcycle,
we found ourselves tucking into steaming hot pakoras served with this spicy mango sauce amongst the terraced mango groves,” say the founders of this spicy mix. A perfect marriage of sweet and spicy with a little fried something.

Peero Cherry Pepper Sauce, ₹325

Get ready for the straight up dalle khursani hit. Another lethal Indian chilli, and a staple momo condiment, brought to us with a no-nonsense blend, yes we’re talking no sugar-coating at all. We’re eating these with sandwiches, rice bowls, noodles, over eggs, you name it.

Indian Sauce Company Hot Peaches, ₹249

Farm fresh peaches with a sneaky chilli kick—this one’s perfect for marinades, those tempura snacks, and a perfect flourish to that charcuterie board. Side note: their Pineapple Green Chilli is a close second.

Ishka Farms Kerala Hot Sauce, ₹295

Another white kanthari sauce, this one’s with a mix of fresh green peppers for that tingling heat and salt capers for that long umami aftertaste. Add it to your marinade list, although we also recommend it with sandwiches and some fried yumminess.

El Diable Cranberry Ghost Chili, ₹299

The ‘ghost pepper’ is back, with a sweet and sour kick of cranberry. Although, this one might be a tough one to pick. We also love the Honey Boom Boom from El Diablo, and their Baconite (who doesn’t love when their chilli comes with some bacon!)

Roots Agro Naga Mircha Hot Sauce, ₹199

Heard of the Naga Mircha? Known as ‘king chilli’ or ‘raja’, this one is protected by the Geographical Indication tag, which means this chilli from Nagaland is as OG as it gets, which also means this one is a must try.

Easy By Northeast Tomato Chilli Sauce, ₹175

Who wants plain old ordinary ketchup when you can add a peppery kick of bhut jolokias to it? We swapped ours out long ago, have you? Tip: An easy ramen upgrade if you ever need one.

Kaatil Hot Sauce No. 9, ₹275

Did we say get ready for a hot sauce challenge? Well, get ready again with more bhut jolokia. At least they promise, “Starts with a curious flavour kick, followed by a fiery heat explosion. But never burns.” Another one that is not for the faint-hearted.

Images: The brands

This article originally appeared in the January-February 2025 print edition of Cosmopolitan India. 

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