The Aldi Hot Sauce That's A Clear Copycat Of Frank's RedHot

Since its founding in early 1960s Germany, thousands of Aldi grocery stores have popped up in over 1,600 American cities, scattered across nearly 40 states. Aldi's popular and insanely affordable kitchen staples include a range of options from Clancy's Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips to Fresh Atlantic Salmon. Much like Trader Joe's, Aldi also offers cost-efficient private-label goods that look, taste, and feel suspiciously like popular name-brand products. The latest of the store's offerings to make comparison waves is Burman's Hot Sauce; its Original flavor, according to customers, is a stellar copycat of Frank's RedHot.

Before taking the time even to compare the two hot sauces, it's important to look at the price. We used the "where to buy" feature on Frank's RedHot website, which pulled up a handful of prices ranging from $2.29 to $2.49. However, in clicking around grocery retailer sites like Safeway, Target, and Walmart, we've seen prices rise to $3 or more for a 12-ounce bottle of Frank's RedHot original flavor. The Aldi website did not have as convenient a widget, so we clicked around on Instacart to see the pickup price for Burman's Hot Sauce Original stayed consistent at $1.65, listed as 21% off from $2.09, which means both the non-sale and the sale price is cheaper than Frank's RedHot on average.

On an aesthetic level, the hot sauces look eerily similar, like fraternal twins. Both are served in glass bottles with thinner necks, and red wraps sealed over black lids. The labels both boast that iconic hot-sauce reddish-orange color with bold red font featuring a serif. While Burman's Hot Sauce Original label instructs you to "Turn up the heat," Frank's RedHot Sauce label is a little more self-regarding with its slogan, "The perfect blend of flavor & heat." 

The sauces inside even have the same color, but their texture is slightly different due to one ingredient: xanthan gum. Both hot sauces have a combination of aged cayenne peppers, vinegar, salt, and garlic, though Burman's Hot Sauce Original has xanthan gum, which creates a thicker, more viscous consistency.

When it comes to the important factors, like flavor and heat, Burman's delivers all the same components as Frank's RedHot — many side-by-side taste testers report little to no difference. Those who do taste a difference between the sauces are pretty evenly split over which one they prefer. Considering Frank's RedHot consistently ranks high amongst hot sauce lovers, the fact that Aldi's counterpart is consistently considered a decent enough copycat — if not just as good — is pretty impressive.