I Tried And Ranked 8 Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce Flavors

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I'm a huge fan of store-bought hot sauce, and I am the type of person who can handle heat pretty well. One brand that I haven't delved into is Louisiana Brand hot sauce — so I decided today was the day. It offers a wide range of flavors and heat levels, giving you options for food pairings.

I tried these sauces in order of their Scoville Heat Units (SHU), a measure of spiciness, starting with the least spicy ones and working my way upwards. This way, a super spicy sauce wouldn't affect my perception of the milder flavors. Then, I tasted them with a breaded chicken tender, noting the overall flavor of the sauce, level of heat, and aftertaste, before ranking them from my least favorite to my favorite.

The Hotter flavor is my least favorite Louisiana Brand hot sauce. This is a spicier version of the original flavor, with nearly double the Scoville Heat Index of 2,000 to 3,000 SHU. The upper limit makes it the hottest of all the hot sauces I tried. When I first tasted the sauce, it was mild and approachable, with a bright and tangy flavor. Within a few seconds, however, the heat completely overtakes the flavor. It feels similar to being on a roller coaster, as the cart climbs slowly up the highest hill. The heat kept climbing, even after I was done chewing and swallowing. 

I know that, for many people, the heat is the reason for eating this sauce. While I found it enjoyable at first, I thought that it was a bit too spicy to enjoy several bites of. The other sauces were more versatile and would be better on a bunch of different foods. This one, on the other hand, was more niche. A little bit goes a long way, and you should only use it if you're ready for your tongue to burn.

The Cajun Heat Louisiana Brand hot sauce is made with aged peppers and a mixture of paprika, garlic, onion, and other natural flavors. It's ideal for classic Southern dishes like gumbo. When I first tasted it, I noticed it had an overwhelmingly smoky flavor, which was unlike some of the other hot sauces I tried. I assumed it would easily add a ton of flavor to various dishes, making it a useful item to keep in the fridge.

As for the heat, I was a little taken aback. When I think of Cajun food, I expect it to be pretty spicy. Out of every hot sauce in this list, the Cajun Heat was the least spicy. I enjoyed the Cajun aspect of the flavor, but the heat didn't quite live up to its name. I think that I would have ranked this a bit higher on the list if it was just a tad hotter.

As I read the ingredients for the Tangy Taco hot sauce, I realized it's exactly the same as the Cajun Heat. Taste-wise, however, they are very different. Instead of having a smoky forefront like the Cajun Heat, the Tangy Taco offers a clear, tangy bite right away. I thought that this added a lot of brightness and versatility to the hot sauce and it helped bring out the spice level as well.

The only reason that this hot sauce isn't ranked higher on the list is that I don't think it's versatile enough to use on multiple types of food. I found it a bit odd paired with the chicken tender, but it was better on the taco I tried it on later in the day, as it indeed added great flavor and personality. If you are a big taco, quesadilla, or burrito eater — this sauce is definitely worth keeping in your fridge. If you'd rather have a hot sauce that can pair with more types of food, you may want to skip this one.

The Garlic Lovers Louisiana Brand hot sauce is a slightly better version of the Cajun Heat. When you first taste it, you get an equal amount of spice and smoke. It clearly feels like a hot sauce, but it has another layer of flavor woven in. I could appreciate the garlic flavor as I ate it, and it would add a lot of flavor to whatever you put it on. I enjoyed the aftertaste of this one as well. The garlic slipped away and left behind a good amount of spice on the tongue, similar to the classic hot sauce flavors I sampled. 

The only reason that this didn't rank higher on the list was because the other flavors offered more of a "wow" factor, and I found myself reaching for those other bottles instead. While I did think the Garlic Lovers sauce was delicious, and would gladly use it if it was offered, I wasn't tempted to add more of it to my plate.

The ingredients for the Smoked Chipotle hot sauce are simple: aged peppers, distilled vinegar, salt, and chipotle peppers. What set this sauce apart from the Cajun Heat and Garlic Lovers sauces, which were both fairly smoky, was its freshness. I think this is because of how well-balanced the flavors are. Once the hot sauce hit my tongue, I was overwhelmed by an earthy, full-bodied flavor. There's an even medley of smokiness, sweetness, and spiciness.

This sauce was incredibly enjoyable on the chicken tenders, but I could also see it being used as a marinade for grilled chicken, on tacos, or even mixed with ketchup for dipping homemade french fries. This was definitely neck-and-neck with the top three sauces, and my personal preference was the only reason it ranked fourth. All in all, it's tasty, versatile, and a truly great hot sauce.

I've tasted the original version of many grocery store hot sauce brands, and I can confidently say that Louisiana's Original Hot Sauce is one of my new favorites. What I really enjoyed about this hot sauce is that it takes you on a journey. When the sauce first hits your taste buds, the spice is not evident. Instead, you get a vinegary and fresh, juicy pepper flavor. Then, the heat begins to build. It slowly escalates for about 30 seconds, getting hotter and hotter, but it never becomes so unbearably hot that you lose sight of the initial flavors. It's just thrilling enough to satisfy a hot sauce craving.

The original flavor of this sauce means that you can put it on any meal you wish. The flavors aren't distracting like they were in the Smoked Chipotle and Garlic Lovers flavors. I would happily mix it into a macaroni and cheese recipe, slather it on a chicken wing, drizzle it on shrimp and rice, or even top a breakfast omelet with it. It was a tough call on where to place this sauce in my ranking, but two other flavors were a bit more exciting to me. Still, it's a solidly delicious hot sauce that deserves a spot in your fridge.

I was a bit nervous to try the Southwest Jalapeño Hot Sauce. I enjoy using fresh jalapeños in recipes; however, I do find them to be incredibly spicy, and I can't handle too many of them at a time. Interestingly enough, the Louisiana Southwest Jalapeño Sauce doesn't have a high Scoville Heat Index. It measures 600 to 1,200 SHU, which is less than that of the Original flavor.

As soon as I bit into my jalapeño sauce-covered chicken tender, I was in heaven. The actual flavor of the sauce is outstanding. It's extremely fresh, light, and juicy, almost like you're eating mashed jalapeños. As I kept chewing, I also noticed a sprinkle of sweetness as well, which made the flavors of the sauce feel unexpected and exciting. The spice level, meanwhile, was perfect. It was definitely hot, but not overwhelming. The flavors and the heat worked together like a well-choreographed dance, making this one of my absolute favorite hot sauces to date. While this was a very close call to first place, it lands in second simply because one other flavor blew me out of the water.

Louisiana Brand's Sweet Heat with Honey Hot Sauce was the clear winner. Its ingredient list is similar to the Original sauce, but it also includes refinery syrup and honey. Ultimately, I think that this hot sauce was a better version of the Original because it has a more well-rounded flavor. You can still appreciate the perfect amount of spiciness and the fresh-tasting peppers, but these flavors are brought into focus with the sweet honey. Spicy and sweet is the ultimate combination because both bring out the best in each other.

In the end, I finished off my chicken tenders with the Sweet Heat with Honey sauce. It was the clear favorite, and I wasn't even tempted to go back to any of the other sauces. I also think that it offers the same type of versatility as the Original, making it a great hot sauce to put on practically any type of dish, but it's even more exciting.

To taste test these hot sauces, I first ordered them from weakest to strongest using the SHU listed on the brand's website. This allowed me to work my way up to hotter and hotter sauces. I tasted each sauce with a breaded chicken tender, since it's a neutral flavored food. In between each sauce, I drank water to cleanse my palate and waited a minute or two before moving on to the next flavor. 

When tasting these sauces, I noted the balance of the flavors, the level of heat, the aftertaste, and my overall impression of each one. I then ordered them from least favorite to my favorite, and ranked sauces with a balanced flavor, exciting taste, and appropriate level of heat higher. I will say that I genuinely enjoyed each of these sauces, though each one offers a very different experience.