10 Lesser-Known Condiment Brands Worth Seeking Out

Everyone has roughly the same fridge condiment staples. Ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise make up the obvious trio. And everyone has their own necessities on top of those basics — soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, salsa (which, personally, we'd consider a condiment), and hot sauce are common additions. You're probably at the point in your condiment journey where your go-to items rarely see any refreshing. Well, friends, we think it's time to shake things up a bit.

A condiment may not have a name like Heinz or Kraft attached to it, but that doesn't mean it's not worth adding to your cart. In fact, plenty of indie brands are shaking up the condiment aisle with novel products that pack a ton of flavor. Some can even confidently adopt a "better-for-you" claim, making them perfect for consumers who don't want to count calories with every tablespoon of ketchup. Below are 10 condiment brands that deserve far more love than they get. Each has passed our taste tests and can boast having a bit of a cult following — that's how you know they're good. 

Tamarind Heads has received no shortage of praise for its fun and funky BBQ sauce. The tamarind-forward sauce — which comes in a few different spice levels — is fruity, tangy, and has more depth than most store-bought barbecue sauces can reasonably claim. It offers an easy way to spice up whatever you might have on your grill roster, but we've also had too much fun playing around with various applications for the sauce.

Before you ask, yes, we do have a favorite way to enjoy the sauce, and it's easy as pie — all you need is some sauce, a package of chicken thighs, and a bag of Trader Joe's Elote salad mix. Slather the chicken in sauce and cook it however you prefer; then slice it up and mix it into the elote salad. The sauce adds a little bit of heat to the salad and complements the sweetness of the corn, and its barbecue flavors fit right in. Bon appétit!

If you're after a little twist on your favorite condiment staples, look no further than Taste Flavor Co, a brand that prides itself on creating condiments that have 15 calories or fewer per tablespoon. Don't worry, you're not sacrificing anything here, especially where flavor is concerned. Taste Flavor Co has done a great job of living up to its name. 

Our current Taste Flavor Co staple is its Truffle Parm Ketchup, which basically tastes like a little upgrade to your standard ketchup bottle. The truffle and Parmesan are both subtle enough that you won't have to worry about pairing the ketchup with the appropriate dish — instead, they'll just add some more depth to your food of choice, whether you squeeze some on a burger or use it as a dipping sauce for fries. Consider this your sign to ditch that bottle of Hunt's that's been sitting in your fridge for months now — replace it with a bottle from Taste Flavor Co. 

Whether you're after a new barbecue sauce, hot sauce, meat marinade, or salsa, look no further than Herdez. We rarely hear people talking about this brand, which seems criminal — everything we've tried has been S-tier. Its Mexican-inspired Taqueria Street Sauces deserve a spot on the table at your next build-your-own street taco night, and we'd be remiss not to mention its salsas, which we're reaching for whether or not tortilla chips are part of the equation. 

Our personal favorite Herdez product has been its bottled Guacamole Salsa, which has the perfect amount of heat and an impeccable consistency. It's thin enough to drizzle over tacos, nachos, or even a Mexican-inspired salad or pizza, but it's not too thin that you couldn't pick it up with a chip if you wanted to take a simple snack break. The street sauces are next on our list to try — BRB, now we're craving tacos!

In case you thought we couldn't possibly squeeze another barbecue sauce on the list, think again. Tenayo's Mexican-Style Barbecue Sauces blow other types of barbecue sauce out of the water, in our opinion. I mean, you can stick to your Alabama-style sauce if you want, but we'd urge you to at least try something from Tenayo — we promise, you won't regret it. 

If you want to go big or go home, as they say, there's no other choice than the brand's Cacao Chile sauce. It has the savory, spicy depth of mole, and tastes as dark and rich as we could ever hope for from a barbecue sauce. We've found ourselves looking for excuses to use this one. A current favorite is using it as a drizzle over loaded pulled pork cheese fries. You don't need to add a lot of this sauce in order for it to make itself known, so one bottle could last you quite a while.

Hello, hot sauce! At least, that's been our condiment of choice from Tia Lupita Foods, but our praise shouldn't end there — this is yet another brand with some Mexican-inspired barbecue sauces on its roster, and it even has Mexican chili crunch in its portfolio, too. Maybe this is your sign to pick up a variety pack from the brand. 

Want to know what we're enjoying? Tia Lupita's Piquín Lime Creamy Hot Sauce. Yes, it's just as delicious as it sounds — so much so that we're a little sad we've only recently discovered it. It has some heat, but not too much to overwhelm those who are sensitive to spice. Obviously, it's been a stellar addition to tacos, but don't be afraid to add it to salad dressings and other cooked meats as you see fit — there's very little chance that you'll regret it. 

It's about time we got to some jellies, jams, and peanut butters. Move out of the way, Smucker's — there's a new sheriff in town, and you better believe it's good. Actually, it's Good Good, a brand that prides itself on making all-natural spreads with no added sugar. If added sugar is always on your radar, this is a brand you'll definitely want to check out. 

We've been very into its peanut butter and all the jellies we've tried — and, for all the chocolate lovers out there, Good Good also has chocolate spreads to satisfy those cravings. Its fruit spreads are low in calories, and its peanut butter has prebiotic fiber added to it. We'll take a gut-healthy swap any day of the week. Our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have gotten an upgrade recently — it's probably time you upgraded yours, too. 

We can't say enough good things about Barnacle Foods. Alaskan kelp — an extremely sustainable crop packed with nutrients — is at the heart of everything Barnacle produces, from kelp pickles to chocolate. In terms of its condiment offerings, though, we have to praise a few. Our favorite is a Black Garlic hot sauce that you'll rarely see. But since it's almost always sold out, we also recommend the more accessible Alaskan Bullwhip hot sauce. 

Now, this hot sauce isn't for the faint of heart — it definitely packs some heat, so don't go overboard the next time you add it to a dish. It's not just heat, though, and it easily merits a spot on the list due to its star ingredient: kelp. The hot sauce has some noticeable brine and quite a bit of tang in it, both of which complement (and even elevate) the heat, turning the condiment into a main event rather than just an accent. 

Celeb-founded food brands can be a hit or a miss; when it comes to Glen Powell's Smash Kitchen, though, we'd have to call this one a hit. Smash Kitchen's goal is to replace your current pantry staple with alternatives that feature better-for-you ingredients, without compromising taste. While we haven't tried everything in the lineup, the verdict online seems clear — Powell's products are worth the buy.  

In addition to standard yellow mustard, mayo, and ketchup, the brand also offers some variations — think products like spicy mayo, hot honey ketchup, and hot honey barbecue sauce. And the brand has gone even further to add cooking oils, dressings, and pasta and pizza sauces (which we have tried; they're yummy!) to their roster. Sprout Kitchen's products can be found in plenty of popular retailers, so if you haven't tried the brand yet, grab a condiment or two on your next grocery run. 

You've probably at least heard of chili crisp by now. If you haven't tried it yet, it's high time you did — and we can't just endorse chili crisp without specifically recommending Fly By Jing's selection. We tried and ranked all of the brand's chili crisps, and ranking them was no easy task. They're all good, and each lends itself to different applications.

Want to add a little bit of heat and some texture to a dish? The Xtra Crunchy chili crisp should be the first jar you reach for. We didn't love the Xtra Spicy, which tasted a little too spicy to us — but if you're a spice fiend, there's a good chance you'd adore it. The Original chili crisp is an incredible addition to pasta, salad, pasta salad, sandwiches, meats ... honestly, we haven't been able to stop thinking of applications for it yet. 

You've heard of chili crunch, but have you heard of pizza crunch? Sobelini is a pioneer in this category, and we'd be surprised if it didn't take off soon — what we've tried of the brand is simply delicious. And it makes sense. In a world where pizza toppings are ever more daring, why not throw a chili crunch-inspired condiment into the equation?

We'll gladly chow down on anything with truffle in it, and Sobelini's Truffle Pizza Crunch has been our crunch of choice on pizza nights. As with the aforementioned ketchup, the truffle here is subtle, so you don't need to worry about it overwhelming your pizza — rather, it just adds some aromatics into the equation. The rest of the crunch is a little spicy and adds texture to the pizza. You don't need to add a lot to make an impact, and it pairs with ranch (always our favorite pizza dipping sauce) incredibly well. 

We've had a chance to try products from all of these condiment brands ourselves, and we wouldn't have recommended them if they weren't actually stellar. But beyond our own taste buds, each condiment also gets ample praise from those in-the-know about it. We think it's high time they got more recognition — not even to spread the wealth of the condiment world around, but just because they're really, really good.