- How is hot sauce made?
- Some hot sauces are gluten free.
- Some hot sauces are not gluten free.
- Celiacs should buy hot sauces that are certified gluten free.
Is hot sauce gluten free? Hot sauces add a bit of kick to every dish. A dash of hot sauce to burgers, pizzas, or sandwiches enhances the flavor, adds a fiery element, and makes the dish enjoyable. But, if you have been diagnosed with celiac disease or want to cut down gluten consumption due to health reasons, you must be wondering if hot sauce is gluten free.
Well, most hot sauces are naturally gluten free. But, many are not certified as gluten free. In this article, we shall discuss the ingredients of hot sauce, list some of the best-certified gluten free hot sauces, and learn which ones have gluten.
What is Hot Sauce? How is it made?
Hot sauce is a chili pepper mixed with citrus extracts, vinegar, and water. These are blended with some spices to get a flavorful and highly spicy liquid sauce that is quite hot.
There are different variations to hot sauces. These are available in many flavors. Some hot sauces are fermented to add a bit of tartness and chunky flavor. Some are made with maple syrup, honey, and apple cider vinegar to get a sweet and spicy flavor. These contain salt and preservatives to enhance their shelf-life.
Is Hot Sauce Gluten Free?
Most hot sauces are naturally gluten free. But, some companies add a dash of starch to thicken the sauce. Starch contains gluten.
While most hot sauce companies claim that they do not add any gluten grains like wheat, rye, or barley to their hot sauces, they are not too careful with the cross-contamination that might occur at the time of preparation.
You might be thinking that you only consume a small amount of hot sauce with your meals, so a small amount of gluten might not cause any harm. But the fact is, if you are gluten-allergic, even a tiny amount can cause skin rashes, stomach upset, or other health problems.
Which Hot Sauces are Gluten Free?
Some companies are cautious about their hot sauces and the manufacturing processes. They certify their sauces and label them as gluten free. Therefore, you can buy these sauces and enjoy them without any concern as they are true to their claim.
- Dave’s Gourmet Hot Sauces
Dave’s Gourmet is a specialty foods producer company that offers 14 different hot sauces. These sauces are carefully curated with heat levels ranging from “barely mild, warm to insanely hot++.” These use cane vinegar in their formulas.
- Cholula Hot Sauce
This is an authentic Mexican hot sauce from Texas. This sauce is available in five flavors: chili lime, chipotle, original, green pepper, and chili garlic. This brand mentions no gluten in their sauces but does not specify whether their vinegar is processed from gluten grains.
- Organicville Sky Valley Sriracha Sauce
This hot sauce is made from cayenne peppers, garlic, and red jalapenos. It is certified gluten free by the Gluten Free Certification Organization.
The products made by Organicville Sky Valley contain less than ten parts per million of gluten, so these can be consumed by anyone suffering from gluten allergy. These sauces are also vegan, and their vinegar is derived from organic cane or corn.
- Elijah’s Xtreme Gourmet Sauces
These sauces are advertised as ‘Father and Son Handcrafted Hot Sauces,’ their common varieties being Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce and Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce.
- Tabasco
Tobasco is the most popular hot sauce brand in the US. The family-owned Mcllhenny Company makes it in Louisiana.
Tabasco sauce is available in many flavors, including green pepper, original, chipotle pepper, habanero, sweet and spicy, garlic pepper, and Buffalo style.
According to the International Codex Alimentarius Commission standards, the company claims all its hot sauces to be gluten-free. These are equivalent to the US Food and Drug Administration gluten free standards.
They also claim that their vinegar is derived from cane alcohol and is non-GMO certified.
- Pickapeppa Hot Red Pepper Sauce
The Pickapeppa hot sauce from Jamaica is better known for its sweeter mango-based sauces. But, the company’s gluten free hot sauce is also an excellent option for those who cannot consume vinegar derived from gluten grains. They use cane vinegar.
Their hot mango sauce is a sweet and spicy mango sauce that is extremely popular. They, too, report their vinegar to be non-GMO certified.
- TorchBearer Sauces
This company makes the famous Trinidad Scorpion Pepper Sauce, which is also claimed to be the ‘hottest natural sauce globally.’ It has more than 16 scorpion peppers (one of the world’s hottest peppers) in each bottle.
Their Zombie Apocalypse Ghost Chili Hot Sauce is the second-hottest sauce sold by the brand.
All their sauces are marketed as gluten-free. They use a small amount of white vinegar in their sauces, obtained from different sources.
Hot Sauces that may contain Gluten
If you have been consuming hot sauces from the following brands, you must beware of the possible gluten content. These brands do not specify whether they contain gluten or not.
- Crystal Hot Sauce
Crystal is a Louisiana-based hot sauce company that manufactures a variety of sauces, including original Crystal hot sauce, liquid smoke, Buffalo sauce, Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and Crystal extra-hot sauce. They do not make any claims about their sauces being gluten free.
- Frank’s RedHot Sauce
Frank’s claims that its RedHot sauce was used to make the original Buffalo chicken wings in Buffalo, New York, in 1964. The company stated that it will always declare gluten ingredients in its list. They also said that currently, they are not offering products not containing gluten as they are improving their products.
- Huy Fong Sriracha Hot Sauce
Huy Fong Sriracha Hot sauces are the most popular ones in the US, with their rooster mascot and bright-colored red bottles with green caps. Their ingredients include sodium bisulfite, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, salt, garlic, chili, sugar, and distilled vinegar. They do not make any claims of being gluten free.
- Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce
Texas Pete’s also does not make any gluten free claims. Its product, fiery-sweet wing sauce, contains liquid smoke made from barley. The other famous hot sauces from this brand are original, hotter, Mexican-style, garlic, Sriracha, Buffalo wing sauce, honey mustard sauce, green pepper sauce, and seafood cocktail sauce.
- Valentina Salsa Picante
This hot sauce is one of the best-selling hot sauces in Mexico. It is available in red label and black label flavors. This company does not specify the prevalence of gluten ingredients or the possibility of gluten cross-contamination.
Which Hot Sauce should you buy?
It is better to buy gluten free hot sauces from OrganicVille Sky Valley as they not only contain gluten free ingredients but are also organic.
FAQs
Can Celiacs eat Hot Sauce?
Most hot sauces are naturally gluten free, but some are not certified as gluten free.
Does Sriracha have gluten?
Sriracha is a famous hot sauce and is gluten free. It is made by Huy Fong Food’s company, and all the three sauces from this brand are made from chili paste and spices and do not contain gluten.
Is Chili Sauce Gluten Free?
Chili sauce is vegan, gluten free, and does not have any preservatives or additives.
Final Lines
The basic recipe of a hot sauce does not contain gluten. However, cross-contamination is possible, causing some amount of gluten to mix with the hot sauce. Sometimes, the vinegar might be derived from barley or any other gluten grain.
Some brands do not specify in their ingredients’ list about the presence of gluten. It is better to avoid buying hot sauce from such brands. There are a few that claim to be gluten free. It is better to buy these sauces if you want to avoid gluten in your diet.
More Posts for You:
