Buzz
Tabasco ranks among the mildest hot sauces available, measuring a modest 3,750 Scoville Heat Units, which is roughly 0.03 percent of the heat level of the world's spiciest sauce. Carlos Pereira M / ShutterstockMany boast about their ability to handle spicy foods, but how much have you truly tested your limits? The popular YouTube series Hot Ones, produced by First We Feast and hosted by Sean Evans, places celebrities in the "hot seat," where they answer in-depth questions while enduring the fiery challenge of eating 10 wings coated in progressively hotter sauces made from the world's most potent peppers.
This innovative approach has captivated audiences, offering endless entertainment and inspiring a surge of spice enthusiasts eager to test their boundaries and discover the world's hottest hot sauce. If you're up for the challenge, step into the kitchen and sample some of these devilishly spicy sauces.
How Do You Rank Spiciness?
The quick explanation lies in the Scoville scale, a scientific method employing high-performance liquid chromatography to accurately gauge the heat levels of the world's spiciest peppers. Without this scale, understanding the intensity of the hottest sauces and extracts would be nearly impossible.
For context, a fresh jalapeño pepper, which can cause even the average person to sweat, measures just 10,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). In contrast, the Pepper X pepper — recognized as the world's hottest pepper and featured in a sauce near the end of our list — reaches an astonishing 3.18 million SHUs.
10 Hottest Hot Sauces in the World
No. 1: Pure Evil, 13 million SHUs
Whether Pure Evil's pure capsaicin drops qualify as a hot sauce is up for debate, as it is a flavorless, transparent food additive accompanied by a serious health warning.
This infernal creation, however, leverages extracts from the world's hottest peppers to surpass other hot sauces by approximately 4 million SHUs, reaching a staggering 13 million SHUs.
No. 2: Regret Hot Sauce, 12 million SHUs
This tomato-based sauce incorporates bourbon, garlic, and lime in a feeble attempt to balance the intense heat of habanero and ghost peppers. Yet, with a Scoville rating just slightly below the top contender, trying this fiery beast might become one of your biggest regrets.
No. 3: Mad Dog 357, No. 9 Plutonium, 9 million SHUs
One of the most excruciatingly hot pepper extracts available, Mad Dog 357, No. 9 Plutonium, takes a close spot. This devilish concoction from Ashley Food Company, Inc., explodes on the Scoville scale at 9 million SHUs, justifying its retro, biohazard-themed packaging and securing a high rank on our list of fiery sauces.
No. 4: The Source Hot Sauce, 7.1 million SHUs
This pepper extract (and collector's item) from Original Juan delivers a powerful punch with an estimated 7.1 million Scoville Heat Units. The "extreme caution" labels and "18+ only" disclaimer should serve as clear warnings to approach this third-hottest sauce with respect.
The Source Hot Sauce arrives in a small 1-ounce bottle of pure intensity, accompanied by a steep $250 price tag. However, its potency ensures that a little goes a long way, making it a potential lifetime investment.
No. 5 (Tied): The End Hot Sauce, 6 million SHUs
The End Hot Sauce by Pepper Palace stands as one of the first genuinely consumable hot sauces on this list, though sampling it comes with a warning. Even the most daring users report that a mere drop can trigger tears and an unrelenting wave of heat.
A blend of habanero peppers, Carolina reaper peppers, pepper extract, and apple cider vinegar creates a fiery concoction delivering 6 million Scoville Heat Units, leaving tasters questioning, "When will this heat subside?"
No. 5 (Tied): Bumblef**ked Hot Sauce, 6 million SHUs
Bumblefoot's Bumblef**ked Hot Sauce is arguably the first entry on this list of the world's hottest sauces that combines flavor with its intense heat.
While most adventurous eaters will struggle to endure the 6 million SHUs, hints of Caribbean fruits and ginseng soften the fiery blow, creating a uniquely memorable taste experience.
No. 5 (Tied): Get Bitten Black Mamba 6, 6 million SHUs
Cajohns Fiery Foods chose the perfect name for their lethal mix of chocolate habaneros, vinegar, and 6-million-SHU pepper extract. The chocolate pepper gives Get Bitten Black Mamba 6 a deep, dark hue that is far from sugary.
Proceed with care. This hot sauce packs a fierce punch.
No. 8 (Tied): Meet Your Maker Hot Sauce, 5 million SHUs
Sauceworks Co.'s Meet Your Maker "death sauce" arrives in a tiny wooden coffin sealed with blood-red wax. If the ominous packaging doesn't deter you, the 5 million SHUs will likely send you scrambling for relief (or at least a cold glass of milk).
Sauceworks creates Meet Your Maker with a "spooky" blend of ghost pepper, white wine vinegar, onion, and garlic.
No. 8 (Tied): Mad Dog 357 Pepper Extract, 5 million SHUs
Sharing the eighth spot is another Mad Dog product that has been fiercely challenging taste buds for over 25 years. With an estimated 5 million Scoville Heat Units, this pepper extract remains one of the world's hottest sauces even after nearly three decades.
Those who enjoy fruity flavors might appreciate the peach-pepper fusion in the 357 Gold Edition, which adds a touch of sweetness to balance the intense heat of Carolina reaper peppers.
No. 8 (Tied): Z Nothing Beyond Extremely Hot Sauce, 5 million SHUs
Cajohn's Fiery Foods returns with another scorcher, Z Nothing Beyond Extremely Hot Sauce. Despite its blend of tropical fruits like papaya, guava, pineapple, and passion fruit, this sauce lives up to its name, registering 4 million SHUs on the Scoville scale.
No. 8 (Tied): Mad Dog 44 Magnum, 5 million SHUs
Mad Dog solidifies its reputation as a heavyweight in the hot sauce world, with three entries on this list. The 44 Magnum is one of their more approachable offerings, though the company still advises using it sparingly as a food additive.
At 4 million SHUs, Mad Dog's 44 Magnum is as formidable as the weapon Clint Eastwood famously carried in the Dirty Harry films. It’s fitting to borrow a line from the rogue cop when considering this sauce: "You gotta ask yourself one question. 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"
No. 12: The Hottest Hot Sauce in the Universe, The 2nd Dimension, million SHUs
While The 2nd Dimension may not claim the title of the universe's hottest sauce (or even Earth's), its million Scoville Heat Units are more than enough to turn your world upside down.
This Pepper Palace creation combines ghost peppers with aged red peppers and extracts to deliver a heat level that can flatten you and leave you feeling two-dimensional.
No. 13 (Tied): The Last Dab XXX, 3 million SHUs
The Last Dab XXX was the final sauce Sean Evans offered to guests on Hot Ones (until the 2024 launch of The Last Dab: Xperience). Created in collaboration with Puckerbutt Pepper Company's "Smokin" Ed Currie, a Guinness World Record holder, this sauce features three variants of the world's hottest pepper, cementing its place in hot sauce history.
This fiery blend includes Currie's Pepper X, Chocolate Pepper X, and Peach Pepper X, creating a perfect storm of spice that leaves celebrities teary-eyed and audiences entertained.
No. 13 (Tied): LD50, 3 million SHUs
The 'LD' in Pepper Palace's LD50 hot sauce stands for "lethal dose," a fitting name given its fiery blend of reapers and Trinidad scorpion peppers, delivering a scorching 3 million Scoville Heat Units.
While this sauce won't kill an adult, it will certainly leave your taste buds in turmoil for hours.
No. 15 (Tied): Reaper Squeezin's, 2.2 million SHUs
"Smokin" Ed returns with his signature Carolina reaper peppers. Reaper Squeezin's, Puckerbutt Pepper Company's spiciest offering, boasts 2.2 million SHUs, securing its place among the world's hottest sauces.
No. 15 (Tied): Wicked Reaper, 2.2 million SHUs
It's been nearly 50 years since Blue Oyster Cult released their iconic song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," but they clearly never tried this fiery sauce. Loaded with Carolina reaper peppers, this sauce might scorch your taste buds or send you to an early demise.
No. 17: Stinger Scorpion Pepper Sauce, 2 million SHUs
This unique sauce deviates from the usual smoky options, using Trinidad Moruga scorpion peppers (a former champion of the hottest pepper in 2012) for its punch. Stinger Scorpion Pepper Sauce truly earns its name.
Why Isn't Da' Bomb on the List?
Fans of Hot Ones, known as Spice Lords, are well aware that Mad Dog's Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity consistently brings guests to their knees more than any other sauce featured on the show. So why isn't it included in our list of the world's hottest hot sauces?
The straightforward yet surprising reason is that Da' Bomb doesn't rank very high on the Scoville scale, maxing out at just 130,000 SHUs.
Hot sauce has been a staple condiment since the time of the ancient Aztecs, dating back to as early as 7000 B.C.E. Early recipes were simple, combining ground peppers and water herbs, but the goal was the same: to add a fiery kick to meals. The Aztecs even used pepper tinctures medicinally to treat muscle pain and the common cold. However, attempting to cure ailments with the scorching sauces on this list would be unwise and could even send you to the hospital.
