Sriracha is a chili sauce that comes from Thailand and carries a moderately spicy kick. Traditional sriracha ingredients are vegan-friendly, including vinegar, salt, garlic, chili, and sugar.
Most Sriracha is vegan, such as Trader Joe’s Sriracha Sauce or Sky Valley Foods Sriracha Sauce. However, the most popular Sriracha brand, Huy Fong, is not vegan. The manufacturer uses bone-char to process the sugar they put into their Sriracha. Some of the best vegan alternatives to Sriracha are Sambal Oelek, Original Tabasco, and Tapatio.
Much like pickles, the main ingredients are very simple and easy to replicate. Read on to discover what bone-char is, a list of vegan sriracha brands, and sriracha nutrition facts.
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What is Sriracha?
Sriracha originated in Thailand and there are many variations to the Thai way of making the chili sauce. The sriracha you see on the grocery store shelves differs from all the types of traditional Thai sriracha. The California company Huy Fong Foods has made the chili sauce popular and set the tone for the unique consistency and flavor of the sauce. Traditional Thai sriracha is tangier and has a thinner consistency than the Huy Fong version.
As sriracha spread through the world, hundreds of variations developed. The same happened as soon as it arrived in America. Historians say that was in 1980, when a refugee from Vietnam, David Tran, started selling a version of the Thai chili sauce in Los Angeles. In the U.S. alone there are dozens of brands, each with their own style. They vary on the Scoville Scale and in flavor profiles, but they all combine the basic ingredients of sriracha: vinegar, chilies, salt, garlic and sugar.
What is Bone-Char?
Bone-char, often also called natural carbon, is very much what it sounds like: charcoal made from animal bones. Many sugar producers in the United States use bone-char to bleach sugar cane and create the clean, white color you see in most sugar. While the end product does not contain animal products, the sugar does come in contact with incinerated animal bones during processing.
Beet and Coconut sugar are not processed with bone-char. Many brands of organic and raw sugars are also free from bone-char in their manufacturing. There are also plenty of truly vegan sugars from companies like Bob’s Red Mill and Kirkland Organic.
Is Sriracha Healthy?
Sriracha is healthy for use in moderation. The fermented quality of sriracha adds a few probiotics to every meal, along with the nutritional benefits of the immune-boosting chili peppers, vinegar and garlic. Fermented foods are great for fostering good bacteria in the gut biome. Your gut greatly impacts the rest of your health. A healthy gut means a stronger immune system and better overall body function.
Fermented foods are gaining in popularity. A 2019 Forbes article pointed to traction gaining even then, saying consumption of fermented foods was up 149% in the U.S. In the years that have passed, fermented foods have only become more popular. A recent Stanford study has showed that eating fermented foods is a healthy trend. In that study, Stanford researchers proved that a 10-week diet that is high in fermented foods increases overall health.
Sriracha is a low-calorie food with ingredients that boost health, but it is high in sugar and salt. Sriracha contains 1 gram of sugar and 100 mg of sodium per teaspoon. It’s that salt and sugar combination that makes sriracha so addicting. Store-bought sriracha brands usually also contain fillers and preservatives.
Is Sriracha Spicy?
The spice level of sriracha is moderate. Spice level is measured with the Scoville Scale, which measures the heat in chilis. The Scoville Scale was invented in 1912 as a way to measure results of his experiments in creating a heat-producing ointment. Today, we use it to measure how much of a kick a hot sauce has. Sriracha measures 2,200 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). For comparison, Frank’s RedHot Sauce is 450 SHUs and Tabasco is 2,500 SHUs.
Nutritional Facts for Sriracha
Below are nutrition facts and percentage of recommended daily value for a 1 teaspoon standard serving size of Huy Fong brand sriracha:
- Calories – 5
- Total Fat – 0.1 g / 0%
- Sodium – 138 mg / 6%
- Potassium – 21 mg / /0%
- Dietary Fiber – 0.1 g / 1%
- Sugars – 1 g
- Protein – 0.1 g
Healthy Vegan Sriracha Brands
Most began sriracha brands use raw sugar instead of white sugar. Raw sugar is typically vegan-friendly because no bone-char is involved in the processing. You can control the ingredients even more by making it yourself in a process that is both fun and easy. Making your own sriracha does take up to five days, though.
If you’re looking for more of a grab-and-go option, you’re in luck! Nearly all sriracha brands are vegan. In fact, Huy Fong is on a very short list of sriracha brands that aren’t vegan. Keep in mind each brand has a sriracha that tastes a bit different from the others.
Chasing down a sriracha that exactly matches the flavor of Huy Fong is a tall order. None of them will perfectly match the sweet, tangy fire of the Huy Fong sriracha. But, each has its own flavorful element to bring to the table.
Trader Joe’s Sriracha Sauce
This Sriracha Sauce a bit sweeter with a delayed spice. It is is made from ingredients that are vegan and gluten-free.
vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients:
- Organic tomato puree (water, organic tomato paste)
- Organic cane sugar
- Organic jalapeno puree (organic red jalapeno peppers, organic vinegar, salt)
- Organic distilled white vinegar
- Organic molasses
- Natural hickory smoke flavor
- Organic roasted dried garlic
- Organic corn starch
- Organic Worcestershire sauce
Nutrition Facts (1 serving = 1 tsp, 4 g):
- Calories – 0 g
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 75 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 1 g
- Sugars – 1 g
- Protein – 0 g
Sky Valley Foods Sriracha Sauce
This sauce is a bit smokier with more salt. It is certified vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients:
- Cayenne pepper puree
- Water
- Organic cane sugar
- Red jalapeno peppers
- Organic distilled vinegar
- Organic dried garlic
- Cayenne powder
- Xanthan gum
- Citric acid
Nutrition Facts (1 serving = 1 tsp, 5 g):
- Calories – 5 g
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 105 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 1 g
- Sugars- 1 g
- Protein – 0 g
Ninja Squirrel Sriracha
This Sriracha is far milder with hints of sweet and sour among the flavors of peppers. It is certified vegan. It isn’t labeled gluten-free but does not contain any gluten ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Red jalapeno puree (red jalapeno peppers, salt, citric acid)
- Water
- Cane sugar
- Garlic puree
- Organic distilled white vinegar
- Salt
- Garlic habanero pepper powder
- Xanthan gum
Nutrition Facts (1 serving = 1 tsp, 5 ml):
- Calories – 0
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 60 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – <1 g
- Sugars – <1 g
- Protein – 0 g
Flying Goose Sriracha
Sweet with heavy notes of garlic. It has a mild spice level and is vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients:
- Chili
- Sugar
- Water
- Salt
- Garlic flavor enhancer
- Stabilizer
- Acidity regulators
- Preservatives
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp, 5 g):
- Calories – 6
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 144 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 1.4 g
- Sugars – 1 g
- Protein – 0 g
Yellowbird Organic
This Sriracha is a more complex mixture of pepper. It is spicier and it contains ingredients that are dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
Ingredients:
- Organic jalapenos
- Organic distilled vinegar
- Organic garlic
- Organic dates
- Organic raisins
- Salt
- Organic tangerine juice concentrate
- Organic lime juice concentrate
Nutrition Facts (1 tbsp., 15 g):
- Calories – 15
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 200 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 3 g
- Sugars – 2 g
- Protein – 0 g
Healthy Vegan Sriracha Substitutes
Sriracha is a tricky hot sauce. It has a unique consistency and taste that are impossible to exactly match with other sauces. You can get close with quite a few hot sauces, especially if you add ingredients. The key to finding a good substitute for sriracha is to match the spice level. Also, choose a substitute that doesn’t feature vinegar high up on the ingredient list. Sriracha is a sweet, sugar-based sauce and doesn’t have the tang of the vinegar-based hot sauces. Most hot sauces are gluten-free and vegan.
Sambal Oelek
This is an Indonesian hot sauce. It has a thicker consistency and fewer ingredients, but it has a similar spice level as sriracha. You won’t get as much garlic flavor if you go with Sambal Oelek and instead of the slight sweetness in sriracha, you’ll get a bit of a tangy flavor with Sambal Oelek. Heat is in the range of 2,000 SHU.
Ingredients:
- Chili
- Salt
- Distilled Vinegar
- Potassium Sorbate
- Sodium Bisulfite
- Xanthan Gum
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp, 5 g):
- Calories – 0
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 100 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 0 g
- Sugars – 0 g
- Protein – 0 g
Original Tabasco
The Original Tabasco matches sriracha closely on spice level but is a thinner consistency. Just a few drops are the equivalent to a serving of sriracha. Made in Louisiana, jalapenos are the main ingredient in this hot sauce. Heat levels can range up to 2,500-5,000 SHU.
Ingredients:
- Distilled vinegar
- Red pepper
- Salt
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp, 5 ml):
- Calories – 5
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 170 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 2 g
- Sugars – 1 g
- Protein – 0 g
Tapatio
This hot sauce is a bit spicier than sriracha and has a full range of red pepper flavors that is similar to sriracha. This sauce is used mainly to in Mexican dishes but has spread in popularity. Now you can find it in recipes like chicken wing and rib marinades. Heat levels can reach 3,000 SHU.
Ingredients:
- Water
- Red peppers
- Salt
- Spices
- Garlic
- Acetic Acid
- Xanthan gum
- Sodium Benzoate as a preservative
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp, 5 g):
- Calories – 0
- Total Fat – 0 g
- Sodium – 110 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 0 g
- Sugars – 0 g
- Protein – 0 g
Korean Gochujang
This is a spicy chili paste. It is a fermented paste made of cooked glutinous rice with salt and chili powder. Heat levels range at 1,000 SHU.
Ingredients:
- Wheat flour
- Corn syrup
- Water
- Hot pepper powder
- Salt
- Wheat
- Cooking rice wine
- Defatted soybean powder
- Koji
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp, 20 g):
- Calories – 40
- Total Fat – 0g
- Sodium – 540 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 9 g
- Sugars – 5 g
- Protein – 1 g
Cayenne Pepper
This is another substitution for sriracha as an ingredient in dishes. If texture isn’t an issue, cayenne pepper will turn up the heat on a dish without impacting the taste. Add some fresh garlic to help mimic the flavor of sriracha. Heat measures from 30,000 to 50,000 SHU, so a little bit goes a long way!
Ingredients:
- Powdered dried cayenne peppers
Nutrition Facts (1 tsp, 1.8 g):
- Calories – 6
- Total Fat – 0.3 g
- Sodium – 1 mg
- Total Carbohydrates – 1 g
- Sugars – 0.2 g
- Protein – 0.2 g
Related Questions
Is sriracha gluten-free?
Yes! Sriracha is gluten-free, made from naturally gluten-free ingredients. The most popular sriracha from Huy Fong Food isn’t labeled gluten free, but the company has confirmed it is gluten-free.
Is sriracha dairy-free?
Yes! Sriracha is non-dairy. Ingredients are sun-ripened chilies, salt, garlic, vinegar, sugar and other animal-friendly ingredients.
Is sriracha kosher?
Most sriracha brands are kosher, including the most popular Huy Fong brand. Many brands carry the kosher certification on the bottle.
Are there allergens in sriracha?
Sriracha is free from most allergens. Ingredients vary slightly between brands of sriracha. The most popular brand from Huy Fong Foods is free from eggs, fish and shellfish, mustard seeds, sesame, tree nuts, peanuts, soybeans, and is dairy-free. It contains the preservative sodium bisulfite, which is considered a sulfite food additive.