The pros: Trader Joe's Sriracha Sauce is solid, but is not a duplicate of the more famous Sriracha Sauce with a Rooster on it.
The cons: The dragon on this bottle looks for more menacing than the one on the green dragon sauce, but the green brings more heat.
The verdict: I got the chance a couple of years ago to see Alton Brown in a show called Eat Your Science. For the record, it's completely worth it to see him live. One of the topics in his opening monologue involved two of his pet peeves: the farm to table movement and Sriracha sauce. He mentioned that unless the restaurant is on a farm, this movement should be renamed the farm to truck to table movement. The other peeve is the overuse of Sriracha.
He wasn't kidding about this. For a long stretch on almost any Food Network competition, someone reached for the familiar bottle of red sauce in dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts. Alton did mention that if he ruled the world, he would limit all individuals to one single bottle of this stuff per year. I guess he's consumed his fair share I guess.
It's amazing how one little bottle of sauce has come to be the go to hot sauce where only a few years ago you might have a bottle of Tabasco or Frank's on the shelf. Now, I have almost as may hot sauces as open containers of jelly in my refrigerator.
Now, the natural comparison point is the most popular brand of Sriracha, the one with the red rooster on it. But I can tell you for certain, while the bottles look similar they are not duplicates of one another. I know that trader Joe's is best known for occasionally passing off Trader Joe's branded item that is likely a relabeled product from a different manufacturer.
In terms of thickness, this is much thinner than the Rooster sauce. That's probably a good thing as you won't end up in a mouth full of fire. This sauce also is not nearly as hot as the Rooster sauce either. This tastes more of garlic than the chili it is made out of.
For $2.99 this is priced similarly to the Huy Fong's Rooster Sauce. Not a bad sriracha at all. It's a good introduction to sriracha sauce, but if you have tried the Huy Fong's then you may still prefer the original. If Trader Joe's is the only place you shop, then it is still a solid option.
Here is the visual run down of what you get if you buy this product:
The bottle of Trader Joe's Sriracha Sauce:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
Would I buy this again? There is nothing wrong with Trader Joe's Sriracha Sauce, but I personally preferred Huy Fong's Sriracha Sauce more. That being said, I would consider buying this again.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe’s for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
I also prefer Huy Fongs Sriracha. I have an open bottle of the Trader Joe's Sriracha style sauce in my fridge but I don't use it often. Something is just a little bit off about it for me. It's not the garlic because I love garlic! Maybe its the thickness of it. There are just some nuances that are not as good as the original . I love Alton Brown but have never seen Eat Your Science. I will have to look for it!
That's so funny that you mention it. I find myself reaching for the Huy Fong's too. I think for me it's both the flavor and the runny consistency. If I want runny, I'll go for Tobasco or the Yuzu Sauce. But if you get a chance to see Alton Brown live it was awesome and completely unexpected. He sings, he does science experiments and goes on some epic rants. Totally worth seeing him. Thanks as always for stopping by!
I like the consistency of the sauce, The flavor is terrible though. Mine has a strong taste of burnt garlic. We all know how that is.
Thanks for sharing Rube!