I start almost every blog post with the phrase “I Love Hot Sauce”. And I do. I eat a lot and I eat a lot of antacid along with it. As am aging I have been more health conscience about what I am consuming and how much of everything that I am consuming. Recently I have asked myself the question, how many calories are in hot sauce?
Most brands of a traditional pepper and vinegar based hot sauce have less than 1 calorie per serving. A typical serving is 1 teaspoon or 4.2 grams. Gourmet hot sauces or sauces for chicken wings will usually have a higher calorie content.
While there is obviously a difference across brands of hot sauce, it is generally very low in calories and people usually do not eat it in large quantities. Some of the gourmet sauces for chicken wings or sauces that are closer to dips and dressings, will have more calories due to the addition of honey and sugars.
I have included a list of top name brand and popular hot sauces and their calories. The list includes top sauces sold in stores and sauces available online. All calories are per serving size listed on the label and serving suggestions are anywhere from 1 teaspoon to 2 ounces.
People all over the globe are consuming hot sauces and those numbers are increasing. However, consumers are not eating large quantities at any one time and this also helps with keeping calorie intake lower. The simplicity of ingredient combinations, sometimes just peppers and vinegar, allow for a full flavor sauce with little concern with high caloric content.
If you are trying to count calories at every meal you eat but need to spice up an otherwise flavorless meal than hot sauce may be the answer. However, most Buffalo Chicken Wing sauces will have a high calorie count due largely to one of the main ingredients, butter. These types of sauces are rich in flavor and are closer to being considered dressings.
Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce offers a great buffalo chicken flavoring for zero calories. I have eaten a lot of wings and this is authentic. Although this table is not exclusive of every hot sauce on the market it is a good indication on the low-calorie content for most hot sauces.
Buffalo Wild Wings sauces have the most calories of any of the sauces listed and I have included several varieties to show that the basic medium heat sauces are the lowest.
Most traditional hot sauces will have very few calories to be concerned about so use it at your discretion. There is some research that points toward hot sauce playing a role in weight loss by boosting the metabolism.
| Name | Serving Size | Calories |
| Burmans | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Franks | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Cholula | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Tabasco | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Tabasco Green Jalapeno | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Louisianna | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Tapatio | 1 tsp | 0 |
| El Yucateco Salsa Picante | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Texas Pete’s | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Crystal | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Valentina | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Taco Bell | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Hardies Hot Sauce | 7 grams (1 packet) | 0 |
| Sohot | 1 tsp (5 grams) | 0 |
| Scorned Woman | 1 tsp | 0 |
| Franks Red Hot Wing Sauce | 1 ounce | 5 |
| Sriracha | 1 tsp | 5 |
| Stubbs Green Chili Anytime | 1 Tbsp | 5 |
| Sun Dip Green Chili Sauce | 1 Tbsp | 5 |
| Tattoo Scotch Bonnet Curry | 1 tsp | 5 |
| Dave’s Gourmet Insanity Hot Sauce | 1 tsp | 10 |
| Truff | 1 tsp | 10 |
| Wendy’s Hot Sauce | 14 grams | 10 |
| Nance’s Chicken Wing Sauce | 2 Tbsp | 15 |
| Organic Red Duck Taco Sauce | 1 Tbsp | 15 |
| Buffalo Wild Wing Medium | 2 Tbsp | 30 |
| Buffalo Wild Wing Caribbean Jerk | 2 Tbsp | 70 |
| Buffalo Wild Wing BBQ Honey | 2 Tbsp | 70 |
| Buffalo Wild Wing Mago Habanero | 2 Tbsp | 80 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Garlic | 2 Tbsp | 130 |
| Buffalo Wind Wing Thai Curry | 2 Tbsp | 150 |
Eating spicy foods and hot sauces will increase your body temperature. This process, thermogenesis, speeds up your metabolism and helps burn fat. The boost in metabolism from eating hot sauce may be minimal but capsaicin, the element in peppers that cause heat, is linked to greater fax oxidization.
Changing your diet can cause your body to crave sugars but adding capsaicin can off set this process. It also decreases your appetite. Journal of Obesity 2006 stated that people who ate capsaicin as part of their diet felt more satisfied after a meal.
The effects that hot sauce has on your metabolism are increased with the consumption of hot sauce and diminishing your appetite which directly correlates with weight lose. Capsaicin reduces orexigenic sensations, including the desire to eat fatty foods.
For some hot sauce is the number one pick for anyone wanting to zest up a meal and of course watch their calorie intake. Salsa’s, relishes, dips and dressing will all have more calories in them than most hot sauces. Hot sauces are ranked no. 2 by Business Insider as being the second healthiest condiment.
Any artisan sauces or sauces labeled gourmet will generally have more calories so be wary of using these types on foods regularly if you are watching your caloric intake. Otherwise, a typical pepper and vinegar based hot sauce is very low in calories.
