Best Hot Sauce in Indianapolis, IN: 3 Makers, Ranked
Pup and The Pepper leads this Indianapolis list, launched in 2021 with part of every bottle funding local animal rescues. Sauces sell for $12.00 a bottle. Acapulco Joe's Sassy Sauce bottles a tomato based hot sauce with a sweet, salty start and a jalapeño finish. Amplify Smoked Pepper Sauce smokes its peppers and its vinegar before bottling.
The ranking
Illustrative image from published details; not a photograph of the premises or packaging. Pup and The Pepper started in 2021 and sells its sauces at $12.00 a bottle. The line is built for flavor before heat, and it runs flavors such as Scarlet Reaper, Jalapeno Lime Time and PawPaw Peach Habanero. Every sauce is gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan except Cilantro Verde, which contains honey. The peppers come fresh, with no ingredient shortcuts. Taste tests happen at live markets, and the shop's average rating sits at 4.91 from 56 reviews.
Illustrative image from published details; not a photograph of the premises or packaging. Acapulco Joe's Sassy Sauce
This sauce relaunched in 2020 from a recipe served at Acapulco Joe's. The Farmer family picked it up through the old restaurant's sister spot La Chica's in 1996. Its base is a tomato hot sauce with a sweet, salty start and a savory jalapeño finish. Bottles run $6.99 for Hot Sassy Sauce and Fire Sauce, $7.99 for the original, and $5.99 for the squeeze bottle. It sits in the local section at Meijer stores across Indiana, and case orders save $18.
Illustrative image from published details; not a photograph of the premises or packaging. Amplify builds its sauce around smoke, firing the peppers and the vinegar before the blend is cooked. Jared Manker of Mank & Sass started the brand. The recipe stays short and the balance holds. Four smoked pepper sauces sell at $12.00, including The Hot One, and gift boxes run $32.00 for three or $40.00 for four. A miso and honey bottle is one of the flavors. Orders over $75 ship free, and the Sauce House pours tastings and handles local pickup.
FAQ
What style of hot sauce is Indianapolis known for?
Pup and The Pepper builds its line for flavor before heat. Acapulco Joe's Sassy Sauce starts sweet and salty before the jalapeño arrives. Amplify Smoked Pepper Sauce smokes the peppers and the vinegar first.
What are the cheapest hot sauce bottles in Indianapolis?
Acapulco Joe's Sassy Sauce sells Hot Sassy Sauce and Fire Sauce at $6.99, with the squeeze bottle at $5.99. Pup and The Pepper and Amplify Smoked Pepper Sauce both price their bottles at $12.00.
Which Indianapolis hot sauce makers ship online?
Amplify Smoked Pepper Sauce ships free on orders over $75. Pup and The Pepper sells sauces at $12.00 through its online shop. Acapulco Joe's Sassy Sauce takes case orders that save $18.
Which Indianapolis makers have tasting rooms?
Amplify Smoked Pepper Sauce pours tastings and handles local pickup at its Sauce House. Pup and The Pepper runs taste tests at live markets.