Best Hot Sauce in St. Louis, MO: 3 Makers, Ranked
Winnebago Farms leads this St. Louis list, growing its own peppers and lacto-fermenting every sauce. Bottles hold 5.5 oz and sell for $15. Hot Charlie's Original sells for $7.99. St Louis Hot Sauce builds custom sauces to order for catering.
The ranking
Illustrative image from published details; not a photograph of the premises or packaging. Winnebago Farms started on St. Louis soil that produced pepper plants bigger than the growers had seen. Every sauce is lacto-fermented, gluten free and vegan, on a vinegar, salt, gum and garlic base. The range runs from a green sauce on New Mexico 6-4 green chile, jalapeño and poblano to Scorpion's Wrath on Apocalypse Scorpion, white ghost and pineapple. That base reaches 1.2-2 million Scoville. Batches stay small and artisanal, in 5.5 oz bottles at $15.
Illustrative image from published details; not a photograph of the premises or packaging. Hot Charlie's
Charlie started bottling in a home kitchen in Oakville, Missouri. The original sauce shipped in August 2017 and the Ghost Pepper version followed a month later. Both bottles carry a thicker sauce body built on real garlic, with flavor ahead of heat. The Original lists at $7.99, and the same sauce took Best Chili at the World Food Championship in 2017. The brand now uses co-packers for national distribution, sells through retailers nationally and takes online orders.
Illustrative image from published details; not a photograph of the premises or packaging. St Louis Hot Sauce
The catering kitchen lists an address at 12414 Olive in Creve Coeur and dates to 1994. It makes its own fresh hot sauces rather than reselling someone else's. Peppers come from local growers, including habanero and Bute Jolokia ghost peppers. Sauces are built to order for events, all natural with unique flavors.
By neighborhood
Creve Coeur
The St Louis Hot Sauce kitchen operates from Creve Coeur, on Olive west of the city.
Oakville
Hot Charlie's began in a home kitchen in Oakville before the brand grew.
FAQ
What style of hot sauce is St. Louis known for?
Winnebago Farms lacto-ferments its sauces and grows the peppers itself, including a green sauce built on New Mexico 6-4 green chile, jalapeño and poblano. Hot Charlie's bottles carry a thicker sauce body with real garlic ahead of heat. St Louis Hot Sauce makes custom sauces to order for catering from locally grown peppers, all natural with unique flavors.
What are the cheapest hot sauce bottles in St. Louis?
Hot Charlie's Original is $7.99. Winnebago Farms bottles sell for $15, in a 5.5 oz size.
Which St. Louis hot sauce makers ship online?
Winnebago Farms takes email orders and adds $10 for shipping outside the St. Louis area. Hot Charlie's takes online orders and sells through retailers nationally.