If sriracha is your go-to hot sauce, make sure to use every last drop wisely, because it might be a while before you get your hands on a reasonably priced bottle. Huy Fong, the leading producer of the Vietnamese hot sauce, is currently selling two-packs for a whopping $92 on Amazon. Resellers on eBay are driving a hard bargain, too, with 28-ounce bottles going for up to $60 each. It's a stark contrast from sriracha's typical price of about four bucks, but because there's an ongoing sriracha shortage, you won't have much luck finding any at that price.
Why is there a shortage of sriracha in the first place? A Huy Fong spokesperson told CBS that sriracha is currently being produced at a lower-than-normal rate due to extreme drought in Mexico, New Mexico, and California, where the company sources its chili peppers. Since chili is the main ingredient in sriracha, the poor harvest means Huy Fong is unable to keep up with the regular demand for its hot sauce.
As anyone who uses sriracha already knows, this isn't the first time sriracha has been in short supply. On and off since 2020, Huy Fong's sriracha output has been severely affected. While production is no longer at a standstill, Huy Fong recently announced that the chili supply is still limited, so it's hard to say exactly when sriracha will be back on shelves.
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Luckily, not all hot sauces are affected, just ones that are made specifically with red jalapeño chili peppers sourced from Mexico, New Mexico, and California, like Huy Fong sriracha. If you don't want to settle for Tabasco, Louisiana-style, or other types of hot sauces, you can technically still get sriracha — it just won't be the one with the iconic green cap. The recipes differ slightly from brand to brand, but here are a few off-brand srirachas that might be able to hold you over until the Huy Fong shortage is over.
