If you love adding hot sauce to your meals, you might be wondering Sriracha vs. Chili Garlic Sauce. I’m wondering which one is better and if both can be used interchangeably.
These are two sauces that are often compared to each other as they are both made with red chili peppers. Not only do they look similar and they taste similar in many different ways.
Many recipes also recommend substituting chili garlic sauce for sriracha or vice versa, depending on what you have on hand. As they are very similar and give similar results even though they are made with different ingredients.
Read on to learn more about sriracha and chili garlic sauce and whether or not one is preferable to the other.
Review: Sriracha vs. Chili Garlic Sauce
When comparing sriracha vs. chili garlic sauce, you might be wondering which is better. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to pinpoint exactly which sauce is the better option, as each has its own pros and cons.
Both types of hot sauce have different pros and cons that make it difficult to pick a single winner. Especially when you consider that it often comes down to personal preference and what you like or dislike.
Sriracha is a classic red chili sauce with a red chilli flavor and a spicy burst of heat at the end. It’s one of the most common types of hot sauce that people reach for as it’s very versatile and adds the perfect amount of spiciness to any meal.
Chili-garlic sauce, while also popular, is not used as often due to its strong garlic flavor. However, this can also be a positive as it is a great way to add garlic and heat to a variety of dishes.
Both types of hot sauce have a delicious red chilli flavor and a generous amount of heat that can add spice to anything you add it to.
Sriracha
Sriracha is a very traditional red chilli sauce that many people really enjoy as it doesn’t affect the flavor of other foods. Because of this, it’s extremely versatile and you can add it to almost any type of food for a bit of a spice boost.
Sriracha is made with red chilies, water, vinegar, salt, garlic, and sugar for an easy hot sauce. It adds a nice kick of spice and has a pure red chilli flavor with some acidity from the vinegar that is usually added.
Although many people would describe it as a red chilli flavor with a sweet and tangy note, it is enjoyable and many dishes. That makes it ideal for anyone who likes to flavor almost everything they eat.
Chili Garlic Sauce
Chili-garlic sauce is very similar to Sriracha in that it’s also usually made with red chillies, water, vinegar, salt, sugar, and garlic. So the amounts of these ingredients are different because there is a much larger amount of garlic added to the chili garlic sauce.
Typically, fresh garlic paste is added to the sauce to really enhance that garlic flavor and create a more overwhelming flavor. So this sauce has more of a chili-garlic flavor than just plain chili flavor.
This makes it a much tastier Sriracha sauce and a perfect addition to any meal that would benefit from heat and garlic. Because of this, it may not go well with anything you add it to, as it has a strong garlic flavor.
Sriracha is hotter than chili garlic sauce
When trying to decide between sriracha and chili garlic sauce, you might be wondering which is hotter. Most people would agree that sriracha is the hotter hot sauce that holds more heat than the chili garlic sauce.
Both contain red chillies, which provide the spiciness you’re looking for in a hot sauce. But sriracha contains more red chillies and doesn’t have a large amount of garlic to overwhelm it.
So you would get a lot more heat from sriracha than you would from chili garlic sauce. Because the chili-garlic sauce is more diluted, it’s considered tastier than hot.
While less flavorful, Sriracha is better suited to a variety of foods where you just want to add a little extra spiciness.
Chili garlic sauce is tastier than sriracha
When comparing flavor profiles between hot sauce options, the chili garlic sauce will be the clear winner. Sriracha and chili garlic sauce are basically the same ingredients, but taste different.
Sriracha is more of a pure red chili hot sauce, while chili garlic sauce has more garlic to really enhance the flavor. So if you’re really looking for a hot sauce that packs more flavor, chili garlic sauce is a better option.
This sauce may not be as spicy as Sriracha, but it will be tastier and shine more in the dishes you add it to. Offers a nice garlic touch that you won’t get if you only use Sriracha.
This is also something to keep in mind when substituting chilli garlic sauce for sriracha or vice versa. Depending on which alternative you’re making, you may need to add less chili garlic sauce or garlic powder.
