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Trader Joe’s is known for originality, with many unique products under the chain’s famous private label. However, you can also find many name-brand product dupes that are just as good, if not better. Unfortunately, not all Trader Joe’s dupes measure up, and some should be avoided. One Trader Joe’s hot sauce that you should skip is sriracha, a supposed dupe for the famous Huy Fong Sriracha.
Huy Fong is the “OG” of sriracha sauces, being widely recognized as the first brand to debut in the U.S. It’s the gold standard of sriracha with just the right balance of umami, spiciness, tang, and sweetness. In a comparison between Huy Fong and Trader Joe’s Sriracha, the only real pro to TJ’s dupe is a lower price. While the two appear to have the same nutritional makeup, their tastes were vastly different. Where Huy Fong’s sauce was bursting with peppery spice, Trader Joe’s Sriracha was mild. If anything, it was more of a ketchup dupe than a hot sauce; even the color of it was a bright, ketchup red compared to the muted, matted red of Huy Fong’s version.
When we compared Trader Joe’s Sriracha to other hot sauces from the TJ’s lineup, it came in dead last because the sweetness shut out all the spicy and fermented pepper notes and tangy vinegar that make Huy Fong’s Sriracha so noteworthy. So, in the case of sriracha, you’re better off spending a little more for the name brand.
What are Trader Joe’s customers saying about the sriracha?
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Trader Joe’s customers posted on Reddit about the sriracha, with polarizing commentary. An overwhelming majority said that TJ’s Sriracha was nothing like the traditional name brands, noting that it was much sweeter and milder. To that effect, a Redditor stated, “I used to buy Huy Fong, then decided to try all the ones I could find. This [Trader Joe’s] was the worst.” Another customer said that it lacked complexity and depth of flavor, noting that they tasted “sweet and salty and that’s about it.” Even in an in-store comparison, customers were unimpressed, with one going as far as saying, “This is my #1 most hated TJ item.”
That said, there were plenty of customers who love Trader Joe’s Sriracha. Some even think it’s better than Huy Fong. One Redditor said, “I like that it’s less spicy.” Even many naysayers still buy it as a condiment. Another said that “it fills more of a ketchup-y role in my kitchen,” while others say it makes a good garlic sauce swap. To that effect, many noted a much stronger garlic flavor than the name-brand sriracha. In the words of one customer, “I feel like if it wasn’t supposed to be sriracha it would be a better sauce.” You can bring more heat to it by mixing it with Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Sauce, a much better hot sauce according to our ranking.
