We may be starting to get some consistently warm weather in Canada, but regardless of the temperature outside, there is really never a bad time to add a little extra heat to your cooking.
Since Canada is home to a vast variety of culinary creators who are developing unique hot sauces, we think it's a good time to search the nation in pursuit of delicious Canadian-made sauces that traverse the Scoville spectrum with interesting ingredients and flavour profiles.
From the fruit-forward Caribbean flavours of Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen to acclaimed Toronto chef Elizabeth Rivasplata’s flavourful Peruvian spice bombs, to Sri Lankan hot pepper-based sauces from Winnipeg’s Tasty Heat’s Foods, here are 10 quality hot sauce producers from across the country that would be worthy of a feature on Hot Ones...if they haven't been already.
Fable Diner (Vancouver, B.C.)
Consistently rated among BC's top diner destinations, Fable Diner knows their hot sauces. Early on in the pandemic, the Vancouver eatery began developing their own line of unique housemade sauces that can be ordered online for pickup.
Available individually or in a three pack, Fable’s spicy concoctions include the Hungarian wax pepper-based Wax-on Hot Sauce, the serrano pepper-based 45% More Kapow, and Dang that’s Hot Sauce mix made with wax peppers, habaneros, and kung pow peppers.
Cluck n Cleaver (Calgary, AB)
Nicole and Francine Gomes have been providing Calgarians with a succulent selection of chicken-based comfort foods since 2016 and throughout that time, the Mother Clucker chicken sandwich has reigned supreme as one of the eatery’s most popular menu items.
After the pandemic struck, the Gomes sisters decided to finally make the fried chicken sandwich’s tangy and smoky hot sauce spread as a stand-alone item that can be purchased for pickup and delivery on the Cluck N Cleaver marketplace.
Whooping Crane Sauce Co. (Saskatoon, SK)
Named after one of the world’s rarest birds–that makes annual migratory pit stops in Saskatchewan–this small-batch sauce company from Saskatoon specializes in serving up well-balanced and locally-sourced Prairie heat.
Since their launch in late 2020, Whooping Crane Sauce Co. has developed five unique signature spice blends, including Barn Fire, Saskatchewan Jerk Sauce, Ruby Red Chutney, and Beets By Sask barbeque sauce. The hot sauces have developed a dedicated local following by many including Saskatoon-based celebrity chef Christie Peters.
Pickup and delivery options are available throughout Saskatoon via email.
Tasty Heat’s Foods (Winnipeg, MB)
This Manitoba hot sauce company specializes in Sri Lankan hot pepper-based sauces made using a range of traditional Sri Lankan ingredients and recipes. From sweat-inducing levels of heat courtesy of the ghost pepper-based Magma to the medium-spiced berry and cayenne mix of Woot, to the fruit-forward Sweety, Tasty Heat’s has something for everyone.
Tasty Heat’s Foods offers shipping across North America and can be found at various retailers and restaurants in Winnipeg.
Matute Sauce Co. (Toronto, ON)
Renowned Toronto chef and Top Chef Canada two-time alumnus Elizabeth Rivasplata recently launched a small-batch hot sauce company that draws on both her Peruvian roots and her grandmother’s recipes.
Currently, Matute Sauce Co.’s flavourful spice bombs include La Roja–a sweet and citrusy blend of roasted Peruvian rocoto peppers and Scotch bonnet peppers–and La Amarilla–a mix of roasted Peruvian aji amarillo and Scotch bonnet peppers with subtle notes of passionfruit, mango, and raisins.
Matute hot sauces can be found at retailers in Ontario and Calgary and are available for delivery across North America.
Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen (Toronto, ON)
Known for providing some of the best Jamaican fare Toronto has to offer, Chubby’s Jamaican Kitchen has bottled their two signature fruit-forward sauces, papaya guava pepper sauce and mango pepper sauce.
Chubby’s hot sauces are sold in 8-oz chubby bottles and can be ordered for pickup and delivery across the GTA.
Pepper North (Oshawa, ON)
After receiving international acclaim from their stint on Season 11 of Hot Ones, Oshawa’s Pepper North Artisan Foods have ramped up production and, in addition to their famous Stargazer, currently offer a diverse array of sauces.
Options include the wildflower honey and chile-infused Straight Jacket, the maple syrup, tomatillo, and poivrons vert rôti-based Northern Lights, and the Blueberry Plague made with wild blueberries, red habaneros, and Trinidad scorpion peppers.
Pepper North offers shipping to any address in Canada and the United States.
Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. (Thunder Bay, ON)
Another Ontario-based company that exploded in popularity following their multiple residencies on Hot Ones, Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co. is a small-batch producer with an affinity for big flavours. In addition to their three Hot Ones heavy-hitters Scorpion, Pineapple Habanero, and Red Habanero, Heartbeat also currently offers a selection of sauces made in collaboration with the likes of Heatonist, Dustin Poirier, and Lake of the Woods Brewery.
Heartbeat Hot Sauce offers shipping across the country and can also be found at a number of select Canadian retailers.
Chuck Hughes (Montreal, QC)
As one of the country’s most recognizable chefs, Montreal’s Chuck Hughes has built up an impressive catalogue of spicy signature sauces that range from the jalapeno and cayenne hot sauces he serves at Garde Manger and Le Bremner to jerk marinades, hot pepper spreads, and more.
The Chuck Hughes shop currently offers shipping across the country.
Maritime Madness (Montague, P.E.I.)
PEI-based Maritime Madness has been slinging hot sauce for more than three decades, so they’ve unsurprisingly developed a slew of spicy products worth checking out. Available individually or in custom and curated box sets, some of the company’s most popular options include the lime and cilantro-based Simple, the hickory-smoked Blazin’ Newfie, and the Mustard Pickle.
Maritime Madness offers shipping across Canada.
