Texas Pete Hot Sauce

Texas Pete’s is a timeless classic that you will find on the shelves of most major grocery stores around the United States. Founded in 1929, you might be surprised to learn that Texas Pete hot sauce hails from North Carolina, not Texas.

Initially, a marketing expert suggested using the name “Mexican Joe”, but they wanted to use an American name. They chose “Texas Pete” because Texas is also known for spicy southwest cuisine, and so they modeled the brand and mascot after a Texas cowboy.

four bottles of different texas pete products

How hot is Texas Pete Hot Sauce?

Texas Pete hot sauce clocks in at 747 on the Scoville heat scale. Texas Pete’s also has a variation called Texas Pete’s Hotter Sauce, which claims to be three times as spicy — landing at around 2100 SHU. 

So what does that mean? A jalapeño lands anywhere between 2,500-10,000 SHU, so Texas Pete’s is significantly less spicy than a jalapeño. Similarly, Sriracha brand hot sauce ranges anywhere from 1,000-2,500, so original Texas Pete’s is also milder than Sriracha.

When you test out Texas Pete’s the heat will definitely be noticeable unless you have other strong competing flavors. For example, if you douse a chip in Texas Pete’s, you’ll definitely know you’re eating hot sauce! But if you dump it in a big vat of chili, it’ll be competing with so many other flavors and spices that you might not notice a difference.

What chili pepper does Texas Pete’s use?

Texas Pete uses aged cayenne pepper as the source of heat and flavor. While cayenne peppers can clock in as high as 50,000 SHU, Texas Pete’s is much milder than the actual fresh pepper.

Texas Pete Hot Sauce ingredients

These are the ingredients listed on the packaging of Texas Pete Original hot sauce: 

  • Vinegar
  • Aged Peppers (Peppers, Salt, Vinegar)
  • Water
  • Xanthan Gum
  • Benzoate of Soda (to Preserve Freshness and Flavor).

Texas Pete is gluten-free and kosher, but it is manufactured alongside products with soy allergen ingredients. 

How many calories does Texas Pete Hot Sauce have?

A serving of Texas Pete (5ml) has zero calories, making it a great option if you are trying to add more flavor to a low-calorie diet. 

Is Texas Pete keto-friendly?

Texas Pete has 0g of sugar per serving and does not list sugar in the ingredients, making it low carb and completely keto-friendly. 

Our review of Texas Pete Hot Sauce

I’m going to be honest, Texas Pete is not my favorite hot sauce. It’s a bit spicy and has the tang of vinegar, which is nice, but personally, I don’t find it remarkable because pepper and vinegar are really the only two components that you taste. It does have a nice thick consistency — it’s not watery like Tabasco sauce. 

While I don’t hold anything against this brand, it’s not something that I keep in my fridge on a regular basis.