The 12 Spiciest Store-Bought Salsas You Can Buy

People all over the world love salsa for its zesty flavor and how it complements a salty chip. Salsa has been a beloved food item since the 1500s when the Maya, Aztec, and Incan civilizations thrived. After the Spanish colonized Mexico, Spanish priest Alonso de Molina coined the sauce's name. In the early 1900s, salsa arrived in the United States. By the 1980s, salsa sales exploded. 

On the surface, it's a simple sauce that features tomatoes, spices, and peppers. Each salsa producer has a special recipe with several ingredients and degrees of heat. If you like your salsa muy caliente, not all brands are created equal. Thankfully, there are some spicy favorites that you should check out. Many of these salsa are in grocery stores throughout the United States. 

The magic of salsa lies in its ingredients, so read the label before buying a product. You'll also want to pay attention to the Scoville Heat Units (SHU) — a standard unit of measurement to indicate a food's spiciness. The best spicy salsas mix a high heat index with a tested recipe to give consumers a delicious Mexican-style sauce. This guide will steer you toward some salsas that pack the spice so you're well-prepared the next time you're craving sauce for tacos, quesadillas, or tortilla chips.

The "reaper" in this salsa's title warns consumers about what lies ahead. Mrs. Renfro's Carolina Reaper Salsa is a salsa that features the Carolina Reaper pepper, one of the hottest peppers in the world. It's the feature attraction of this salsa, which measures at the top of the heat scale with 1.5 million SHUs. This salsa uses natural ingredients, is gluten-free, and has no high-fructose corn syrup. The ingredients found in Mrs. Renfro's Carolina Reaper Salsa include tomatoes, tomato juice, ancho chile powder, jalapeno peppers, ghost peppers, and dried chipotle peppers. This salsa is the retailer's hottest one and has earned rave reviews.

As you can see from the salsa's ingredients list, you won't want more spices in this sauce. Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, Mrs. Renfro's Carolina Reaper Salsa originates from a family recipe concocted in 1940. You may find your eyes watering when getting a taste of this salsa. For some, Mrs. Renfro's Carolina Reaper Salsa might be the perfect addition to your cabinet, while others may find themselves biting off more than they can chew. If you're willing to take the challenge, you'll find these salsas in all 50 states and more than 30 other countries. You can even get this salsa shipped to your doorstep by ordering it from the company.

The ominous title of this salsa is fitting. Pepper Palace is a company that hangs its hat on its Death by Salsa offering: People even seek it out in grocery stores to challenge their tastebuds. Pepper Palace has operated out of Wisconsin since 1989, producing some of the hottest salsas in America. Although the company sells salsa of all temperature levels, Death by Salsa is known for being one of the hottest salsa on the planet. Death by Salsa clocks in at a staggering 3 million SHUs, which is double the heat level that you'll get from Carolina Reaper peppers. The salsa features authentic ingredients like garlic, jalapenos, and apple cider vinegar. The company has gone on talk shows to show off its products' heat — including its famed salsa.

Spice aside, Death by Salsa also delivers an incredible balance of taste and flavors. The salsa gets rave reviews for this reason. In between using words like "wrath" and "extreme", people note the "great" depth of flavor. Make it a challenge for your next party or buy it as an excellent jar to keep in the house if you like the hottest of salsas.

Trader Joe's is everyone's friendly neighborhood store with amazing food items that you can't buy anywhere else. Also, the store has an impressive selection of salsa options to try. If you're looking for spice, it doesn't get much hotter than the store's Extra Hot Habanero Ghost Pepper salsa. This salsa offers plenty of kick — since ghost peppers register about 1 million SHUs and habanero peppers measure approximately 350,000 SHUs. This one-two punch of spice is enough to light up your chips and dip. Still, it's not too hot to handle like other salsas on this list.

However, this salsa is more than just spicy. Some of its ingredients include whole peeled tomatoes, diced onions, cilantro, fresh diced onions, and apple cider vinegar — rounding out the sauce's spiciness with its depth of fresh flavors. This salsa goes well with queso dip, nachos, quesadillas, tacos, and other Mexican dishes. Since it only features a dash or two of ghost pepper, it's not quite as intimidating as other salsas. This is the perfect salsa option to try if you want something that packs a manageable punch and are new to the world of spicy salsas.

Silas Salsa is another ghost pepper salsa to try when you're interested in taking a walk on the spicy side. This product comes from a craft salsa company headquartered in Oklahoma. You will work up a sweat with this one — though it's not offputtingly spicy. Since ghost peppers top out at roughly 1 million HSUs, this one is fiery hot but less so than Carolina Reaper peppers. However, we suggest having a glass of milk handy to balance out the spicy bite if it's your first time delving into this world. 

The Silas Salsa Heat Stroke salsa gets excellent reviews for flavor, as it features a tasty range of ingredients like green bell peppers, lemon juice, garlic habanero pepper, cilantro, and onions. It offers just the right amount of ghost pepper with plenty of rich and hearty tomato flavor. You're fairly warned when picking up this salsa at your local grocery store, as the jar has caution tape graphics bordering it. The owner of this company made salsa for 20 years before opening up this shop, so your tastebuds are in good hands. The salsa's scorching hot flavor pairs well with the saltiness of your tortilla chips — making this one a zesty experience that you'll appreciate one bite at a time. 

Jardines makes the list with another must-try ghost pepper-based salsa. Jardines Ghost Pepper Salsa has a more than spicy 1 million HSU rating, with the addition of other spices kicking its heat index up several notches. Established in 1979, Jardines is a South Austin-based company that has mastered the art of salsa making. Jardines makes small-batch salsas — a great indicator of how this company focuses on artisan craftsmanship and quality over mass production. The results are clear, as this is one of the best store-bought salsas you will buy. 

Jardine's Ghost Pepper Salsa is not only spicy but also nutritious. It features a blend of simple ingredients that your body digests with no problem. Some of the ingredients that you'll find in this jar include lime juice, onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro, and a variety of spices. The heat index is daunting compared to most mild, medium, and hot spices on the market, but not too much for a dab on standard meals and appetizers. The salsa offers a potent dose of herbs, peppers, and tomatoes that activate different parts of your palate. When combined with the saltiness of tortilla chips or taco ingredients, you'll appreciate the overall flavor experience and will want to include Jardines Ghost Pepper Salsa on your go-to grocery list.

Mateo's is one of the most recognizable salsa brands. Found widely in groceries all over the United States, you shouldn't have a problem finding Mateo's Hot Gourmet Salsa. This company makes fresh and healthy salsa that's full of zesty flavor. You don't have to sacrifice taste when you shop for this one, as it gets rave reviews. The habanero and jalapeno peppers are the feature attraction of this offering from Mateo's. Habanero peppers top at 350,000 HSUs, while jalapenos cap out at a moderate 8,000 HSUs. This balance of different peppers adds depth to Mateo's Hot Gourmet Salsa, and its other ingredients round out the flavor profile nicely.

Some ingredients in this product include dehydrated garlic, lemon juice, cilantro, spices, and red wine vinegar. It's an excellent jar of salsa to have on hand when you want to eat chips, nachos, tacos, or quesadillas. It's the spiciest offering of Mateo's brand, and people praise its versatility. People love the kick in the tastebuds that combine roasted garlic, lime, and other flavors. It's tamer compared to spicy salsas on the list, which makes this a prime candidate if you're looking to get into them a little bit at a time.

If you like ghost peppers, Stonewall Kitchen's Ghost Pepper Salsa is worth every bit of your time and money. Since these peppers register 1 million on the Scoville scale, you're in for a challenge that can leave you sweating. Stonewall Kitchen brings its brand of flavor and spice with this salsa, which features a full, well-rounded, and smoky type of heat. Stonewall Kitchen makes a variety of marinades, dressings, soups, and pasta products, so you get no half-stepping when it comes to the influx of taste. The ghost peppers in this salsa are complemented by jalapeno and green chile peppers, which creates a complex combination.

Some of the other main ingredients in this salsa include onions, distilled vinegar, salt, garlic, and ripe tomatoes. It's a gluten-free salsa, making it more palatable for people who are health-conscious or looking for healthy alternatives. Warning: you'll find yourself reaching for the ice water or milk with this one. It's an excellent addition to your kitchen cupboard and one of the most widely available artisan salsa options in American grocery stores.

Mrs. Renfro's Hot Habanero Salsa is another walk on the hot side. Since this salsa contains peppers that tip the scale at 350,000 HSUs, there's no question that this salsa will add to your favorite nachos, tacos, and other food selections. This salsa is made with all-natural products and is free of artificial ingredients. It's also gluten-free and doesn't include high-fructose corn syrup. It shines in the taste department as much as the health department, and customers rave about it as much as they do the other offerings in Mrs. Renfro's catalog.

If you're trepidatious about heat, Mrs. Renfro won't have you running for the hills. It's hot enough to pose a challenge but not in the same ballpark as the Carolina Reaper version. Like the Reaper, this salsa has the best mixture of Scoville units and zesty flavor for a hot salsa. Brown sugar adds some sweetness to the savory flavor of the salsa's peppers and tomatoes. Though this is artisanal salsa, you won't have a problem finding it on store shelves in several places. You can also order online directly from Mrs. Renfro if you're in the market for a two-pack or a four-pack. This salsa gets some of the best reviews you'll see — receiving the seal of approval from salsa aficionados.

Clint's Texas Salsa is a brand that has been around since 1996. Since its inception, this company has delivered Texas-style flavor to consumers all over. It's a company rooted in South Texas, which is known as salsa country. The hot variety of Clint's salsa is a fan favorite, and you'll find it in several places where salsa is sold, including Walmart and Target. This award-winning salsa features quality ingredients: serrano peppers, cilantro, onions, garlic, and lemon juice. Serrano peppers are roughly three times hotter than jalapenos, clocking in at 23,000 HSUs. That means this salsa is hot enough to bring the spice but won't intimidate the grizzled hot salsa veterans.

This salsa gets rave reviews from salsa lovers. The brand stays true to its mission of providing hot salsa to a market filled with picante salsas. Clint's does this by focusing on the quality of ingredients and putting flavor first. The company regularly provides recipes that people can try with its salsa products. You will love this hot salsa on your omelets, nachos, tacos, and other food items. It's packed with lots of robust, Texas-sized flavor, and you'll appreciate its versatility whether this is a salsa you eat regularly or just when you have company is over.

Herdez is considered the #1 brand of salsa in Mexico — and for a good reason! Founded in 1914, the company has grown into a salsa giant in the marketplace. Today, you're likely to find a jar of Herdez Salsa Casera salsa anywhere grocery foods are sold. The company's hot salsa is one of the most available and best out there. This is a salsa made with chili peppers, which weighs in at a maximum of 350,000 HSUs. This puts its spiciness on par with habanero peppers — though its flavor tastes closer to cayenne peppers. 

Simply put, the Salsa Casera hot salsa should be a pantry staple. The salsa is excellent for any food occasion — whether you're trying to dress up some nachos, give a little bit of a kick to your eggs, or make tacos with the family. The brand has mastered its recipe over decades, so you won't have to worry about whether it measures up in the flavor department. The ingredients in this brand of salsa are pretty straightforward, including chili peppers, tomatoes, onions, and salt. This is a salsa that's great for the whole crowd.

If you want a salsa that is spicy but also approachable, Chi-Chi's brand of Hot thick & chunky salsa is a perfect choice. Chi-Chi's restaurants was one of the hottest Mexican-style chain restaurants in the United States. Sadly, the chain has been shut down for nearly 20 years. However, the brand lives on through its different salsas and shelf products. This particular offering features plenty of jalapeno peppers that give its salsa a healthy kick. Jalapenos measure a respectable 8,000 HSUs on the Scoville scale, so this salsa is hot enough for the average consumer. 

This salsa features a good mix of ingredients, including white vinegar, dehydrated garlic, garlic powder, and onions. It's a combination of ingredients that will put a smile on your face if you're in the market for Mexican-style flavor. Thanks to its low level of spiciness, this crowd-pleasing salsa will go well on tortilla chips, breakfast potatoes, omelets, and just about anything else!

Whenever it's Taco Tuesday, you'll want to have Pace Restaurant's Hot salsa handy. The Pace brand is one of the most recognizable in the world, and you'll find it pretty much anywhere with a Mexican food aisle. This salsa is the restaurant's standard and its jars are packed with jalapenos. Like other jalapeno-based salsas, the 8,000 HSUs will add some spice to your side of salsa without scaring most snackers away. It's a versatile salsa that will satisfy your tastebuds — no matter what kind of salsa you prefer. 

This offering is thick and chunky and has an array of ingredients that complement each other well — including crushed tomatoes, distilled vinegar, salt, onions, and garlic. It adds a nice pick-me-up to any of your favorite foods. Since the brand is widely recognizable, you can easily stock up on jars at your local grocery store. While it's one of the most mainstream salsas you'll find, it still has plenty of taste for people with a refined salsa palate. It's also a great entry-level spicy salsa for people looking to turn it up a few HSUs without immediately going over the edge.