The Great Sriracha Shortage of 2023
Don't pay $100 on eBay when you can make it at home with this easy recipe
If you like a hit of sriracha on your eggs or burgers you might have a hard time finding the spicy chili sauce. And, if you do, expect to pay a premium.
Huy Fong Foods, the company best known for sriracha, announced that it was experiencing supply shortages, according to the Associated Press, adding that the jalapeno chili pepper crops in California, Mexico, and New Mexico were affected by hot temperatures and severe droughts. “Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products,” the company said.
“Because we do not sell directly to retail/market levels, we cannot determine when the product will hit shelves again and/or who currently has the product in stock,” Huy Fong added in a statement.
Though Huy Fong has restarted limited production of its sriracha, there are still major shortages across the country.
The shortage has led to a cadre of opportunists who are currently selling the sauce on second-party sites like Amazon and eBay for ridiculous prices.
Need to feel the heat? Well, you can pony up $109 for two bottles of Huy Fong’s recipe on Amazon. On eBay, it gets crazier with one person asking $150 for a bottle of the hot sauce.
Of course, Huy Fong Foods isn’t the only maker of sriracha (though it’s undoubtedly the most popular). Bushwick Kitchen offers sriracha made with gochujang chili paste, and Badia Spices makes a picante sriracha made with cayenne chili peppers.
Or, you can make your own sriracha sauce.
My friend, Chef Peter Curry, shared his recipe for homemade sriracha sauce. “People who are out there paying $120 for a bottle of sriracha are the same people that hoarded toilet paper during Covid. They just want to be able to say they have it when everyone else doesn’t,” says Curry.
Make this homemade version instead and save your money.
Homemade Sriracha
2 lbs of red chiles or Fresno chile (remove stem, slice lengthwise)
About 6 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp garlic powder
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp fish sauce (if you don’t like it, leave it out, but it helps give ‘umami’ flavor)
1.5 tbsp kosher salt
Directions
Add these items to food processor and blend until almost smooth. The mixture should be a little coarse.
Place puree in a glass (must be glass) container, like a mason jar. Store at room temp away from direct sun for seven days.
Stir well every day until the seventh day.
On day seven, add the mix to a sauté pan and add 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar. Cook until the mixture boils. Then turn off heat.
Put in food processor for two minutes or until very smooth. If too thick, add a few drops of water.
Place into a fine wire mesh strainer or chinois over a large bowl.
Using a small ladle or spoon, press down firmly until everything but solid skin & seed pieces comes through the bottom of strainer.
Let cool to room temp.
Store in a glass jar or plastic squeeze bottle in the refrigerator for four to six months.