Best Hot Sauce for Cheese

Cheese and hot sauce – it’s a match made in heaven! These two ingredients pair beautifully together and with hundreds of different hot sauces and cheeses to choose from, the flavours you can create are limited only by your imagination.

Don’t reserve hot sauce for just a classic cheese board – you can add it to just about any cheesy dish – think grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese nachos, macaroni and cheese, fondues, or a classic cheese based pizza.

If you want some cheese and hot sauce inspiration, read on! Here we explore cheese and hot sauce pairings, including some of our favourite hot sauces for cheese and recipe ideas.

Can you put hot sauce on cheese?

Yes, you can! Hot sauce and cheese pair beautifully together, adding a spicy, tangy finish that helps elevate the smooth creaminess of the cheese. 

Dijon hot sauces pair wonderfully with Alpine cheeses, such as Gruyere and Emmental for example, while sriracha hot sauce adds a wonderful kick to creamy cheeses like brie and camembert. 

Ultimately, finding the best hot sauce for cheese is all about experimenting! 

Chilli No. 5 is a gourmet hot sauce provider that offers over 15 incredible hot sauces, many pairing wonderfully with cheese! Try one of our gift sets, such as The Dining Collection or our Passport Piccante, which enable you to experiment with lots of different hot sauces for cheese and find your ideal pairing.

Why should I put hot sauce on cheese?

Adding hot sauce to cheese elevates the culinary experience, adding incredible depth of flavour and a subtle—or hefty—amount of heat, depending on your choice of hot sauce. Hot sauce for cheese adds a spicy, tangy kick that complements the richness of the cheese, making both flavours more pronounced while also enhancing the mouthfeel. Of course, hot sauce on cheese extends to a vast selection of cheesy dishes, including grilled cheese sandwiches, mac and cheese, pizzas, cheese-based dips, and nachos smothered in cheese. Hot sauce and cheese really is limited only by your imagination! With over 15 hot sauces that pair wonderfully with cheese, with Chilli No. 5, you can let your imagination run wild!

What about hot sauce on grilled cheese?

Hot sauce and grilled cheese are a match made in culinary heaven! Flavour combinations are truly limited by your imagination, with a vast selection of cheeses and hot sauces to choose from! Elevate your grilled cheese sandwich further by adding sliced tomatoes, onions, or pickles. You can drizzle the hot sauce over the sandwich or use the hot sauce as a dipping sauce. We love a grilled hot cheese sandwich made with an artisanal brie smothered in our hot and spicy Great Taste award-winning Sriracha Cha-Cha-Cha healthy hot sauce for cheese. If you love hot sauce and cheese, we guarantee you’ll love this pairing!

Does hot sauce taste good in mac and cheese?

Hot sauce in mac and cheese tastes incredible, adding a spicy kick while enhancing the complexity of flavours for a more satisfying dish. You can also add other ingredients to your mac and cheese that pair well with hot sauce, including cooked bacon, caramelized onion, and roasted vegetables. Stir the hot sauce directly into the cheese sauce, add the hot sauce just before baking,  simply drizzle over the finished dish or pop the hot sauce in a bowl and serve as a side condiment.

Can I use hot sauce in a fondue?

Yes, you can definitely use hot sauce in fondue! Adding hot sauce to fondue can introduce a delightfully spicy kick that complements the rich, creamy texture of the melted cheese, making for a much more exciting and unique fondue experience.

First, consider the flavour profile of the hot sauce. For example, a smoky chipotle hot sauce pairs well with cheddar fondue, while a tangy vinegar-based hot sauce complements a Swiss or Gruyère fondue. 

You can stir the hot sauce directly into the cheese mixture while melting it to ensure an even distribution of flavour, or you can provide the hot sauce on the side, which offers an enhanced level of customisation to suit everyone’s taste buds. 

For the ultimate cheese hot sauce fondue, add some complementary ingredients, including crusty bread, steamed vegetables, and cured meats.

Can I use hot sauce on a raclette?

Yes, you can absolutely use hot sauce on a raclette! Adding hot sauce can introduce a spicy element that complements the rich, creamy flavour of the melted cheese. The best way to use hot sauce on a raclette is to drizzle the hot sauce over the cheese right at the end.

What cheeses pair well with hot sauce?

Just about every cheese pairs wonderfully with hot sauce. Some of our favourite cheeses to experiment with hot sauce include:

1. Cheddar: Sharp and tangy, cheddar’s robust flavour can stand up to the heat of hot sauce. Aged cheddar pairs particularly well with smoky or vinegar-based hot sauces, such as those made with apple cider vinegar. Try drizzling hot sauce over sharp cheddar slices or incorporating it into cheddar-based dishes like mac and cheese or grilled cheese.
2. Monterey Jack: Mild and creamy, Monterey Jack can balance the spiciness of hot sauce. This cheese pairs well with hot sauces that have fruity or slightly sweet flavours. Use it in quesadillas, nachos, or simply melted over tortilla chips with a dash of hot sauce.
3. Blue Cheese: Strong, tangy, and slightly salty, blue cheese offers a bold contrast to hot sauce while complementing the pungent flavour of blue cheese.
4. Brie: Creamy and buttery, brie’s milder flavour can be enhanced by the addition of hot sauce. Try a drizzle of hot sauce over a baked brie wheel or a grilled brie sandwich.
5. Gouda: Rich and slightly sweet, gouda can handle the heat of hot sauce. Try hot sauce with aged gouda for a nutty, caramel-like flavour experience.
6. Swiss (Emmental or Gruyère): Nutty and slightly sweet, Swiss cheeses provide a great base for hot sauce. Add the hot sauce to a Swiss cheese fondue or a classic Reuben sandwich.
7. Pepper Jack: Already infused with spicy peppers, Pepper Jack naturally complements additional hot sauce. Enhance the spiciness by adding a few drops of hot sauce to Pepper Jack in dishes like spicy mac and cheese or burgers.
8. Cream Cheese: Soft and tangy, cream cheese provides a cool contrast to hot sauce. Mix hot sauce into cream cheese for a spicy dip or spread. It’s perfect for bagels, crackers, or stuffed jalapeños.

For more cheese and hot sauce pairing ideas, check out our hot sauce cheese guide below, where founder Rumble Romagnoli explores some delicious hot sauce pairings with mouthwatering French cheeses.

What are some of the best hot sauces for cheese?

We like to think that our incredible collection of healthy, gourmet, delicious hot sauces are some of the best hot sauces for cheese!

Here’s some of our favourite hot sauces that we love to pair with cheese:

• Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce – a medium-heat hot sauce with incredible Caribbean flavours for an exotic twist to your cheese board
• Louisanna BBQ Hot Sauce – hot, sweet, smoky, hickory flavours pair beautifully with soft cheeses like goats cheese or brie
• Mexican Fury Hot Sauce – lots of onion, peppers, garlic, paprika, and tomatoes – a full flavour, high heat hot sauce
• Ever So English Hot Sauce – filled with beetroot, apple, and horseradish – purposefully made to pair exquisitely with cheese and cold cuts of meat
• Forever Phall Hot Sauce – packed with cumin, paprika, tomatoes, peppers, red onions, black garlic, and Indian-inspired spices – perfect for pairing with a boldly flavoured cheese like Roquefort

Can I make a spicy nacho cheese sauce with hot sauce?

Yes, hot sauce is the ideal way to make a spicy nacho cheese sauce! Simply stir in your favourite hot sauce to suit your taste. Our Mexican Fury Tex Mex Hot Sauce is ideal for creating a spicy nacho cheese sauce that will have you coming back for seconds.

How should I store hot sauce for cheese?

All our sources can be stored in a cool, dry place; however, once opened, they should be stored in the refrigerator and used within one month. All our sauces are made using only the finest fresh ingredients and never any unnatural preservatives.

Is hot sauce for cheese healthy?

Whether a hot sauce for cheese is healthy will depend on each hot sauce as some may contain a high amount of sugar and unhealthy artificial flavourings and colourings. All of Chilli No. 5’s gourmet hot sauces are designed to be healthy. We only use the finest ingredients, including fresh hot peppers and chillis, and never use any artificial flavourings, colourings, or preservatives. All our hot sauces are filled with superfoods and added good-for-you supplements and come in a range of heat levels, from mild to extra hot!

Where can I buy hot sauces for cheese?

You can buy delicious hot sauce for cheese from multiple online and in-store retailers, including:

• From high-street supermarkets, such as Waitrose, Marks & Spencer Food, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s, from gourmet delicatessens, and local farmers markets where you’ll likely find artisanal style steak sauce
• From online retailers, including Amazon, Ocado, and Etsy.
• From gourmet hot sauce purveyors like Chilli No. 5. We sell our award-winning hot sauces for cheese from our online retail store, Amazon, and Etsy. You can also find our delicious hot sauce for cheese in Fortnum & Mason and Harrod’s Food Hall.

What about hot sauce for cheese gift sets?

Have a friend, colleague or family member that can’t get enough hot sauce and cheese? We’ve got a superb selection of hot sauce gift sets at a wide variety of price points. They are all ideal for experimenting with a wide range of cheese-based dishes, from your classic cheese board to a lip-smacking fondue or grilled cheese sandwich. We offer free delivery for all orders over £40 within the UK and Europe Z1 and can even include a handwritten note.

Some of our favourite hot sauce for cheese gift sets include:

• Passport Picante, a sleek black gift box containing 12, 25ml glass tubes of our award-winning hot sauces to experiment with.
• The Dining Collection, a velvet circular gift box housing 10, 25ml glass tubes of our most popular hot sauces, ideal for pairing with a wide range of cheese dishes.
• Our Mini Hot Sauce Gift Collection, which allows you to choose five of your favourite hot sauces in travel size, presented in a gifting box.

For more culinary inspiration featuring our delicious hot sauces for cheese, check out our Superfood Recipes. 

Our Other Hot Sauce Food Pairing Guides

• Best Hot Sauces for BBQ and Grilling
• Best Hot Sauces for Tapas
• Best Hot Sauces for Mezze
• Best Hot Sauces for your Favourite Meals
• Best Hot Sauce for Steak
• Best Hot Sauces for Fondue/Raclette
• Best Hot Sauces for Mexican Food
• Best Hot Sauces for Pizza
• Best Hot Sauces for Fish
• Best Hot Sauces for Stir-Fry
• Best Hot Sauce for Roast Chicken
• Best Hot Sauces for Oysters and Shellfish
• Best Hot Sauces for Sushi
• Best Hot Sauces for Aperitifs and Drinks
• Best Hot Sauces for Breakfast
• Best Marinade Hot Sauce
• Free From Hot Sauce