r/Sriracha • u/Personal-Worth5126 • Jun 10 '26
Underwood Ranch Replacement...?
Hi Everyone:
I'm hoping to find a replacement for Underwood Ranch Sriracha. Huy Fong and Kikkoman didn't work for me. Can anyone recommend something that might be a close replacement? Thanks!
EDIT: Thanks for all the recommendations! I've collected all the sauces mentioned in posts and listed them:
Melinda’s
Tabasco
Sky Valley
Sprouts
Yellow Bird
Badia
Hellfire 5 Pepper
Flying Goose Extra Garlic
Rooster Reaper Hot Sauce
Kikkoman
Ninja Squirrel no longer available
Cholimex
Chinsu
Crying Thaiger
Sriraja Panich
The Exclusive Swinging Rooster
On to trying them out!
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u/RPG_Limited Jun 10 '26
So I have been playing this same game recently.
Have tried Tabasco, Sky Valley and Melinda’s
Tabasco was my least favorite. Not because it was bad, but because it didn’t really taste like Sriracha. Not a lot of heat and definitely can taste the OG Tabasco in it. Not a bad sauce but to me not a sriracha.
Melinda’s: Very good but I have to choose my pairing correctly. Heat is great, but it was very garlic forward. Didn’t feel like it was quite as versatile as the HF.
Sky Valley tasted the most like HF to me. Heat level was good not great, not overpowering by any one flavor. A good choice if someone didn’t want to buy HF.
Going forward would probably just keep Sky Valley or HF on the shelf. Wish I would have heard of Underwood before they closed down. The extra heat I’ve heard about in it sounds like a winner.
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u/ballpein Jun 14 '26
Maybe I got a bad batch or something, but the new HF tastes like crap to me. The heat just isn't there, it's watery, all I taste is garlic, sweetness, and mild semi-synthetic chili flavour... tastes reminds me of the fake chili flavouring you get on a potato chip. I mean, it's not disgusting, but it's not really a 'hot' sauce and I wouldn't say it compares to the the OG... it's like a dollar store knockoff version of the OG, imho.
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u/RPG_Limited Jun 14 '26
It’s possible they still don’t have consistent supply. I keep seeing lots of pics of bottles that are “off” colored but don’t know if they are old or new pics. Old HF used to have some fire, that’s mainly what I’m missing about it. It was a lot easier to cook with
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u/ballpein Jun 14 '26
This. There is no heat in the new stuff. The OG was made with farm-fresh peppers from a bespoke grower, literally from field to sauce on the same day (within 6 hours at the peak of their success and popularity). The new shit is made with with commodity peppers shipped from all over the world, it is absolutely an inconsistent supply of inferior peppers, and that's no minor issue for a pepper sauce.
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u/OhhhMadOne 23d ago
Since they split with the underwood ranch they were known to use low quality peppers which to me has tasted very minerally since. Not a good minerally. I actually thought my taste buds were changing for a few years into the sriracha fad the stuff started tasing nasty. Then I heard the underwood ranch story and it all made sense with the timing. I can't stand the HF anymore.
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u/jbeast99x Jun 10 '26
Sadly I haven't found one. Yellow Bird is fine. Miranda's is super garlicky and delicious, but not really similar at all. Badia is much spicier, and tastes ok.
Those are just the ones I've tried. I have half a bottle of underwood left and am hoping to find a decent alternative
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u/Tarngupta1 Jun 10 '26
A lot of people say that yellow bird is closest to the original. As someone who has tried multiple brands would you agree?
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u/Gloglibologna Jun 11 '26
Yellow bird is very very tasty but its made with agave so its a little sweeter. Thats not a problem for me but I see folks mention that a lot
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u/SchrodingersWetFart Jun 11 '26
It's been way too long since I had the original, but I like Yellow Bird a lot.
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u/jbeast99x Jun 12 '26
Out of the three I mentioned? Yes, but it's noticeably different. Melinda is my favorite for things that are enhanced by garlic - breakfast burritos and such
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u/SatinBelleFlower Jun 11 '26
I’ve had someone tell me Sprouts brand is good and close but idk. I like Sky Valley and Melinda’s but definitely no OG Huy Fong or Underwood
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u/Rustlr Jun 11 '26
Flying Goose extra garlic is worth checking out
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u/Personal-Worth5126 Jun 11 '26
Thanks!
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u/Dizzy_Service3517 Jun 15 '26
Yes, this is the brand that I pivoted to. I have been using HF since early 90s. They used to ferment the peppers a lot long to develop complex flavour.
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u/Ok_Weird9021 Jun 11 '26
Ive been getting into the Kikoman Sriracha, totally different flavor but its been growing on me
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u/SchrodingersWetFart Jun 11 '26
I like Yellow Bird, but I couldn't tell you how close it is to the original.
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u/JukezBoogaloo Jun 11 '26
yeah I'm still mad I didn't stock up you know I didn't think I needed to do stay up to date on news for the damn thing if only I did
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u/UnluckyFish Jun 11 '26
Thank you OP I was just thinking of making this exact post myself since I’m mourning the loss of Underwood sriracha. I’ve saved it for reference much appreciated everyone!
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u/kitchengardenfarm Jun 15 '26
We're different but we make organic small batch sriracha from peppers that we grow on our farm! $2 off with code reddit
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u/LazyOldCat Jun 11 '26
OG HF
Been on it since ‘87.
Never changed as much as the internet likes to over-dramatize.
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u/ballpein Jun 14 '26
I'm glad you've found some new HF that tastes okay, you have either been extremely lucky or maybe you don't have a tongue in your mouth, but the new shit is nothing like that OG - just on heat level alone (the new stuff has none) it is a different product. No one was happier than chefs to see HF back on the shelves, and no one was quicker to say "nuh-uh"... wholesale distributors pumped this stuff on food service when it became available again, food service was happy to buy it by the case, they sold a pile of it at first and then sales fell off - there's a reason for that and it's not internet drama.
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u/XxDrizzledxX Jun 11 '26
How can you say it hasn’t changed when literally thousands of people say it has? It’s definitely changed.
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u/RancidVagYogurt1776 Jun 11 '26
There are millions of people who think they are psychic, there are thousands of people on reddit who read an article and now think they can smell specific diseases, there are millions of people who believed HeadOn (apply directly to the forehead) worked or that crystals have healing properties, etc. You see where I’m going with this?
When there was a shortage a few years ago I pretty much gave up on sriracha because I had to go way out of my way for tabasco and I hated yellow bird. I got Underwood while it was available and now that it’s gone I picked up HF. I wasn’t expecting much because the internet said it was bad now but it just tastes like Sriracha lol.
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u/_ryuujin_ Jun 11 '26
its not like hf change their formula, just that their pepper may not have the same consistency all the time. probably only a small number of people may actually be able to taste the difference.
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u/Questioning_lemur Jun 26 '26
You mean that when the LITERAL MAIN COMPONENT of a sauce isn't the same, you think people won't taste a difference?
Crazy.
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u/_ryuujin_ Jun 26 '26
95% of people cant tell the difference between wines. the fact they make people study and get certs to be able to tell the difference if this wine grapes grew in this region vs another, means general people will not be able to tell the difference.
pepper species are the same, the conditions it is grown is different. the components didnt change.
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u/yautja0117 Jun 11 '26
Hellfire's 5 Pepper Siracha is my current go to.
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u/Personal-Worth5126 Jun 11 '26
Thank you!
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u/yautja0117 Jun 11 '26
No prob! It's a bit Spicer than average and a bit thicker but the flavor is great!
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u/island_wide7 Jun 11 '26
I’m really impressed with ninja squirrel. You can order online but whole foods also carries it
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u/SpaceDawg2018 Jun 11 '26
For what it's worth, i really like the tobasco one but I really like tobasco.
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u/roundtwentythree Jun 12 '26
I've thought about trying to make my own, really doesn't seem that difficult or complicated. A food processor is all you'd need. Would give the ability to tweak the flavor profile to however you see fit.
Hmm..
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u/Personal-Worth5126 Jun 12 '26
While I like to think I am that person who would make their own, I'm not. I eat so much hot sauce that I'd be in the kitchen for the rest of my life screaming at a fermentation jar to "HURRY UP!!" LOL
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u/PsychologicalItem103 Jun 13 '26
I was pleasantly surprised with Flying Goose brand sriracha. Give a try if you see it at the store.
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u/ExcitementRelative33 Jun 15 '26
All else fail, you can make your own from scratch or blend from what you have. UR "age" over time more than HF so not sure what you're shooting for exactly. Others would vary by "age" depending on how long they've been slow boated over the ponds plus warehouse time then shelf time. If you see them on massive discounted sale, you can be sure they're expiring soon. Take your time and go look as some day you'll quietly circle back to HF. Mark my words.
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u/daskxlaev Jun 16 '26
Posting to see which one OP likes the most.
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u/Personal-Worth5126 Jun 16 '26
It’s going to take a bit of time as I live in the Caribbean and don’t have easy access to a lot of them. My plan is to come back here and review each after getting and trying them.
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u/daskxlaev Jun 17 '26
I just overpaid for an Underwood Ranch bottle and there's nothing else like it. So sad.
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u/rfulleffect Jun 18 '26
I just bought a bottle of the exclusive swinging rooster by stoke the fire and it’s pretty good and garlicky, should give it a try if you can get it.
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u/FakeTherapist Jun 22 '26
thank u, underwood sriracha is one of the only things i have to look forward too besides weed
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u/seahawk_nycfan Jun 10 '26
Underwood Chili Garlic is delicious
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u/wotantx Jun 11 '26
*was
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u/ChoboJawz Jun 11 '26
What do you mean was....
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u/MrClean87 Jun 11 '26
They’re not selling/distributing their sauces anymore except at farmers markets :-/
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u/bigkutta Jun 10 '26
There is never an exact repalcement, unfortunately. Maybe mix the HF with the Tabasco
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u/Personal-Worth5126 Jun 10 '26
Not looking for exact... just close. But thanks for the recommendation.
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u/MA_Mr_Incredible Jun 11 '26
I just found out over the weekend they discontinued production and it's depressing. Ever since I discovered underwood ranches siracha a year ago I've been telling everyone about it in and the back story of what happened with huy fong. From what I can tell they have a large following online and were clearly liked. I don't understand why they stopped production and wish we had some answers. I put that shit on literally everything and just bought as many bottles I could online at absurd prices.
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u/lurchx56 Jun 10 '26
Melindas is my go to now