I’ll say upfront — Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce is one of my everyday staples. It combines the sweet heat of jalapeños, the delicious mild bite of poblanos, and a solid mix of sugar and spices. There’s a lot of flavor here, but how’s its bite? Is it as balanced as Cholula’s Original Hot Sauce? And sure, I use it a lot, but is it as usable as the Original Red? Let’s open up a bottle of the green and see what’s inside.
- Eating Score (Flavor, Heat Balance, Usability): 4.7/5
- Total Score (+ Collectibility, X-Factor): 4.5/5
- Heat Level: Mild
Last update on 2024-11-07. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Flavor
Let’s compare the ingredients of Cholula’s red and green hot sauces to give you an idea of what makes it different:
- Green: Jalapeño pepper, water, sugar, salt, poblano pepper, acetic acid, garlic powder, jalapeño powder, xanthan gum, poblano pepper flavor, sodium benzoate (preservative) and sodium metabisulfite (preservative).
- Original: Water, peppers (arbol and pequin), salt, vinegar, garlic powder, spices, and xanthan gum.
As you can see, there are a lot of differences between the two. Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce is a lot more complex in terms of ingredients, leaning into the flavors of green chilies and sugar. Comparatively, the Original Red focuses on the flavor and heat of red chilies along with tangy vinegar.
You are first met with a salty flavor upfront with Cholula Green, before it gives way to both sweetness and spiciness in equal measure. There’s a bright crispness that you can taste throughout (often part of a green chilies flavor profile, particularly jalapeños.)
Acetic acid provides a little tang to Cholula Green, but it’s not as prevalent as the straight vinegar in the Original Red. It really takes a secondary role here, allowing the sugary sweetness and the natural bright sweetness of the peppers to shine. The garlic powder provides a touch of pungency to the back-end, adding additional depth.
Overall, it’s a well-balanced flavor from top to bottom. Nothing overpowers. Nothing underwhelms. It’s just a delicious salty, sweet-heat ride.
On that salt: The sodium sits at 150 mg per teaspoon (6% of your daily allowance.) This is pretty high-sodium, especially with how easy it is to down this sauce. But that’s a norm for Cholula. Its hot sauces tend to be heavy on the sodium. Just know that going in. If you’re watching your sodium, you’ll want to be moderate in your use here.
Heat Balance
Neither jalapeño peppers (2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units) or poblano peppers (1,000 to 1,500 SHU) are challenging in their overall heat. Water also sits very high in the ingredients list of Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce, so the spiciness of these chilies is well-diluted. In fact, Cholla Green’s spiciness sits at around 1,000 Scoville heat units, putting it at the upper end of mild in terms of hot sauce heat. If you can eat a poblano pepper with no issue, you can certainly enjoy this sauce.
Cholula’s Original Red ranges from 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville heat units, so it can be twice as hot. That’s because of the chilies used, both the arbol (15,000 to 30,000 SHU) and pequin (40,000 to 60,000 SHU) sit much higher up the Scoville scale.
In terms of the eating experience, you’ll quickly feel a little bite on the tip of your tongue. It’ll warm up your mouth, then the larger kick will hit more mid-bite. Even when you go ham on it, there are no serious repercussions here. It’s a heat almost anyone can enjoy, and it balances decently well with the overall flavor.
Usability
Cholula is in the business of highly usable hot sauces, and its green variety is no different. Seriously, I could drink this stuff. The easier question is, where doesn’t it work? And my answer there is: I haven’t found it yet.
It’s wonderful on eggs, as a salad dressing, or as a mixed for mayo (a delicious milder dip!) I also love it on pizza — the sweetness of the sauce pairs really well with the cheesy, tanginess of a good pizza pie.
Also, don’t overlook it as an ice cream topper. The salty, sweetness of Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce layers quite well with vanilla, but it’s also fun to experiment here.
The sauce itself is on the thicker side, so it’s easy to control usage and place Cholula Green exactly where you want it. And that’s good because it’s easy to over-use this hot sauce without something slowing you down.
Collectibility
Like the Original Red, Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce is very easy to find. This is more a staple hot sauce than a collectible. It won’t surprise anyone, unless they didn’t realize there was more to the brand than the Original Red.
The label is still the classic Cholula illustration but with more green accents and a green topper, so you know quickly what you’re reaching for. It also displays pictures of jalapeños and poblano peppers (and names them) on a banner below the opening.
The Score
Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce couldn’t be more different from its Original Red flavor, but it’s as tasty! Think sweet and salty, with a mild and bright green-pepper heat and just a hint of tang. This can easily be a daily driver, especially for families who prefer a milder hot sauce.
Last update on 2024-11-07. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
EATING SCORE (Flavor, Heat Balance, Usability) | 4.7 |
TOTAL SCORE (+ Collectibility, X-Factor) | 4.5 |
Overall Flavor | 5 |
Heat Balance | 4 |
Usability | 5 |
Collectibility | 3.5 |
X-Factor | 5 |