Here’s a simple way to bring your pasta to a real spicy boil. Sriracha spaghetti sauce (a.k.a. Sriracha marinara) is a simple pasta sauce to make, but the flavor impact is plentiful. There’s that tomato tang, a garlicky undertone, and a very eatable level of heat. This recipe turns your everyday marinara into something much more memorable.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Tomato and garlic with a little sweetness behind it, and a mild sriracha warmth running all the way through |
| Primary heat source | Three tablespoons of sriracha, which is red jalapeño at 1,000 to 2,500 SHU |
| Heat level | Mild. Three tablespoons stirred into a 28-ounce can and split four ways is warmth, not burn. Crushed red pepper takes it up |
| Texture | A loose marinara that thickens as it simmers. Ten minutes for saucy, longer if you want it to cling |
| Best uses | Any pasta, meatballs, a dip for bread or mozzarella sticks, or spooned over eggs |
| Customization ideas | More sriracha, a pinch of crushed red pepper, a splash of cream, or a spoonful stirred in off the heat |
Flavor notes
Sriracha isn’t only heat. Read the label and you get chili, sugar, salt, garlic, and vinegar, which you can see in full on our sriracha ingredients breakdown. So three tablespoons into a can of crushed tomatoes brings sweetness and garlic along with the burn. That matters more than it sounds. Plenty of marinara recipes call for a pinch of sugar to take the edge off canned tomatoes, and this one doesn’t. The sriracha already did it.
The heat stays gentle. Sriracha runs 1,000 to 2,500 Scoville heat units, and the pepper behind it is red jalapeño — see how hot sriracha really is for the full picture. Spread three tablespoons across a 28-ounce can and four servings and it lands well below that. You taste it, but it won’t be full sriracha.
One thing worth knowing is when the sriracha goes in. Here it goes in early and simmers with the tomatoes for ten or twelve minutes, so it settles into the sauce and reads as part of it. Hold a spoonful back and stir it in off the heat instead and you taste the sriracha itself. Neither is better. They’re two different sauces.
Adaptation ideas
- Use crushed red pepper to go hotter: If you’re worried about making the sauce too saucy, this is the move. More sriracha means more liquid, but a pinch of crushed red pepper adds heat without adding volume, and it won’t change the other flavors. Start small and work up.
- Or just add more sriracha: The simplest route, and you get more garlic and sweetness with it. Add it a tablespoon at a time and taste, since it thins the sauce as it goes in.
- Stir some in at the end: Keep a spoonful back and add it once the pan is off the heat. The sriracha stays sharper and sits on top of the tomato rather than blending into it.
- Make it creamy: A splash of cream or a spoonful of mascarpone at the end turns it into a rosa sauce. It softens the heat, so you may want a little extra sriracha to compensate.
- Add meat: Brown ground beef or Italian sausage with the onion before the tomatoes go in. If that’s where you’re heading, our spicy bolognese is built for it from the start.
- Make the sriracha yourself: Homemade sriracha is stronger on the garlic and fresher tasting than the bottle. Out of sriracha entirely? Here’s a good sriracha substitute.
Serving ideas
- Any pasta, not just spaghetti: It clings fine to penne, rigatoni, or shells. If you like this idea, penne all’arrabbiata is the Italian original of the spicy-red-sauce idea.
- As a meatball sauce: Simmer the meatballs in it for the last few minutes. Spicy Italian meatballs and this sauce are a natural pair.
- As a dip: For bread or mozzarella sticks. The bold flavor makes it a good party and game-day dipper.
- Over eggs: One of our favorites. Fried or baked, a spoonful of this over eggs is a real breakfast jolt.
- As a pizza sauce: Simmer it down a few minutes longer so it’s thick enough not to soak the base, then spread it thin.
Storage notes
It keeps four or five days in a sealed container in the fridge. There’s no dairy and no meat in it — tomatoes, onion, garlic, oil, and hot sauce — so it holds like any tomato sauce does.
It freezes well, which is the better reason to make a big batch. Cool it first, then portion it into containers or bags so you can pull out one dinner’s worth at a time. A few months is fine.
It thickens as it sits. When you reheat it, a splash of the pasta water loosens it back up and helps it coat the noodles at the same time. Save half a cup before you drain.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Homemade Sriracha Powder: Yes, you can turn that rooster sauce into a delicious seasoning.
- Maple Sriracha Sauce: One of our favorite dipping sauce recipes.
- Chorizo And Chipotle Pasta: Fiery and smoky, this pasta is so much fun to eat.
50 quick, bold sauces and salsas: classic salsas and fun twists, BBQ sauces with a kick, and dippers with bang. Simple to make, big on flavor.
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Sriracha Spaghetti Sauce (a.k.a. Sriracha Marinara)
Ingredients
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 ounce can
- 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, then add the yellow onions. Sauté the onions, stirring often, until cooked through (translucent, approximately 4 to 5 minutes), then add the garlic. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring often until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and Sriracha sauce – stir to combine, then turn the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn heat again to medium and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Use immediately over spaghetti or the pasta of your choice.
