Cholula Hot Sauce: Varieties, Scoville Rating & History
In short: Cholula is a Mexican hot sauce made with pequin and arbol chilies, known for its round wooden cap. It is mild (about 1,000 SHU according to retailers), the wine vinegar is restrained and the chili flavour comes first. For me Cholula is the Mexican Tabasco, and the Chili Lime is really good.
You recognise Cholula at once: glass bottle, label and a round wooden cap. Each flavour has a different cap colour: the Original has natural wood, the Chili Garlic a brown one, the Chili Lime a green one and the Chipotle a black one. It is one of the best-known hot sauces from Mexico and sits on many restaurant tables in the US. Here you learn where it comes from, which flavours exist and how hot it is.
Contents
Where does Cholula come from?
Cholula is made in Chapala in the Mexican state of Jalisco, not in the city of Cholula in the state of Puebla after which it is named. The name points to that roughly 2,500-year-old city.
According to tradition the sauce goes back to a recipe for sangrita, the drink you have with tequila. The story goes that a cook named Camilla Harrison developed it for the Cuervo family. That is not proven. What is certain: Cholula has been sold in the US since 1989 (Austin, Texas), and McCormick bought the brand in 2020.
Chilies and flavour
The base is pequin and arbol chilies. A mild vinegar (wine and apple) is added, so the chili flavour comes first and not the acidity. Cholula goes with Tex-Mex, pizza, grilled food and eggs.
My take: in how it is made and what kind of sauce it is, Cholula is for me the Mexican Tabasco. That is why I like it so much. Like Tabasco it is not a sauce for records but one you like to put on the table. More on our Tabasco page.
Classics like Cholula and Tabasco have huge fan communities, and that is a good thing. This variety is exactly what makes the chili world beautiful: some swear by the wooden cap, others by the red bottle with the Tabasco label, and we, the Pikantista, like to try both.
The flavours
There are six flavours with a wooden cap: Original, Chipotle, Chili Garlic, Chili Lime, Green Pepper and Sweet Habanero. I know three of them better (ingredients according to the label):
- Original: water, chilies (arbol, pequin), salt, vinegar (wine, apple), spices, xanthan. The mild base, with a natural wood cap.
- Chili Garlic: like the Original, plus garlic (1 %), garlic extract and garlic powder. With a fine garlic note, brown cap.
- Chili Lime: chilies (guajillo, arbol, pequin), paprika, sugar, dried tomatoes, natural lime flavouring and citric acid. Lemony, with a slightly smoky note, green cap. My favourite: "really good".
The Chipotle (black cap), Green Pepper and Sweet Habanero are also in the range. I do not describe them in detail here.
How hot is Cholula?
Retailer figures vary: usually about 1,000 SHU, sometimes 1,000 to 3,000 SHU. I did not find an official figure from the manufacturer. In any case Cholula is mild, in the range of Tabasco or below. How the scale works is explained in our Scoville guide.
FAQ
Where is Cholula made?
In Chapala in the Mexican state of Jalisco, not in the city of Cholula.
Which chilies are in Cholula?
Pequin and arbol, and guajillo as well in the Chili Lime.
Who owns Cholula?
Since 2020 the brand belongs to McCormick & Company.
Which flavour should I try first?
I recommend the Chili Lime. If you like it classic, take the Original.
You can find more brands in the Pikantista world of hot sauces.
About the author
Fabian Rueda has long experience in the spicy world. On Cholula he says: in how it is made and what kind of sauce it is, it is the Mexican Tabasco to him, and therefore very likeable. He finds the Chili Lime really good and likes the coloured wooden caps too. Follow him on Instagram for more hot sauce tips and Scoville rankings!