Hidden Valley Secret Sauce is a creamy, tangy condiment that many people enjoy on salads, sandwiches, burgers, and more. Some flavors of Secret Sauce contain spices that give it a kick of heat, while others are mild. So is Hidden Valley Secret Sauce actually spicy?
The answer depends on the specific variety. Hidden Valley offers several versions of Secret Sauce that range from no spice to moderately spicy. Read on to find out which Secret Sauce flavors contain spices and how hot they are compared to other condiments.
Hidden Valley Original Ranch Secret Sauce
The original Hidden Valley Ranch Secret Sauce contains no spicy ingredients. It gets its tangy, creamy flavor from garlic, onion, and herbs like dill, chives, and parsley. But it does not contain any hot peppers or chili powder. So the original Secret Sauce has a cooling ranch flavor, not any spiciness.
Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Secret Sauce
Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Secret Sauce contains added spices to give it some heat. The ingredients include garlic, onion, black pepper, chili powder, red pepper, and cayenne pepper. The addition of chili powder and cayenne pepper make this Secret Sauce variety mild to moderately spicy compared to the original.
Here is a spiciness scale for reference:
| Spiciness Level | Scoville Heat Units |
|---|---|
| Not spicy | 0-50 |
| Mildly spicy | 500-2,000 |
| Moderately spicy | 2,000-10,000 |
| Very spicy | 10,000-100,000+ |
The chili powder and cayenne pepper in Spicy Ranch Secret Sauce give it a Scoville rating around 1,000-3,000, putting it in the mildly to moderately spicy range.
Hidden Valley Southwest Chipotle Secret Sauce
Southwest Chipotle Secret Sauce gets its kick from chipotle peppers. Chipotle peppers are smoked and dried jalapeño peppers. They have a deep, smoky spiciness. The sauce also contains chili powder, paprika, onion, and garlic.
The combination of chipotle and chili powder makes this Secret Sauce variety solidly moderately spicy. The Scoville rating likely ranges from 3,000-8,000. So it will have noticeable heat but is not extremely fiery.
How Hidden Valley Secret Sauces compare to other spicy condiments
Here’s how the spiciness of Hidden Valley’s hot Secret Sauce varieties stack up against other popular spicy condiments:
- Sriracha: Moderately spicy, around 2,000-8,000 Scoville units
- Cholula Hot Sauce: Mildly spicy, around 1,000-2,000 Scoville units
- Tabasco Sauce: Very spicy, around 2,500-5,000 Scoville units
- Frank’s RedHot: Moderately spicy, around 450-1,000 Scoville units
Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch and Southwest Chipotle Secret Sauces are similar in spiciness to sriracha and cholula sauce. They likely have a bit more heat than Frank’s RedHot but not as much as Tabasco sauce.
Tips for serving spicy Hidden Valley Secret Sauce
If you want to add some heat to your food with Hidden Valley’s spicy Secret Sauces, here are some serving tips:
- Start with a small amount at first to test your tolerance, especially with the Southwest Chipotle flavor.
- Mix the sauce with mayo or sour cream to tone down the heat.
- Use it as a dip for chicken tenders, fries, or veggies.
- Drizzle sparingly on tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza.
- Mix into mac and cheese or potato salad for a spicy twist.
Conclusion
Some varieties of Hidden Valley Secret Sauce contain spices that give them mild to moderate heat. Specifically, the Spicy Ranch and Southwest Chipotle flavors use chili powder, cayenne, chipotle, and other peppers to make them spicier than the original ranch sauce. Both rate around 1,000-8,000 Scoville units, similar to sriracha and cholula hot sauce. So before adding Secret Sauce to your meal, check the label if you want to avoid or add some spicy zip.