Less than two hours from Bangkok on Thailand’s southeast coast lies a sleepy seaside town called Sri Racha. It’s not too touristy, it’s relaxing, and, from the sea to the jungle, it’s teeming with wildlife. But for most, this is why Sri Racha is not particularly significant. As you might already guess, the city is now the birthplace of the much-loved, world-famous spice, Sriracha.
In the late 1940s, Thanom Chakkapak of Sri Racha regularly served his own sauce recipe to his family and friends. It was a little spicy, it was tangy, it was garlicky, and they liked it so much, they begged Chakkapak to bottle it and sell it so that everyone across the country could enjoy it. And so he created Sriraja Panich, a brand that is still popular throughout Thailand today.
In the US, most will try a different version of Chakkapak’s original creation, which Hui Fong distributes. The company was founded by David Tran, a Vietnamese man who fled to the United States in the 1970s to escape communism. Calling the sauce Sriracha, he had the idea to pay homage to the recipe’s place of origin.
There are many types of Sriracha in the market now but Hui Fong is the most popular. (It’s so beloved, the company hit $150 million in annual revenue in 2019.) But what exactly is Sriracha? Is it vegan? And how, exactly, do you cook with it? We got all the answers.
What is Sriracha?
Despite its bright red color, Sriracha is only a moderately spicy sauce. It’s tangy and garlicky, and can be drizzled or cooked into anything you like, from burgers to fries to pasta to salads. But it’s often just served on the side as a dipping sauce. In Thailand, Sriracha is often eaten with seafood (which is not a surprise given that it was originally created in a seaside town).
Is sriracha vegan?
Traditionally, Sriracha is made with a mixture of chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt, all of which sound vegan. However, according to Double Check Vegan, Hui Fong’s sauce is not vegan-friendly because the sugar it contains is processed with bone char (which comes from animals). In 2017, a Huy Fong spokesperson confirmed to the website: “Unfortunately, our product is not vegan, due to the process our sugar goes through during production.”
However, there are other vegan srirachas on the market. Natural Value Organic Sriracha, for example, is bone char-free. Flying Goose, Kitchen Garden Farm, and Yellowbird are some examples of brands selling vegan sriracha.
Christy Urcia/Unsplash
Does sriracha have fish in it?
Besides sugar processed with bone char, another ingredient in Sriracha sauce is fish. Some brands like to add extra flavor to their sauces with anchovies, a small, saltwater fish. Lee Kum Kee’s Sriracha chili sauce, for example, contains anchovies. (But the brand also offers a fish-free version!) Other versions can sometimes contain shrimp paste, so always read the label to make sure your purchase is completely animal-free.
How to cook with Sriracha
There are many ways to cook with Sriracha. While some like to serve it on the side or use it as a dressing, it can also be a great base for marinades, glazes and sauces. You can use it to roast vegetables, coat cauliflower wings or even chickpeas. It all depends on your preference, but if you’re a Sriracha lover, most recipes have a way to incorporate this spicy, tangy sauce. For inspiration, we’ve collected some of our favorite vegan recipes with Sriracha below.
Vegan Recipes with Sriracha
1 Sriracha and Slaw Smothered Hot Dog
Take your hot dog to the next level by adding a little touch of heat and covering it in Sriracha. As this recipe suggests, it goes really well with a generous helping of crunchy green cabbage and carrot slaw.
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Jeff Wysokarski
2 Crispy Air-Fried Mushrooms with Sriracha Pea-Panko Crust
As anyone with an air-fryer knows by now, when it comes to things you can chuck in, the limit doesn’t exist. Mushrooms are one of the best foods to air fry. especially When they are covered in a crispy, spicy bread coating. Although this recipe doesn’t call for sauce in the traditional sense. Instead, it asks for sriracha peas, which are (you guessed it!) green peas coated in sriracha.
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3 Mexican Cauliflower Tacos
Combine the flavors of Mexico with the flavors of Thailand by serving these delicious (and healthy, might we add) Cauliflower Packed Tacos with your own homemade sriracha mayo. It’s super easy to make, all you have to do is mix some vegan mayo with your sriracha sauce and voila! (You don’t have to tell your friends that part, though.)
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4 Crispy Chicken Sandwich with BBQ Slaw and Fresh Fruit
These days, there are many different options for vegan chicken sandwiches. You can make your own using tofu, or buy a branded version from Garden, Korn, Morningstar Farms, and more. But whichever patty you choose, being loaded with a slaw made with purple cabbage, vegan mayo, barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar and sriracha will take it to the next level.
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Geoff Souder
5 Spicy Cauliflower Steak with Miso Sauce
Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables out there. Seriously, you can use it to make wings, taco meat, and even steak. Yes, steak. While it provides a great base texture for many vegetarian recipes, the vegetable is not known for its amazing flavor. That’s why this recipe suggests you serve your cauliflower steak with a delicious miso sauce made with sriracha.
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Juliana Hever
6 Sweet Chili Tofu Broccoli Mushroom Stir-Fry
Sriracha goes well with a lot of things, but arguably, stir fries are one of the best foods to pair it with. This dish is healthy, easy, and quick to make, and thanks to the Sriracha-loaded sauce (you can add as much as you like, depending on your preference), it’s also bursting with flavor.
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To know more about vegetarian sauces, read:
Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on the south coast of England.