June/July 2025 Issue
Trend Watch: A Surge in Global Sauces
By Janet Helm, MS, RDN
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 27 No. 6 P. 46
Making International Flavors Accessible
We’re awash in sauce. Supermarket shelves and refrigerator doors are filled with a dizzyingly wide array of sauces—from hot sauces and fermented, umami-rich sauces to squeezable bottles of flavored aioli and tahini.
The growing interest in diverse sauces reflects a broader trend toward exploring and integrating global flavors into everyday meals, driven by a desire for culinary experimentation and cultural appreciation.
“Sauces and seasonings may be the single most important way for consumers to experiment with global cuisines,” says Mike Kostyo, vice president at Menu Matters, a Chicago-based menu consulting firm that specializes in trend analysis.
A globally inspired sauce is a low-risk way to experiment with a new cuisine—especially when combined with something familiar such as a bowl, burger, wrap, pizza, or taco, he says.
“That trial can be a gateway to more flavor exploration.”
America has become so enamored with sauces that a flavor-forward restaurant chain called Saucy was recently launched by KFC. The new chain offers chicken tenders with 11 different sauces to dip and dunk—including global flavors like peri peri ranch, Thai sweet ’n spicy sauce, and chimichurri ranch.
Globally inspired sauces have become so mainstream that even Heinz is jumping in on the trend. The king of ketchup recently launched a line called Flavor Town, including Korean-inspired Sweet & Tangy BBQ, Mexican-inspired Street Corn, and Thai-inspired Sweet Chili.
Sauce sales continue to surge, growing at about a 6% annual compound rate each year for the last five years and maintaining a consistent 10% of total food and beverage new product launches.1 Sauces are especially popular with younger generations, who are increasingly more adventurous and actively seek out new cultural food experiences. In fact, 92% of Gen Z report a willingness to go to a restaurant just for a sauce.2
Evolution of Hot Sauces
Beyond the classics of ketchup, barbecue sauce, ranch, and A1 steak sauce, our country’s love affair with sauces truly took off with the introduction of hot sauces, including Tabasco, Cholula, and Sriracha, a Thai-inspired chili sauce that became a national obsession.
We’ve gone from seeking the hottest chili peppers on the Scoville scale (like Carolina reaper and ghost pepper) to appreciating new fruit-forward global peppers and nuanced sources of heat.
“Instead of a scorching, palate-killing heat that we witnessed in years past, we can thank Sriracha for helping palates evolve,” says trends expert Katie Ayoub, a food and beverage consultant in Chicago.
Consumers, restaurateurs, and manufacturers are moving away from peppers as only a source of extreme heat and embracing more of the nuanced pepper varieties that add a smokiness or fruitiness, Kostyo says. Milder, more complex hot sauces are being made with less familiar chili peppers from around the world, including morita, aji charapita, goat horn, and aji amarillo.
“We researched over 100 innovative menus across the country and saw morita chilies popping up over and over again,” Kostyo says. “This smoky, earthy dried version of jalapeños can be used in a range of sauces and condiments, like salsa morita, chili crisp, or marinades.”
“The latest sauce trend is a blend of sweet and spicy, dubbed ‘swicy’,” according to Ayoub, who says hot honey is at the forefront of the sweet-heat trend.
Identified as a top trending flavor by the National Restaurant Association,3 hot honey blends the natural sweetness of honey with the fiery kick of chili, a cornerstone of cuisines from Asia to South America.
The hot honey trend got started as a drizzle on pizza, but now hot honey is flavoring fried chicken, salads, nuts, and other snacks, coffee drinks, and cocktails. Global swicy sauces include Thai chili sauce, Japanese BBQ sauces, and Korean gochujang.
Home cooks are embracing the concept of a “finishing sauce” that was once mainly limited to restaurants, Kostyo says.
“This has become even more true since the pandemic, when consumers were at home, specifically getting more experimental and trying to recreate restaurant-quality meals at home,” he says.
A Primer on Global Sauces
To help you stay current with condiments, here’s an A to Z guide to global sauces—from aji amarillo to zhug.
Chili Pepper Sauces
Aji amarillo: This Peruvian yellow chili pepper has fruity, tropical notes and was named McCormick’s 2025 flavor of the year.
Aji charapita: Native to the Amazonian region of Peru, this small, berrylike chili pepper is known for its fruity, tangy, and sweet flavor profile that’s common in traditional Peruvian dishes.
Calabrian chili: A type of red chili pepper from the region of Calabria in southern Italy that has a fruity and smoky flavor with a mild heat level.
Goat horn: A key ingredient in the traditional Chilean spice blend merkén, this medium-spicy pepper is named cacho de cabra, meaning “goat horn,” due to its curved shape.
Harissa: A spicy North African chili paste made from roasted red peppers, hot chili peppers, and spices like garlic, coriander, and caraway.
Peri peri: A deeply flavorful sauce derived from the African Bird’s Eye chili, originating from Portuguese-African culinary traditions, especially Mozambique and Angola.
Salsa negra: Known as black sauce, this Mexican salsa is made with dried chilies, tomatoes, spices, and a touch of umami from soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or black garlic.
Tajín: A popular Mexican seasoning made from ground chili peppers, lime, and salt that is available as a dry spice blend, but it can also be found in sauce form.
Herb-Based Sauces
Chermoula: Native to North Africa, this vibrant sauce is a blend of cilantro, parsley, earthy spices, lemon juice, and olive oil, and is commonly paired with fish or chicken as a sauce or marinade.
Chimichurri: A vibrant Argentine sauce made from finely chopped parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar, and olive oil that is typically used as a condiment for grilled meats.
Pesto: An Italian sauce originating from Genoa, traditionally made by blending fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
Salsa verde: A green sauce in various cuisines, including a Mexican tomatillo-based salsa and an Italian version made with parsley, capers, anchovies, and olive oil.
Tzatziki: A Greek sauce or dip combining yogurt, cucumber, herbs, and garlic.
Zhug: A spicy Yemeni sauce made from fresh green chili peppers, cilantro, garlic, and various spices.
Fruit-Forward Sauces
Chamoy: A Mexican condiment made from pickled fruit, such as apricots or plums, combined with chili powder and lime.
Ponzu: A citrus-based Japanese sauce made by combining soy sauce with yuzu or other citrus juices, resulting in a tangy, umami-rich flavor.
Umeboshi: A salty and sour sauce made with pickled Japanese plums, or ume.
Yuzu: A tart, aromatic Japanese citrus fruit used to make sauces and dressings.
Fermented Sauces
Black garlic: Garlic that has been fermented over several weeks, resulting in a sweet, umami-rich flavor with a soft, black appearance. You’ll find it in sauces and other condiments.
Colatura di alici: A traditional Italian anchovy-based fermented fish sauce, often compared to ancient Roman garum.
Gochujang: A sweet and spicy Korean sauce made with red chilies, fermented soybeans, and glutinous rice.
Hoisin: A thick, sweet, and savory sauce originating from China that is made with fermented soybeans.
Miso: A traditional Japanese paste made from fermented soybeans, salt, and koji (a type of fungus). It has a savory, umami flavor and is widely used in soups, marinades, and dressings.
— Janet Helm, MS, RDN, is a global food analyst and public relations strategist with 20+ years agency experience working with food and beverage brands and agricultural commodity boards. She started her own consultancy, Food at the Helm, and is a sought-after speaker on food trends.
References
1. Sauces and seasonings trends: Global market overview. Innova Market Insights website. https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/sauces-and-seasonings-trends-global-market-overview/. Published December 5, 2024.
2. The next flavor report: feeding Gen Z’s cravings. Rubix Foods website. https://rubixfoods.com/the-gen-z-report/. Published November 2024.
3. 2025 what’s hot culinary forecast. National Restaurant Association website. https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/research-reports/whats-hot-food-beverage-trends/. Published November 12, 2024.