Heatonist Launches A Hot Sauce For Kids, And It’s Pretty Tasty

You’ve probably seen (and perhaps tried) Heatonist’s hot sauces on Hot Ones, First We Feast’s interview show where Sean Evans asks celebrity guests questions while eating wings coated in increasingly spicy hot sauce. While some of the hot sauces on Heatonist’s website aren’t for the faint of heart, they also have a great lineup of medium and mild sauces — because for most of us, consuming hot sauce isn’t about pain. 

Heatonist has recently launched Hot Ones Jr., a hot sauce for kids made in collaboration with First We Feast. The idea initially came about when Heatonist founder Noah Chaimberg’s 10-year-old cousin Matteo asked him to make one. “Matteo was interested in the hot sauce industry, and asked to interview me for a school project,” Chaimberg told me. “That’s when it clicked for me that kids got the fun of hot sauce but there were no products made specifically for them.”

Following that initial spark of an idea, Chaimberg moved on to the R&D phase. It ended up taking about two years to finalize the recipe and make the first production batch of Hot Ones Jr. When I asked him about how involved actual kids were in creating the hot sauce, Chaimberg explained that although he had some help with ingredients and the label (an adorable illustration of an apple and a jalapeño skipping rope next to each other), the flavor of the final product was his creation. “Sometimes you need to trust your gut,” he said. 

Chaimberg describes the flavor of Hot Ones Jr. The Green as “fun and complex and a little bit nostalgic, with green apple, banana and jalapeño.” Like other hot sauces on the market, it’s great on a lot of things: sweet potatoes, pizza, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese — the list goes on. “The heat is super subtle, so it’s a great entry point for kids and grown people who may be sensitive to heat or are just starting out on their hot sauce journey,” Chaimberg said. “When we were making it we kept saying that we wanted this to be the Pixar movie of hot sauces; ostensibly made for kids, but with lots of fun moments for grown-ups too.”

Hot Ones Jr. is available exclusively on Heatonist for $10. Chaimberg noted that it’s a permanent addition to the Hot Ones collection. “After the great response we’ve had so far there will definitely be more Hot Ones Jr. flavors coming,” he said. I got a chance to try Hot Ones Jr and it has a nice bright flavor that isn’t too hot (even for someone super sensitive to spice like me) and tastes great on pizza. The ingredient list is fruit forward (think green apple, lime juice, apple cider vinegar), with jalapeños for a hint of spice and no added sugar.