The Habanero Ketchup That's Better Than Heinz's Spicy Version, According To Customers

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Ketchup is one of America's most popular condiments, the classic topping for burgers (although some chefs think it shouldn't be), and a favorite partner for fries, chicken tenders, eggs, meatloaf, and more. Amid the country's growing embrace of foods with a spicy kick, types of the tomato condiment boosted with peppery heat have been appearing in stores. Even OG brand Heinz debuted three spicy flavors in 2023: habanero, jalapeño, and chipotle. But a Texas-based company that introduced its own picante versions two decades earlier gets kudos from customers who say Melinda's Habanero Ketchup is better than Heinz's.

Melinda's touts that it uses cane sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup, and fresh habaneros for the ketchup. Its products are crafted with a balance of fieriness and flavor, so the heat doesn't overwhelm the palate. It describes its habanero variety as tangy and citrusy as well as spicy. Even though the peppers, known for a tropical fruit flavor, are very hot, Melinda's gives the sauce a moderate 3 out of 5 heat rating. For Heinz's version, which it calls "extra hot," it blends its classic ketchup with the peppers for a zesty and spicy punch. Its ingredients include high-fructose corn syrup and dried habaneros.

Reddit comments say that while you can taste the habanero flavor in Heinz's, it's not as hot as Melinda's, which they also contend is better overall, with Redditors calling it "far superior" and the "gold standard." A Walmart website review claims its "taste is beyond anything here in the USA,"  and a fan on the company's site praised it for the "best flavor/heat balance by far of all the spicy ketchup I've tried."

Melinda's began in New Orleans in 1989, founded by brothers Greg and David Figueroa, who'd moved to the Crescent City from their native Kentucky. The two began by selling hot sauce, but expanded to other condiments, adding ketchup in 2003, and claim to have pioneered spicy ketchups. They moved the business to its current home in Texas after 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Today, the brand sells five flavors of ketchup, including the habanero. The other versions are made with jalapeño, chipotle, black pepper, and ghost pepper, one of the hottest varieties in the world. It also sells hot sauces in a range of flavors and spice levels from mild to extra-extra hot, as well as a variety of wing, dipping, and ranch sauces, hot honey, and preserves.

In addition to battling on grocery store shelves, Melinda's and Heinz once also had a legal confrontation. Heinz sued the other company in 2014, accusing it of trademark infringement. The corporate giant contended that the bottle for its rival's ketchups too closely mimicked the shape of its own patented iconic glass bottle, which it had used since the 1890s. (The famous "57" on the bottles was a marketing gimmick.) The two sides settled just one month later, with Melinda's agreeing to stop using the lookalike, but not admitting any wrongdoing.