How hot is El Yucateco Red Habanero?
El Yucateco Red Habanero Hot Sauce is rated 7,600–9,500 SHU by its maker, El Yucateco. The highest published figure (9,500 SHU) is about 1.9× a typical jalapeño pepper (5,000 SHU).
Checked October 20, 2026 · How we source facts
Every published figure
| Figure | Who published it | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 7,600–9,500 SHU | El Yucateco (maker), cited by Wikipedia[1] | Maker’s figure |
| 5,790 SHU | The Takeout, Hot Ones sauce list[2] | Press figure |
The 5,790 figure appears on older lists and is still widely repeated. The maker's current range is 7,600–9,500; where figures differ, the maker's is the more direct source.
What’s inside
Habanero. Made by El Yucateco, Mérida, Yucatán.
A sauce is always milder than its hottest pepper, because the pepper is diluted with vinegar, salt and other ingredients. For comparison, the peppers themselves:
- Habanero225,000 SHU
Facts
- The maker publishes ranges for its whole line: Jalapeño 1,500–1,900, Black Label Reserve 4,500–5,500, XXXtra Hot 10,000–12,500 and Ghost Habanero 14,165 SHU.[1]
- El Yucateco Red Habanero was a Hot Ones sauce in Seasons 1–3.[2]
- Sources disagree on the founding; some give 1968 and the founder as Priamo Gamboa Ojeda.[1]
Questions
How many Scoville units is El Yucateco Red Habanero?
7,600–9,500 SHU (El Yucateco (maker), cited by Wikipedia); 5,790 SHU (The Takeout, Hot Ones sauce list). None of these is a published lab test of the sauce.
Is El Yucateco Red Habanero hotter than a jalapeño?
The highest published figure (9,500 SHU) is about 1.9× a typical jalapeño pepper (5,000 SHU).
More hot sauces
- How hot is Tabasco?2,500–5,000 SHU
- How hot is Sriracha (Huy Fong)?2,200 SHU
- How hot is Cholula?1,000–2,000 SHU
- How hot is Frank's RedHot?450 SHU
- How hot is Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity?135,600 SHU
- How hot is Mad Dog 357?357,000 SHU
- How hot is The Last Dab: Xperience?2,693,000 SHU
- How hot is Valentina?900 SHU
- How hot is Tapatío?3,000 SHU
- All 30 sauces, with sources
Sources
- El Yucateco (maker) (via Wikipedia): El Yucateco Red Habanero: 7,600–9,500 SHU (secondary source)
- The Takeout, Hot Ones sauce list: El Yucateco Red Habanero: 5,790 SHU (secondary source)