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Mild Vs Medium Sauce (Ultimate Guide)

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Quick Answer

Mild sauce offers a sweet and spicy balance with low heat, ideal for those with lower spice tolerance. In contrast, medium sauce is thicker, spicier, and perfect for those seeking a more robust flavor in their dishes. Choose mild for general use, medium for a kick!

Read on for more detail

If you have ever been confused about the difference between mild and medium sauce, then this guide is just for you!

Mild versus medium, whatโ€™s the difference? Mild sauce has a balance of sweet and spicy flavors. It can be used in a range of recipes as a light condiment. Medium sauce is a bit spicier and thicker. It may even have bits and pieces of chili peppers! The medium sauce is a great option when you want something with an added kick!

Read below to learn more about mild and medium sauces, their spice levels, taste, types, and more! 

All About Spice

Closeup view of several glass bottles filled with various types of hot sauces.

Picking the right spice level can be challenging, especially when you donโ€™t know the difference between mild and medium sauces. 

While some people may find a mild sauce to be the โ€œsaferโ€ option, you may be able to benefit more from buying a medium sauce for marinades or other recipes that require an extra punch.

Did you know: Every manufacturer has a different take on medium and mild sauces! Some may make a sweeter and thinner mild sauce while others would go for a thicker medium sauce โ€” but with no added spiciness.

The difference in sauce products can make it difficult to pick the right kind of condiment. But thereโ€™s still hope!

There are a lot of variables that go into picking the right sauce for your needs, but you can boil them down to a few distinct characteristics.

Characteristics of Mild Sauces

If you’re still dipping your toes into the wide pool of hot sauce options, you might want to start at the very beginning and work your way up the spice levels.

Here is what you can expect from most types of mild sauces!

Flavor 

How can you tell what a condiment taste like if you have never tried it before? Well, you can rely on a few key flavor notes!

Most mild sauces are meant to be a balance between spiciness and umami/sweet flavors. These sauces usually have a sweeter profile but with a slightly spicy flavor. 

You can also expect to get a hit of tomatoes, garlic, and just a bit of sting from acidic ingredients like lemon, vinegar, or citric acid. 

Some sauce brands also contain other umami-laden ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, mustard, onions, and more. 

Mild sauces like a tasty buffalo sauce are a great example because this type of sauce provides a very delicious flavor with discernable flavor notes, thanks to its relatively low level of spiciness! 

Donโ€™t know where to start? A great way to determine the spiciness of a mild sauce is to look at its description.

The back of the bottle will have a very clear description of what you can expect from the sauce. Mild sauces are usually generic all-purpose sauces, but you may still bump into some hotter mild sauces too. 

Another way to check the spiciness of the sauce is to glance at the ingredients.

You may notice ingredients like chili powder, ground pepper, garlic, cumin, tomato paste, paprika, white pepper, and other flavorings printed on the label.

These ingredients are common in not just mild, but also medium and other spicier sauces!

If you do not prefer a mild sauce that’s on the hotter side, then make sure that the sauce contains tomato sauce or other sweet ingredients to balance the spicy flavors.  

Pro tip: Take a look at the nutritional profile to get an idea about the sugar content in the sauce โ€“ and keep an eye out for added chili peppers (like jalapenos), which can make the sauce way hotter! 

Looking at the label is a good way to pick a great-tasting mild sauce because it will help you get an idea of the subtle flavor notes of the sauce.  

For example, some mild sauces also have liquid smoke added to them, which makes them an excellent condiment for BBQs and other meat-related recipes. 

Spice Level

Since everyoneโ€™s tolerance for spicy food can vary, it can be difficult to recommend a good mild sauce

Luckily, there are a few other markers that we can rely on to determine the spice level of any condiment!

While the general marker for the spice level of any spicy sauce is the โ€œScoville scale,โ€ not every brand gets its product tested. 

This is why you donโ€™t normally see a Scoville rating on every hot sauce bottle โ€” except for the ones that are marketed to be very spicy.

For mild sauces, you can rely on either the description on the bottle or a visual representation of the spiciness of the sauce, which is usually represented with a chili symbol like this: ๐ŸŒถ.

Most mild sauces will vary between one โ€œ๐ŸŒถโ€ or two โ€œ๐ŸŒถ ๐ŸŒถโ€ levels. Anything above that will be considerably spicier and will usually be referred to as โ€œmedium sauceโ€ (more on this below.)

Consistency

The consistency of mild sauces is usually runny. The reason for this is that most mild sauces are used as an all-purpose condiment that can be applied or poured over any type of food. 

The runnier texture is also due to dilution. Most mild sauces are diluted using tomato or other liquid-based ingredients. 

Of course, you can even find a few thicker mild sauces too โ€” but most of these are available in salsa form.

You can easily check the consistency of the sauce by inspecting the bottle. Move the sauce around to determine the exact consistency of the sauce before purchasing it!

Another way to determine the consistency of the mild sauce is to look for thickening agents like xanthan gum or starch. 

For the best experience, we recommend getting an adequately runny mild sauce. Its texture can help coat food like pasta โ€” it can also be used in marinades to add flavor and spiciness!

Varieties 

Mild sauces can be prepared in several ways. 

Perhaps the most common type of mild sauce is the commercial variety that is usually filtered and processed. This type of sauce will not have residual chili particles and will be quite runny

Another type of mild sauce can come in the form of pico de gallo, which is a noticeably chunkier salsa. This type of mild sauce has a pronounced flavor and a very manageable heat level.

There are several other gourmet mild sauces that you can make at home too. 

Remember: mild sauces are meant to showcase not just a spicy flavor, but the flavor from other ingredients too! So, make sure that you get a mild sauce that delivers on the flavor notes that you like. 

Characteristics Of Medium Sauces

Ready to graduate from the kiddie pool and test some spicier waters? Here’s everything that you need to know about medium sauces! 

Flavor 

Medium sauces are made from the same ingredients found in most mild sauces, but they can carry a bit more heat!

These sauces are meant to be the middle-ground between mildly hot and very hot sauces โ€” most medium sauces have additional chili peppers to help increase the heat.

But just like the many variances in mild sauces, you will find several types of medium sauces in the market too.

In most cases, if you are going for a medium sauce, then you should expect a balance between savory and spicy flavors

Although you might be able to get the same sweet and tangy flavors in medium sauces, these notes are rather subdued due to the added spicy ingredients. 

Some medium sauces may even have bits and pieces of chili peppers in them, which would make them hotter than the filtered varieties. 

For the best experience, we recommend checking the back of the bottle to know exactly what to expect from the flavors of the sauce. 

Spice Level

When it comes it comes to spiciness, medium sauces will have a solid โ€œ๐ŸŒถ ๐ŸŒถ ๐ŸŒถโ€ rating. 

These sauces are designed to not only provide a delicious flavor but also a noticeably higher heat level. Medium sauces are made using various chilies, the most common being the humble jalapeno chili.

Jalapenos can pack quite a punch and are the go-to ingredient for adding an added dimension of spiciness to any sauce. 

Some medium sauces may also contain chili seeds, which have the potential to make things way hotter. 

If you want a tasty and manageable medium sauce, then we recommend getting a clear thick sauce with no added chili particles. 

These generic filtered sauces are available in many flavors and varieties but are usually only slightly more intense than mild sauces.

But if you truly want to take things up a notch, then we suggest you look into the chunkier and spicier medium sauces

Consistency

Medium sauces are almost always thicker than mild sauces.

The reason why most medium sauces have a thicker consistency is that they are intended to be used in small dabs

Another reason why manufacturers make thicker medium sauces is that most people use these sauces in everyday cooking too. 

For example, a medium sauce can be used as a marinade in several meat recipes. It can also be used as a condiment for side dishesโ€” and you can even use it as a topping over fries or tortilla chips!

Having a thicker sauce can be very useful because it helps add texture and flavor to food. These thicker sauces can have a distinctly grainy mouthfeel, but you may also come across smoother medium sauces too.

Just like mild sauces, a thicker medium sauce can be thickened using xanthan gum or starch. Some sauces may even have a reduced moisture content which would naturally make the sauce thicker without adding any thickening agent.  

Varieties 

Medium sauces are available in just as many varieties as mild sauces. 

In fact, there is a very good chance that you will come across certain sauce brands that sell two variants of the same sauce: one with mild spiciness and the other with a medium level of spiciness!

Many brands also focus on producing fan-favorite medium sauce flavors โ€“ the most common being buffalo sauce

Medium sauces can be made at home too! Hereโ€™s a great recipe for making a finger-licking medium sauce using just three ingredients.

Medium-Spice Buffalo Sauce Recipe 

This medium-spice buffalo sauce recipe is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants a basic everyday-use condiment.

Since it includes only three ingredients, you can customize it using other flavorful ingredients to change the taste and even the spiciness of the sauce. 

Ingredients

  • 1 โ…“ cups hot sauce โ€” any medium-heat hot sauce will do!
  • 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions 

1. In a saucepan, carefully melt butter until it is in a completely liquid state. Turn off the heat to prevent the butter from burning. Remember, you only need the butter to melt (not cook!) or it might affect the quality and flavor of the sauce.

2. Whisk in the garlic powder and hot sauce until all the ingredients have mixed together. We recommend whisking the sauce using the residual heat of the pan for the best results. 

3. Once mixed, either use the sauce immediately or transfer the mixture into an airtight container. 

Notes

  • The butter and garlic powder in this recipe give the buffalo sauce its unique texture and flavor. We recommend experimenting with the ratio of each ingredient to get varying flavors!
  • You can add thickeners or other ingredients at the end to change the consistency of the sauce to fit different uses.
  • To lessen the spiciness of the sauce, you can add a bit of sugar, honey, or even ketchup to mitigate the heat. This method will produce a milder sauce.
  • Similarly, you could also add ยผ tsp of cayenne pepper to increase the heat! 
Spicy Hot Organic Red Buffalo Sauce in a Bowl

Medium-Spice Buffalo Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This medium-spice buffalo sauce recipe is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants a basic every day-use condiment. Since it includes only three ingredients, you can easily customize it using other flavorful ingredients to change the taste and even the spiciness of the sauce.ย 

Ingredients

  • 1 โ…“ cups hot sauce โ€” any medium-heat hot sauce will do!
  • 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

    1. In a saucepan, carefully melt butter until it is in a completely liquid state. Turn off the heat to prevent the butter from burning. Remember, you only need the butter to melt (not cook!) or it might affect the quality and flavor of the sauce.
    2. Whisk in the garlic powder and hot sauce until all the ingredients have been mixed. Whisk the sauce using the residual heat of the pan for the best experience. 
    3. Once mixed, use the sauce immediately or shift the mixture into an airtight container. 

Notes

  • The butter and garlic powder in this recipe give the buffalo sauce its unique texture and flavor. We recommend experimenting with the ratio of each ingredient to get varying flavors.ย 
  • You can add thickeners or other ingredients at the end to change the consistency of the sauce to fit different uses.
  • To lessen the spiciness of the sauce, you can add a bit of sugar, honey, or even ketchup to mitigate the heat.ย This method will produce a milder sauce.ย 
  • Similarly, you could also add ยผ tsp of cayenne pepper to increase the heat too!ย 

Which Is Hotter, Mild Or Medium?

In simple terms, when it comes to pure heat and flavor, you can expect a medium sauce to be hotter than a mild sauce

Remember: a mild sauce is geared towards sweet and spicy flavors. It acts as a great flavoring ingredient to bring out specific umami notes with added spiciness in various recipes. 

A medium sauce, on the other hand, will be thicker and spicier. This type of sauce is perfect as a condiment and a flavoring ingredient.

If you want an all-purpose sauce that is geared towards people with lower spice tolerance, then a mild sauce is the way to go.

For people who want a bit more pizzazz, we highly recommend going with a medium sauce! 

Edit
MildMedium
FlavorSweeter flavor, light spicinessSweet and savory, a bit more heat than mild sauces
ConsistencyThinner, runnierThicker
Spiciness๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ (maximum)๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ (maximum)
TypesEnchilada sauce, taco sauce, pico de gallo, etc. Buffalo sauce, gochujang sauce, red-hot sauces, Thai sauces, etc.
UsesGeneric condiment, marinadesGeneric condiment, marinades

Related Questions 

Mild and medium sauces may not have a lot of difference when it comes to flavoring ingredients, but their varying heat levels can truly set them apart! 

Now that you know the differences between mild and medium heat, here are some related questions.

How long do mild and medium sauces last?

Commercial sauces are formulated to last up until the โ€œuse beforeโ€ date, which is usually under a year โ€” however, homemade sauces only last up to a month in the fridge.

Sauces with preservatives and additives may be able to last longer! Please check the back of the packaging for more detailed information on the proper storage and estimated shelf life of the condiment. 

Can you mix mild and medium sauces?

Yes, you can mix two types of sauces to create a delicious spicy condiment. The spiciness of the sauce will depend on the individual spice level of each condiment.

In most cases, mixing a sweeter mild sauce with a medium sauce will likely produce a mild-tasting sauce with flavor notes from each type of condiment. 

Is medium different from spicy/hot? 

Yes. Medium sauces are only slightly spicier than mild sauces, whereas spicy and hot sauces can be significantly spicier than both mild and medium sauces.

Always check the label to differentiate between medium and spicy sauces! 

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