6 Spicy Snacks to Change Up Your Snack Routine

Are your friends always trying to get you to try spicy foods? Maybe you’ve been curious, but a little hesitant to dip your toe in the pool of spicy snacks. That’s okay! There are actually plenty of spicy snacks that you can explore without setting your tongue on fire.

What Are Spicy Snacks?

What a fun philosophical question! If we want to get literal, Merriam-Webster defines the word spicy as, “having the quality, flavor or fragrance of spice.” I mean, no kidding, right?

But let’s take a more casual look at it. Usually, when people say a snack is spicy, they mean it’s hot or has a zesty kick to it. This is subjective, and everyone has a different heat threshold.

Spices like chiles can be as mellow as red pepper flakes and jalapeño all the way up to extremely hot like habanero or the dreaded ghost chili. These flavors come as seasonings on everything from chips and nuts to cheeseburgers.

People like spicy foods for a variety of reasons. Some grew up with it as part of their cultural cuisine, so the heat just feels like home. Whether it’s in the southern United States or other countries, spice is a strong tradition in family cooking.

But for those who didn’t grow up eating spicy cuisine, they might just see it as a personal challenge to try the hottest foods possible. And for others, it might be as simple as enjoying the flavor!

No matter what the reason, spicy foods are a hit. Still, if you’re new to spicy foods, it can be intimidating to jump in. Don’t worry, though, there are plenty of rungs of the heat ladder, and you can slowly build up your tolerance over time.

It’s okay to start in the shallow end; just start wherever you feel comfortable and go with the flow! Who knows, you may surprise yourself and discover that your tongue can handle a bit more kick than you anticipated.

The Rise of Spicy Snacks

Spicy foods have been a part of cuisines around the world for hundreds, even thousands of years. For example, plenty of dishes from India tend to be very spicy.

However, spicy snacks have been increasing in popularity over the years in the United States. For whatever reason, people are starting to prefer spicy and heavily-seasoned foods.

You have some more obvious snacks such as chips, which come in flavors ranging from jalapeno cheddar and beyond. Chip sales in the “hot” category have grown by 12% in the last handful of years.

But there are also plenty of examples of spiciness being added to snacks that traditionally weren’t spicy. These include spicy ingredients being added to sugary beverages like soda and even energy drinks.

Yes, sodas come in hot flavors now. These range from flavors you’d expect, like Spicy Cherry or Spicy Ginger, but they can also get much stronger. Everything from mustard and Jalapeno Pepper all the way up to Ghost Pepper and Nevada Reaper Pepper.

In addition, international foods like kimchi have grown in popularity in recent times. This traditional Korean side dish is typically made with fermented cabbage, chili powder and a variety of other components.

It’s pretty clear, the market for spicy foods is hot. If you can think of a snack item, the chances are good there’s a spicy or heavily seasoned version of it available somewhere.

Our Favorite Spicy Snacks

Before diving into the deep end with full spicy meals, you might want to ease into the heat. A good way to do that is through snacks, which can be eaten in small portions.

But even if you’re all-in on spicy food and have zero hesitancy, it’s always nice to have fun snack ideas in mind. Here are a few of our favorite spicy snacks.

Lorissa’s Kitchen Jalapeño Beef Sticks

When you want something savory and spicy, there’s no better place to look than our Jalapeño Beef Sticks. They’re seasoned with garlic, onion and red pepper and then slow-smoked to perfection.

But the uniqueness of these sticks comes from being infused with real jalapeño peppers. There’s no artificial pepper flavoring; the heat comes from real and refreshing jalapeños.

Our beef sticks come in individually-wrapped servings, so you can bring them with you anywhere and enjoy them anytime. Try them for yourself and taste the zesty delight!

Spicy Chips

Potato chips and tortilla chips aren’t usually the best travel snacks, but they’re hard to beat when relaxing and watching movies. They also come in a variety of hot flavors!

The most common spicy chips are probably spicy nacho and jalapeño cheddar. But they also come in seasonings that include spicy lime and sweet habañero. 

Seasoned Peanuts

Peanuts are a unique snack because they can satisfy both sweet and savory cravings. But they can also be topped with cajun seasoning, chili powder and other spicy flavors to add some zing.

Peanuts are sturdy and don’t crumble easily. They’re also available in small travel packs. These factors mean you can bring them with you anywhere and enjoy them in almost any situation.

Anything With Hot Honey!

Hot honey is all the rage these days. There’s a good reason for that; it’ll make you happy whether you have a sweet tooth or a strong hankering for heat.

This condiment is a simple combination of classic honey infused with chili peppers, and it’s surprisingly versatile. People put it on everything from toast to pizza, but you can also eat it solo with a spoon.

Cinnamon Gum

Let’s take a look outside the box for a moment. Sometimes you’re not hungry at all but your mouth is still telling you to enjoy something spicy. This is where cinnamon gum joins the party.

Sugar-free gum has minimal calories and it fits in a pocket. This makes it easy to bring to any situation and you can enjoy it without feeling full. While it won’t scratch the savory itch, it’ll still give a kick of heat that’ll make you happy.

Jack Link’s Sweet and Hot

There are days when you’re hungry for meat, but the tender texture of beef sticks doesn’t hit the mark. When you want a tougher consistency that requires more chewing, here comes Sweet & Hot Beef Jerky to the rescue.

This jerky is the best of both worlds. It’s nice and sweet and also feisty. This is thanks to a marinade that includes special ingredients such as smoky-sweet red chili and black pepper.

Sweet & Hot jerky comes in resealable pouches, which makes them great to carry in a backpack, purse or messenger bag. Pick up a bag and bring on the sweet heat.

Level Up Your Spicy Snack Game With Lorissa’s Kitchen

Spicy foods have been in the world for centuries, but spicy snacks have only recently been booming in popularity. People want bold flavors and spicy tastes that’ll make their eyes widen.

Lorissa’s Kitchen has meat snacks that’ll make you happy whether you want spicy jalapeno or other unique options such as Korean Barbecue and Ginger Teriyaki. Stock up on savory, spicy and sweet meat snacks today!