From Filipino-inspired chilli oils to CIA-trained chef creations, a wave of homegrown producers is transforming kitchens across the Emirates.
These aren't mass-produced afterthoughts. They're small-batch, flavour-first products crafted by people who genuinely obsess over heat, balance, and quality ingredients.
Here are seven local brands doing exceptional work – and all available right here at House of Habanero.
Bhalla Spices
The product: Bhalla Spices Chilli Oil
Bhalla Spices keeps things beautifully simple. This handcrafted chilli oil uses quality olive oil as its base, delivering bold flavour with a perfect balance of heat and depth. No gimmicks, no fillers – just a versatile condiment that elevates everything from morning eggs to evening stir-fries.
Founded in 2023, but in the making for over a decade, Bhalla Spices represents the new generation of UAE food artisans: focused, intentional and uncompromising on quality.
Heat level: Medium | Price: AED75
Camp's Kitchen
The products: Smoke & Earth Hot Sauce, Reap'racha, Black Reaper, Seize the Verde, Blue Scorpion, and more (9 sauces total)
Michael Camp founded Camp's Kitchen in 2022 with a clear mission: give UAE residents access to world-class craft hot sauces. The supermarket selection wasn't cutting it. So he started making his own.
The range spans from approachable crowd-pleasers like Smoke & Earth (chipotle and guajillo with a ton of flavour but manageable heat) to serious heat-seekers like Black Reaper and Blue Scorpion, which feature Carolina Reaper and Moruga Scorpion peppers respectively.
Seize the Verde brings fermented jalapeño and roasted tomatillo into a surprisingly versatile green sauce. The common thread? Every bottle prioritises flavour over pure firepower.
Heat level: Mild to hot | Price: From AED42
EAT|ON
The products: Garlicked Hot Sauce, Jalamango Hot Sauce
Jordan Eaton trained at the Culinary Institute of America before landing in the UAE and turning his expertise toward hot sauce. The results speak for themselves.
Garlicked does exactly what it promises – serrano peppers deliver clean, confident heat while generous garlic dominates the flavour profile. Carrots and red onion add subtle sweetness, balanced by a sharp vinegar tang. It's an everyday sauce with serious personality.
Jalamango takes a lighter approach. Pickled jalapeños meet fresh mango and muscovado sugar, brightened by rice vinegar, cumin, and lime. It lifts dishes rather than overwhelming them – perfect for grilled seafood, tacos, or drizzling over rice.
Heat level: Mild to medium | Price: AED44
Curious Elephant
The product: Chinese Chilli Oil
Curious Elephant has built its reputation on bringing authentic Asian flavours to UAE home kitchens. Founded in Dubai in 2020, the brand earned a BBC Good Food Middle East Awards nomination and now stocks Spinneys shelves across the country.
Their Chinese Chilli Oil delivers restaurant-quality depth with clean, bold heat. It transforms everything it touches – noodles, dumplings, stir-fries, even pizza. This is pantry-staple territory.
The brand's philosophy centres on quality without compromise. Every product empowers home cooks to create dishes that taste like they came from a professional kitchen.
Heat level: Hot | Price: AED40
PAMPA-
The products: Mild Spicy & Garlicky Chilli Garlic Oil, Spicy & Garlicky Chilli Garlic Oil
In Filipino slang, pampa- means "to enhance." Think pampa-anghang (to spice things up), pampa-gana (to spark your appetite), and pampa-sarap (to make things delicious). This UAE-made chilli garlic oil lives up to all three.
Crafted with a blend of olive oils, fresh garlic, chilli, and plant-based seasonings, PAMPA- delivers umami-packed depth with a velvety mouthfeel. The Mild version offers approachable heat with bold garlic flavour. The Spicy version turns everything up while maintaining that addictive savoury-sweet balance.
Both versions pair brilliantly with Filipino food, rice dishes, noodles, grilled meats, and anything else that needs a flavour boost.
Heat level: Mild to hot | Price: AED30
Shauce
The products: Shauce Original, Shauce Umami, Shauce Chilli Jam, Shauce Chilli Oil
Shauce takes a versatile approach to chilli products. Their lineup covers multiple formats – from pourable sauces to spreadable jams to drizzle-ready oils – so you can match the right product to the right dish.
The Chilli Jam works beautifully on cheese boards and as a glaze. The Umami sauce adds savoury depth to Asian-inspired dishes. The Original handles everyday cooking duties. And the Chilli Oil finishes dishes with aromatic heat.
All products maintain a mild-to-medium heat profile, making them accessible to spice newcomers while still satisfying seasoned chilli lovers.
Heat level: Mild to medium | Price: From AED30
Smoking Beards
The products: The Original Spice Rub, The Bayou Blaze Spice Rub, The Southern Kiss Spice Rub
Pitmaster Frederic Casagrande brings serious BBQ credentials to the UAE market with Smoking Beards. These aren't sauces – they're spice rubs designed for low-and-slow smoking, grilling, and everything in between.
The Original delivers classic BBQ flavour with paprika and a balanced spice blend. Bayou Blaze brings Louisiana-inspired heat with cayenne and Creole seasonings. The Southern Kiss offers a milder, slightly sweeter profile.
All three are gluten-free, vegan, and made without added sugar – pure flavour science from someone who genuinely understands meat.
Heat level: Mild to medium | Price: AED84
Support local heat
The UAE's craft chilli scene is thriving. These seven brands prove that world-class hot sauces, chilli oils, and spice rubs don't need to travel thousands of kilometres to reach your kitchen.
Every purchase supports local makers who pour genuine passion into their products. Browse our full Made in UAE collection to discover even more homegrown heat.
Your taste buds – and your community – will thank you.
