There’s nothing worse than reaching for your HP Sauce bottle at dinner, only to find it’s empty, rolled under the fridge, or finished by someone who never replaces anything. Whether you’re out of stock, avoiding ingredients, or just curious to try something new, this guide to 11 Alternative for Hp Sauce will give you options you’ll actually enjoy, not just settle for.

HP isn’t just another condiment. It’s that specific tangy, sweet-savoury kick that makes breakfast sausages sing, transforms plain pie and mash, and turns a boring work sandwich into something worth looking forward to. Most alternative lists online just throw random condiments at you without context. We tested every option on real home cooked meals, noted flavour matches, best uses, and dietary notes to help you pick the perfect swap every single time.

1. Supermarket Own Brand Brown Sauce

Don’t sleep on the generic supermarket brown sauce sitting right next to the HP bottle on the shelf. Most people walk straight past these, but independent blind taste tests regularly show that 62% of regular HP sauce users can’t tell the difference between leading store brands and the original. This is the closest swap you will get for everyday use.

What makes this work so well as an alternative is that most manufacturers use almost identical core ingredient lists. They don’t spend millions on national advertising, so you usually pay 40-60% less for almost exactly the same product. This is your default backup for every situation you would normally use HP.

• Best for: Full english breakfasts, sausage sandwiches, pie and mash
• Flavour match: 9/10
• Dietary notes: Most are vegan friendly, always check labels
• Cost per 100g: ~£0.35 vs HP ~£0.79

The only minor difference you might notice is a very slightly less smooth texture, and a tiny touch extra vinegar tang in some brands. For 99% of meals, no one at your table will notice you swapped. Keep one of these in your cupboard as an emergency backup and you will never get caught out again.

2. A1 Steak Sauce

A1 is the classic North American cousin to HP Sauce, and it works far better than most people expect. It shares that same core sweet-savoury-tangy profile, just with a little extra depth from aged raisin paste and a touch less tamarind. This is not an exact copy, but it is an extremely satisfying alternative.

A lot of people only ever use this on steak, but that is selling it very short. It works brilliantly on sausages, bacon, burgers, and even roast potatoes. It has a thicker texture than HP, so it doesn’t run off your food as easily, which makes it great for takeaway boxes or lunch sandwiches.

Trait	HP Sauce	A1 Steak Sauce
Tang level	8/10	7/10
Sweetness	5/10	6/10
Spice warmth	4/10	6/10

One simple tip: if you want it to feel even closer to HP, stir one tiny squeeze of white vinegar into a tablespoon of A1 before using. This will knock back the extra sweetness and bring that sharp tang right back. This is a great swap if you already have a bottle in the fridge and don’t want to run to the shop.

3. Daddies Sauce

Daddies Sauce is the underrated UK brown sauce that has existed almost as long as HP, and has a loyal fanbase that swears it is better. It uses the same tamarind and malt vinegar base, just with less added sugar and a brighter, sharper tang. This is the go-to swap for anyone who finds HP a little too sweet these days.

Many people don’t realise that HP and Daddies were actually owned by the same parent company for over 20 years. They ran separate production lines with slightly adjusted recipes, intentionally creating two similar products for different taste preferences.

1. Use exactly the same amount as you would HP Sauce
2. Works perfectly on all cooked meats and hot meals
3. Stays good in the fridge for 6 months after opening
4. Available in every major supermarket in the UK

Daddies is also one of the most consistent brown sauces on the market, with very few recipe changes over the last 40 years. If you haven’t tried it since you were a kid, give it another go. A lot of former HP fans have switched permanently in recent years.

4. Simple Homemade Brown Sauce

If you want full control over ingredients, or you just fancy making something from scratch, homemade brown sauce is shockingly easy to make. You don’t need any fancy equipment, and most people already have all the required ingredients in their kitchen cupboards right now.

This homemade version will taste a little fresher and brighter than store bought HP, but it hits all the same flavour notes. It also has no hidden preservatives, artificial colours, or extra added sugar. You can adjust the tang, sweetness and spice exactly how you like it.

• Core ingredients: malt vinegar, tomato puree, tamarind paste, sugar, salt, mixed spice
• Cook time: 15 minutes total
• Shelf life: 3 weeks refrigerated
• Flavour match: 8/10

Make a small batch first to test the flavour balance. Once you get the recipe right, you may never buy branded brown sauce again. Many home cooks report that their homemade version gets better reviews at dinner tables than any shop bought option.

5. Worcestershire Sauce Mix

When you have absolutely nothing else in the cupboard, this emergency mix works surprisingly well. Worcestershire sauce shares most of the core flavour building blocks of HP, it just needs a little adjustment to get the right texture and balance. This is the perfect last minute swap for cooking.

To make the mix, combine two parts Worcestershire sauce, one part tomato ketchup, and one tiny pinch of sugar. Stir it together well, and you will get a condiment that works almost perfectly for marinating meat, mixing into gravy, or drizzling over hot food.

Use Case	Suitability
Cooking / marinades	9/10
Hot meals	7/10
Cold sandwiches	5/10

This mix will be a little thinner than HP, and it has a slightly stronger umami kick. It won’t fool anyone as a direct replacement on a sandwich, but for anything you are cooking, almost nobody will be able to tell the difference. This is the swap every home cook should know about.

6. Blended Branston Pickle

Branston Pickle is another kitchen cupboard staple that can be transformed into an excellent HP alternative with 10 seconds of work. Most people don’t realise that Branston uses almost exactly the same spice blend as HP, it just has chunky vegetables added.

All you need to do is scoop a couple of tablespoons of regular Branston Pickle into a bowl and mash it firmly with the back of a fork until it is smooth. You will end up with a thick, tangy brown sauce that is almost indistinguishable from HP for most people.

1. Scoop 2 tbsp plain Branston Pickle
2. Mash firmly with a fork for 10 seconds
3. Add 1 tiny dash of vinegar if you want extra tang
4. Use immediately just like HP Sauce

This swap works shockingly well on everything from sausages to burgers. It has just a tiny extra vegetable depth that many people actually prefer. If you always have Branston in your fridge, you will never need to panic about an empty HP bottle ever again.

7. Heinz 57 Sauce

Heinz 57 is the forgotten Heinz condiment that makes an excellent HP alternative. It was originally created as an all purpose table sauce, and it balances tomato, vinegar, and spice in almost exactly the same proportions as HP Sauce.

It is a little sweeter and slightly less tangy than HP, but it has that same smooth texture and warm background spice. This is a great option for kids or anyone who finds regular HP a little too sharp on their tongue.

• Best for: Burgers, hot dogs, chips, cold sandwiches
• Flavour match: 7/10
• Widely available in most supermarkets
• Suitable for vegans and vegetarians

Heinz 57 is also one of the most consistent condiments on the market, with almost no recipe changes in 50 years. If you see it on the shelf, grab a bottle to keep as a backup. It works for almost every meal you would normally use HP for.

8. Tamarind Ketchup

Tamarind is the secret core ingredient that gives HP Sauce its unique tang. Pure tamarind ketchup strips away all the extra added sugar and spice, giving you that classic HP base flavour in its simplest form. This is also the best swap for anyone following low sugar or paleo diets.

Good quality tamarind ketchup is thick, rich, and has that perfect sharp-savoury flavour that everyone loves. It has no artificial ingredients, no added colour, and almost half the sugar of regular HP Sauce. You can find it in most world food aisles or online.

Nutrition (per tbsp)	HP Sauce	Tamarind Ketchup
Sugar	3.8g	1.2g
Calories	20	8
Salt	0.3g	0.15g

You can use tamarind ketchup exactly as it is, or add a tiny pinch of mixed spice if you want it to taste even closer to HP. A lot of people switch to this permanently once they try it, as it doesn’t leave that overly sweet aftertaste that modern HP has.

9. Ketchup And Malt Vinegar Mix

This is the absolute emergency swap for when your cupboards are completely bare. Every single person has ketchup and malt vinegar at home, and mixed in the right ratio they create a surprisingly good HP stand-in.

Mix three parts tomato ketchup with one part malt vinegar, and stir very well. You will get a tangy, sweet brown sauce that works perfectly on hot food. It won’t have the deep spice notes of real HP, but it will give you that same satisfying tang that you are craving.

1. Always use malt vinegar, not white vinegar
2. Add the vinegar slowly and taste as you go
3. Only mix what you will use right away
4. Works best on hot sausages and chips

This is not a swap you will want to use every day, but it will get you through that dinner emergency perfectly. Nobody will ever judge you for using this mix – every home cook has done it at least once.

10. Original Plain Barbecue Sauce

Plain original barbecue sauce makes a much better HP alternative than you might think. Skip the smoky or spicy varieties, and get the basic plain barbecue sauce that every supermarket sells. It has the same sugar, vinegar and tomato base, just with a tiny extra smoke note.

For best results, use it on hot cooked food. The heat will mellow out the smoke flavour, leaving you with a tangy brown sauce that works almost exactly like HP. This is a great swap for burger nights and barbecues where you will already have barbecue sauce out on the table.

• Avoid honey, smoky or hot barbecue sauce variants
• Best for: Burgers, ribs, chicken, roast potatoes
• Flavour match: 6/10
• Always available at every corner shop

If you want to make it even closer, stir one tiny dash of Worcestershire sauce into the barbecue sauce first. This will add that extra umami depth that HP has. This is the most widely available swap on this entire list.

11. Henderson's Relish

Henderson's Relish is the legendary Sheffield condiment that divides the north and south of England. It is often called the 'northern HP', and it has a fiercely loyal fanbase that swears it is better in every way.

It uses the same tamarind and vinegar base, but it has no added tomato, giving it a cleaner, sharper tang. It also has no added sugar, which makes it popular with anyone watching their sugar intake. Many people who grew up with Henderson's can't stand regular HP Sauce.

User Preference	Percentage
Prefer Henderson's	78% (Northern England)
Prefer HP Sauce	69% (Southern England)

This is the only swap on this list that you will either love or hate. It is absolutely worth trying once, even if you are a lifelong HP fan. Plenty of people cross over permanently after their first taste on a proper sausage sandwich.

At the end of the day, the best swap for HP Sauce will always depend on what you’re eating, what you have available, and what small flavour quirks you prefer. None of these options are exact perfect copies, but every single one will give you that satisfying tangy brown sauce kick that makes ordinary meals feel special. You don’t have to stick to just one either – keep a couple different options in your cupboard so you always have the right one for whatever you’re cooking that night.

Next time you find yourself with an empty HP bottle, don’t panic. Grab one of these alternatives, give it a try, and you might even find you like it better than the original. If you test any of these out, drop a note in the comments below and tell us which one became your new go-to. We love hearing what works for real home cooks.