The Easiest and Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce – easy to make, and easy to adapt and most importantly absolutely delicious! Learn how to make this authentic Asian sweet chili sauce with step by step instructions. Great for canning too.
The only recipe for Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce you’ll ever need!
- What is Sweet Chili Sauce?
- How can I make this recipe?
- Step by step recipe video below
- What if I can’t find Sambal Oelek?
- Can I make sweet chili sauce with a sugar substitute?
- Can I make this recipe gluten free?
- Can I make this sweet chili sauce vegan?
- Can I can sweet chili sauce?
- Are there any sweet chili sauce substitutes?
- How to store sweet chili sauce
Imagine a steaming hot spring roll, an egg roll, fried chicken, grilled chicken, chicken wings, chicken nuggets, crab rangoon, wanton, fried calamari, cheesy toast etc. etc. Now imagine the same without that ever present, faithful sidekick – the dipping sauce? Not quite the same, is it? Whether it’s game day, or you’re eating out or you have friends over, sometimes a great appetizer or snack just isn’t the same without that beautiful condiment – the dipping sauce.
Although that’s not always the case – I recently made some Mini Cheesy Chicken Pies and Pork Sausage rolls, which I thought were perfect without any condiments. But for those moments when you do need one, an easy to make, insanely delicious, homemade dipping sauce might just make all the difference!
And one of my absolute favorite dipping sauces is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce! I used to ALWAYS have a bottle of this sauce in my fridge, and use it on pretty much everything. It’s my go-to condiment.
This really is the Best Thai Sweet Chili Sauce you’ll ever have! It’s one of the most popular posts on my blog with dozens and dozens of great reviews on here and on Pinterest. It’s ridiculously easy to make, but I’ve also provided ingredient substitutions to make it even easier for you.
What is Sweet Chili Sauce?
A simple to make, thick, sweet and spicy sauce with a delicious garlicky kick. You can actually see pieces of chili and minced garlic suspended in the sauce in the pictures in this post. This sauce is a classic condiment in Asian cuisine, especially Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.
Yes, it’s readily available in any supermarket or grocery store worth its salt. But if you know me, you know that I love to make whatever I can, whenever I can, from scratch. And this is one of those things that really is simple enough that you can make yourself at home easily.
Plus you know exactly what goes in it, so it’s healthier, and with this recipe, you know that the results are going to be glorious! 🙂
So on one of my trips to the grocery store, I looked at the label on the sweet chili sauce bottle and the ingredients were – sugar, water, pickled red chili, rice vinegar, garlic, salt and xanthan gum. That sounded simple enough, and all I needed was to find the best ratio of those ingredients.
How can I make this recipe?
Sweet chili sauce is easy. We’ve already established that. It comes together in just 10 minutes and you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
One of the ingredients to make this is pickled red chili. It’s pretty time consuming to make your own fresh chili paste and pickle it to make this recipe. But thankfully there is a readily available ingredient, which is a shortcut to help you make authentic sweet chili sauce.
And that’s SAMBAL OELEK! It’s an Asian chili sauce made with red chili peppers and rice vinegar. I always have a bottle of it in my fridge because I use it all the time when cooking curries or stir-fries.
Sambal Oelek used to be a little tougher to find, unless you had easy access to an Asian grocery store, but now you can easily find them in most supermarkets. Just check the Asian food aisle in your local supermarket. There are two types of Sambl oelek –
- Regular chili sambal oelek that I use for this recipe and,
- Chili garlic sambal oelek
For the most authentic flavor, use the regular sambal oelek. But if that’s not available, you can use the garlic version too. Just make sure to cut down the amount of garlic cloves in the recipe by half.
Another ingredient that I use to make sweet chili sauce is soy sauce OR fish sauce. Both of these ingredients help season the sauce and add another level of flavor to it. I love adding fish sauce for a more authentic Thai or Vietnamese flavor flair with a nice little umami kick too.
Step by step recipe video below
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What if I can’t find Sambal Oelek?
Don’t you worry! I tried different substitutions and found that you can still make this delicious sauce at home without sambal oelek. There’s a subtle difference in flavor and appearance with each substitution, but in the end, you still have a really flavorful sweet chili sauce!
The spiciness level from using just sambal oelek, is a medium heat. Adding and/or substituting any other chili substitutes can make this spicier.
Dried Chili Flakes
Dried chili flakes will make this sauce a tad spicier. Instead of 2 ½ tbsp to substitute the sambal oelek, I only add about 2 tbsp of dried chili flakes, and a little extra vinegar (about 1 tbsp). You may need a little extra seasoning too, but that’ll be a personal preference. Do not use cayenne pepper because chili flakes are spicier than sambal oelek.
Also bear in mind that chili flakes can vary in spice levels. So if your chili flakes are very spicy, adjust the amount to tolerable levels.
Fresh Chili
I’ve made this with fresh chili too. Again, I only use about 2 tbsp of ground (or finely chopped) fresh chili. Make sure to find the red chili peppers for this sweet chili sauce recipe.
If you make this with red jalapeno, the spice level will be less, and you can use 2 tbsp of the peppers (with or without seeds – but remove seeds to make it less spicy).
If you have access to Thai red chili (the small red chili), you can use even less. These peppers are spiceeeey! It’ll be better to remove most of the seeds, and ONLY use the chili for to make the sauce. I typically only use about 1 ½ tbsp of ground Thai red chili peppers.
And ALWAYS remember to use gloves when handling fresh chili, especially Thai red chili peppers.
Cayenne Pepper
I haven’t made this sauce with ground cayenne pepper (chili powder), but you could if you wanted to. It won’t look the same as the authentic sweet chili sauce, because there won’t be any flakes in the sauce, and you’ll end up with a colored thick sauce with pieces of garlic suspended in it. But the flavor should be pretty good (though not as good as with sambal oelek).
Can I make sweet chili sauce with a sugar substitute?
Absolutely!
- You can use honey, but it’ll change the flavor significantly, so as long as you’re OK with that, go for it. The sauce may require a little extra cornstarch to make it thicker as well. Adding honey will make this recipe not vegan.
- If you want to use brown sugar, you can do that too.
- If you want to use rice syrup (brown rice syrup), that’s also great. I haven’t made this recipe with rice syrup before, but it could change the flavor.
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
The only ingredient with gluten in this sweet chili sauce recipe is soy sauce. You can easily substitute the soy sauce with gluten free tamari sauce, to make sweet chili sauce gluten free. Using soy sauce or tamari sauce will still make sure this recipe is vegan as well. Alternatively, you can leave out the soy sauce and just season it with more salt.
I have also recommended using fish sauce instead of soy sauce for the more authentic Thai/Vietnamese flavor. Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce) and Nam pla (Thai fish sauce) are naturally gluten free, but not vegan.
Can I make this sweet chili sauce vegan?
Yes, you can.
While fish sauce does make the taste more authentic, you can leave out the fish sauce if you like. Just substitute it with soy sauce or tamari sauce (gluten free) or salt, to make this sweet chili sauce vegan.
Can I can sweet chili sauce?
You can, but I’m not a canning expert to be able to tell you HOW to can it. I’ve had many readers ask me this question and I’ve had many more readers tell me that they have canned their sweet chili sauce with success, with a few substitutions.
The one obstacle for canning this sauce is the use of cornstarch to thicken the sauce here. Since recipes using cornstarch or cornflour are not recommended for canning, you will need to substitute the cornstarch if you’re planning on canning it.
Cornstarch can create lumps in the sauce during the canning process which can interfere with the process itself AND the final outcome.
There are TWO options for those of you who want to can this sweet chili sauce.
- Can the sauce WITHOUT the cornstarch, and then thicken the sauce later, before you use it.
- Substitute the cornstarch with Clear Jel (my recommended option).
Using Clear Jel for canning sweet chili sauce
You can use Clear Jel for this recipe and get great results! Make sure to use the cook type clear jel and NOT the instant type.
I’ve found that I have to use just a little extra Clear Jel than cornstarch to thicken this sweet chili sauce. For every 3 tsp of cornstarch (1 tbsp), I use 4 tsp Clear Jel (1 tbsp + 1 tsp).
Since Clear Jel is a modified cornstarch, it should be gluten free. But check with the manufacturer to be sure.
Are there any sweet chili sauce substitutes?
There isn’t really a substitute for this one of a kind sauce. You could mix some sriracha with honey for a sweet and spicy substitute, but that’s just not the same.
But the good news is that this sweet chili sauce can be cooked in just 10 minutes (or less), and it’s ready to be enjoyed as soon as it cools down. Plus, with all the substitutions available, you can readily make this sweet chili sauce with what you have in your pantry.
How to store sweet chili sauce
Once you’ve made this homemade sweet chili sauce, you can store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks. The high sugar content helps the sweet chili sauce last longer, but make sure you’re not contaminating it with other food particles.
I prefer to sterilize my jars (in boiling water, or the oven), and then add the hot sauce to the containers. This way I know that they should last awhile (although, a batch never lasts too long because we use it on everything!).
I can say with plenty of conviction that this really is the BEST SWEET CHILI SAUCE you can make at home! 🙂 While the most authentic Thai sweet chili sauce requires that one special shortcut ingredient (sambal oelek), you can make it without sambal oelek too, as I’ve shown you guys here.
This sauce makes for a great edible gift during the holidays as well! And now that you know how to make the recipe safe for canning, you can make the sauce last longer too.
This is definitely a recipe that you should add to your repertoire. Imagine telling your friends that wicked sweet chili sauce is all homemade?
It looks so pretty with that vibrant red color too! That counts for something too right? 🙂
Dip all these things into this Sweet Chili Sauce!
Szechuan Salt and Pepper Shrimp (Salt and Pepper Prawns)
Spicy Thai Basil Chicken kebabs
Baked Mushroom Fries (Vegan friendly)
Caramelized Apple, Fennel and Pork Sausage Rolls
EQUIPMENT & TOOLS I USED FOR THIS RECIPE
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Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce
Ingredients:
- ½ cup rice vinegar unseasonsed
- 3/4 cup water
- 4 oz white sugar (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)
- 5 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 1 tbsp soy sauce gluten free soy sauce or salt if you’d like to keep the recipe gluten free or soy free, OR 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper optional – halve it or leave it out if you like it less spicy
- 2.8 oz sambal oelek a generous 2 1/2 tbsp (please see recipe notes)
- 4 tsp cornflour / cornstarch (see recipe notes)
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions:
- Add the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic cloves, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper (if using) in to a non-stick pan. If you’re using dried chili instead of sambal oelek, add it to the pan at the same time.
- Heat over medium heat while stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Add the sambal oelek and mix through. Let it cook for a few minutes until it’s slightly thickened (2- 5 minutes)
- Mix the cornstarch and water into a smooth slurry and add this to the sauce as well.
- While stirring frequently (to prevent the sauce from burning at the bottom), simmer the sauce for a further 2 – 5 minutes or until it reaches a desired thickness. Remember, the sauce thickens as it cools as well. If it thickens too much, add a little extra water to thin it out. If you’re using Clear Jel, the sauce will thicken mostly only as it cools down.
- Pour into glass jars with air-tight lids (OR heated and sterilized jars to store for longer).
- Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge.
Tips & Tricks
- 2 tbsp dried chili flakes + 1 tbsp extra rice wine vinegar (reduce the amount of chili flakes if the chili flakes you use is spicy (they will be spicier than sambal oelek)
- Finely chopped red chili (red jalapeno or Thai red chili – please read blog post for details)
- For canning, use 5 ½ tsp of Clear Jel, dissolved in 3 tbsp water.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Erin Burns says
This looks wonderful, excited to make it! How long does this last in the fridge?
Dini says
Hi Erin
This should last about 5 – 7 days in the fridge.
I hope that helps
Jeanne says
Is it okay to rather use just normal vinegar, but can’t wait to try
Dini says
Hi Jeanne
Do you mean white vinegar by normal vinegar?
White vinegar is not a good substitute for rice vinegar because it is very harsh and sour. So it won’t result in the same taste.
You can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead. The taste will be a little different, but it will still be tasty.
Hope that helps
Karen Laliberte says
Hello, I would love to make this Chili sauce but I can’t handle anything spicy. Can you tell me how to make it less spicy or at least medium (even that would might be too spicy I have a delicate tongue I guess lol) I went to a restaurant with my son and he ordered the chili cauliflower I taste just a little bit and I liked the taste of it but my mouth was on fire.
Thanks, Karen
Dini says
Hi Karen
It’s really hard for me to change the recipe to reduce the chili without changing the flavor too much. Also what is mild for me, Can still be spicy for another person too.
You can easily remove the extra cayenne pepper as that is an optional addition to make this spicy. Sambal oelek isn’t spicy for me at all, so making this with just sambal oelek wouldn’t be spicy for me at all.
You can reduce the amount of sambal oelek, but it does change the flavor for me personally and make the sauce too sweet.
I hope that helps
Karen says
Thank you.
Melody says
I made this and it was what we in Hawaii call “broke da mouth”. I made this sauce for a crab rangoon pizza. I searched for a while and slubbed through a lot of variations before finally finding this one. I have added this to my recipe files. Thank you for sharing. I have to make two separate batches one for me spicy and one for my husband mild. I would not change anything and I like that there is no ketchup.
Pogiso says
Lol and after making it I was laughing at myself wow wonderful and easy
Hannah says
Hi what’s that white thing you’re dipping the cracker into that’s covered with this sauce?
Dini says
Hi Hannah
The white is cream cheese that I molded into a half sphere in a bowl. You can use spreadable plain cream cheese.
In new zealand, we love sweet chilli sauce and cream cheese or sour cream together! We can buy the sweet chili and cream cheese dip in supermarkets.
It’s a great combination 🙂 Hope you try it!
Usha Menon says
I have not tried this yet but made your Sri Lankan spicy black pork curry and it turned out well. Thank you for an unusual dish.
Adri Chaet says
Thanks for your recipe, I would love to try it, but for health reasons I’m not adding sugar to my food. Wondering if it has been tried substituting swerve for sugar in this sweet chili recipe. Thank you
Dini says
Hi Adri
Unfortunately I haven’t tried to make this with sugar substitutes. I’m not familiar with sugar substitutes, so I cannot be certain.
A 1:1 sugar substitute like monkfruit sugar might be a better substitute, but I don’t know if monk fruit sugar thickens the same way as regular sugar, so you MIGHT need to add extra cornstarch if it doesn’t.
Hope that helps!
mo Co says
Very spicy for me but i love it! My husband really enjoyed it cuz he loves spicy food
Anita says
Hi Dini, I plan to substitute with apple cider vinegar since I am sensitive to all other vinegars. However, I am not too familiar with how authentic chili sauce is supposed to taste. Could you suggest what to add to recipe to to take away some of the fruity flavor that comes with using apple cider vinegar? Thank you!
Dini says
Hi Anita
Unfortunately there isn’t a way to cancel a fruit flavor when you add it to a recipe. Rice wine vinegar adds the authentic flavor of the sauce.
Adding apple cider vinegar won’t taste authentic, but it’ll still taste good, just with a fruitier version of sweet chili sauce.