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.
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).
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
- 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.
Amanda says
This is my go-to sweet chili sauce. I’m confused about the amount of sambal oelek, though. 2.8 oz is about double the suggested 2.5 Tbsp. I’ve made it using both amounts and it’s way spicier with 2.8 oz than 2.5 Tbsp, but the consistency was OK either way.
Dini says
Hi Amanda
The 2.8 oz that I’ve mentioned here is by weight, not volume. Ounces is a weight measurement, while fluid ounces is the volume measurement.
2.5 tbsp of sambal oelek is 2.8 oz or 80 grams in weight (and not 5.6 tbsp).
I hope that helps!
Izzy Itrich says
I used the exact measurements you suggested in your recipe listed above but mine came out super liquidy and not gelatinous in the slightest… I even tried to add a bit more cornstarch to help thicken it up but that did not do the trick. Please help!
Dini says
Hi Izzy
I’m not sure what happened either.
Did you bring the sauce to a simmer (a light boil?). How long was it simmering for? With cornstarch, making the liquid to a boil is crucial to activate the starch for thickening.
I hope that helps
Paula says
I want to thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I started out by making one batch for my husband to try. I’m now canning your sweet & spicy chili sauce for my husband, brother and nephew. We all love it!!!
vanita says
loved the recipe … turned out perfect !!!
Leela says
Loved it
Clara M says
This was sooo yummy drizzled over our rice & ground pork/chicken bowls. We plan on using it over air fried brussel sprouts and so much more. Loved it!
Lesa Pasquale says
Whole family loved it. Used it on chicken Thai pizza with pita crust. Will try it with shrimp next. Yum.
Tammy says
What if tastes too vingary?
Dini says
Hi Tammy
It sounds like you added too much vinegar or used a different kind of vinegar. If this happens, you would have to add more of the other ingredients to balance the vinegar taste.
I hope that helps!
Marlene says
It’s good but I feel the measurements r not correct. I used exact amount of soya sauce but the colour of the final product was on the black soya sauce colour and not red as it should be
Dini says
Hi Marlene
I only used 15 mL of light soy sauce, which is not enough to color the chili sauce at all.
If you used more than 15 mL, or used a brand of soy sauce that is darker, this can have an impact on the final result. The red comes from the chili flakes as well. The better the chili, the more red color your sauce will have. If you didn’t use sambal oelek, or used a different kind of dried chili, it may not color the sauce as much either.
I hope that helps
achinoam says
thank u so much for the recipe .i would like to ask `if i can use Xanthan gum instead of the cornstarch?
Dini says
Hi Achinoam
Yes you can use xanthan gum. However, be careful when you add it because if you add too much, it will make the sauce slimy!
Tshegang says
Thank you for this recipe! Can’t wait to make it.
Can I use some cider vinegar instead of white vinegar? Also, can I use xylitol instead of sugar?
Dini says
Hi Tshegang
Yes, you can use cider vinegar, but unlike white vinegar cider vinegar has a flavor. So you will taste this in the final sauce. I personally didn’t like the fruity taste it adds.
I haven’t used xylitol in this recipe either. Sugar is important because it also helps thicken the sauce, and I’m not sure if xylitol would do that. Unfortunately I’m not familiar with sugar substitutes.
Daniela says
Just made these to pair with some home made coconut shrimp and holy heck it was amazing! Seriously so good, I’m saving this recipe and can’t wait to try it on other things!
Tom says
Easiest to make and delicious, can’t get enough of it. Went through a whole jar at the last BBQ
Becky says
How much does this recipe make? I’m thinking of grilling chicken with it. Will grilling it be ok?
Dini says
Hi Becky
As the recipe states, this makes about 1 1/2 cups.
You can grill chicken with this sauce, but you have to be careful not to burn the sugar too much.
I hope that helps
Laurie says
Can I just buy some from you? Sounds so good but I don’t really want yo make it myself – where can I get some? Thank you!
Dini says
Hi Laurie
You can usually sweet chili sauce at supermarket stores 🙂
I hope that helps!
Shelby says
What is in the photo where the cracker is being dipped! Looks delish!
Dini says
Hi Shelby
That was spreadable cream cheese 🙂 In New Zealand, sweet chili sauce with cream cheese or sour cream is very popular!
Jpy says
OMG. This is AMAZING! I mean, I will eat it with everything. Thanks you!
Em says
How long does this keep for in the fridge?
Mabel says
The most authentic recipe I have found. Thank you
Nathan Hall says
This recipe is perfect!
Salli Martin says
where are the tomatoes?
Dini says
Hi Salli
Thai sweet chili sauce does not contain tomatoes.
Hope that helps!
Jill says
How long will a batch keep in the fridge?
Dini says
Hi Jill
I don’t keep mine for longer than 5 days because they finish within a week each time I make it.
Celeste says
I have tried so many. This is now the “ONE” and only. This is soooooo good!
Simra Qaiyum says
Lovely recipe, really loved the flavour
Amita says
Easy n nice
YASUA says
Amazing website and Delicious recipes
Parker says
I have a batch of Thai chili’s. I would love to make this and can it. What are the canning specifications? Do you use a water bath or high pressure canning method, and how long?
Dini says
Hi Parker!
As noted in the recipe notes, I’m not a canning expert, so I can’t offer you any advice on canning methods. On the advice of other readers who have canned it, I have given advice on how to substitute and adapt the recipe for canning.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Tess says
I love this recipe. I always have the stuff on hand and it whips up quick for adding a dash of flavor to anything. I use chili flakes instead of sambol olek (or whatever it is).
Michael Kronenberg says
Way better than the store bought. Thank you for sharing
LINDA CAMPBELL says
I LOVE YOUR RECIPES
yvonne says
I LOVE THE RECIPE
Pat Sorensen says
Made a sweet chillie sauce today. Fermented some birds eye chillies with garlic, onion and capsicum for the last 2 weeks in salted water. Blended it up and use that as the base then followed your recipe, using the water it fermented in instead of plain water. Came out a treat!
Pat scott says
I will try but haven’t yet!the ingredients look super!
Enith Chan says
Hi , can I use ground dried garlic instead of fresh garlic?
Dini says
Hi Enith
You could use garlic powder instead of fresh. However the look and taste if the sauce will be different. I do find the flavor of garlic powder is different to fresh garlic.
Kellie B says
Can you use fresh chilli instead?
Dini says
Hi Kellie
As stated in the post, you can add fresh chili. You will need to make it into a paste first though. Also, fresh chili is spicier than sambal oelek, so you may need to remove the seeds and adjust the spice level to your preference.
Hope that helps!
JANA HARVEY says
Made this recipe today using the exact recipe. (Dried peppers with rice wine vinegar as I didn’t have the samba oelek) I did add the cayenne as my husband likes the added spice. Flavor is so good! It’s just a bit spicier than I like. Plan to make a batch for me without the cayenne. Will make this over and over again!
Lita says
If I want to make in large quantities, have a large family and the all want a bottle. Can I just double a d double up the recipe or must it be adjusted for larger quantity
Dini says
Hi Lita,
You could double the recipe, but you will have to adjust cook times as a larger batch may take longer to thicken.
Hope that helps!
David Sacino says
My wife like hot and spicy red pepper chili and I like the sweet. I used the chili oil instead of Sambal oelekand and it came out great.
Anna Mello says
Trying to calculate WW points for this sauce. What is the “serving size”?
How much does this recipe make?
Thanks so much.
Tim says
Turned out perfect! I made it with fish sauce instead of soy and added a full tablespoon. It is delicious. Will definitely make again. Thank you so much for sharing!
Andrew wade says
I love the recipe really appreciate it thanks
Blake says
Can I use Mirin instead of rice vinegar
Dini says
Hi Blake
Mirin and rice vinegar are different products and can’t be interchanged. Mirin is sweet, while rice vinegar is sour.
The closest substitutions for rice vinegar would be white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar (this will give a fruitier taste).
Hope that helps!
Billy says
So I made the sauce (added Chinese 5 spice) but I noticed that it came out a little too spicy and not what I’m used to, which is the Americanized version from the restaurants which tend to be more on thd sweet and tangy side. The sauce was jarred about 30 minutes ago, but I’m wondering if I could add more sugar or even stevia to the already made sauce to tone it down?
Thanks!
Dini says
Hi Billy
This is a spicy sweet chili sauce, and has the added cayenne pepper to make it more spicy. However I have advised to leave out the cayenne pepper if you prefer the sauce to be mild.
If you have made it too spicy, the option I recommend is to make half a batch of the sauce WITHOUT the sambal oelek and chili and add it to the batch you already have made. This ensures the other flavors are balanced well and the consistency doesn’t change.
Another option is to add more of the vinegar and sugar and recook the sauce. This could change the consistency (without the extra cornstarch).
You can try adding more sugar if you like, but you will need to re heat it to dissolve it. Personally I will also find that too sweet as well.
Hope that helps!
Claudia says
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I’m wondering if I could substitute Splenda or Truvia for the sugar. What do you think?
Dini says
Hi Claudia
Unfortunately I haven’t tried it with either of those substitutes, so I can’t be sure if it will work. I have used monk fruit sugar because it’s a 1:1 substitution ratio with sugar and therefore won’t affect the consistency of the final sauce. Hope that helps!
Keith Fullerton says
I have made this several times and received rave reviews every time. I plan to can it for gifts so I bought some clear gel, Wonderful recipe. I used sambal with garlic and have cut down on the corn starch slightly, Couldn’t be better.