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The Flavor Bender Recipes Courses Dips & Condiments The Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce!

The Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce!

15 mins
Easy
Dips & Condiments
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
92.5Kshares
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Disclaimer: The Flavor Bender is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you) that will help support this website.

Author: Dini K.
Posted: 1/18/2016
Updated: 1/17/2020
Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!

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!

Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce - Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!
Contents
 [hide]
  • 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.

The Easiest and Best Sweet Chili Sauce recipe -  easy to make, and easy to adapt and most importantly absolutely delicious! Learn how to make it with step by step instructions. Great for canning too. 

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!

Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce in a jar, with a spoon pouring some sauce into the jar.

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.

All the ingredients for making the best sweet chili sauce. Minimal ingredients and easily adaptable with what you have at home.
Ingredients for sweet chili sauce

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! 🙂

The first step of mixing the liquids, sugar and garlic in a saucepan until the sugar is melted.
First step in making sweet chili sauce – cook the sugar with garlic and the liquids

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 being added to the saucepan once the sugar has melted in the liquid - overhead view
Adding sambal oelek to the sauce base

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.

Making Sweet Chili Sauce - Once you have made the sweet chili sauce the cornstarch slurry is added to thicken the sauce.
Once the sauce has come to a boil, add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce

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.

A close up of the thickened sauce stirred in a silver pan.
Cook until the sweet chili sauce has thickened to a desired consistency

Step by step recipe video below

You may need to disable ad block to view the video

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.

The BEST Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce in a jar, ready to eat or be canned, on a cloth napkin. With two more jars in the background.

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. 

Sweet Chili Sauce made in THREE different ways, depending on what you have at home. Classic Sweet Chili Sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce made with dried chili flakes, or sweet chili sauce for canning made with clearjel.
The difference in appearance between authentic sweet chili sauce (middle), sweet chili sauce made with clearjel for canning (bottom), and sweet chili sauce made with dried chili flakes (top)

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).

Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce - Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!

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.
Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce in a jar, with a spoon pouring some sauce into the jar.

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.

  1. Can the sauce WITHOUT the cornstarch, and then thicken the sauce later, before you use it.
  2. Substitute the cornstarch with Clear Jel (my recommended option).
Pouring Homemade sweet chili sauce over cream cheese for a sweet chili sauce cream cheese dip.

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.

Scooping up sweet chili topped cream cheese with cheese crackers.

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

Whisks 

Storing Glass Jars

Measuring cups & spoons

Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

4.98 from 44 votes

Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce

Author: Dini K.
Yield: Make about 1 ½ CUPS
Cuisine: Asian
The Easiest and Best 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. 
EASY – Great recipe for beginners. Simple and fast recipe.
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions
Prep: 5 minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour
Cook: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 32 tbsp
Print Rate

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
US Customary – Metric

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

Sambal oelek substitutions
  • 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)
Cornstarch substitutions
  • For canning, use 5 ½ tsp of Clear Jel, dissolved in 3 tbsp water.
Please read the blog post for more ideas on substitutions for other ingredients. 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 18kcal (1%)Carbohydrates: 4g (1%)Sodium: 32mg (1%)Potassium: 12mgSugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 15IUVitamin C: 0.6mg (1%)Calcium: 1mg

“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.”

Course:Appetizer, Sauces & Dips
Cuisine:Asian
Keyword:Chili Garlic, Condiments, Sauce Recipes, Sweet Chili Sauce
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.
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  1. Maureen says

    January 10, 2020 at 21:56

    What is the shelf life of the recipe?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      January 13, 2020 at 07:51

      Hi Maureen
      We have kept ours in the fridge for about 2 -3 weeks. It would be less if kept outside.

      Reply
  2. Bjwhite says

    December 22, 2019 at 10:54

    I have made this a few times, and among its many uses is as an exceptional ham glaze! I don’t add anything else—just a few layers of this in the last 1/2 hour or so of baking the ham.

    Reply
  3. Molly D says

    November 22, 2019 at 14:04

    5 stars
    Great recipe – I added a T of Heinz relish for extra crunch – it does NOT alter the taste, just adds crunch…

    Reply
  4. Jay says

    November 10, 2019 at 09:37

    can you use distilled vinegar

    Reply
    • Dini says

      November 10, 2019 at 09:52

      Hi Jay
      Distilled vinegar would be the same as white vinegar?
      I wouldn’t recommend using this, as the flavors are so different. White vinegar flavor will be much too harsh for this recipe. You could use apple cider vinegar, which will give the final sauce a fruity flavor (also different from the original, but better than using distilled white vinegar).

      Reply
  5. Amanda says

    November 6, 2019 at 19:53

    5 stars
    Delicious. Made as is, with the rice vinegar & chili substitute.

    Reply
  6. Joey Bruno says

    June 6, 2019 at 18:10

    5 stars
    I always enjoy the sweet chili sauce from Thai restaurants, but have never seen anyone dip crackers in it! Great idea.

    Have you ever tried dipping those crispy rice crackers? I tried those because that’s all I had lying around the pantry and it was pretty good.

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
  7. Sandra Patterson says

    May 10, 2019 at 18:47

    Thanks for explaining that there isn’t really a substitute for sweet chili sauce since it is such a unique flavor. I have been wanting to experiment with chili for a while now, and I feel like this is a great place to start! Now I just have to buy some chili to actually experiment with!

    Reply
  8. Andi says

    March 5, 2019 at 20:02

    Omg, I will never buy sweet chili sauce again. This was spot on. So yummy! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Dini says

      March 6, 2019 at 23:31

      Thanks so much for letting me know Andi! We put this sweet chili sauce on everything too! 🙂 So glad you liked it.

      Reply
  9. J says

    February 12, 2019 at 13:19

    Hi Dini.
    I’ve just discovered your site and have been reading through your wonderful recipes.
    I have a question about the Sweet Chilli Sauce …
    how long will it last in the fridge?
    Thanks again for your site!

    Reply
    • Dini says

      February 12, 2019 at 20:13

      Hi J,
      Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy the recipes! 🙂
      I haven’t stored the sauce for longer than 2 weeks in the fridge, since we always end up using it up in that time. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  10. Denise says

    January 31, 2019 at 21:47

    5 stars
    It’s has a such a good flavor but I wasn’t sure about the sugar. I used 4oz because that’s what you had first, in parenthese you had 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. And 1 cup is 8 ounces alone. I like the flavor with 4 oz so I’m not sure which you recommend. Should it be sweeter?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      January 31, 2019 at 22:16

      Hi Denise,
      Thank you so much for pointing that out to me. 4 oz is the correct amount, and it should’ve read 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp in parenthesis. I’ve made that edit in the recipe now. I’m so glad you liked the sweet chili sauce! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Patti Gordon says

    January 19, 2019 at 14:43

    This looks and sounds amazing! If it turns out as I expect it will I will want to can it for my family treats/gifts. I may have missed it in your blog & if I did, I apologize, but how long should I process the 1/2 pint & pint jars of this? I’m going to make this right now & use it on Dorie Greenspan’s Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin 😉

    Reply
    • Dini says

      January 21, 2019 at 19:50

      Hi Patti,
      Sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately, I haven’t canned this sauce before, so I’m not sure how long it should be processed for. The reason I included a canning-friendly variation of this recipe that uses clear jel was because of a request from one of my readers, but I haven’t canned the sauce myself before. I have read that cherry pie fillings with cook-type clear jel are processed for about 20 – 30 minutes, but I don’t know the specific times for this recipe. I usually sterilize the jars in boiling water and then fill them with the hot sweet chili sauce. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.

      Reply
  12. Angela W Broyles says

    January 14, 2019 at 15:52

    5 stars
    So, so good! I love being able to adjust the spice level to my preference. A pinch of cayenne is all I needed! Thanks!

    Reply
  13. Kelli says

    January 10, 2019 at 13:09

    Will this remain edible if not stored in the fridge, if it is in a heat sterilized airtight jar??

    Reply
    • Dini says

      January 10, 2019 at 16:25

      Hi Kelli!
      The sterilized jar is great to extend the life of sweet chili sauce IF it stays unopened (a great way to store batches for later). But, as soon as you open a jar it’s already open to the elements in the air. The fridge does slow down the activity of microbes and make it last longer.
      But unfortunately, keeping it at room temperature will make it go bad sooner. Since this does have a higher level of sugar, sugar can also act as a preservative, but I can’t be sure how long it will stay food-safe at room temperature.

      Reply
  14. Jasmin says

    December 11, 2018 at 20:25

    Hi Dini, I was wondering if I could substitute the rice wine vinegar with anything as I cannot have rice wine vinegar (any other vinegar is fine)?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      December 11, 2018 at 22:48

      Hi Jasmin!
      You can substitute rice wine vinegar with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. However, the taste will change as well then. Since white wine vinegar has a stronger taste than rice wine vinegar, you may need to reduce the amount of vinegar a little (you can add more at the end of cooking, to your taste). Apple cider vinegar can be used as well, but since it has a strong apple taste, the sweet chili sauce will be more fruity with apple flavor. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  15. Rob says

    December 11, 2018 at 10:04

    I love sweet chilli and this is a great recipe.
    But I might’ve messed up somewhere along the way.
    Although it does taste and smell delicious, it came out really and I’m barely able to get it out of the jar, so I’m hoping to find out what went wrong for me?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      December 11, 2018 at 16:04

      Hi Rob!
      Could you let me know how it came out? Unfortunately you left out a word, and I’m not sure how the sauce came out for you to help you figure out what might have gone wrong. 🙂

      Reply
      • Rob says

        December 14, 2018 at 04:06

        really thick and hardened within a couple of hours, is what I meant to say.
        my bad, thanks for the reply though 🙂

        Reply
  16. Nancy Brown says

    December 11, 2018 at 01:47

    Mine came out very runny & can’t use it for cream cheese topping. Should I try to recook it with more corn starch or start over?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      December 11, 2018 at 09:46

      Hi Nancy,
      You can re-cook the sauce and add a little extra cornstarch. You don’t have to re-make the chili sauce again from the beginning. Alternatively, you can let it simmer for a little longer to let more water evaporate too.

      Reply
  17. Mizteeque says

    November 9, 2018 at 08:49

    5 stars
    I love this recipe. Made mine with fresh chillies and soft brown sugar. Its quite possibly the best sweet chilli sauce recipe I have ever tried and will be my ‘go to’ from now on

    Reply
  18. Viviane Kinsella says

    November 9, 2018 at 04:33

    4 stars
    Dried chilli works well in this recipe as a sauce, i used jam sugar in another batch to make a chilli jam and it turned out wonderful but if you want a thicker sauce you can use arrowroot instead of cornflour ( sauce remains clear) and is perfevt for canning.

    Reply
  19. DeNolava says

    October 23, 2018 at 08:41

    5 stars
    This is so good and easy. I always have a bottle of this in the frig. It goes on just about everything i eat.

    Reply
  20. Ruby says

    October 15, 2018 at 15:17

    Hi:) I’m just wondering, when you say 20kcal I’m assuming you don’t mean the whole thing is 20kcal so how much is 20kcal?
    Thanks
    Ruby

    Reply
    • Dini says

      October 15, 2018 at 20:52

      Hi Ruby!
      The recipe is 32 servings / 32 tablespoons. Each serving is 20 calories (kcal). Hope that helps.

      Reply
      • Moon says

        November 16, 2018 at 00:26

        If u can tell it stays fresh upto how many days??

        Reply
        • Dini says

          November 16, 2018 at 19:28

          Hi Moon!
          This will last for at least a week in the fridge. We always finish ours before that 🙂

          Reply
  21. Melanie Ford says

    September 7, 2018 at 05:30

    I used this recipe however additionally sauteed diced red and green peppers with a diced red onion along with the flavors together with the additional ingredients was really yummy. Thank you

    Reply
  22. Anne says

    September 2, 2018 at 09:18

    5 stars
    This sauce was so flavorful and so good! We I poured it over cod and baked it and everything came out perfectly! I reserved a little to drizzle on top before we are it. I will be making this again and again. Thank you!!

    Reply
  23. Tania says

    August 31, 2018 at 16:27

    5 stars
    It’s so good!!!! Instead of cornflour, I used a low-sugar pectin to thicken it up so it’s more like a soft jelly but still very very yummy! The reason I used pectin was because I made a huge batch and canned them. THANks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  24. Misty says

    April 5, 2018 at 18:57

    Can I substitute the sugar with honey? I am eating paleo.

    Reply
    • Dini says

      April 5, 2018 at 20:31

      Hi Misty,
      Yes you can do that. But the taste will be a little different from classic sweet chili sauces.
      I use about 3/4 cup – 1 cup of sugar for this recipe. So I would recommend using 1/2 cup (less sweet) or 3/4 cup (sweeter) of honey for this recipe. As honey is a liquid, you may have to cook the sauce for a little bit longer to get the right consistency. Just keep an eye on the sauce and you’ll be ok! 🙂
      I hope that helps. I’d love to know how it turns out!

      Reply
  25. Jill says

    March 25, 2018 at 09:04

    5 stars
    Just made this recipe yesterday and I loved it! My husband also said it was the best. I also wanted to find out if it could be canned and discovered that while cornstarch does not work well in canning recipes…Clear Gel and a couple other canning substitutes for cornstarch can be used instead. I have ordered some Clear Gel from Amazon. It is difficult to find in stores. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for a delicious substitute for store bought choices, with a little more zing, and no extra fillers and stabilizers.

    Reply
  26. Nancy says

    February 24, 2018 at 13:37

    This sauce looks amazing! May I ask what brand of sambal oelek do you buy?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      February 25, 2018 at 09:31

      Thank you Nancy! This sauce is pretty addictive 😉
      I use Huey Fong Sambal Oelek Chili Paste, which is my favorite brand of sambal oelek.

      Reply
  27. Firdyyy says

    November 28, 2017 at 09:44

    5 stars
    Great idea! I tweaked the recipe a little: replaced the white sugar with brown sugar and maple syrup, added a teaspoon of Vegeta (Polish veggie stock powder), stirred in two Kaffir lime leaves and used roasted garlic instead of raw ones. It’s not as sweet but definitely has a deep, savoury, umami flavour from the roasted garlic, brown sugar, maple syrup and Vegeta. The lime leaves and rice vinegar then gives the flavor a bright lift! Can’t wait to have this in an omelette sandwich and as a dipping sauce for deep fried spring rolls.

    Reply
    • Firdyyy says

      November 28, 2017 at 09:50

      The Vegeta was a substitute for fish sauce and soy sauce to keep this recipe vegan, gluten-free and contains no refined white sugar or high fructose corn syrup (sometimes found in bottled Thai sweet chilli sauces here in the US). Love this idea and will never buy from the store again. It only took 20-30 mins to make this.

      Reply
  28. Marcia says

    November 22, 2017 at 11:44

    5 stars
    The recipe calls for 4 red chilies. So I got sweet mini peppers. I have no idea what kind of peppers to use for this. Help!

    Reply
    • Dini says

      November 22, 2017 at 23:19

      Hi Marcia
      This recipe calls for any red chilis. Red jalapenos will be less spicy, but thai red chilis will be the best (spicy) option. Peppers don’t work in this recipe as they won’t provide the heat necessary for a traditional sweet chili sauce. If you are unable to find fresh red chili, the best option is to use Sambal oelek (which you can easily find in the asian aisle of supermarkets or in your local asian stores). Hope that helps! 🙂

      Reply
  29. Karen says

    October 30, 2017 at 17:02

    Can this be canned ?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      October 30, 2017 at 18:04

      Hi Karen!
      I haven’t canned this myself. But I have been told that the sauces thickened with cornstarch don’t can very well. However, I was also told that the sauce can be canned WITHOUT cornstarch, and then thickened before you use the sauce instead. I hope that helps.
      Dini

      Reply
  30. M says

    September 14, 2017 at 22:33

    Can I use dried chili?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      September 19, 2017 at 21:24

      Hi!
      I haven’t tried dried chili with this recipe. I don’t think it will have the same texture as the dried chili won’t soften too much in the sauce. The taste may stay the same, but I cannot be sure.

      Reply
  31. Julie says

    August 3, 2017 at 12:05

    5 stars
    I love being able to make my own sauces and we’ll love this one!

    Reply
  32. B says

    June 13, 2017 at 14:41

    5 stars
    Wow. So so good. Never buy shop bought again

    Reply
  33. Stacy says

    June 3, 2017 at 05:27

    5 stars
    All You need to know Is” Yummy D” This is so dang good!!! Why on earth would you ever buy jarred sweetened chili sauce when you can make this recipe. Sambal Olek has been a staple in my house for many many years. Many thanks Flavorblender for posting!

    Reply
  34. Clare says

    April 16, 2017 at 07:41

    Can’t wait to try this. I hate buying the shop bought stuff, never know what’s in it, but this recipe looks fab. Thanks for sharing x

    Reply
  35. Victoria says

    January 22, 2017 at 21:14

    Great recipe! Made this tonight and mixed it with some cauliflower for a main dish and it came out great. I doubled the recipe and substituted with red chilis- I suggest starting with only a couple red chilis and working your way up. I like spicy but using 5 chilis was even a bit much for me. Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  36. Tina says

    January 10, 2017 at 16:15

    LOVE IT!!!!!!

    Reply
  37. Shirley Tin says

    January 7, 2017 at 09:28

    5 stars
    Hello! How much cream cheese i should be placed in order to make it creamy??
    Thanks for your ideas and lovely post!!
    Xx

    Reply
    • Dini says

      January 8, 2017 at 19:40

      Hi Shirley!
      I don’t have a set amount of cream cheese to add to make it creamy, because I just add as much as I want for my personal taste. Another serving option is to turn out a tub of spreadable cream cheese and pour some sweet chili sauce on top and serve it as is 🙂 (As you can see in my recipe here – https://www.theflavorbender.com/2016/01/mango-jalapeno-jam-cream-cheese-dip.html

      I hope that helps!
      Dini

      Reply
  38. Kevin | Keviniscooking says

    November 16, 2016 at 21:20

    How did I miss this one? Love it! Thanks Dini 🙂

    Reply
  39. Judy says

    October 21, 2016 at 00:48

    5 stars
    Living in a rural area I have to substitute things all the time. One of my most favorite things is red chili paste in a tube,it’s the perfect heat level and available. I’ll let you know how it works.

    Reply
  40. Katie says

    September 20, 2016 at 13:52

    About how long does this keep in the fridge for ?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      September 20, 2016 at 14:13

      Hi Katie!
      Honestly, we finish every batch in about 2 weeks, but this can keep for maybe up to a month or even longer – if the glass jars are sterilized before you put the sauce in there.
      Hope that helps!
      Dini

      Reply
  41. Eileen says

    July 13, 2016 at 19:40

    5 stars
    I have to make this for my kids! They love Spicy Chili and I hate buying any processed bottled ones. Love this pinning for tomorrow

    Reply
  42. Lulu says

    June 25, 2016 at 05:56

    What is sambal oelek ? Where would I find it?

    Reply
    • Dini says

      June 25, 2016 at 07:04

      Hi Lulu!
      Sambal Oelek is a paste or sauce made out of fresh chili and vinegar. You can find it in an Asian store, or in the Asian food isle in some supermarkets 🙂 I’m not sure where you live – but I buy mine from the local Asian store, but I have seen them at Hy vee and Walmart too (in the USA). I have also bought them from Woolworths and Coles in Australia. I hope that helps!
      If you cant find Sambal oelek, you can substitute it with fresh chilli ground up with a splash of vinegar, but use 1 tbsp less than the recipe as it is likely to be more spicy than sambal oelek.

      Reply
  43. Rebecca U says

    June 7, 2016 at 20:24

    What is corn flour? I have read that it could be cornstarch…or corn meal (masa) depending on the culture. My instincts tell me that for this recipe it is cornstarch. Please confirm,. The recipe looks delish! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dini says

      June 7, 2016 at 20:33

      Hi Rebecca!
      Yes! Your instincts are right 🙂 Corn flour is corn starch. Thank you so much! I hope you try this recipe and love it!

      Reply
      • Rebecca U says

        June 7, 2016 at 21:14

        Great Dini, thanks for the quick response! Can’t wait to try it. FYI I haven’t looked for the Sambal Oelek in my local grocery yet….but if all else fails, one can purchase from Amazon. Just in case someone else cannot find it. I love trying new and interesting things and from the description of this ingredient it sounds like something I would love to experiment with.

        Reply
        • Dini says

          June 7, 2016 at 21:36

          No problem Rebecca! I hope you do find Sambal Oelek. I love Sambal Oelek, I always keep a jar of it in the fridge and use it for day to day cooking! If you can’t find it, you can use fresh red chilis and grind them into a paste. It will be spicier, so you will have to use slightly less of it!
          I am not sure if you live in the US, but if you do – I easily found Sambal Oelek at Hyvee.

          Reply
          • Rebecca U says

            July 1, 2016 at 09:10

            Hi Dini! Well….I finally got around to making this sauce to serve with some oven fried chicken strips I made this week….all I can say is WOW!! Fabulous sauce I will make again and again. My hubby flipped for it…now I am thinking up more ways to use it. Love the idea of pairing with cream cheese for a dip or a spread. Thank you!!

            Reply
  44. allan says

    May 19, 2016 at 13:27

    5 stars
    I live in N.E, England and I have not heard or seen Sambal Oelek! and in your recipes can you give the weight of a cup of whatever please or will any size cup do ??

    Reply
    • Dini says

      May 19, 2016 at 14:12

      Hi Allan!
      You should be able to find Sambal Oelek in an Asian Grocery Store, but if you can’t find it, you can substitute with fresh red chilli that has been ground into a paste. You can use the same amount – but it will be quite spicy, so I suggest using a little less (about 50 – 55g)

      The cup I used for this recipe measured 240mL, but you can use a 250mL cup as well (250mL is the standard cup measurement in England). 250mL of water is about 250g water too. Once you measure the water, measure 1/2 that amount for the Rice wine vinegar.

      I hope that helps Allan! 🙂 Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any more questions.

      Reply
  45. Willow | Will Cook For Friends says

    March 17, 2016 at 09:23

    That gif is killing me, haha! I have GOT to make this sauce. I feel like I’m going to want to dip everything in it!

    Reply
  46. Hilda says

    January 31, 2016 at 17:51

    I can think of so many ways to use this, I doubt it would last any time at my house. Bookmarked it!

    Reply
  47. Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says

    January 31, 2016 at 02:14

    I love that you used sambal oelek instead of Thai red chilis and that means this recipe is hassle-free. Wohoo! I am saving the recipe and going to try it soon. I love Sweet Chili Sauce a lot and this is one of the things I make sure I always have in my pantry. Thank you for sharing, Dini. x

    Reply
  48. Bam's Kitchen says

    January 23, 2016 at 18:59

    5 stars
    We use Spicy sweet chili sauce a lot and your recipe is perfect as I currently have loads of both dried and fresh chilis in my pantry. You sound like my boys as they love it hot!!!

    Reply
    • Dini says

      January 23, 2016 at 19:25

      That’s perfect!! 🙂 If you’re using Fresh chilli then it’s even better! You can grind them in a mortar and pestle with a little vinegar and use it in place of the Sambal Oelek! (PLUS they would be spicier too!! Which is even BETTER for me too! :D)

      Reply
  49. Ramona W says

    January 20, 2016 at 15:25

    That looks insanely good!! I would love to eat it with a spoon! 🙂

    Reply
  50. Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says

    January 18, 2016 at 10:01

    5 stars
    I absolutely LOVE sweet chilli sauce! A perfect dipping sauce!

    Reply
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