Thai sweet chili sauce probably owns a space in every Asian food lover’s pantry. Not only is it a great dipping sauce for egg rolls, fried calamari, and crispy tofu nuggets, but you can also use it as an ingredient to cook delicious stir fries as well.
Homemade sweet chili sauce tastes even better than bottled sauce because the herbs are fresher and you can add a little boost like dry sherry to enhance the flavor. I also like the fact that I can make a tangier version that uses more vinegar. The homemade sauce is healthier too, because you can control the amount of sugar, and because it does not contain any food additives or preservatives.
If I haven’t already convinced you to make the sauce, maybe this fact will – making the sweet chili sauce is extremely easy. You only need a few ingredients and 10 minutes!
Cooking notes
Spicy vs. mild sauce
One thing to note: bottled sweet chili sauce is usually very sweet and not spicy at all. In this recipe I made the sauce quite spicy by using Thai bird’s eye chili peppers. I think the spiciness makes the sauce more interesting. If you do not want to make a spicy sauce, you should use mild crushed chili pepper flakes. I recommend Chinese or Korean chili flakes, because they are usually very mild.
Storage
You can store the sauce in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for two to three months. The sauce will congeal if you freeze it. But if you gently heat it up (on the stovetop or in the microwave) and stir it, its texture will return to normal. Do not overheat the sauce, because doing so will cause the cornstarch to lose its potency and the sauce will turn watery.
Although you can store the sauce easily, storage will be the least of your problems, because you’ll be able to finish a big jar in no time!
More homemade sauce recipes
- Homemade Kung Pao Sauce
- Homemade Black Bean Sauce
- Homemade General Tso Sauce
- Homemade Orange Chicken Sauce
- Homemade Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (Vegan Stir Fry Sauce)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
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Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry for gluten free)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)
- 3 Thai bird’s eye chili peppers , seeded and minced (or 2 teaspoons crushed chili pepper flakes)
- 6 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 slices ginger , minced
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the cornstarch in a medium-sized non-stick pan. Heat over medium-high heat and stir occasionally until bringing to a boil. Turn to medium heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Turn to medium-low heat.
- Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and stir until fully dissolved. Pour into the pan with the sauce. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 1 minute or so. Keep in mind that the sauce will further thicken once it cools. Taste the sauce and adjust the taste by adding more sugar if not sweet enough, or more vinegar if not sour enough. If the sauce turns out too thick, mix in a few spoons of water to thin it out while it’s still hot.
- Pour the sauce into a bowl and let sit until completely cooled. Serve it as a dipping sauce or store it in an airtight jar in the fridge for future use. It will keep in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Have a question or feedback? Add a Comment
Did you make this? I want to see! Tag @OmnivoresCookbook on Instagram, and rate the recipe below.
Jason
Why will this only keep a week. Doesn’t it have enough vinegar and salt?
Maggie Zhu
It’s hard to judge the storage time when it comes to homemade sauces. I think you can definitely store this for longer, probably close to a month (at least I tried it and it had no issue for me). I would always observe and have a little taste if I store it for a longer time, to see if it’s still good.
Honey Harrison
You and your recipes are truly the best! Thank you for sharing! My hubby and I are enjoying every meal❣️
Sue Lundgreen
Is it possible to use honey or some other sweetener than sugar in these homemade sauces?
Maggie Zhu
I would replace the sugar with a neutral syrup such as agave syrup, so the the flavor of the sauce won’t change too much.
Honey can work in some recipes, depending on the type of sauce, but it might affect the result.
Rick
This recipe is “very” good, I plan on making it again. My only disappointment was the sauce, in my opinion, was a bite to watery….is it suppose to be that way? I could add more corn starch, your thoughts.
Maggie Zhu
Hi Rick, if the sauce is very thin / watery, you can add more cornstarch. Dissolve an extra tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, mix very well. At the end of the cooking, if you want to change the consistency, slowly add the cornstarch slurry and mix the sauce, until it gets thicker (you might not need all of the slurry).
Papadopoulos
Gonna try this out right away!
Just wondering, would it be good with Chinkiang vinegar instead of normal rice vinegar?
Thanks for all the great recipes! ❤️
Maggie Zhu
I wouldn’t use Chinkiang vinegar in this recipe because it is a bit too strong and overpowering. Plus, it gives the sauce a very dark brown color. Rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar are better options.
Pat
How can I make this chili sauce recipe consistently like the one that come in c a bottle like ketchup has the same texture. I no longer use ketchup, I buy chili sauce all the time. Case a whole lot better than ketchup. Can you help me out on this phone please. Thank you.
Maggie Zhu
I think it’s hard to achieve the perfect smooth consistency when you make the sauce at home. One way to thicken the sauce is to dissolve cornstarch to the water to make a slurry, and add it at the end, then immediately stir to thicken the sauce. The sauce will have a smooth texture but it’s not very stable to store for a long time. That’s why I decided to use the pepper themself to thicken the sauce without cornstarch. The bottled sauce uses additives and commercial stabilizer to make it very smooth and stable, which is hard to achieve in the home kitchen.
Brad
I’ve made this dozens of time and its just perfect !!
Steven
Hi Maggie,
What’s the end result suppose to taste like?
Is it suppose to be sweet? or sweet and sour?
kassie
IT is sweet ad sour ad HOT!!! lol tangy and delicious.
Sabrina
thank you for this sauce recipe, yes prefer to be able to make my own, but never have, and love the idea of adding fresh ingredients and increasing the spice level, also thank you for storage tips, very helpful
Dennis louie
Can I can this sauce the traditional method of canning.
Maggie
Hi Dennise, I’ve never tried canning the sauce but I think it will work. If you decided to try it out, I’m looking forward to hear your feedback on it!
Danielle
You’re right, I’m totally not even worried about storing it. I’m pretty sure we’d use it all pretty quickly. This sounds amazing! I’m all about trying to make homemade sauces. The flavor is usually much better than the store. I like a little spice, but the boyfriend doesn’t tolerate spicy very much, so ‘ll probably limit the chilies, but I’ve got to add a few 🙂
Kelly
Is it possible to make it without any alcohol?
Maggie
Yes definitely. I always use a bit alcohol in my dishes to add aroma, but it’s totally OK to make this sauce without it. Simply use water to replace the wine and you’ll be all set!
Happy cooking and hope your sauce turns out great 🙂