Sweet Chili Sauce is a lightly spicy condiment with a garlicky kick
Perfect with so many of your favorite foods!
Also known as Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce, it’s easy to find in most markets but super simple to make at home with no added preservatives.
What is Asian Sweet Chili Sauce?
This sauce is basically a condiment with a sweet hot blend of chiles and garlic. It’s simple to make but has a complex sweet, spicy, and sour taste. The sauce works with so many different foods so it’s always great to have it on hand. The spice level can be kicked up to suit any taste.
And the good news is this sauce is Gluten-Free!
Traditionally this side sauce is made with fresh red chili’s, which can be hard to find so we use Sambal Oelek in its place. Sambal is a common Southeast Asian ingredient made with chilis and vinegar.
Ingredients for Thai Chili Sauce:
The ingredients for the sauce are simple. If you like your sauce a little sweeter include the optional honey. Want more spice? Add more red chili flakes!
- Rice Vinegar
- Sugar
- Sambal Oelek – Use either the garlic or regular version for this recipe
- Cornstarch
- Fresh Minced Garlic
- Red Chili Flakes
- Honey (optional)
Easy ingredients for Sweet Asian-style Chili Sauce
Ideas for using Chili Sauce:
There are endless possibilities for using this flavorful sauce. It pairs perfectly with a variety of Asian based foods and is a good match for chicken, tofu, and shrimp. Try it with some of our favorites:
- Coconut Shrimp dipping sauce
- Spring Roll and Eggs Roll Dipping Sauce
- Gyoza Dipping Sauce
- Dipping sauce for Asian Dumplings
- Part of a stir fry
- Spread it on burgers and sandwiches
- Sweet Chili Corn on the Cob
Sweet Thai sauce pairs perfectly with Tempura Shrimp, Spring Rolls, and Coconut Shrimp
How to make Sweet Chili Sauce:
- Mix together cornstarch and water in a small bowl and reserve
- In a small heavy saucepan whisk together rice vinegar, water, sugar, and Sambal Oelek, and heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce starts to bubble
- Whisk in the reserved cornstarch mixture, garlic, chili flakes, and optional honey
- Bring to a simmer again and cook an additional 5-10 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken. Cook until mixture has the consistency of syrup.
- Cool before using and store in a glass jar until ready to use
- If not using right away store sealed in the refrigerator for up to one month.
How long can you keep the sauce?
You can keep this sauce, in a glass jar, sealed in the refrigerator for up to one month. Bring to room temperature before serving as a dipping sauce.
Looking for other Asian style recipes? Here are some favorites:
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Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
- 1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ½ tsp honey, optional
Instructions
- Mix cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.
- In a small heavy saucepan, add rice vinegar, water, sugar and sambal oelek. Whisk to blend.
- Heat ingredients on medium until the sugar is fully dissolved and mixture begins to bubble.
- Stir cornstarch mixture, garlic, red chili flakes, (and honey if using) into the pan and whisk well to combine.
- Bring mixture to a simmer again. The sauce should begin to thicken as it cooks. Continue cooking at a low simmer for 5-10 minutes depending on desired thickness.
- Pour sauce into a heatproof bowl if using immediately, or a glass jar with a lid to store in the refrigerator. Let sauce cool completely before using or storing.
- Sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Donna Alice
I have made sweet chili sauce and was looking for a way to store them. I want to know how long this can be stored in the fridge?
Cyndy
Hi – You can keep this sauce, in a glass jar, sealed in the refrigerator for up to one month. Bring to room temperature before serving as a dipping sauce.
Nancy
Fantastic recipe! I didn’t have enough rice vinegar, so I used a few tablespoons of apricot vinegar. It was VERY good! Even my picky 14 year old was asking for more. Perfect dipping sauce for our air fried egg rolls 😋. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Jayne
Love it Nancy and great thinking on the vinegar substitution! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jacque Hastert
I had no idea it was this easy to make at home. I love the no added preservatives and real ingredients that are in this chili sauce. I now have a jar and can’t wait to start dipping!
Emily Liao
This sweet chili sauce was delicious and so easy to make! Tried it with chicken wings and it was perfect for dipping.
Whitney
I love this!!! I didn’t realize how easy it could be to make make! Thanks for sharing.
Cindy
I’ve been in such a cooking rut lately, so I’ve been exploring new recipes to make! I happened upon your recipe and I am so glad I did. I made it today and my entire family loved it! We served it over tofu! Its doing into our menu plan rotation!!
Cyndi Howell
Cindy,
love this sauce. We are cutting carbs for a while. What other process or ingredient can I use to replace the cornstarch?
Would the sugar be easily replaced with any zero carb substitutes?
l like monkfruit
I created chicken, mayo, parmesan chesse dinner many years ago, it is our favorit meal. ( I sent it in to Best Foods and they stole it for use on t.v. commercisls. I wanted some free mayo. Since they couldnt even say thanks, we buy Winco mayo and like it better)
Place mayo over cleaned chicken in a glass baking dish, shred real parmesan cheese on top, pour sweet chili sauce on, sprinkle raw pumpkin seeds and bake 350° 20 minutes. convection oven
we no longer use butter on our baked potatoe. Replace butter with some of the yummy drippings.
You can leave out mayo and seeds if you wish or use a diferrent seed like sunflower. Pumpkin seeds are healthier and tastier.
Cyndy
HI Cindy – I haven’t tested the recipe with substitutions but here are some suggestions: replace cornstarch with Arrowroot powder and try replacing the sugar with a 1:1 like stevia – you may need to cut back on the sugar replacement as it tends to be sweeter than regular sugar. Let us know if you try it this way and if it works!
Colleen
This is one of my favorite sauces. We love it on chicken wings!
Deb Hoage
I love chili sauce and put it/ dip it on do many things!!! I assume it freezes well
Can’t wait to make a big batch
Jayne
Thanks Deb – I haven’t tried freezing it so let us know if you do and how it goes. CU