While there’s nothing wrong with buying a jar of sweet chili sauce at the store, what you might not know is that you probably already have all the ingredients to make it. With just a handful of ingredients, this sauce recipe only takes minutes to prepare and you can customize it to your sweet or spicy taste preferences!
Sweet chili sauce is great as a dipping sauce for things like spring rolls or crab rangoon, but I also sometimes mix it into stir-fries or other recipes (like these). Thai lettuce wraps) for more flavor.
Related: Then learn how to make your own hoisin sauce, sweet and sour sauce Or stir fry sauce.
Ingredients
- Water
- Rice vinegar
- Granulated white sugar
- Grounded ginger
- Garlic powder
- Ketchup
- Garlic chili sauce (sambal oelek)
- Cornstarch
This sauce will be a light red/orange color on its own, but if you want to color it further, feel free to add a drop or two of red food coloring.
Directions
In a small to medium saucepan, add the water, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, ketchup and chili paste. Whisk over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
In a small cup or bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Pour it into the pan and continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken and coats the spoon.
Remove from fire. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Tips for making
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.
- If you want to use fresh ginger and garlic, you can; simply chop finely before adding to the pan.
- Taste the sauce once cooked and feel free to add more chili garlic sauce or additional red pepper flakes for added heat.
Homemade Sauce Recipes
Get our FREE recipe guide with our the most popular recipes of all time!
Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our 25 best recipes of all time!
Get the recipe
Homemade sweet chili sauce made with 8 ingredients in less than 10 minutes.
Instructions
-
In a small to medium saucepan, add 1 cup water, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, ketchup, and chili paste.
-
Whisk over medium-high heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
-
In a small cup or bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
-
Pour it into the pan and continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken and coats the spoon.
-
Remove from fire. The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
Remarks
Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.
If you want to use fresh ginger and garlic, you can; simply chop finely before adding to the pan.
Taste the sauce once cooked and feel free to add more chili garlic sauce or additional red pepper flakes for added heat.
Nutrition
Nutritional intake
Sweet chili sauce
Amount per serving
% Daily Value*
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Note: Nutrition is calculated automatically using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where applicable, we recommend using your own nutritional calculations.