Last Updated on October 11, 2023 by Toya
If you’re looking for a super basic sweet chili sauce recipe, you’re in luck, my friends! This one is soooo good! Plus, I have some really great tips to share, so you get the best results!
Sweet chili sauce, also called sweet red chili sauce or nam chim kai is a sticky, vibrant, red-orange Asian sauce that is sweet, savory, and spicy and has a ton of uses in the kitchen.
Most people use store-bought sweet chili sauce, but if you’re out and don’t want to make a grocery run or you can’t find a good substitute for sweet chili sauce that you quite like. This simple sweet red chili sauce recipe is all you’ll need. It shows you how to make a delicious Thai sweet chili sauce recipe in minutes and in just a few steps!
Sweet chili sauce ingredients
- ⅓ cup of water
- ⅓ cup of rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon of cornstarch + 1 tablespoon of cold water
- 2 large red chili peppers or ½ a tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes
How to make sweet chili sauce
Gather all the ingredients in one place. Blend or finely chop the red chiles.
Then, place the sugar, water, rice wine vinegar, red chiles, and minced garlic into a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, about 1-3 minutes until the sugar completely dissolves.
At this point make a quick slurry with ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Pour into the saucepan.
Stir the sauce well so the cornstarch slurry is properly integrated with the other ingredients. The sauce should start to bubble and thicken up in 1-2 minutes.
Turn off the heat, pour the sauce into a serving bowl and enjoy!
Storing sweet Thai sauce
Place this homemade sauce in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 months.
What to serve with sweet chili sauce
This sauce is versatile and can be used as a dipping sauce or condiment for:
How to make homemade sweet red chili sauce look like store-bought
With a little help, your homemade sweet Thai chili sauce may not turn out looking like the store-bought sweet chili sauce. However, if you add a bit of paprika powder or 2 drops of red food dye, you can get it to look a little more like the sweet chili sauce in the bottle.
Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup of water
- ⅓ cup of rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ tablespoon of cornstarch + 1 tablespoon of cold water
- 2 large (or 3 small) red chili peppers or ½ a tablespoon of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients in one place. Blend or finely chop the red chiles.
- Then, place the sugar, water, rice wine vinegar, red chiles, and minced garlic into a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, about 1-3 minutes until the sugar completely dissolves.
- At this point make a quick slurry with ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Pour into the saucepan.
- Stir the sauce well so the cornstarch slurry is properly integrated with the other ingredients. The sauce should start to thicken up and bubble up in 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, pour the sauce into a serving bowl and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 tablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 29Total Fat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 00mgSodium: 1.5mgCarbohydrates: 6.9gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 6.1gProtein: 0.2g
Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup of water
- ⅓ cup of rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ tablespoon of cornstarch + 1 tablespoon of cold water
- 2 large (or 3 small) red chili peppers or ½ a tablespoon of red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients in one place. Blend or finely chop the red chiles.
- Then, place the sugar, water, rice wine vinegar, red chiles, and minced garlic into a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, about 1-3 minutes until the sugar completely dissolves.
- At this point make a quick slurry with ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water. Pour into the saucepan.
- Stir the sauce well so the cornstarch slurry is properly integrated with the other ingredients. The sauce should start to thicken up and bubble up in 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, pour the sauce into a serving bowl and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 tablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 29Total Fat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 00mgSodium: 1.5mgCarbohydrates: 6.9gFiber: 0.2gSugar: 6.1gProtein: 0.2g