Best Sweet Chili Sauce Substitute + 6 Other Alternatives You’ll Wanna Know!

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Last Updated on October 16, 2023 by Toya

Check out the best sweet chili sauce substitute plus 6 other amazing ways to substitute for sweet chili sauce in a pinch. All these easy replacements are homemade and can be whipped up in a few minutes!

Sweet chili sauce which is also referred to as sweet Thai chili sauce, sweet red chili sauce, or nam chim kai is a type of sweet, sour, spicy sauce made with red chiles, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and a sweetener. 

sweet chili sauce 4-1

It is popularly used as a dipping sauce for wings, vegetables, crab legs, shrimp, spring rolls, etc.

If you’re making a recipe that calls for sweet chili sauce, but you have none and don’t want to make a grocery store run, there are a few other options that can work for you made with simple kitchen staples.

It is important to note that nothing will truly ever completely replace sweet chili sauce and its flavor, but I’ll share all the best sweet chili sauce substitutes with you below.

What are the best substitutes for sweet chili sauce?

The best sweet Thai chili sauce substitutes are mixes you’ll make yourself with kitchen staples. They are concoctions made with:

  • Red pepper flakes, sugar & vinegar
  • Red pepper flakes, honey & vinegar 
  • Crushed red peppers, erythritol & apple cider vinegar
  • Fresh red chiles, sugar & vinegar
  • Sambal Oelek, sweetener & vinegar
  • Honey, vinegar & hot sauce
  • Sweet chili sauce substitute using ketchup

Common Sweet chili sauce substitutes

Red pepper flakes, sugar & vinegar

If you can find some red pepper flakes, sugar and vinegar then you can make a great sweet chili sauce replacement. In fact, I think this is the best sweet chili sauce substitute recipe!

To make it, you will need ⅓ cup of vinegar, ⅓ cup of water, ⅓ cup of sugar, ½ a tablespoon of red pepper flakes (add a full tablespoon if you like it spicy), ½ a teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ a teaspoon of minced ginger,  ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch and ¼ of a teaspoon of salt.

Place all the ingredients except the cornstarch into a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Once boiled make a slurry with 1 tbsp of water and ½ tbsp of cornstarch. Pour this into the saucepan and stir until the sauce thickens up, about 1-2 minutes. 

Makes a cup of homemade sweet chili sauce. Use this to substitute for 1 cup of sweet chili sauce in a pinch.

Red pepper flakes, honey & vinegar 

red pepper flakes, honey and vinegar

If you can find some red pepper flakes, honey, vinegar, and Sambal Oelek in your kitchen, then you have the ingredients to make a simple homemade sweet chili sauce recipe.

To make it, you will need ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar (or any other vinegar you have), ⅓ cup water, 3 tablespoons of honey, ½ a tablespoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek (optional), ½ a teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ a teaspoon of minced ginger, ½  tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to taste.

Place all the ingredients except the cornstarch into a small saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Once boiled make a slurry with 1 tablespoon of water and ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch. Pour this slurry into the saucepan and stir until the sauce thickens between 1-2 minutes. 

Makes a little less than a cup of homemade sweet chili sauce. Use this to substitute for 1 cup of sweet chili sauce in a pinch.

Crushed red peppers, erythritol & vinegar

For keto eaters, you too can make a simple keto sweet chili sauce substitute too. You will need ⅓ cup of vinegar, ⅓ cup of water, ¾ cup of erythritol (sugar is sweeter than erythritol, so more is needed), ½ a tablespoon of crushed red peppers, ½ a teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ a teaspoon of minced ginger, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum to thicken this sauce

Pour all these ingredients into a pot and bring them to a boil. Sprinkle the xanthan gum into the saucepan. Mix it in for about 1 minute while the sauce thickens. It will thicken quickly so keep an eye out.  The results will be a delicious keto Thai sweet chili sauce substitute that is low carb and keto!

Fresh red chiles, sugar & vinegar

chiles sugar and vinegar

If you have any kind of red chiles in your kitchen, you can use this to make a simple substitute for sweet chili sauce. 

For this substitute, you will need about 4-5 small red chile peppers or 3 large ones (choose the type based on your heat preference). You will also need ⅓ cup of water, ⅓ cup of sugar, ⅓ cup of vinegar, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch.

Finely diced the red chile peppers. Then place all the ingredients except the cornstarch into a saucepan. Let this come to a boil for about 2-3 minutes while the sugar dissolves. Make a cornstarch slurry with 4 teaspoons of water and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Pour this into the saucepan and stir until the sauce becomes thicker. About 1 minute. Remove from the heat and serve.

Makes 1 cup of sweet Thai chili sauce. Use this homemade recipe as a replacement for 1 cup of sweet chili sauce in any recipe. 

Sambal Oelek, sweetener & vinegar

sambal oelek

If you happen to have Sambal Oelek, on hand then you can make a very quick sweet Thai chili sauce.

To make it, you will need ⅓ cup water, ⅓ cup sweetener, ⅓ cup vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of Sambal Oelek. As well as 1/2 a tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch. 

Place all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil until the sweetener is dissolved. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and pour it into the saucepan. Boil for another 2 minutes while the sauce thickens. Use this to replace 1 cup of sweet chili sauce. 

Honey, vinegar & hot sauce

honey hot pepper and vinegar

As a last resort, if you have some hot sauce, honey, and vinegar, you have the ingredients to make a quick, last-minute sweet chili sauce alternative. Admittedly,t his substitute is not that great and I’d only use it if I had absolutely nothing else available. To make it, mix 2 ½ tbsp honey, ⅓ cup water, ⅓ cup vinegar, and 2 teaspoons of hot sauce. Also, you will need ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 extra tablespoon of water to make a cornstarch slurry. 

Place all the ingredients into a small skillet or saucepan and simmer on medium heat. Add the cornstarch slurry until it thickens up about 3 minutes.  

Sweet chili sauce substitute using ketchup

Lastly, while you cannot use ketchup as a main ingredient in sweet chili sauce, it can be used to add a different touch to a sweet chili sauce recipe. 

To make a sweet chili sauce substitute with ketchup, you will need ⅓ cup water, ⅓ cup vinegar, ⅓ cup sugar, ½ a tablespoon of red pepper flakes, 1/2 tablespoon of potato starch, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, and ¼ teaspoon of salt to taste.

Place every ingredient except the potato starch into a small pot and bring to a boil so the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, make a quick slurry with the potato scratch and 1 tablespoon of cold water and pour this into the sauce to thicken it up. After a minute or two or stirring, serve in place of sweet chili sauce.

More sauce substitutes

best substitute for sweet chili sauce

Best Sweet Chili Sauce Substitute + 6 Other Alternatives You’ll Wanna Know!

Yield: 1 cup
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 minute

Check out this simple sweet chili sauce substitute made with red pepper flakes! Plus, find 6 other simple ways to replace sweet chili sauce in a pinch!

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar (or any other vinegar you have)
  • ⅓ cup water
  • 3 tablespoons of honey
  • ½ a tablespoon of red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek (optional)
  • ½ a teaspoon of minced garlic
  • ½ a teaspoon of minced ginger
  • ½  tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt to taste

Instructions

    1. Place all the ingredients except the cornstarch into a small saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.
    2. Once boiled make a slurry with 1 tablespoon of water and ½ a tablespoon of cornstarch. Pour this slurry into the saucepan and stir until the sauce thickens between 1-2 minutes. 
    3. Makes a little less than a cup of homemade sweet chili sauce. Use this to substitute for 1 cup of sweet chili sauce in a pinch.

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