Homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe

As a professional food blogger, I’m sharing my Sweet Chili Sauce made from surprising pantry ingredients with no high-fructose corn syrup, a simple recipe that creates a handy dip for fries, spring rolls, and more.

I can’t stop bragging about my Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce even though I know I’m biased. Honestly this Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe sneaks up on you — bright, slightly sweet, and with just enough kick from Thai bird’s eye chiles to make your tongue notice.

Fresh garlic gives it that punch that makes store jars taste flat, and there’s a little something about the texture that makes you want to dunk everything. I mess up recipes all the time but this one keeps working, so yeah I’m kind of proud.

Try a spoonful, then try to stop yourself.

Ingredients

• Pure sweetness and carbs, fuels the sauce, offers quick energy but little other nutrition.
• Adds bright sourness, low calories, may aid digestion, helps balance the sweetness when used sparingly.
• Pungent, savory bite, has small vitamins and antioxidants, makes sauce more complex though.
• Tiny but fierce, pack capsaicin, boosts heat and vitamin C, can clear sinuses.
• Gives deep umami, salty kick, small protein, watch sodium if your salt sensitive.
• Pure starch thickener, no real nutrition, mostly creates glossy clingy texture for dipping.
• Optional bright pop, adds acidity and vitamin C, lifts and freshens overall flavor sometimes.

Ingredient Quantities

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 to 6 fresh Thai bird’s eye chiles
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce for veg option
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Tbsp lime juice (optional)

How to Make this

1. Mince the 2 garlic cloves and chop 4 to 6 Thai bird’s eye chiles (remove seeds if you want less heat), or just roughly smash them if you like little flecks in the sauce.

2. In a small saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/2 cup water, the minced garlic, chopped chiles, 1 Tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for a veg option) and 1/2 tsp salt.

3. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring so the sugar fully dissolves, then reduce to a simmer. Let it simmer for 3 to 5 minutes so the chiles and garlic soften and the flavors meld.

4. While the sauce simmers, make the slurry: whisk 1 Tbsp cornstarch into 2 Tbsp cold water until smooth with no lumps.

5. Slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering sauce. Keep stirring so it doesn’t clump on the bottom.

6. Cook another 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Remember it will thicken more as it cools, so don’t overdo it.

7. Taste and adjust: add a little more fish or soy sauce for saltiness, or a splash more vinegar or sugar if it needs balance. Stir in 1 Tbsp lime juice now if you want a bright tangy finish.

8. For a smoother, restaurant style sauce, pulse the mixture in a blender or run it through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds and bits. For a chunkier dip, leave the solids in.

9. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer to a clean jar. Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks. Use as a dip for spring rolls, chicken, or as a glaze for grilled foods.

Equipment Needed

1. Small saucepan (1 to 2 quart) for simmering the sauce
2. Measuring cups and measuring spoons for sugar, vinegar, water and cornstarch
3. Cutting board and a sharp chef knife for mincing garlic and chopping chiles
4. Small bowl and a whisk to make the cornstarch slurry
5. Wooden spoon or silicone spatula for stirring so it wont stick on the bottom
6. Blender or immersion blender or a fine mesh strainer to smooth the sauce if you want restaurant style
7. Garlic press or microplane if you dont want to bother mincing by hand
8. Clean jar or bottle with a tight lid for storing in the fridge

FAQ

Homemade Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Sugar: brown sugar, honey or agave, coconut sugar. Brown sugar gives a molassy depth use 1:1, honey or agave are sweeter so use about 3/4 cup and pull back a bit on the water, coconut sugar acts like brown sugar but is slightly less sweet.
• Rice vinegar: apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, or fresh lime juice. Apple cider and white wine swap 1:1, lime adds bright citrus so start with 3/4 the amount and taste.
• Thai bird’s eye chiles: serrano or red jalapeño for milder heat, crushed red pepper flakes, or 1 tsp sambal oelek. Remove seeds to tone it down, or add more if you like it hot.
• Fish sauce: soy sauce or tamari for a vegan option, coconut aminos, or a diluted miso (1 tsp miso + 1 Tbsp water) for umami. Taste and adjust salt since levels vary.

Pro Tips

1. Control the heat, don’t blast it. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer so the sugar dissolves and the chilies soften, if it boils too hard the sauce can turn bitter or get too syrupy fast.

2. Tweak the heat without wrecking the flavor: remove seeds to cut most of the burn, or leave them if you want cheeks-on-fire heat, and remember fresh chiles mellow a bit while simmering so taste as it cools.

3. Make the slurry right and add it slow. Whisk the cornstarch into cold water until totally smooth, then whisk it into the sauce while stirring, if you dump it in clumps will form and it wont thicken evenly. If you want a different texture, arrowroot or tapioca gives a clear glossy finish but behaves a little different when reheated.

4. For a cleaner restaurant look blend and strain, but if you’re going for rustic leave the bits in. Pulse in a blender when it’s warm not ice cold, then pour through a fine mesh to catch seeds and skins, it makes the color clearer and the mouthfeel silkier.

5. Make ahead and fix the texture later. The sauce thickens as it cools so thin it with a splash of warm water or more vinegar when you reheat, store small jars in the fridge so you only open what you need and the rest stays fresh longer.