One of my go-to sauces for bringing a meal together is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. I usually buy the large bottles at the store and use them on grilled chicken, over rice, or brushed onto salmon for a fast weeknight dinner. When I ran out the other day and didn’t want to make a special trip to the store, I decided to make my own — and it turned out even better than expected.
Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce
This simple homemade sweet chili sauce brightens up ordinary dinners and adds a sweet, tangy heat to almost anything. It stores well in the refrigerator and can rescue a boring plate by giving it an instant flavor boost. The recipe is straightforward, requires only a handful of pantry staples, and makes about a quart, so you’ll have plenty on hand for several meals.
Use it as a glaze, a marinade, or a dipping sauce. It pairs especially well with chicken, fish, pork, shrimp, spring rolls, and fried appetizers — and it’s a quick way to elevate stir-fry or grilled vegetables.
Recipe Shopping List
You only need five main ingredients, water, and about 25 minutes of active time. Many cooks will already have most of these items in their pantry. If you’re missing one or two, they’re easy to source and useful in many other recipes.
- Cornstarch
- Rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- Chili garlic sauce
- Sambal oelek (chili paste)
- Sugar
These ingredients combine to create a balanced sauce with sweetness from the sugar, bright acidity from rice vinegar, and heat from the chili garlic sauce and sambal oelek. If you prefer a milder sauce, reduce the sambal slightly; for more heat, add an extra tablespoon.
How To Make This Recipe
Below is a clear overview of the process. The full recipe with exact measurements and timings is included further down so you can follow along while cooking.
- Combine – In a medium saucepan, stir together rice vinegar, sugar, 1 cup water, sambal oelek, and chili garlic sauce.
- Cook – Heat over medium-low for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is fully dissolved and the flavors meld.
- Make the slurry – Mix cornstarch with cold water to form a smooth slurry.
- Thicken – Whisk the slurry into the simmering sauce and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency.
- Cool and store – Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
Recipe FAQ
Sambal Oelek is an Indonesian chili paste made from ground chilis and often a little vinegar. It’s less sweet than some hot sauces and doesn’t usually include garlic, which makes it a clean, chili-forward option. If you can’t find sambal oelek, you can substitute a similar chili paste or a bit of sriracha, though sriracha is typically sweeter and contains garlic.
Store the sauce in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator. Because this is a homemade, unpreserved sauce, it will keep well for up to two weeks. Homemade sauces are fresher and free of the preservatives found in many store-bought bottles, and making them at home lets you control the ingredients to accommodate allergies or dietary preferences.
Sweet chili sauce is extremely versatile. Use it as a glaze for grilled or baked meats, a marinade, or a dipping sauce for shrimp, spring rolls, egg rolls, vegetables, and fried appetizers. It also works well tossed into stir-fries or drizzled over rice bowls and noodle dishes to add sweet heat and depth.
More Homemade Recipes To Try
- Fresh Peach Salsa
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- High Protein Ranch Dressing
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Bang Bang Sauce
- Rib Rub
Sweet Chili Sauce
A homemade version of Thai sweet chili sauce made with just a few pantry staples. It’s bright, sweet, and spicy — perfect for glazing, dipping, or tossing into stir-fries.
5 minutes
20 minutes
25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup sambal oelek
- ¼ cup chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ cup cold water (for slurry)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the rice vinegar, sugar, 1 cup water, sambal oelek, and chili garlic sauce.
- Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the sugar is fully dissolved and the flavors have blended.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the cold water to form a smooth slurry.
- Whisk the slurry into the saucepan and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to your liking.
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 servings
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 78
Total Fat: 0g
Sodium: 198mg
Carbohydrates: 19g
Sugar: 17g
Protein: 0g
Nutrition data provided here is an estimate.