Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe

Name: Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3 red chili peppers (thinly sliced or finely chopped); 6 cloves garlic (thinly sliced or minced); 1 fresh ginger (thumb-sized piece , peeled and finely grated); 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (plus more to taste); 150 ml apple cider vinegar; 150 ml water; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp cold water (for the cornstarch slurry)

I love sweet chili sauce. Drizzle a little over your food and you instantly get that delicious combination of sweet, tangy, and spicy. It’s wonderful with crunchy or fresh springrolls, but I also use it regularly in poke bowls and salad dressings. Such a versatile little sauce!

Making homemade sweet chili sauce is easy. With red chili peppers, garlic, fresh ginger, and apple cider vinegar, you can make a sauce and adjust the flavor to your liking. A little milder, a little sweeter, or with plenty of heat.

Tip from Simone
Recipe Ingredients
How To Make Sweet Chili Sauce
What to Serve With Sweet Chili Sauce
Storing Sweet Chili Sauce
FAQ Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce

Tip from Simone

Sweet chili sauce also makes a great base for a dressing. Mix a little sauce with oil and taste before adding extra vinegar or lime juice: this homemade version is already quite tangy. Delicious over a salad or with a poke bowl!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll find the exact quantities in the recipe card below. Here’s what to keep in mind when choosing and preparing your ingredients:

Ingredients for homemade sweet chili sauce

Red chili peppers: use regular long red chili peppers. Heat levels can vary considerably, even between peppers of the same variety. For a milder sauce, remove the seeds and the pale inner membranes. Much of the heat is concentrated in those membranes.
Garlic: six cloves give this sauce a pronounced garlic flavor. Mince them if you’d rather not have larger pieces in your sauce.
Fresh ginger: adds a fresh, warming flavor. Peel and finely grate it so you don’t end up with coarse, fibrous pieces.
Apple cider vinegar: provides the tangy element. The amount in this recipe makes a fairly tart sauce, with the sugar helping to balance it.
Granulated sugar: start with the amount listed and add more to taste. How much you prefer will also depend on your peppers and vinegar.
Cornstarch: thickens the sauce. Always mix it with cold water first so you can add it without creating lumps.

How To Make Sweet Chili Sauce

Step 1 – Chop all ingredients

Start by chopping the peppers and garlic. Thin rings and slices will give you a sauce with visible pieces. Prefer a finer texture that drizzles more easily? Mince them instead.

Step 2 – Bring to the boil

Place the peppers, garlic, ginger, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and keep the heat low enough to soften the ingredients without evaporating too much liquid.

Taste Before Thickening

Carefully taste a cooled spoonful of sauce before adding the cornstarch. Is it too tart, or would you prefer it sweeter? Stir in a little extra sugar at a time and allow it to dissolve.

Extra sugar can balance the heat, but it won’t remove the peppers’ spiciness. For a genuinely mild sauce, use fewer peppers or remove their inner membranes before cooking.

Mix the cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water. Stir the mixture again just before adding it to the sauce, stirring constantly as you pour. Simmer for about 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

Sweet chili sauce will thicken a little more as it cools, so don’t reduce it until it’s already very thick and syrupy in the pan.

What to Serve With Sweet Chili Sauce

Sweet chili sauce makes a delicious dip for spring rolls and Dutch spicy meat rolls. But there are plenty of other ways to use it:

Drizzle it over a poke bowl.
Use it as a base for a salad dressing.
Serve it with cooked chicken, grilled prawns, or tofu.
Mix a little into mayonnaise for a creamy dip.
Add a sweet and spicy touch to roasted vegetables.

Start with a small amount and add more to taste, especially if your peppers are particularly hot.

Storing Sweet Chili Sauce

Cool the sauce promptly and refrigerate it in a clean, tightly sealed jar within 2 hours of cooking. Always use a clean spoon. As a precaution, use this homemade version within 2 days.

If you won’t use it all right away, freeze some in small portions. After thawing, a sauce thickened with cornstarch may become thinner or separate slightly. Stir well and gently reheat if needed.

FAQ Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce

Yes, you can carefully blend the sauce with an immersion blender before adding the cornstarch. Use a deep enough saucepan or a suitable heatproof blending container to prevent splattering. For a sauce with small pieces, you can also finely mince the peppers and garlic before cooking.

Stir in a small splash of water until you reach your preferred consistency. Ideally, check the texture after the sauce has cooled, as it will be thicker than when it’s warm.

First, let a small amount cool so you can check the consistency. Still too thin? Mix a little extra cornstarch with cold water and stir it into the gently simmering sauce. Simmer briefly. Add it in small amounts to avoid making the sauce too thick.

That depends on the brand you’re comparing it with. I’d say in general it is spicier and tastier. But that’s my personal opinion. This version contains relatively plenty of vinegar, a modest amount of sugar, and a generous amount of garlic and ginger. Expect a tangy sauce with plenty of flavor from those ingredients. If you’d like it sweeter, add more sugar before thickening.

5 from 1 vote