One of my favorite dipping sauces is a Thai-style sweet chili sauce. Its sweet and spicy flavors pair perfectly with fried spring rolls or any kind of fried or grilled appetizer. For years, I kept a bottles of store-bought versions in the fridge. But as my cooking abilities improved over time, I started to make my own version, which, in my humble opinion, tastes better and is less sweet.
I developed this sweet chili sauce for one of my dumplings classes at the library. Everyone who tried it loved the sauce, so I thought I should share it on the blog, too! Besides dipping, the sweet chili sauce is good in stir fries or as a finishing sauce for baked salmon or meat. Once you make your own sweet chili sauce, you’ll never go back to the store for another bottle!
COOKING NOTES FOR THE SWEET CHILI SAUCE RECIPE
- Use good honey: The quality of the honey affects the flavor of the sauce. Make sure to use the good stuff!
- Using other starches: In one of my test batches, I replaced the cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of tapioca starch and I found the consistency to be too viscous. If you want to use tapioca starch (or any other starch with this recipe), I would start with 1 teaspoon of it. Check to see if the thickness of the sauce is to your liking before adding any more starch.
- Using other sweeteners: If you want to try variations on the sauce, you can use maple syrup, agave or sugar instead of the honey. Personally, I prefer the sauce when it’s made with my local honey.
USE THE SWEET CHILI SAUCE WITH THESE RECIPES:
- Honey Chili Garlic Shrimp
- Curried Potato Fried Dumplings
- Vegetarian Potstickers
- Rainbow Vegetable Spring Rolls
Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (170g) honey
- 1/2 cup (120ml) water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 minced garlic, or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan. Stir everything until the cornstarch has dissolved.
- Bring the sauce to boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Let the sauce cool for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring it into a jar. Once the sauce reaches room temperature, seal the jar and place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
D. Sly says
Hi Lisa. This looks like a must try! Could you clarify your lessons learned comment, please? Do you mean tapioca starch as a substitute for, not in addition to, the cornstarch, right? Looking for a way to make the recipe paleo. Thanks.
Lisa Lin says
Great question! You are correct, I meant using tapioca starch instead of cornstarch (not in addition to cornstarch). I will clarify that in my notes.
D. Sly says
Awesome. Thanks!
Annie says
Hi Lisa,
Can you suggest any alternative/substitute for Rice Vinegar?
Lisa Lin says
Hi Annie, I’ve used white wine vinegar before, and I thought the sauce tasted fine. You could probably use apple cider vinegar as well, but ACV tends to be a bit more intense, so you might taste the vinegar flavor a little more. I hope this helps!
Annie says
Thanks Lisa!
Jamie J says
My son requested sweet chili sauce and I found your recipe. Made this for chicken wings and it is delicious! Thank you!
Lisa Lin says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!
Timothy Hanser says
we used apple cider vinegar and a splash of soy sauce. we drizzled it over Hawaiian pizza. yummy!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for trying the recipe, Timothy!
Leah Passler says
I just whipped up a (half batch) of this super easy and delicious sauce using local Manitoba honey. I was putting off buying chili sauce because of the sugar, and then I saw your recipe! Thanks very much.
I only made a half batch, because your note says to keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. I don’t think there’ll be a problem going through it!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for making it, Leah!
Leona Desjardins says
Hi there.
I am wondering if I could replace the shrimp for scallops in the Sweet Chilli Shrimp recipe. Thank you
Lisa Lin says
Yes!
Janet spence says
Love the sound of this sauce, can I use it as a marinate for chicken,or do I need to add anything else,trying to make my own marinate as my husband is diabetic.
Thanks
Janet
Melanie Owens says
I kept seeing sweeet chili sauce in recipes. Although I like a lot of Asian food, I don’t think I had ever had it.
I found this recipe, by accident, shortly before making a recipe that called for it. It was excellent, definitely a keeper! I’ll be trying more of your recipes. Thanks so much!
Christine says
Hi Lisa!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I would like to substitute the red pepper flakes with fresh chopped red Jalapeno peppers. How much fresh chopped red Jalapeno pepper should I add?
Lisa Lin says
Hi Christine. I’m not 100% sure, as I’ve not tried it before. But I think I’d start with half a jalapeno pepper and see where that goes spice-wise. I am not sure what your spice tolerance is either.
Christine says
Thanks so much for your reply, Lisa! I was going for very mild 🙂 I’ll have to give half a jalapeno a try!
Kendall says
This is the most delicious sauce and so easy to make! We always make it when we make her dumplings and her scallion pancakes as a dipping sauce. We also make extra and keep in our fridge so we always have some on hand 🙂 The best!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Kendall!!
Mona says
Delicious 😋 My husband asks for this sauce often. It’s great on everything! Thanks for sharing.
Lisa Lin says
Awesome! Thanks, Mona!!
Karen says
Does it have a strong honey taste? My son isn’t a honey fan but we love sweet chilli sauce and I would love a healthier version
LD says
Thanks for sharing, It is very good. I made the sauce with 3 cloves of garlic and 1 full TBSP red pepper because I already know I like that. Your recipe is fantastic!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you!!
Cynthia says
I was reading how to cook jasmine rice on your blog and came across the link for your sweet chili shrimp recipe and that landed me here. So naturally, I just had to cook jasmine rice and your sweet chili shrimp for dinner tonight. The sauce and it couldn’t be more simple and it also makes the perfect amount. I was a bit wary about using my precious, local honey but in the end it was worth it. It gave the sauce a wonderful flavor. I added a few dashes of soy sauce to make it a little more savory. Thank you for all the great recipes!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Cynthia!!
Shelagh says
Thanks great, clear explainations esp Pomegranate molasses! ❤️
RMK says
Thank you for this recipe, it´s delicious!! Is it possible to replace honey with maple syrup or agave? Want to use it in a dish for a vegan friend 🙂
Lisa Lin says
Yes. Actually, I think I like using agave more than maple syrup for this, but feel free to use maple syrup!
RMK says
Thank you lovely!!