How to Make Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

Thai sweet chili sauce is spicy, sweet, salty, and tangy. It’s a great dipping sauce for chicken, pork, and beef. Learn how to make it with this easy recipe!

I love to make homemade sauces from scratch, and this Thai sweet chili sauce is another one to add to my collection of recipes. This sauce is a flavor explosion of sweet, savory, tangy, with slow and subtle heat all in one. 

The sauce is made of garlic, red chilies, honey, sugar, vinegar, and spices, and it only takes a few minutes to make. All the ingredients can be found in your pantry or local grocery store. Best of all, you can control the ingredients, from the sugar to the spicy kick. And it tastes so much better because it’s free of artificial colors and preservatives.

This homemade Thai sweet chili sauce is deliciously versatile. Use it as a dip for almost anything from chicken, pork, beef, seafood, or whatever you’re craving. It’s kind of like that hot sauce. You’ll put this shit on everything!

What is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce?

Thai sweet chili sauce, also known as “Sweet Chili Sauce” or “Asian Sweet Chili Sauce,” is a classic condiment in Asian cuisine. Its authentic name is “Nam Chim Kai,” which means dipping sauce in Thai.

This sauce is readily available bottled in grocery stores and Asian food markets, but it’s very easy to make at home. 

How is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Used?

Use Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for any and everything your heart desires. We love to toss chicken wings in this sauce. It’s delicious! 

Other ways to use Thai Sweet Chili Sauce:

• Grilled fish, chicken, or beef
• Marinade for grilling
• Dipping sauce for shrimp and spring rolls
• Put it in stir-fry
• Wontons
• Egg rolls
• Spread on sandwiches and burgers
• Use as a topping for cream cheese and serve with crackers
• And so much more!

Ingredients for Thai Sweet Chili Sauce 

This Thai Sweet Chili Sauce recipe makes 2 cups of sauce.

The ingredients for this sauce are adaptable. You can control the spice level, the sweetness, and the thickness. You can even control whether you want to make it thick for dipping or thin for stir fry.

Exact measurements are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.

• Vinegar: rice vinegar, use unseasoned so you can control the flavor of the sauce
• Sugar: white sugar, but you could also use brown sugar
• Honey: Adds rich sweetness that sugar just cannot replicate
• Garlic: garlic cloves, minced
• Soy Sauce: adds umami. Use low sodium so you can control the sodium
• Cayenne Pepper: adds a back heat that warms the throat on the back end of the sauce.
• Sambal Oelek Sauce: this is a garlic chili sauce. Keep reading to learn more!
• Slurry: cornstarch or flour mixed with cold water to thicken the sauce. Omit if you want a thin sauce.

Optional Add-In’s and Variations

• Fish Sauce: This is optional but highly recommended to add salinity and umami. There’s a ton of flavor in a tiny amount. It smells nasty, but it sure tastes good, I promise!
• Sweetness: I used a combination of white sugar and honey to sweeten the sauce. Instead, you can use brown sugar, all honey, or agave to sweeten the sauce.
• Paprika: Sweet paprika is what gives the sauce its red color. Don’t use smoked paprika or hot paprika unless you want more heat. 

Where is Sambal Oelek and Where to Buy it?

Sambal Oelek is an Asian chili sauce made of chili peppers and vinegar. It can be found in the Asian section in most all grocery stores. I have never had a problem finding it. 

You may also see a chili garlic sauce on the shelf close by. It’s very similar, but it has garlic in addition to chiles and vinegar. If you use it, you may want to cut back on the amount of garlic this recipe calls for. 

We were first introduced to this sauce when I combined it with mayonnaise and sugar as a sauce for our spicy chicken wraps. We thought it was extremely hot back then, but now not so much.

How to make Sweet Chili Sauce

1. Simmer: Whisk the vinegar, water, sugar, honey, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, cayenne pepper, and paprika in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat to dissolve the sugar and honey. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 2 minutes.
2. Stir: Stir in the sambal oelek and mix through and cook 3-5 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken slightly.
3. Thicken (or not): Whisk the cornstarch with cold water in a glass measuring cup to create a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the saucepan. Simmer the sauce to desired thickness, 3-5 minutes, constantly whisking to avoid sticking. 
4. Cool: Cool slightly and use right away, or pour the sweet chili sauce into a glass jar with an air-tight lid. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate; about 1 hour.

Tips for Making this Sauce

• The sauce is usually thick enough when you can dip a spoon into the sauce and the sauce stays separated after you run your finger down the back of the spoon.
• Keep in mind that the sauce thickens as it cools. If it is too thick, you can whisk in a little water to thin it up.
• When making the slurry, be sure to mix the flour or cornstarch with cold water and whisk it well to ensure there are no clumps and lumps.
• Stir the mixture consistently while cooking to keep it from sticking and burning.

Storage Suggestions

Store in the fridge inside an air-tight jar for about two weeks. When you take it out of the refrigerator, it may be congealed. Dump it into a saucepan on the stovetop or put it into a microwave-safe bowl and heat slightly to bring it back around.

FAQ’s

What can I substitute for sweet chili sauce? Hot sauce or red pepper flakes mixed with honey.

Is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Gluten-Free? Yes, but only if you make the slurry with cornstarch and not flour.

What dishes will you use this sauce for? We’d love your feedback. Leave us a comment and a star rating below. We value your opinion and appreciate your time.

See y’all on the mountain!