Description
This homemade sweet chili sauce is the perfect balance of sweet, tangy, and spicy. It’s made in just 15 minutes with simple pantry ingredients and is ideal as a dip, glaze, or drizzle over your favorite dishes.
Ingredients
For the Sauce
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½ cup rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
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½ cup water
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½ cup sugar
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2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegan version)
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1 tablespoon sambal oelek or crushed red pepper flakes
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2 teaspoons minced garlic
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1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (optional)
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1 tablespoon ketchup
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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2 tablespoons water (to mix with cornstarch)
Instructions
-
Combine the Base Ingredients
In a small saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water, sugar, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, ketchup, and chili flakes or sambal oelek. -
Simmer the Mixture
Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved. -
Make the Slurry
In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. -
Thicken the Sauce
Pour the slurry into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Simmer for 2–3 more minutes until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. -
Cool and Store
Remove from heat and let it cool. The sauce will continue to thicken slightly as it cools. Store in a clean, airtight jar in the fridge.
Notes
For a spicier version, increase the chili flakes or sambal oelek. For a milder sauce, reduce or omit the chili and increase sugar slightly. You can swap fish sauce for soy sauce to make it vegan, and the sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Condiment, Sauce
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Asian, Thai-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce, Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce, Thai Chili Sauce, Easy Sweet Chili Glaze, Vegan Sweet Chili Sauce