Sweet Chili Sauce

A little sweet and a little spicy, Sweet Chili Sauce is the perfect dipper for everything it touches!

A popular dip for coconut shrimp, sweet chili sauce is also an excellent glaze on meatballs, meatloaf, chicken wings, and even salmon. Make a homemade batch of sweet chili sauce and use it as a marinade, a grill sauce, or a dip and watch it disappear.

What is Sweet Chili Sauce?

• This is a sweet and spicy sauce, similar to a bottled Thai sweet chili sauce.
• The flavor is sweet, a bit spicy, and a bit tangy.
• With three ingredients and less than 5 minutes on the stove, it is so easy to make.
• Use this condiment for as a dipping sauce for egg rolls, spring rolls, shrimp, or almost any crispy appetizer.
• Drizzle it over stir fry, a Sesame Broccoli Stir Fry. Top an Asian noodle salad, or ramp up the flavor of sesame ramen noodles.

Ingredients

SWEET Apricot jam is sweet with a little burst of citrus flavor! Orange marmalade or grape jelly also cook down into a nice thick sauce. Add some crushed pineapple or a bit of honey for an even sweeter sauce that sticks!

SAVORY Dijon mustard balances out the flavors of the sweet and spicy. A dash of stone-ground mustard or some freshly minced garlic is good too.

SPICY Play with the level of sambal oelek (garlic chili sauce or chili paste) or sriracha or your favorite sauce made with peppers.  Gochujang sauce is another delicious red pepper blend. No spicy sauce? Use a liberal dose of red pepper flakes to adjust the spice levels. Or add some minced garlic.

Variations

Add any of the following to taste depending on what you are serving it with:

• a dash of rice vinegar or white vinegar for some tang
• a few red chilies flakes for extra heat
• a little bit of fish sauce, tamari, or soy sauce for a bit of salt and umami

How to Make Sweet Chili Sauce

A homemade sweet chili sauce recipe is so simple to make and so versatile in the kitchen.

1. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan or small skillet (per the recipe below).
2. Whisk and simmer to blend the flavors.
3. Cool and serve. Easy right?!

While some recipes add cornstarch, I find the mixture thickens enough once cooled without it. If you’d like you can let it boil for about 1 minute to thicken further.

Serving

Cool the dip before serving so it can thicken.

It’s great with chicken nuggets, appetizers, or even spooned over tofu or stir-fried vegetables. This dip is great with seafood, your favorite Asian cuisine, or even fried wontons.

Storing

Keep homemade sweet chili sauce in a jar or covered container in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Try freezing leftovers in ice cube trays and use them to add a pop of flavor to stir-fries, meat dishes, dips, and dressings.

More Dippers

• Homemade Ranch Dressing – a personal favorite
• Blue Cheese Dip
• Chipotle Aioli
• Fish Taco Sauce – a great dip for anything
• Honey Mustard Sauce

Did you enjoy this Sweet Chili Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!