Sweet Chili Sauce in Minutes—No More Condiment Graveyard!

This incredibly simple sauce, sometimes called Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, is sweet, sour, and spicy. If you’re a fan of the classic sweet and sour sauce, this is quite similar, but with a delightfully spicy kick.

This sauce goes great on tofu, chicken, seafood (especially shrimp and salmon), and vegetables. “This recipe worked BEAUTIFULLY. Commercial chili sauces generally have non-vegan ingredients, so homemade is the way to go.

This one has excellent balance between sweet, sour, salt, and spice.”

Easy Sweet Chili Sauce

How many half-used bottles of condiments would you say you have in your refrigerator at this very moment.

Five? Ten?

Twenty? I don’t know how many I have but I know it’s too many.

So when I have the opportunity to make a sauce or condiment from things I already have on hand instead of buying yet another bottle, I’m going to do that. I love sweet chili sauce, but I only use it once or twice per year and each time I’m left with half a bottle that haunts the back of my fridge for-ev-er. So this time I decided to make my own smaller batch of easy sweet chili sauce using a few simple ingredients that I usually have on hand (including another condiment that commonly haunts my fridge!).

Recipe Success Tips

• Shortcut sweet chili sauce. This recipe isn’t a from-scratch, authentic sauce. Sweet chili sauce is usually made with fresh red chiles, but I rarely see them at the store. I used sambal oelek, which is basically just red chiles and vinegar.
• Check the international foods aisle. You can typically find sambal oelek near the sriracha.
• Don’t substitute the rice vinegar. Rice vinegar is mild, so it makes the sauce slightly tangy without making it too sour. Do not use a different type of vinegar.
• Don’t worry if the sauce looks cloudy. This is part of the process when cornstarch gets added. It will clear up.

How to Make Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce Step-by-Step Photos

Combine the ingredients: Combine ¼ cup rice vinegar, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup water, and 1 Tbsp sambal oelek in a small pot or saucepan. This is what sambal oelek looks like.

This is the same brand that makes the most popular brand of sriracha, so you can usually find it in stores that sell sriracha. It’s just a mixture of red chiles and vinegar. Super simple, but really good, and extremely versatile!

I put it on everything. :) Heat the mixture: Heat and stir the mixture in the sauce pot over medium heat until the sugar fully dissolves and the mixture looks clear. This should happen very quickly, within a few minutes.

Add the cornstarch: Dissolve ½ Tbsp cornstarch in 1 Tbsp water, then pour that into the sauce pot. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until it comes back up to a simmer.

The cornstarch mixture will make the sauce look cloudy and white, but that will change. Simmer: When the sauce reaches a simmer, the cornstarch will thicken the sauce.

At this point, you’ll also notice the cornstarch going from white and cloudy to clear. And now your easy sweet chili sauce is finished! Use or store: You can either use the sauce immediately with your favorite dish or store it for later.

Serving Suggestions

Sweet chili sauce is one of those condiments that instantly brightens a dish, and I find it works beautifully in so many recipes. It adds a sweet-heat kick to tofu spinach and green pea curry.

It’s just as delicious with air fryer fried shrimp—the crispy, golden coating paired with a sticky-sweet, lightly spicy dip is an instant crowd-pleaser. And when I want to add a little extra depth to Thai curry vegetable soup, a drizzle of sweet chili sauce brings a punch of brightness that complements the coconut milk and aromatic spices perfectly. It’s a simple finishing touch that makes each of these dishes even more irresistible.

STORAGE

Store unused sweet chili sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.