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Looking to replicate that sweet and spicy sauce from your fave Thai restaurant? This Thai sweet chili sauce recipe is it. Perfectly balanced with heat, sugar, and tang, it's ideal for stir-fries, veggies, or dipping anything your heart desires. Plus, it's super easy to make with ingredients you probably already have!
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This recipe is all about keeping it simple with just 8 pretty common ingredients. You simmer 'em all together, blend it up, thicken it with some cornstarch, and BAM, you'll be shocked what legit sauce you've got on your hands. If you like your homemade sauces with a 'lil kick, you can totally control the heat, making it as mild or spicy as you want compared to the bottled stuff you find in grocery stores.
Think of it as a Thai condiment cousin to favorites like nam jim jaew or nam prik pao-both adding their own delicious depth to any dish. So, if you've been looking for THE best homemade Thai sweet chili sauce, you've found it.
Brace yourself for a flavor bomb, this sauce will have you coming back for seconds and thirds!
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🥰Why you'll adore this sweet chili sauce recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan Thai recipes, this Thai sweet chili sauce has no fish sauce, shrimp paste, or other ingredients that cause harm to animals.
🕐 Fast & Simple: Ready in under 20 minutes, this sauce is a breeze to whip up, and will not make a nasty mess all over your glistening kitchen.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: After perfecting it, like all my vegan recipes, I had a team of recipe testers all around the planet recreate this sauce. They nailed it EVERY time.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🌶️ Thai sweet chili sauce Ingredients
Dried Thai Chilies
Dried Thai chilies (prik haeng) bring that signature fiery kick and smoky depth to the sauce. I use them in dishes like Thai basil fried rice to pack heat without overwhelming. If you can't find any, use byadagi or for a milder sauce, dried hatch (what you'd use to make a New Mexico-style red chile sauce).
Fresh Chilies
Fresno peppers bring a slightly sweeter heat and red color to the sauce, similar to the chilies used in sambal oelek. If you don't have Fresno peppers, red jalapeños (-just like the ones I use in my sriracha recipe) work as a solid swap. Both pack a punch, but Fresno peppers def. bring a more delicate, fruity heat.
Rice Vinegar
Rice vinegar adds a tangy lift, balancing the sweetness and heat in this sauce. It's key in dishes like Thai cucumber salad, Korean carrot salad, and vegan Korean scallion salad. If you don't have rice vinegar lying around, apple cider vinegar or regular white vinegar can do the trick.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is your go-to for a thick, glossy sauce that coats your food just right without being too watery. If you're out, arrowroot powder, or tapioca starch are great substitutes and have been tested to work in this recipe.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖How to make sweet chili sauce
Master this homemade sweet chili sauce on your first shot by following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
By Our Powers Combined:
Combine the water, dried Thai chilies, Fresno pepper, ginger, garlic, sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice, and salt in a saucepan.
Step Two
Sim Simmer, Who's Got The Keys To My Bimmer?
Bring it to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar fully dissolves and the flavors meld together.
Step Three
Blender-Man:
Remove the saucepan from heat and let the mixture cool slightly. Transfer it to a blender and pulse a few times, just enough to break up the dried chilies.
Step Four
Pour Unfortunate Souls:
Pour the blended mixture back into the saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
Step Five
Slurry, Not Sorry:
In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch until smooth.
Step Six
The Plot Thickens:
Slowly pour the slurry into the saucepan while stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and turns bubbly and glossy.
Step Seven
The Final Cool-Down:
Remove from heat and let the sauce cool before serving with Thai spring rolls or transferring it to a jar or container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
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💡Serving Ideas
This sauce is made for dipping some crispy goodness. Try it with vegan Thai spring rolls, packed with vermicelli and fresh veggies. Or go for the vegan lumpiang shanghai, golden and crunchy with a savory filling.
Loaded with fresh herbs and tofu, vegan goi cuon are another perfect match.
For something hearty, bakwan sayur, crispy veggie fritters, won't disappoint. And if you're craving a fried fix, vegan fried chicken brings that perfect crunch. All these are practically beggin' for a dunk in this sauce!
👉Top tips
- Don't Over-Blend, This Ain't a Smoothie: You want a sauce, not a smoothie. Pulse the mixture just enough to break up the dried chilies while keeping some texture.
- Steam's Got Hands, Let It Escape: Hot liquids in a blender build pressure fast. Cover the top of the blender loosely with a kitchen towel above the lid, crack the lid slightly, or loosen the middle pour spout thingy (if your blender has one) to keep the blender from exploding and turning your kitchen into a crime scene.
- Let It Chill Before Judging: This sauce thickens up nicely as it cools. So if it seems too thin or the flavors are throwin' hands straight off the stove, give it a minute. Let it breathe, then taste it before making adjustments.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
It might need more time to simmer and thicken, or you can add a bit more cornstarch slurry to achieve the right consistency.
🧊 Refrigerating
Pour the sauce into a glass jar or an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 1 month. The flavors actually get better as they sit, so give it a 'lil time to do its thing.
❄️ Freezing
If you want to keep it longer, freeze it in a lidded glass container or an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop the cubes into a sealed container and store for up to 3 months. Freezing in an ice cube tray means you've got perfectly portioned flavor bombs ready to go, no need to thaw a whole batch when you just need a little!
✌️You'll love these Thai condiments too:
Master the art of plant based Thai cuisine in this super-fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup dried Thai chilies about 10 g.
- ¼ cup Fresno pepper or red Jalapeño, finely minced, with seeds
- 1 teaspoon ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
To Thicken:
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the water, dried Thai chilies, Fresno pepper, ginger, garlic, sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar fully dissolves and the flavors develop.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Transfer the mixture to a blender and pulse a few times, just until the dried chilies are well broken up.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring back to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch until smooth.
- Slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens to a glossy consistency.
- Remove from heat and let cool before transferring to a jar or container. Store refrigerated for up to one month.
Notes
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Reshyll says
This is now my fave sauce to dip some spring rolls in. 10/10 flavor.