Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe

This sauce is sweet, sticky, and good on absolutely (okay, almost) everything.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Oct. 16, 2018
20120602-208938-thai-sweet-chili-sauce.jpg

This thickened mixture of chilies, vinegar, sugar, and garlic is perfect for everything from eggrolls, to fries, to burgers, and so much more. You can buy similar version of this sweet and sticky sauce in large glass bottles, but they can't compare to this homemade version.

Recipe Facts

5

(2)

Active: 10 mins
Total: 10 mins
Serves: 12 servings
Makes: 1 1/2 cups

Rate & Comment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon water, divided

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

  • 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Fresno, red Thai chilies, or red jalapeño peppers (seeds left in for a hotter sauce)

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons salt

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch. Set aside.

    20120602-208938-thai-sweet-chili-sauce-step1

  2. In a medium saucepan, mix together remaining 1 cup water, garlic, peppers, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.

    20120602-208938-thai-sweet-chili-sauce-step2

  3. Stir cornstarch mixture to re-combine, then whisk into simmering sauce and cook until thickened, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat, let cool, and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

    20120602-208938-thai-sweet-chili-sauce-step3

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
54 Calories
0g Fat
14g Carbs
0g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 54
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 354mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 22mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes