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.
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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
Makes: 1 1/2 cups

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon water, divided
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3 medium cloves of 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

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