Copycat Chili Garlic Sauce Recipe

Are you looking for the BEST copycat chili garlic sauce recipe now that our favorite rooster sauce is so hard to find? I got you covered!

If you love the spicy rooster sauce like I do, you've probably noticed it can be a little difficult to find! That's because the company that makes Sriracha, Huy Fong, has experienced everything from lawsuits to climate change in the last few years.

From supplier changes to failed crops, Huy Fong has frantically been trying to keep their head above water and find a reliable source of their beloved red chiles. Unfortunately for us, that may take a while.

So in the meantime.....

I made this copycat Chili Garlic Sauce using ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS!

Personally, if you were to do a blind taste test between this recipe and the original I think you would have a hard time telling the difference.

And if it's Sriracha you're after, I already made that copycat recipe too.

Ingredients for Copycat Chili Garlic Sauce

• Red Fresno Peppers
• Garlic
• Rice Vinegar
• Salt
• Brown Sugar

Obviously, the red chilis are going to be the hardest item to find.

They use a specific variety called a FRESNO chili, which looks very much like a ripe jalapeno, but actually is a little different. Red jalapenos will work in place of the Fresno, but check your specialty stores (Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc) as well as your ethnic markets (Hispanic, Asian, etc.) to see if they carry them.

I live on the West Coast, so they can easily be found here at Whole Foods, Albertsons, and Safeway.

Be sure and check your Farmer's Markets too, you just never know where you will find them.

Is It Really Worth The Effort?

I really like the original Sriracha and Chili Garlic Sauce from Huy Fong. And from the buzz I see all over Social Media, I would say a lot of you do too.

I actually saw 2 (8 oz.) bottles of the chili garlic sauce selling on Amazon for $150.00!

So I guess it will be up to you if you want to put forth the effort to 1.) find the chilis and then 2.) pay the $10.99/lb prices I saw at my local Safeway.

This recipe uses 0.5 lbs of chilis and makes approximately 1 cup. It was a fun recipe to make, and it's comforting to know I can always make this whenever I want.

Oh, and it tastes delicious!

How To Make Copycat Chili Garlic Sauce

1. You'll need about 8 oz. of Fresno Chili Peppers. That's about 10 peppers, give or take. Give them a quick rinse, and then remove the stems and give them a rough chop.
2. Add the peppers to a food processor along with 5 or 6 large cloves of garlic.
3. Add the vinegar, salt, and sugar of choice. I used brown sugar but if you want to try maple syrup or dates.... go for it.
4. Puree the mix until it is the consistency you like. It should be somewhat chunky.
5. Adjust any of the ingredients if you feel the need, more salt, more vinegar, whatever.
6. Then simply saute the sauce in a small pan for a few minutes to soften the peppers. The original sauce IS pasteurized, although I'm not sure if it's fermented or not.
7. Regardless, this sauce is great right out of the pan. Enjoy it on Asian stir fry, your favorite rice dish, spring rolls, or whatever you like.

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