This Thai Sweet Chile Sauce is simply amazing!
It's SO easy to make and takes literally minutes on the stove to prepare.
And oh boy - depending on how spicy you like it? Yahoo. This is the stuff.
Sweet
Garlicky
Spicy!
We love our rice and noodles and so this spicy sauce makes the perfect condiment. You can also use it as a dip for spring rolls, or just to give a stir fry a kick.
It's so easy, versatile, and inexpensive to make, you'll wonder why you've never tried to make it before! It's basically just Vinegar, Water, and Sugar! How easy is that?
Just add some spices and bam - instant sweet and spicy goodness.
Like the gal from the Frank's Hot Sauce Commercial says: "I Put That %^&^ On Everything!"
Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
In a small pan, heat ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup of Rice Vinegar.
Slowly add (depending on taste) up to ¼ cup of sugar and whisk until it's all dissolved.
Meanwhile, chop up at least 3 or 4 large cloves of garlic and drop them in.
Whisk in ½ teaspoon (or more) of crushed red pepper chile flakes. The ones you put on pizza? Yeah, those. Now if you're REALLY into the heat - you can add up to a teaspoon, but I stick to just a half. Besides, I put in some additional spices next to beef it up a notch.
I add a teaspoon of Asian chile-garlic sauce too, you know the one with the red rooster on it? Just for that added garlic and spice. This step is completely optional, but man does it add a good flavor.
Now whisk in the ketchup and powdered ginger and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl (I use a coffee cup) whisk together 1 Tablespoon of Corn Starch and 1 Tablespoon of hot water. When it's nice and smooth, pour that in your sauce and give it a stir - it will start to thicken immediately.
Simmer until you get the consistency you like and that's pretty much it.
This is exactly like the Sweet Chile Sauce you can buy in the stores, but at a fraction of the cost and without all the extra preservatives and chemicals.

Thai Sweet Chile Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 pint 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
Sweet and spicey, just the way we like it! Simple to make, and very inexpensive compared to store brands. You'll find yourself putting this on everything!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Rice Vinegar
- ¼ cup Hot Water
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2-3 cloves Garlic ((minced))
- 1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce ((optional))
- ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tbs Ketchup
- 1 Tbs Corn Starch
- 1 Tbs Water
Instructions
- Heat the water and vinegar in a small pan
- Whisk in the sugar and stir until it dissolves
- Add the garlic and garlic sauce and continue stirring
- Add the red pepper flakes and ginger and stir some more
- Take a taste – I like to add the Ketchup to mine as I like the tomato flavor (and color, Sriracha would work too)
- Mix the cold water and corn starch and whisk it into the sauce – it will thicken quickly
Notes
Enjoy!
JEAN BIRCH
What sort of a fruit loop am I? Why on earth have I been buying junk filled bottles of this for so long instead of making my own? Thank you for bringing me to my senses with such an easy, tasty recipe. I'm just going to have a bit of a rummage around your archives now to see if there are any other super scrummy things I should be making for myself.
★★★★★
Deborah
Delicious and so easy! Won’t be buying this anymore!
Thank You!
Lisa Johnson
This is our absolute favorite sauce and we use it with fresh spring rolls weekly! What a shame that it's been sitting here with only a 1 star review from someone who simply thought the name was spelled wrong.
★★★★★
Angela
Any thoughts on replacing the sugarwith maple syrup or date paste? This looks so good, thank you!!!
Chuck Underwood
I've thought about it - just haven't tried it yet. If you do - be sure and let me know how it turned out.
Yo
You spelt your title wrong. You spelt Chile the country not the food (Chilli sauce). ....Good one.
★
Chuck Underwood
Actually no - I did not. Chile is a pepper, and this is a pepper sauce. "Chili" is a Tex-
Mex Soup of usually meat and spices.
Arzel Clark
I love this over steamed broccoli and rice
Susan Laverty
Looks good! How long do you think it will keep?
Cindi Trunk
I bought some of this when I saw it was an ingredient in a recipe. I wanted to see what it was before I tried to duplicate it. I like to eat it spooned on potatoes I've batch-cooked in the pressure cooker. Thanks so much for publishing a recipe. I seriously love this stuff.
Sandra
Can you substitute date paste for the sugar?
Chuck Underwood
probably