Dressing, Sauce, or Condiment › Condiment

Sweet Chili Sauce

By Amy Flanigan

Updated Aug 14, 2025

Read 30 Reviews

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 6 minutes mins

Servings 24 (3 cups total / 2 tablespoons per serving)

By Amy Flanigan

Updated Aug 14, 2025

Jump to RecipeShare

This homemade Sweet Chili Sauce recipe is garlicky, tangy, sweet, and a little spicy. Perfect for dipping spring rolls, egg rolls, and dumplings. I’ll often serve it with grilled meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. I also love it as an appetizer with a block of cream cheese and crackers!

Tips for Success

• Canning for long term storage. We’re canning this particular recipe, but if you don’t want to, it can certainly be used right away, too!
• Use canning starch. This is what thickens and stabilizes the sauce. Make sure you are using Clear Jel or ThermFlo canning starch, NOT Sure Jel.
• Have an extra jar or two. Canning can be finicky sometimes, often resulting in more quantity than expected, so have a couple extra clean jars available.
• Instead of using a canner, use a large lidded stock pot and make sure the boiling water covers the jars by 2 inches. Tip! Line the bottom of your pot with a clean dishrag to reduce the rattling on the metal bottom.

4.97 from 30

Sweet Chili Sauce

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 6 minutes mins

Total: 16 minutes mins

Servings: 24 (3 cups total / 2 tablespoons per serving)

Rate Pin Print

This homemade Sweet Chili Sauce recipe is garlicky, tangy, sweet, and a little spicy. Perfect for dipping spring rolls, egg rolls, and dumplings, served with grilled meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables, or even as an appetizer with a block of cream cheese and crackers!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 1/3 cups water, divided
• ▢ 2 cups rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 tsp salt
• ▢ 4 fresh red jalapeño, red Fresno, or red serrano peppers, stems removed, minced
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• ▢ ¼ cup plus 2 tsp Clear Jel canning starch

Instructions 

• In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together 2 cups of the water, rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, peppers, and garlic; bring mixture to a boil. Boil 5 minutes.
• While the sauce is boiling, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup of water with the canning starch.
• While stirring the sauce mixture vigorously, pour the canning starch mixture into the pan; keep stirring and bring the mixture back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 1 minute.
• Use a ladle to scoop the sauce into 8 oz. glass jars, leaving a ¼-inch clearance from the top. Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles and then adjust the level with additional sauce if needed.
• Moisten a paper towel with some vinegar and wipe the rims of the jars clean. Place lids on the jars and fasten appropriately.
• If using right away, allow to cool completely and enjoy.
• To can, using nonslip tongs, transfer the sealed jars to a canner full of boiling water that covers the jars by 2 inches. Put the lid of the canner in place, return water to a boil, and process for 10 minutes.
• Carefully transfer the jars to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, preferably overnight. Wipe jars clean, label, and store in a dark place for up to 6 months.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 3mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Post Title Permalink

Email *

Save

Did you make this? Leave a rating below!

How to Make Sweet Chili Sauce Step by Step

Combine ingredients: In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together 2 cups of the water, 2 cups rice wine vinegar, 2 cups sugar, 4 tsp salt, 4 peppers, and 6 cloves garlic and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil 5 minutes.

While the sauce is boiling, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup of water with ¼ cup plus 2 tsp canning starch.

Combine sauce with starch: While stirring the sauce mixture vigorously, pour the canning starch mixture into the pan; keep stirring and bring the mixture back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute.

Transfer the sauce: Use a ladle to scoop the sauce into 8 oz. glass jars, leaving a ¼-inch clearance from the top. Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles and then adjust the level with additional sauce if needed.

Moisten a paper towel with some vinegar and wipe the rims of the jars clean. Place lids on the jars and fasten appropriately.

Cool and enjoy: If using right away, allow to cool completely and enjoy.

Or, to can:  Using nonslip tongs, transfer the sealed jars to a canner full of boiling water that covers the jars by 2 inches. Put the lid of the canner in place, return water to a boil and process for 10 minutes.

Cool and store: Carefully transfer the jars to a wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, preferably overnight. Wipe jars clean, label, and store in a dark place for up to 6 months.

Any sauce not used right away should be stored in tightly sealed jars in the refrigerator and will keep up to 3 weeks.

Instead of canning, you can also store in freezer-safe jars up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop to warm through just to get it back to its normal consistency, but not hot.

What to Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce

Thai sweet chili sauce is a versatile condiment that can be used in so many ways. It’s perfect for dipping egg rolls or spring rolls as an easy side for dinner, or with air fryer wonton chips for a quick snack. I also like to have a bowl on the side for drizzling or dipping coconut shrimp or salmon patties.

More Asian Sauces

• Peanut Sauce
• Yum Yum Sauce
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Stir Fry Sauce