Sweet Chili Sauce
Updated
Updated
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!
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5 STAR REVIEW
You know that deliciously sweet, tangy, garlicky dipping sauce served at Asian restaurants that comes with a variety of appetizers? The one that makes your taste buds sing, and you can’t get enough of? Ya, that’s sweet chili sauce, and I love it!
The consistency is thick, but is still pourable, making it perfect to dunk egg rolls into. And yes, it’s available to buy at stores, but with only a few simple ingredients, you can easily make it at home, too!
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.
Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
- 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
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.
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.
How To Store
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. I also like to have a bowl on the side for drizzling or dipping coconut shrimp or salmon patties.
I made this today. I couldn’t find red serrano so used red jalapenos. I made a half recipe and only used 1 pepper. It’s delicious, but boy is it hot! Canning is dicey. A half recipe filled 3, 8 oz. jars. The heat in jalapenos varies greatly so beware. I do love the flavor of the sauce. Thank you for sharing.
This is the best sauce I’ve ever tasted.
Easy to make and my family and friends can’t get enough. Love it on chicken and eggs.
Before putting my extra sauce in the fridge, I had my daughter try it. “OH! You really need to sell this!” Was her reply. For her to say that is a huge deal! Thank you for the recipe. I will be canning this again.
Great recipe. Thanks for providing canning instructions. Store bought is so expensive.
Love this recipe so much, turned out great. Served with spring rolls.
This is a great recipe! We served it over cream cheese with crackers for New Year’s Eve and everyone loved it!
I made this and served over cream cheese and served with crackers and veggie sticks. Everyone loved it! Thanks so much for a great appetizer. So excited to have several jars left to last for other occasions.
Great recipe! We love this served over cream cheese with crackers for an easy appetizer.
Hi question can I use stevia in this instead of sugar thanks
I have not tested this recipe with sugar substitutes, so I can’t vouch for proper results, sorry!
I have thai chili peppers and jabanero. The thai chili have been frozen but….I really need an indication–in weight?–as to how much pepper to use. For example, serrano are smaller than jabanero but the directions just say 4. Any thoughts?
Hi Carol – I don’t ever weigh the peppers, I just grab 4 and go with it sorry.
Great recipe. Will make nice Christmas gifts. Thank You!
Hi, can I substitute the granulated sugar for stevia?
This was so happy with the results of this! Served it with dumplings and also over rice. I found the clear jel on Amazon if anyone can’t find it at the store.
I made this last year and am down to my final jar. Need to make another batch!
Looove this recipe!!! I used it for chicken wings. Thank you so much for sharing.
I don’t have clear jell can I substitute sure-jell pectin? This sounds divine!
Hi Rita – as mentioned in the article, Clear Jel is not the same thing as Sure Jel. Make sure you are using Clear Jel canning starch not Sure Jel pectin. Clear Jel is a modified cornstarch commonly used to make fruit pie fillings. If you can’t find it at your local store, you can buy it online. Enjoy!
Loved this recipe. So easy – tasted better than the store.
This was excellent and so easy to make. No more store-bought for me!
Above it states that it can be stored in the freezer. Do you have to “Can” it first or can you just put it in the jars and store it in the freezer until you are ready to use it?
Hi Arlene – It says canning is optional. You can definitely store in the fridge or freezer as instructed. Enjoy!
Love this recipe. Perfect amount of sweet, tangy, and heat.
Can you use a sugar substitute in this recipe? Doing keto and can’t have the sugar
This was so good!! I used it to drizzle over asian chicken wraps.
Can I use a sugar alternative in this recipe?
Rice wine vinegar is lower acid that white or apple cider vinegar- it’s not recommended for canning. Did you have this tested for safety?
I used apple cider vinegar since I only had rice vinegar, noticed even some rice vinegars were under 5
I had no idea how easy it was to make this! And so much better tasting than store bought. We loved it. I kept 2 jars for my family and gave the rest to neighbors and friends.
Oh my!! This stuff is amazing. I’ve made and canned 2 – 2x batches. Definitely a keeper recipe and worth the wait for the late season red jalapenos. Thanks!!
Since the size of jalapenos can vary, how much in measurement should be used in this recipe? I did make it and mine does not seem as red as yours in the photo.
Fantastic. So much easier than I imagined. Going to make another batch as it gets closer to the holidays and give as gifts. Thanks for sharing!
Made this, but used Splenda instead of regular white sugar. It came out GREAT!
Oh my goodness!! This is one of my favorite sauces and was so exited to find this recipe. I don’t have a canner, so just used a large pot. And I used a combination of peppers. It’s wooondeerfulll!!! Thank you for sharing!
This came out great! Served it with crab puffs.
Your recipe looks great! I was wondering if I could substitute the peppers you listed for cayenne peppers? I grew quite a bit of these this summer and they’re still growing strong. Also, any great recipes for using banana peppers?
Hi Cynthia – I haven’t tested this recipe with cayenne peppers, so I can’t vouch for the results, but try it? Any substitutions will obviously alter the taste and heat level, but if you love those peppers, it should be fine. Let me know how it turns out!
Did you try this with cayennes? I was wondering the how it was – was thinking of doing the same. Thanks!
What about adding a habanero? I have lots!
Can’t wait to make this but my jalapenos are not turning red. Can you use green jalapenos instead of red? Also, what is the measurement for 4 jalapenos and can you add more without adjusting other ingredients?
Just…YUM! Ritz, shredded chicken mixed with cream cheese, this drizzled on top! OMG!
hello, I live in Saudi Arabia and anything that has the word “wine” in it is not sold in supermarkets here. So my question is: what can you use as a substitute for rice wine?
Hi Joel! Rice Wine Vinegar and Rice Vinegar are the same thing, so see if you can find Rice Vinegar at your local store.
This recipe is excellent, thank you!
We loved it, too. I don’t have a canner, do used a large pot as suggested. Came out great!
Can I just freeze this like freezer jam or does it need to be canned?
Yep. It will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.
Can I use Ki ng Arthur brand instant Clear Jel or instant clear Jel on Amazon?
I don’t think the brand matters, as long as it’s Clear Jel.
Making this this weekend and just ordered the book! Yay!
This was so much easier than I ever imagined and the end result was DELICIOUS!
Sweet chili sauce is one of my favorite condiments EVER EVER EVER, but it usually comes stuffed with so many weirdo ingredients! Love that this is au natural and totally doable at home!
You are THE BEST! Thanks so much for the fabulous review and I’m so glad you liked both the Sweet Garlic Chile Sauce AND the Korean Barbecue Sauce! xoxo
I hope you sell a million copies!
Sooo, you can’t use corn starch?