Easy Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe – Honey Sweetened
In just 10 minutes you can make this amazing honey sweetened sweet chili sauce recipe with a perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors. This healthier homemade sauce, made with basic dried red pepper flakes, is perfect for dipping, stir-frying, and adding flavor to your favorite Thai and other dishes. Say goodbye to store bought sauce with this easy recipe!
Looking for more easy sauce recipes to make at home? You definitely want to try my super quick mayonnaise recipe, or this honey sweetened ketchup, or this amazing chocolate syrup.
✩ What readers are saying…
“Absolutely amazing & so easy to make!” -Shaelynn
Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
I’ve always loved, loved Thai sweet chili sauce – it’s my favorite thing to top Chicken-Lime Lettuce Wraps, Stir-Fry Vegetables, glaze grilled chicken, and to drizzle on quick meals like rice bowls.
However, I’ve often felt a tad guilty because sugar is the first ingredient (hello, that’s probably why I like it!), so I wouldn’t buy it very often.
But then I’d be missing it. Ugh – the thought processes of healthy eating, right?
When I was creating a slow cooker recipe to share with you (this yummy bowl using chicken and our frozen, unblanched green beans) I needed sweet chili sauce to add to the other Thai flavors in the dish (like fish sauce and lime juice). And of course I didn’t have any.
I searched the internet and realized how easy it is to make homemade sweet chili sauce – and then I realized that I could be in control of the sugar content and use only a natural sweetener. Score!
So I adapted this recipe to use dried chili flakes and to be sweetened with only honey – and just 1/3 cup in the whole batch, which is 50% less than the store bought sugar content!
The result is still a spicy-sweet concoction, but now I can make it whenever I want, feeling better about less sugar – especially because it only takes about 10 minutes to make. Really!
So, to recap: this easy sweet chili sauce is quicker to make than store bought, cheaper to make, and easily made healthier with less sugar – that’s the kind of pantry basic recipe I love.
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this amazing homemade sweet chili sauce:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Dried red pepper flakes – most recipes online use fresh peppers, which is great when you have them. Most of the year I do not regularly keep fresh peppers on hand, but I always have red pepper flakes so I created this recipe that can be made anytime. Bonus: it’s less expensive using dried chilis, too.
- Rice vinegar – I prefer the lighter flavor of this vinegar in Asian inspired recipes, but you could substitute white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Honey – I have not tried this with any other sweetener. Maple syrup may work if you can’t have honey, but it would impact the flavor. Using this amount of cane sugar may work as well.
- Starch – both potato and corn starch work here – using a starch allows us to use a smaller amount of sugar and still have a syrupy consistency (traditional sweet chili sauce uses only sugar- a lot – cooked down until syrupy).
Where to Buy Chili Flakes
I’ve had questions about where to find the dried chili flakes – here are a couple places to check out:
- Amazon has a good price here for McCormicks.
- And this is a great price for 1 lb. of organic chili flakes if you use a lot like we do.
- You can also find them at Costco and in smaller jars at regular grocery stores spice aisles.
How to Make This Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Step 1: Boil ingredients. Add all the ingredients except the starch and 2 tablespoons of water to 3 quart or larger saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for a minute at medium heat.
Step 2: Add starch slurry. Mix the potato or corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water until dissolved and add slowly to the gently boiling sauce, stirring constantly.
The sauce should thicken in less than a minute.
TIP: Do not base the spice level on a taste at this point- it will be really spicy initially, but will mellow after a few days. So make the recipe as written once, let it sit in the fridge, taste, and then adjust other batches as you like – less or more spicy.
Storage
- Fridge: Store this in a pint jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks. This must be refrigerated because of the fresh garlic used.
- Freeze: You can freeze this sauce, though it will congeal which is easily fixed by a gentle reheating.
Reader Raves
“I just made this and it is delicious (and spicy- I added an extra teaspoon of chili flakes)!! Thanks for this great and simple recipe!” – Michele
“Just made the sweet chilli sauce and is looking good…Thank you for this version. So much easier.” -Fi
I hope you love this sweet chili sauce recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating so I know how you liked it!
Want to save this?
Enter your email below and you’ll get it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get easy new recipes, gardening tips & more every week!
Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe – Honey Sweetened in 10 Minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon dried chili flakes*
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic, about 3 large cloves
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3/4 cup water + 2 tablespoons, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or organic cornstarch**
Instructions
- Add chili flakes, garlic, vinegar, honey, 3/4 c. water, and salt to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Boil for a minute at medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Mix the potato starch with the remaining water and add to the sauce, stirring over medium heat until thickened, less than a minute.
- Remove from heat, cool thoroughly and transfer to a glass container to store in the fridge. Reused glass dressing bottles or pint canning jars both work well.
Notes
Nutrition
Your Questions Answered
-Dipping sauce for potstickers and egg or spring rolls.
-Glaze for salmon or other seafood.
-Dressing for noodle salads and rice bowls.
-Drizzle for lettuce wraps.
No, this hasn’t been tested to be safe for either water bath or pressure canning.
Surprisingly, there are health benefits with eating foods with red chillies – they help our metabolisms, helps fight pain and act as an anti-inflammatory. Chilies are known for improving blood circulation, regulating blood pressure and burning calories.
However, the amount of sugar in traditional sweet chili sauce is not considered healthy which is why I lowered the sugar amount and replaced white sugar with natural honey. Now I consider this u0022healthyishu0022 – especially because we usually only use a tablespoon or so when eating.
In a word – spice! Sweet chili sauce has the vinegar-sugar combo like sweet and sour sauce, but amps up the spiciness with peppers.
Sweet chili sauce is a condiment from Thailand that combines sugar and chili peppers for a spicy-sweet flavor (though it originated in China, it was popularized globally after making it’s way to Thailand which is why it’s known as Thai sweet chili sauce). Chili sauce is tomato based, more like a ketchup and is mostly used in recipes (vs. as a condiment).
I haven’t yet made your recipe, although it looks like what I want to try.
My comment is that “chili sauce” is NOT tomato based and instead is chili based. True chili sauce (especially in Mexico) does not have any tomato in it, and in fact, only dried chilies and water are the necessary ingredients, although often garlic and sometimes oregano are added. Chili sauce should not resemble ketchup at all.
This doesn’t have tomatoes – it’s a Thai-style chili sauce!
I made this and while the flavor is AMAZING, mine never thickened. It just stayed “soupy” and separated. Not sure if I did something wrong or if you’ve had something similar happen and how to fix? I’m going to try it again to make sure I didn’t pull a dummy somewhere along the line, but would hate to have to find a new recipe if it happens again. 😫
This was amazing! I made it Thursday to eat on Saturday so I added that extra teaspoon of chili flakes. I did use Calabrian chili flakes (our fave) and followed the recipe.
It was less sweet and more spicy than either restaurant or bottled and we think the flavors were soooo much better.
Thank you for sharing! No more bottled crap for us! This is easy to make at a moments notice……and I might just try some ginger in it next time. That could be tasty!
Wha-hoo! I’m so glad you gave this a try and liked it, Kat! My goal was less sweet, so I’m glad you appreciate that. 🙂
Absolutely amazing & so easy to make! We used it after it cooled, same day and it’s so spicy! So next time I’ll either do less pepper flakes or just wait the few days! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Glad you liked this, Shealynn! Definitely do less red pepper to tailor to your tastes – one of the benefits of making your own. 🙂
This came out amazing!
I’m so glad, Nora! Thanks so much for leaving a review. 🙂
Thoughts on water bath canning this? I’d think that the vinegar would make it shelf stable?
I can’t recommend that because it hasn’t been tested for canning. I see your reasoning, but it would need to be a tested recipe for me to be able to fully recommend that here. 🙂
Just made this, it’s a little more spicy than anticipated but it’s soooo flavorful -just one change: added a dash of soy sauce and a pinch of salt to taste (my nose was so skeptical but when I tasted it I was converted) 🥰🥰🥰
So glad you gave this a try! I’ll have to try your additions – thanks for the review!
Just made the sweet chilli sauce and is looking good. Made the mistake of taste testing while it was still hot. I should have learnt by now as I’ve done that a few times before before. 🥵🥵. (not in this recipe… 😊) Thank you for this version. So much easier.
Oh dear – yeah, probably not taste test while hot!
So glad you liked this, though!
So many ads I can’t even see the content. ☹️
Sorry, I’m doing the best I can to provide free content for everyone!
The sweet chili sauce is cooking right now, smells fantastic!
Hope you enjoy it!!
Morning,
Have you ever used your garden tomatoes for making your ketchup?
Thanks
Kathy
I haven’t for two reasons: one, we don’t use that much ketchup and my tomatoes always go for our favorites first, salsa, chutney, garden marinara, and pizza sauce. And two, it takes a LONG time to cook down, lol.
How long would it store for
We’ve had it for a month before using it up, but I think it would store longer than that even.
I LOVE sweet chili sauce!!! I would make this, but change when you add the honey from the boiling stage to when it begins to cool in (under 100*) order to save the beneficial enzymes that are destroyed when heating. (otherwise, you might just as well use sugar!) I will make this soon! I usually just buy a large bottle that is pretty decent with regards to ingredients, but making my own is always better!!!!
That’s a good suggestion, Carol – thanks!
All I have is malt vinegar, could I use that?!
Probably, Rebecca, though it may impart an malt flavor. 🙂
Could I use regular white vinegar?
Yes. I just usually use rice vinegar with Asian dishes and it’s a lighter flavor.
Where would you find dried chili flakes? I’m pretty comfortable in the kitchen but I’ve never seen them before.
I just get them at Costco, but any supermarket should have something similar.
Eeeek! So excited to try this!
I just made this and it is delicious (and spicy- I added an extra teaspoon of chili flakes) !! Thanks for this great and simple recipe!
I think you win the prize for first to make it, Michelle. 😉 Glad you liked it!
This sounds wonderful – can’t wait to try it. Thank you !!
Cherie
Gresham, Oregon