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Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce – with Honey & Dried Chili Flakes

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A spicy-sweet Asian condiment, homemade sweet chili sauce is easily made with dried chilis and sweetened only with honey.

Easy Honey-Sweetened Homemade Sweet Chili Sauce made with dried chili flakes

I’ve always loved, loved, loved Asian sweet chili sauce – it’s my favorite thing to top Chicken-Lime Lettuce Wraps, Stir-Fry Vegetables, grilled chicken, and much more as I’m sure you could guess. 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?

Sweet Chili Sauce

Homemade Honey-Sweetened Sweet Chili Sauce

The other day I was creating a new slow cooker recipe to share with you (using chicken and our frozen, unblanched green beans – stay tuned!) and I just wanted sweet chili sauce to add to the other Thai-like flavors I had going on (fish sauce and lime juice…). But of course I didn’t have any. I hit the internet and discovered how easy it is to make homemade sweet chili sauce – and to be in control of the sugar content. Score! I didn’t have any fresh chilies, 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!

Fast and Easy Honey Sweetened Sweet Chili Sauce

The result is still a spicy-sweet concoction, but now I can have it whenever I want–especially because it only takes about 5 minutes to make. Really! It’s a lot more inexpensive with the dried chilis, too. So, to recap: this homemade sweet chili sauce is quicker to make than buy, cheaper and able to make it healthier–that’s the kind of pantry basic recipe I love.

Note: some have asked where to get the dried chili flakes – Amazon (my affiliate links) has a good price here for McCormicks and this is a great price for 1 lb. of organic chili flakes. You can also find them at Costco and in smaller jars at regular grocery stores spice aisles. 

Homemade Honey-Sweetened Sweet Chili Sauce
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4.67 from 3 votes

Sweet Chili Sauce Made with Honey & Dried Chili Flakes

A spicy-sweet Asian condiment made easy with dried chili flakes and sweetened only with honey - perfect for lettuce wraps, stir fries and dipping.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Asian
Yield: 1 -1/4 cup
Author: Jami Boys

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon dried chili flakes*
  • 3 teaspoons minced garlic about 3 large cloves
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water 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 - about another minute or two.
  • Remove from heat, cool thoroughly and transfer to a container to store in the fridge (the sauce keeps for a couple of weeks, if it lasts that long...). Reused glass dressing bottles or canning jars both work well.

Notes

*This amount produces a fairly spicy sauce initially, that mellows after a few days. Increase by 1 teaspoon at a time if you'd like to make it spicier.
**Using a starch allows us to use a smaller amount of sugar, but still have a syrupy consistency (traditional sweet chili sauce uses only sugar- a lot - cooked down until syrupy)

Nutrition

Serving: 1teaspoon | Calories: 7kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.7g | Sodium: 78mg | Sugar: 1.5g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!

 

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Make your own homemade spicy peanut sauce for a fraction of the price of store bought.

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About Jami

Since 2009 Jami Boys has helped readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. Whether it's baking bread, creating a floor from paper and glue, or growing vegetables and canning them, Jami's done it and written about it. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

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    • Jami says

      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.

      Reply

  5. Carol L says

    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!!!!

    Reply

  8. Julia says

    Where would you find dried chili flakes? I’m pretty comfortable in the kitchen but I’ve never seen them before.

    Reply

  10. Michele Laughlin says

    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!

    Reply