Sweet chili sauce is a multipurpose condiment with a wide range of applications. It’s not just for Thai food! It makes an excellent dipping sauce for sweet potato fries and other snacks.
Sweet chili sauce also goes well with barbecue chicken and grilled shrimp skewers, and any type of seafood dish you might make at home. It’s even good on hamburgers!
As it is an Asian condiment sometimes hard to find, so you can use a substitute for sweet chili sauce instead.
6 Best substitute for sweet chili sauce – Sweet Thai Chili sauce Alternatives
1. ASIAN CHILI GARLIC SAUCE WITH SUGAR – A Perfect Substitute for Sweet Thai Chili sauce.
A mixture of Asian chili-garlic sauce with sugar is the best substitute for sweet chili sauce. Asian chili-garlic paste is a type of sauce that is used in various dishes. Chili peppers, garlic, and soy sauce are used to make it. The sauce can be used as a marinade or a condiment.
It is also a common additive to various recipes because of its spicy flavor, but adding sugar may reduce the heat and is similar to sweet chili sauce.
You may easily found in Asian grocery stores and some local supermarkets, usually in small jars or plastic tubs.
This paste is used quite often in recipes, but the problem is that each Asian grocery store has its own recipe for this sauce.
Their recipes usually differ in the amounts of garlic and soy sauce used in the mixture, resulting in a very different taste and heat level.
Therefore, make sure to use a recipe for this paste that is the same as the one you bought from an Asian grocery store. Once you find out which brand you like the most, feel free to tweak it by adding or subtracting garlic and soy sauce.
It is best to keep this paste in the refrigerator. Storing it at room temperature can cause spoilage and may alter the taste and texture of the sauce.
2. Sweet Thai chili sauce substitute SRIRACHA + SUGAR
One common substitute for sweet chili sauce is sriracha sauce mixed with sugar. This provides a similar flavor and consistency to sweet Thai chili sauce but with a kick of heat from the sriracha sauce.
Another benefit of using sriracha sauce is that it is readily available in most supermarkets and has a long shelf life.
Some supermarkets may sell sriracha sauce under the “rooster sauce” label due to its iconic rooster logo. In a pinch, a blend of 1/2 cup ketchup and 2-3 teaspoons of sriracha sauce may be substituted for sweet chili sauce.
Read More- Best Thai chili paste substitutes
3. FILIPINO AGRE DULCE – Good Alternative to Sweet Chili sauce
Filipino Agre Dulce or sweet yet sour sauce similar taste profile to sweet chili sauce. It contains tangy natural ingredients like banana ketchup, tomato ketchup, or pineapple with Labuyo chilis, water, sugar, and salt, then mixed with cornstarch for the thickness of the sauce.
Filipino agre dulce is another dipping sauce for various types of spring rolls and deep-fried dishes.
4. Laos JEOW BONG is a sweet and spicy Laotian chili paste – A Hint of Unique Sweet Chili sauce Alternative
Jeow Bong is a type of dipping sauce that originated in Laos, also popular throughout Southeast Asian countries.
Jeow Bong contains pepper flakes, fish sauce, shredded water pork or buffalo skin, galanga, and garlic with some natural sugar in it.
The flavor is sweet with perfect savory sauce to go with sticky rice, vegetables, snacks, etc. This sauce is also widespread as Luang Prabang chili sauce.
You may be found in the Asian condiment aisle.
5. THAI NAM CHIM – A Decent Replacement for Sweet Chili sauce
Nam Chim or Nam Jim is another popular dipping sauce from Thai Cuisine. It has all sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy tastes in it.
Although Nam Chim is typically used in steamed or grilled seafood, you may use it as your dipping sauce. It is slightly spicier than sweet chili sauce but works very well.
Nam Chim contains fish sauce like sweet Thai chili sauce and also has garlic, lime juice for sour, sugar, and bird’s eye chilies.
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6. Make your Own Sweet Thai chili sauce Substitute
Making sweet chili sauce at home is a very easy process.
You will need the following ingredients:
· 1 cup of white sugar
· 1/2 cup of rice vinegar
· 1/4 cup of soy sauce
· 1 tablespoon of chili garlic paste
· 1/2 teaspoon of salt
· 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce (optional)
Instructions:
1. Mix all the components in a pan and stir over medium heat until the sugar has melted.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.
3. Release from flame and allow to cool.
4. Store in a jar in the fridge.
The sweet chili sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
The recipe is very easy to make, and it can be used in various dishes. It can be utilized as a dip for finger foods, spring rolls, fried chicken, noodles, chow mein, etc. It also goes nicely with burgers and fries.
Easy sweet chili sauce recipes
To explore the world of sweet chili sauces beyond the basics, try making one from scratch using ingredients like lime juice, honey or maple syrup, fresh ginger root, garlic cloves, and cayenne pepper. It is not as difficult to prepare as you may imagine.
Here are a few recipes for sweet chili sauce to get you started:
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes Quantity: 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
• 4 ounces red chilies, seeded and chopped into small pieces • 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar • 2 tablespoons sugar or honey, or more to taste • 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce, or to taste • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Directions:
Put the chilies and vinegar in a blender and pulse on high speed until you get a puree. Pour the chili mixture into a clean bowl and stir in all other ingredients by hand. Keep refrigerated for up to two weeks.
Asian Dipping Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes Quantity: 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (see recipe above)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon powdered red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste
Directions:
Whisk together all of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until completely combined. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Low Carb Asian Dipping Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes Quantity: 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce • 1 teaspoon sweet chili sauce (see recipe above) • 1 teaspoon sesame oil • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and whisk until they’re completely mixed. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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What is Sweet Chii Sauce?
Sweet Chili sauce is a popular condiment in many Asian countries. It is made from various chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, and sugar.
One ingredient usually used to make chili sauce is capsaicin. Capsaicin is a chemical compound found in chili peppers that gives them their spicy flavor. It is also an ingredient that can give chili sauce its kick.
The sweet chili sauce has a really good flavor to it. It is not that much spicy, but it has a nice kick to it that keeps you wanting more. I would definitely recommend this sauce to anyone who enjoys a good chili flavor without it being too overpowering.
Sweet Thai chili sauce ingredients
Sweet chili sauce made of Fish sauce, Garlic, honey, or sugar for sweet, rice wine vinegar, chili peppers including Thai chilis, jalapenos, or Fresno chile.
What is sweet chili sauce used for?
Sweet chili sauce is a widely used condiment in a number of foods., such as chicken, beef, fish, and vegetable stir-fries. It is made from red chilies, sugar, vinegar, garlic, and salt. It has a low pH, which means it can act as an effective preservative.
Wrap up On Sweet Thai Chili Sauce substitutes
Although we’ve focused on substitutes for sweet chili sauce as a condiment in this article, there are many other sauces that can give you the same level of heat and flavor.
Sriracha, Asian Chili garlic sauce, Nam Chim, and all the condiment I listed above can provide a tasty kick to your favorite dishes.
With such numerous other flavors available, you’re sure to find one that will become your new go-to sauce for adding heat and excitement to any meal.
Read More- Soy sauce substitute - White Soy sauce
FAQs Related to Sweet Thai chili sauce and its Alternatives
Q1. Is sweet chili sauce the same as sriracha?
Yes. They are almost similar with some differences. Let’s me explain how?
Sweet chili sauce is also called Sweet Thai chili sauce as it originated from Thailand. They are known as Nam Chim Kai in Thailand.
On the other hand, Sriracha also originated in Thailand as a type of hot chili sauce.
To see the ingredients prospect,
Sweet chili sauce contains- rice wine vinegar, red chili peppers including jalapeno/Thai chili/ Fresno chile, garlic, sugar or honey, with fish sauce.
Sriracha contains- Garlic, hot chili peppers, distilled vinegar, salt, and sugar.
Both condiments use for dipping sauces such as spring rolls, deep-fried shrimp, other European Chinese dishes, Pho, fried noodles, etc.
So, you can see they are close enough, but sriracha is more spicy than Thai sweet chili sauce, and it does not contain any fish sauce.
Q2. Can you use ketchup instead of chili sauce?
The answer is NO because ketchup contains more water, tomato flavor, and added sugar; thus, it has a lower concentration of chili. Water and sugar will dilute the taste of chili, and it definitely won’t be as spicy.
Chili sauce contains garlic and vinegar, so Ketchup is not a cup of tea here.
Q3. Can I use chili garlic sauce instead of sweet chili sauce?
Chili garlic sauce is an excellent substitute for sweet chili sauce. Since it has more of a kick, I recommend adding less to your recipe. You can also make your own sweet chili sauce by adding sugar to chili garlic sauce.
Q4. Can I substitute sweet chili sauce for sriracha?
In market there are other sauces that can be used in place of sriracha. Most Thai Sweet Chili Sauces are interchangeable with Sriracha.
Sriracha has its own flavor that sets it apart from other hot sauces. It is zesty, garlicky, and slightly sweet with mild acidity.
The balance of sweet and spicy in sriracha is what sets it apart, so it’s unlikely that another chili sauce will taste exactly like sriracha.
However, the flavors of a popular Thai chili sauce called Sambal Oelek come very close to those of sriracha.
Sambal Oelek is a paste made from chili peppers and has a similar spice but not as much sweet and garlic flavor as sriracha does. Unless you want the heat, it’s a good substitute.
You can also try substituting equal parts of another chili sauce with sriracha. In that case, you can go for any sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce.
Q5. Can I use Sriracha instead of sweet chili sauce?
Sriracha is a wonderful sweet chili sauce replacement.
Because the hot garlic flavor can sometimes be overwhelming, I recommend using less in your recipe or adding some sugar to minimize the spiciness.