If you love that perfect balance of sweet heat, this homemade sweet chilli sauce is going to be your new obsession! It’s glossy, sticky and just perfect for dunking spring rolls, drizzling over grilled meats, or adding a zing to your sandwiches.

This Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce is the BEST accompaniment to Asian finger food. It’s sticky, sweet, tangy, and just spicy enough. We are big Spring Roll fans in this household so you just know we have jars and jars of this sauce on hand at all times! 

It’s simple to make, and only calls for pantry staples like sugar, garlic, vinegar, and a good kick of chilli paste for that fiery touch. The magic is in simmering everything together until it thickens into a glossy, sticky sauce. The best part? It keeps well in the fridge for weeks, so you’re always ready to spice things up. Trust me, once you make this, store-bought just won’t cut it anymore!

Homemade vs Store-bought

Apart from being really easy to make, here are some more reasons why I like to make this sauce at home

• Tastes cleaner, better than store-bought. No sticky mouth or weird after-taste
• You know exactly what’s going into the sauce – 9 ingredients. No chemicals, stabilizers, etc.
• Super customisable. You can adjust the spice levels, sweetness, make it more less garlick-y – make it exactly as you like it!
• You probably have all the ingredients already. The ingredient list is so simple that you might really not need a special trip to the grocery store.
• You can make a large batch and store it in the fridge so you don’t have to make fresh batch each time.

Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce Ingredients

• Sugar – Creates the sweet, sticky base and helps caramelize the sauce.
• Cayenne or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder – Adds colour and gentle heat.
• Garlic – Freshly minced for savoury depth and flavour punch.
• Soy Sauce – Brings umami and balances sweetness.
• Salt – To season. 
• Vinegar (Rice or Apple Cider) – For tanginess and natural preservation.
• Water – Helps simmer and blend flavours together.
• Chilli Paste – The real heat! Adjust to your spice tolerance. You can make this by grinding fresh Thai red chillies into a coarse paste. Alternatively you can use rehydrated dried red chillies OR in a pinch, sub for Sambal Oelek or red chilli flakes)
• Cornflour Slurry (Cornflour + Water) – Thickens the sauce into a glossy, pourable consistency. Cornflour can be subbed with tapioca or potato starch 

Why Use Fresh Red Chillies

I would highly recommend using fresh Thai red chillies (the smaller variety) if you can find them. They deliver that flaming red color and leave behind that spicy tingle on the tongue, usually associated with Asian sweet chilli sauce. Thai red chillies are spicy though, so be careful.

Tip: If you’d like to reduce the heat, slit them open and remove the seeds because the seeds have the most heat in them. Mince the chillies or put them in the food processor. However, don’t make it a very fine paste. Keep it chunky for texture.

Richa’s Top Tips 

• Make sure to cool the sauce completely before bottling (this will make it keep longer!)
• Use Kashmiri red chilli powder if you want that bright red colour without much heat.
• For extra heat, increase the chilli paste or swap in bird’s eye chillies.
• Sauce too thick? Thin it with a splash of water. Too thin? Simmer longer.

Serving Ideas

• With spring rolls, momos or my fav potli wontons
• Drizzled over grilled chicken, prawns, or tofu
• Tossed with noodles, fried rice, or stir-fries
• As a dip for fries, wedges, nachos, or nuggets
• Brushed over paneer or chicken skewers as a glaze

Storage Tips 

Cool the sauce completely and then transfer it into a clean jar. Refrigerated, this will keep for up to 4 weeks. 

This Thai sweet chilli sauce has a permanent spot in my fridge. Once you find out just how simple and delicious this sauce, it will be in yours too.

Watch Thai Sweet Chili Sauce Recipe Video

This article was researched and written by Navya Khetarpal.