You will find many ways in which to enjoy my homemade Sweet Chilli Sauce and you will be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to make. It is made from ingredients that are readily available and, as with all foods that we make ourselves, we can control the quality of the ingredients which we use. It is certain to become a staple condiment in your home!
Jump to:
Why we love this recipe:
If you like a condiment that adds a boost of flavour to many dishes, look no further, this is the recipe for you. Sweet Chilli Sauce is an essential condiment to many Asian recipes.
Here are some of the reasons that we love it:
- The flavours are a harmonious blend of sweet, spicy and tangy.
- It will suit people who follow a gluten-free or vegan diet.
- You will be delighted to discover how quick and easy it is to make your own Thai-style Sweet Chilli Sauce – it will take just a little over 30 minutes.
- All the ingredients are readily available; in fact, you may have many on hand.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Sugar – regular white sugar.
Water – I use filtered water.
Rice wine vinegar – is less acidic and milder than other vinegar.
Garlic – fresh garlic for flavour.
Long red chillies – also known as cayenne chillies. They generally have mild-gentle heat but can vary.
Cornflour/corn starch and cold water – combine to slightly thicken the chilli sauce.
Step by step instructions:
The long, red chillies are generally mild but can vary, so you may wish to wear disposable gloves.
- Finely chop the garlic and the chillies. Add the sugar, water, vinegar, garlic and finely chopped chillies to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer rapidly on medium to high heat for 12 minutes.
- Mix the cornflour with cold water.
- Lower the heat, add the cornflour and water mixture to the chillies, stir well and simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes then decant your Sweet Chilli Sauce into a sterilised jar or bottle.
Tips for success and FAQs:
When making your own pickles and preserves, always ensure you are sterilising the jars you will store them in. This is very simple to do:
- Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well
- Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and leave the jars for 15-20 minutes.
This is a relatively mild sauce. The cayenne chillies have great flavour and are often mild, but may vary. It should have a good balance of spicy and sweet.
If you would like a hot sauce, simply replace some of the chillies with a hot variety, such as Thai red chillies.
Yes, you could use white wine vinegar. Do not use distilled white vinegar; it is too strong.
Store in a sterilised glass jar/bottle, in the fridge for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions:
Our Sweet Chilli Sauce is delicious alongside many things, such as:
- Onion Patties
- Pea and Mint Fritters
- Tuna and Potato Patties
- Mini Bacon and Onion Pasties
- Tofu Sesame Toasts
- Thai Style Chicken and Noodle Meatballs
Not only is it fun to make your own Sweet Chill Sauce, but it is also easy to do. As with most things, nothing beats homemade. The ingredients are all natural; your sauce will not contain any unnecessary additives which you may find in some commercial varieties, and you will find many ways in which to enjoy it.
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know in the comments.
Enjoy!
Alex xx
This post was originally published in August 2018. It has been updated with new photos and more information. The recipe remains the same.
Sweet Chilli Sauce
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) white sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) water See Note 1
- ½ cup (125 ml) rice wine vinegar See Note 2
- 3 cloves garlic – peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cup (115 g) long red chillies/cayenne peppers – finely chopped with seeds included – prepared weight See Note 3
- 1 tablespoon cornflour/corn starch See Notes 4 and 5
- 2 tablespoon cold water See Note 5
Instructions
- The long, red chillies are generally mild, but they may vary, so as a precautionary measure, when chopping them you may choose to wear disposable gloves.
- Remove the stem end of the chillies and then slice them in half lengthways. Chop them finely by hand or use a small food processor but do not reduce them to a paste.
- In a small saucepan, place the sugar, 1 cup water, rice wine vinegar, finely chopped garlic and chillies. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer rapidly on medium to high heat for 12 minutes.
- Mix the cornflour with the cold water. Lower the heat and re-stir the cornflour and water mixture as the cornflour tends to settle if prepared a little in advance.
- Add the cornflour and water to the chillies, stir well and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes before bottling. This helps to evenly distribute the chillies through the mixture.
- Decant into a sterilised jar or bottle. – See Note 5.When cool, store in the refrigerator for up to three months. When using, remove a portion of sauce from the jar and allow it to come to room temperature. Stir well before serving.
Notes
- It is essential to use filtered/un-chlorinated water when pickling or preserving. (You don’t want the bad taste of the water to affect the final product!)
- I have used rice wine vinegar, but you could use white wine vinegar. Do not use distilled white vinegar as it is too strong.
- The long red chilli is also known as cayenne/chilli pepper. After trimming the stalk, the chilli weight was 115 grams/4 ounces.
-
Use 1 tablespoon of cornflour if you like a thinner, pouring sauce or 1 ½ tablespoon cornflour if you prefer a thicker sauce.
- In Australia, the tablespoon is 20 ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15 ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust your measurement if necessary.
- To sterilise a jar, preheat your oven to 130 Degrees C (270F). Place a clean jar or bottle in the oven for at least 20 minutes, then remove and, while the jar is still hot, fill with the Sweet Chilli Sauce.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on one cup of sauce. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Shona
Hi there, I made a small batch with my abundance of chilli’s and found it too hot for me but my hot loving friends enjoyed it. The next batch I cut out a lot of the seeds and it was just right for me. It’s an easy recipe and will certainly use again. Thank you for supplying it.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Shona!
I am glad you were able to get the recipe right for you 🙂
I’d recommend tasting the chillies before too – some times they can be super hot, but likewise, I’ve had many mild batches also.
I am happy to hear you’ll be making it again. Alex xo
Antony
Recipe worked great. My little cayennes had a great kick so this batch is punchy but very happy! Not too sweet despite what some xenophobes might think in the comments 😉 and that’s coming from a Kiwi lmao.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Antony 🙂
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!
Alex xo
Pat
Made chilli sauce first time with chillies from my garden following this recipe. Very delicious sauce, great with roast and fried chicken.
I used a bit less sugar and apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar This recipe will be my go to whenever I want to make chilli
sauce.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Pat,
Lovely to hear 🙂
Served alongside fried chicken is delicious!
Alex xo
RONEL UYS
Fantastic sauce. We grow our own Cayenne peppers. It was our first season. I used a mixture of green and red peppers. Need to get some rice vinegar for round two.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you for sharing! )
I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Alex xo
Phil Ellis
Great recipe, I am growing my own chillies so I used 1 red Padron chilli & 2 green smaller Padron, extra garlic, really nice flavour, I also have big Jim variety so will try them next time, thank you for a really straight forward recipe.
Alexandra Cook
Thanks, Phil! 🙂
Homegrown chillies sound so good – yum!
Enjoy, and appreciate your comment!
Alex xo
Beau
Great recipe, simple but very tasty. That being said, I thought it tasted a little flat so added 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Wow! What a difference! Rounded out the flavour beautifully.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Beau,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try 🙂
The salt is something I’ll have to try next time – I like this idea!
Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Alex xo
Tony Mitchell
I have used this recipe for the last two years with great results. This year i also had a few hotter chillies so i tried mixing them with bell peppers (20%) it worked fine.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Tony! Great to hear! 🙂
Appreciate your comment, Alex xo
Whyfivestars
Disgusting, had to greatly modify it, why do Americans make everything so damn sweet?
Alexandra Cook
Hi there,
I am sorry that this recipe wasn’t to your taste.
Yes, it is a recipe that is sweet. Wondering if you allowed it to cool before making modifications? Sweet sauces/jams etc. will always be at their most sweet when hot, and as it is not served hot, it is best to allow it to cool first. What type of chillies did you use?
Thanks, Alex
P.S. I am Australian 🙂
Mark
Sweet Chilli Sauce is supposed to be sweet. it looks like you chose the wrong recipe.
Joanne
Sadly mine has no flavour or spice. I must have lucked out with my chillies. Will get some more chillies and try some really hot ones to give it a kick. The recipe was super easy and I’ve got people asking for some jars of it. Sadly not this batch. Will attempt again, as I want to put small jars of it in my christmas hampers I make goodies for my friends and family.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Joanne,
Definitely sounds like a problem with the chillies. As they vary in intensity and flavour, you may wish to try them next time prior to adding.
Make sure they’re super fresh too – they can lose flavour and heat over time.
The cayenne peppers/long red chillies can be mild, but should still have a great flavour. If you’re finding that they’re lacking in heat and you’d prefer something spicier, you can add a spicier type of chilli into the mix, such as a bird’s eye. (I’d add this as well as the cayenne peppers, not instead of!)
Like I said though, try them first – if you read the comment below yours, you’ll see that reader found hers were very hot, and you may also find that next time too 🙂
Let me know how you get on 🙂 Alex xo
Natasha Terran
Just finished making this from home grown cayenne peppers. Mine turned out deadly! but delicious. Great recipe and instructions. OK OK I did put more garlic, because, you know, it’s necessary!
Alexandra Cook
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try!
And don’t worry – I am definitely a big garlic fan here, so I do understand! 😀
Enjoy! Alex xo
Lucia Mutandwa
Can i use bell peppers
Alexandra Cook
Hi Lucia,
I don’t think that would have enough flavour. The chilli really is essential here.
Alex xo
Yvonne
Great recipe. I grown my own chilli’s and it’s a great way to use them up. We love sweet chilli sauce and go through so much! Will be making my 3rd batch this week!
Alexandra Cook
Wonderful to hear, Yvonne!
Thanks so much for sharing, Alex xo
Mike
I basically followed the recipe but I used a different chillies as I grow my own, four birds eye and two very hot called Hallows Eve . So it’s got a great hit of heat.
Alexandra Cook
That sounds fantastic, Mike!
Thanks so much for making 🙂 Alex xo
Paulette
hi Alex. want to try this but am wondering how long it will last.
Alexandra Cook
Hello Paulette,
In the fridge for up to three months 🙂 Let me know if you give the recipe a try!
Alex xo
Ngaire
Thanks for this simple recipe. Sauce is cooling now and tastes delicious.
Alexandra Cook
So happy to hear this, Ngaire!
Thank you so much, Alex xo
Sao
Simple, easy to follow, and delish!
May I kindly ask where did you get the super cute jar from?
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Sao!
Happy you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
The jars are glass yoghurt/pudding jars. If you have a search online, you’ll find lots of different options 🙂
Alex xo
Lynn
lovely recipe and so straightforward.
I made one batch and have now doubled it up to supply the rest of the family.
thankyou
Alexandra Cook
Thank you for sharing, Lynn! 🙂
Alex xo
Gail
To hot.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Gail,
Did you use the long red chillies/cayenne peppers or another variety? If you are finding the sauce too hot, I’d recommend testing the chillies next time before you use them to ensure the intensity is fine for your liking.
The sauce will only be as hot as the chillies you are using, and this really does come down to personal preference and spice tolerance 🙂
For now, you could add some acid to the sauce when using, or stir it through yoghurt or mayonnaise to tone down the heat.
Alex xo
Martin
Just made this with a kg of my home grown chillies, cut the sugar by a third and its turned out really good
martin
Alexandra Cook
Hello Martin,
Thanks for sharing! 🙂 I am so happy to hear this!
Alex xo
Martina
This is the best sweet chilli sauce recipe I’ve made so far. As I like it to pack a punch, I used Bird’s Eye chillies and substituted a couple of tablespoons of water with more vinegar. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you so much for sharing, Martina!
I am so happy to hear this and really appreciate you taking the time to let me know 🙂 Alex xo
Megan
why does cornstarch make the sweet chilli sauce pink not red I don’t know why
Alexandra Cook
Hello Megan,
I am sorry, I haven’t ever had this happen before! My guess would be the type of chillies that you are using.
The cornstarch can sometimes make the sauce a little cloudy in appearance, especially when it is chilled, but it shouldn’t alter the colour.
Feel free to reach out with any queries! Alex xo
Pauline
how long are the chillies you refer to? I was given some chillies that are around 2 to 3 inches (50 – 70mm), they have pretty much dried now, could dried chillies be used?
Alexandra Cook
Hi Pauline,
The long red chillies are also known as cayenne peppers. I have some in the fridge and they’re about 5-6 inches long. They vary in heat.
Fresh chillies are best for this recipe.
You could dry out your chillies completely to make some red pepper flakes, perhaps, or I like to add some to a little olive oil and then drizzle over the top of my pizza.
Alex xo