Sweet & Sour Chili Sauce

Do you go to Asian buffets from time to time? Then you have probably seen this sauce near the fried foods section. Sweet and sour sauce is my go-to dip for everything from vegan egg rolls to samosas and chick’n nuggets!

I used to buy it from the supermarket (Cholimex was my favorite brand), until one day, after reading the ingredient label, I realized that I could totally make it at home!

After countless tweaks, balancing the sugar, heat, and tang, I think I finally nailed it. It was about time to be honest! Our fridge was starting to turn into a mini lab with way too many jars of chili sauce with post-its noting every little adjustment.

I even did side-by-side taste tests with the store-bought bottle, and it couldn’t just compete. The homemade one tastes fresh, while the store-bought one somehow has an artificial aftertaste. Homemade wins (almost) every time!

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

The perfect harmony of sweet, sour, and spicy.

My version of this sauce is sweet and spicy with a mild zestiness coming from the fresh ginger. The trickiest part to nail was the vinegar. I wanted just enough tang to balance the sweetness without it being overwhelming or making you pucker up. In the end, I settled on 1/4 cup of white vinegar, which gives the sauce a great balance of sweet/sour/spicy, but if you are sensitive to sourness, you can always reduce that amount. That’s the advantage of making your condiments at home!

Now, just a heads up: if you’re not into sweet and salty flavors, I would suggest skipping this recipe, as it’s exactly what this sauce is about.

Ridiculously easy & made in one pot.

This sauce requires only 10 simple pantry ingredients and comes together in about 15 minutes! You will be surprised by how easy it is to make at home!

Vân and I almost never buy sweet and sour sauce from the store anymore, and I have the feeling that once you try this recipe, you won’t either! Or at least, I hope.

📘 What Is It

Sweet & sour sauce is a type of dipping sauce that is very popular in Asian countries. There are many different types of sweet and sour sauces, each country having its own.

This recipe is based on the Vietnamese kind, called “Tương ớt chua ngọt.” It is spicy, garlicky, a bit tangy, and has a fresh ginger flavor. Compared to the Chinese version, it’s thicker, making it perfect for dipping! It is typically served with egg rolls, but can also be used as a glaze or marinade.

🫚 Meet the Ingredients

Below are a few notes on the ingredients you will need.

Garlic, ginger, and chili

These three aromatics form the base of any good sweet and sour chili sauce. Ginger brings freshness and a zesty flavor, while Thai chili (also known as Bird’s eye chili) adds heat. Then, garlic steps in with pungency and that irresistible garlicky flavor we all love!

Regarding the garlic, use fresh garlic. Garlic powder won’t cut it!

🔥 Extra spicy version: I went with half of a chili and found the sauce to be spicy enough, but if you want an extra-spicy sauce, feel free to use a whole chili. Careful, though, this one’s only for the chiliheads!

Sugar

To sweeten the sauce, you will need granulated white sugar. I’ve tried using coconut sugar in an attempt to keep the sauce refined sugar-free, but because of its strong aroma, the coconut sugar completely covered the ginger and garlic flavors. Hence, I recommend sticking with white sugar for this recipe.

White vinegar

For the sourness. You can use regular white vinegar or white rice vinegar. Please don’t use balsamic or apple cider vinegar – they won’t yield a great flavor.

Water

To achieve the right balance of sweet and tangy, the vinegar and sugar are diluted with water.

Sweet chili sauce

If you have bought sweet and sour sauce before, you may be familiar with its orange/red hue. This is often done by blending some of the chili with the liquid ingredients. To make things easier, I simply add a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce or sriracha. It doesn’t considerably alter the flavor of the sauce, but it still adds a nice hue.

No sweet chili sauce? Simply replace it with a tablespoon of ketchup! Your sauce won’t be as spicy but will still have an orange hue.

Cornstarch

Finally, to thicken the sauce, you will need to make a slurry by diluting cornstarch in water.

Is it essential to thicken the sauce? Definitely! A thicker sauce sticks and coats better any food you will dip into it. Without any thickener, the sauce is way too watery.

Substitute: Although I haven’t tried it yet, you may be able to thicken the sauce with arrowroot powder or potato starch. Just keep in mind that the consistency will be slightly different.

🥣 How to Make It

1. Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic, ginger, and chili. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

2. Add the liquid ingredients. Next, add the water, white vinegar, sweet chili sauce, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.

3. Make the cornstarch slurry. In the meantime, in a small bowl, dilute the cornstarch in two tablespoons of water.

4. Thicken the sauce. Add the cornstarch slurry to the saucepan and whisk to combine. Keep heating for another minute, whisking constantly, until the sauce has slightly thickened.

Thomas’ Tip

At first, the sauce might not look thick enough. This is normal – do not try adding more cornstarch. The sauce will thicken more once chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours.

5. Let it cool. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before serving!

🍋‍🟩 Customize it!

Adjust the sweetness/tanginess: The best thing about making your condiments at home is that you can tweak them to your liking! Want it less tangy? Use less vinegar. Prefer it sweeter? Add a bit more sugar! Feel free to play with the ratio of ingredients to suit your taste.

Add citrusiness: Sauté 1 tablespoon of chopped lemongrass with the aromatics, or stir in 2-3 teaspoons of finely chopped lime zest while the sauce cooks.

🌶 Where to Use it

This sauce is SO versatile! You can use it:

As a dipping sauce: It goes particularly well with any deep-fried food such as egg rolls, onion rings, nuggets, samosas, fried dumplings, taro fritters, French fries, wontons, baked tofu, mushroom tempura, or even meatballs!

As a stir-fry sauce: Stir 3-4 tablespoons of this sauce into your veggie or noodle stir-fries to make a delicious sweet and sour dish!

If you have ever wondered how to make sweet and sour sauce at home, look no further! This recipe has the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and spicy, with a fresh ginger flavor. You are going to love this dipping sauce!

🥫 More Sauce Recipes

Vegan Oyster Sauce (Stir Fry Sauce)

Easy Hoisin Sauce

Homemade Fermented Buffalo Sauce

Homemade Char Siu Sauce

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Note: This recipe was first released in February 2022 and updated with new process shots and detailed instructions in August 2025. You can see the older photos below.