Great for dipping, drizzling and marinading, this sugar-free sweet chilli sauce takes mere minutes to pull together and is the perfect blend of sweet, spicy and sticky. Despite the lack of sugar it doesn’t compromise on flavour and is the perfect option if you are trying to reduce your sugar intake.
Where is it from?
Sweet chilli sauce originates from Thailand, where you’ll often find it served with skewered meats (satay) as a dipping sauce.
It’s a sticky sauce that is a perfect blend of sweetness and heat. You can buy it ready-made by the bottle, although many of the supermarket versions are packed with sugar.
What can you serve it with?
Try serving it with these healthy chicken satays instead of the peanut sauce (or with both, to add variety).
You can also use it smothered over fish like in this sweet chilli salmon which is foil baked so super easy and healthy.
Sweet chilli sauce also makes a great stir-fry sauce. Try it on this keto prawn stir-fry for a meal that’s also light in carbs.
How hot is it?
Sweet chilli sauce is typically not super-spicy. It’s sticky and sweet with just a little kick. The great thing about making this at home is that you can control the amount of chilli you add, completely customising it to your own taste.
How long can you keep it?
You can keep it for up to a week in the fridge. Make sure to store it in a sealed container. It may congeal a little in the fridge but heat it for a few seconds at a time in the microwave and stir through to return it to a more pourable consistency.
You can also freeze this for up to 3 months. A good idea is to portion it into ice cube trays so you can pop a portion out when you want. Again it may congeal when it’s defrosted, but heat it slightly and stir thoroughly to return it to a thinner consistency.
What type of chilli should I use?
The size of chilli typically relates to how hot it is – with smaller chillis being much hotter than larger varieties.
An ideal choice for this recipe is serenade chillis, which offer a great balance of flavour without too much heat. One serenade chilli is a good amount for one batch (2 servings).
If you are using a variety such as birdseye (or, if you are very adventurous (or crazy) ghost peppers or Carolina Reaper chillis) then use a lot less. Maybe just half or a quarter.
If you are unsure you can add a small amount to the sauce and then once it’s cooled taste and stir in a little more if you want more heat.
Ingredients
For this sweet chilli sauce, you need a few simple ingredients. For a full list of ingredients with measurements jump to the printable recipe card.
- Red chillis – bear in mind that larger chillis are typically milder so the amount you need also depends on the strength
- Rice wine vinegar
- Powdered sweetener – any kind of powdered sweetener will work, as long as it requires one part sugar to the equivilant of one part sweetener, otherwise you will need to adjust the amount.
- Cornflour/cornstarch
How do you make it?
This sauce is so unbelievably simple, you’ll wonder why you’ve ever bought the ready-made stuff before!
- Chop the chilli very finely
- Heat the chilli, rice wine vinegar, sweetener and some water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes.
- Mix the cornflour with some water to make a slurry and add to the pan. Bring to the boil and them remove from the heat and leave to cool. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
Looking for more great sauce recipes? Try:
Products that work well for this recipe:
Souper Cubes – freeze soups or sauces easily!
Porcelain Ramekins
Beeswax Food Wraps
Sugar-Free Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
The perfect blend of sweet, spicy and sticky. This sugar-free sweet chilli sauce doesn’t compromise at all on flavour, despite the lack of sugar.
The default recipe makes around 2 servings (2 tbsp each)
Ingredients
- 1/4 – 1 red chilli (see notes)
- 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp powdered sweetener
- 85ml / 1/3 cup water
- 1 tsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Cut the chilli in half and remove the seeds. Slice into very thin pieces lengthways and then very finely slice so it’s chopped very finely
- Add the chilli, water, vinegar and sweetener into a small pan and place over a medium heat. Bring to a light simmer for around 3 minutes.
- Add the cornflour and stir constantly until it starts bubbling and then remove from the heat. The sauce should thicken more while it cools. If it’s still too thin after cooling then place back on the heat for and briefly bring to a simmer again.
Notes
- Typically the smaller the chilli, the hotter, therefore if you use larger chillis you may actually need more and less if you use smaller chillis (based on your taste preference). I use one whole serenade chilli for this recipe – which are fairly mild. If you are unsure then add just a little and add more once the sauce has cooled if more heat is needed.
- If you want to keep this super mild then use red pepper/capsicum instead of chilli.
- Don’t be tempted to leave the sauce on the hob for too long after it’s started to boil. It might end up too thick and you’ll have to start again. It’s easier to thicken this than loosen it.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Hob / Stove
- Cuisine: Thai
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 (2 tbsp)
- Calories: 24
- Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Protein: 0g
Keywords: sugar-free, chilli, sauce, dip, asian, vegetarian
