Sweet chilli sauce can be used as a simple dip for spring rolls and prawn crackers. It can also be used to marinate meat, fish and vegetables. But what happens if you’re out of sweet chilli sauce? What are the best substitutes for sweet chilli sauce?
Our 3 Substitutes for Sweet Chilli Sauce
When looking for a substitute for sweet chilli sauce, you need to attempt to recreate the two main flavour profiles of the aptly named sauce. That means you will need a sweet element and a hot element.
That’s why we have come up with these 3 simple substitutes that can often be made with ingredients you might have sitting in the cupboard or fridge:
1) Honey and Hot Sauce
This is the simplest sweet chilli sauce substitute you can throw together using ingredients you’re likely to have sitting in the cupboard. You just need two ingredients: Honey and hot sauce.
The hot sauce is the chilli element and the honey is the sweet element to, ultimately, create a chilli-hot and sweet sauce. In fact, you can even swap the honey out for another liquid sweetener such as agave syrup.
Combine 3 Parts Honey to 1 Part Hot Sauce
Simply whisk together honey and hot sauce together with a ratio of 3:1. If you’re struggling to mix them together then heat a teaspoon up and give it a stir as this can help to soften the honey.
2) Vinegar, Chilli Powder and Honey
Although it’s not in the name, many sweet chilli sauces have a hint of sourness or bitterness in the background to balance out the chilli heat. That’s why we’ve included some vinegar in this substitute.
You can opt for a range of vinegar types here but we would advise sticking with white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar.
Once you have chosen your vinegar, mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 teaspoon of chilli powder. Mix until well incorporated and then taste.
If it’s too vinegary then add more honey. If you need more heat then add an additional pinch of chilli powder. You could also choose to grate in some fresh red chillies to bring another dimension of spice to your sauce.
Swap Chilli Powder for Hot Sauce
You don’t have to stick to using chilli powder in the above substitution. If you have hot sauce then use this or if you want to use fresh chilli then grate this in finely. Ultimately, you need a chilli-hot element.
3) Lime Juice, Chilli Sauce and Agave
In this simple substitute, we have lime juice for sourness, chilli sauce for heat and agave for sweetness. Add the juice from 1 lime to 1 tablespoon of chilli sauce and 1 tablespoon of agave. Give it a good mix and season with some salt, if needed.
Agave is particular sweet so use sparingly. It’s far easier to add more if you need more sweetness but it’s difficult to remove once you’ve added it to your dish.
Taste and Adjust Accordingly
Everyone’s palate is slightly different. You might like it sweeter. You could want it a little hotter. You may wish for a bit more sourness. Make sure you keep tasting it and adjust for your tastes.
Other Substitutes for Sweet Chilli Sauce
The above 3 substitutes for sweet chilli sauce are the most effective. But if you don’t have some of the ingredients or want to try something either a little easier or a little more adventurous then check out these 3 bonus substitutes:
- Dried Chilli Flakes and Sugar – As you can imagine, this will not work as a dip. However, it will work well for rubbing onto meat. Combine equal quantities of sugar and dried chilli flakes then pat it onto the outside of meat before cooking.
- Gochujang – Gochujang is a Korean chilli paste. It will not taste anything like sweet chilli sauce. However, if you want a unique, spicy paste to marinate meat in then gochujang is one worth trying.
- Hoisin or Oyster – If you’re looking to substitute sweet chilli sauce for a meat or vegetable marinade but want to retain that iconic Asian-inspired taste then try using hoisin or oyster sauce as a marinade instead.
Summary
We’ve included a range of options above when it comes to substituting sweet chilli sauce. Ultimately, you need to find a swap that contains both sweetness and heat if you want to replicate sweet chilli sauce.