Easy Homemade Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce Recipe

Are you looking for an easy way to kick up almost any dish? A sauce that’s equal parts sweet, spicy, and savory? Perhaps with just a hint of smoke and citrus? How about a sauce with a lovely glossy finish, that’s pleasantly thick and lusciously smooth? If that’s what you’re after, my Easy Homemade Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce Recipe is sure to be your next favorite condiment.

This delicious sauce uses six simple ingredients and can be prepared in minutes. Just combine some duck sauce, Korean red pepper, and chili paste, with some vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce, and you’ve got today’s recipe. It serves deliciously as a condiment for things like veggies and dumplings, is great as a mix-in for rice, and is perfect as a glaze for cooking chicken or pork.

Now, without further introduction, let’s mix some sauce.

Recipe Overview – What to Expect

I love spicy food, and I love hot sauce as a condiment. However, what I love even more is when hot sauce - or other spicy flavors - helps bring a larger recipe together, rather than simply adding heat to whatever’s on the plate in front of you.

This simple yet delicious homemade chili sauce recipe is one of my favorite ways to do exactly that. This recipe is a blend of Asian-inspired ingredients that creates a sweet, tangy, and mildly spicy sauce. It's versatile and can be used as a dipping sauce, glaze, or condiment for a variety of dishes.

Taste and Texture

• Taste: This sauce features a blend of sweet, spicy, and savory notes. The duck sauce provides a sweet and citrusy base, into which we’re adding chili paste for heat, Korean red pepper flakes for some smoky and spicy notes, and balsamic vinegar and soy sauce for pleasant umami flavors to bind it all together. Sesame oil adds some fatty depth and nutty notes.
• Texture: The sauce is smooth, and slightly thick, with a nice glossy finish. It easily coats foods and has a consistency perfect for glazing or dipping. This is one of my favorite sauces.

Difficulty Level

• Very Easy: This homemade sweet chili sauce recipe features only simple ingredients and is incredibly easy to bring together. Just combine all of the ingredients listed below, and mix them together in a bowl and you're done. No fussing with a food processor, no fussing with the stove or oven. This is one of the easiest homemade sauces ever.

Preparation Process

1. Combine Ingredients: Measure out all the ingredients. Precise measurements are ‘not’ important with this sauce, so feel free to adjust the quantities based on your preference.
2. Mix: In a small bowl, combine the duck sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, Korean red pepper flakes, and chili garlic sauce (or sambal). Mix until everything is well combined.
3. Serve or Store: The sauce is ready to be used immediately, or it can be stored in the refrigerator for later use. This sauce can be stored for up to two weeks in an airtight container. That said, I do suggest serving this sauce at room temperature.

Pairings

• Dipping Sauce: Perfect for spring rolls, egg rolls, as a mix-in for rice bowls, dumplings, chicken wings, or even on sausages or grilled hot dogs.
• Glaze: Works wonderfully as a glaze for grilled meats such as beef or pork or as a drizzle for fried chicken.
• Condiment: Serve alongside rice dishes, noodles, chicken nuggets, stir-fried vegetables, or as a dip for starters.
• Sandwich Spread: Add a layer of this spicy and sweet chili sauce to sandwiches or wraps for an extra burst of flavor.

Ingredient Checklist – Everything You’ll Need

Nothing fancy here. All of these ingredients should be regularly and accessibly available at all your favorite local grocery stores.

1. ½ cup duck sauce
   • Note: Provides the base of the recipe, serving to give the sauce thickness, sweetness, and a slightly citrusy flavor.
   • Substitution: I’ll be honest and say I don’t see an alternative to duck sauce in this particular recipe. Also, we’re not just looking for the flavor that the duck sauce brings, but also its thick texture.
2. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
   • Tip: Your soy sauce of choice works here, we’re only looking for the savory umami flavor it brings.
   • Substitution: Feel free to opt for either Tamari or Teriyaki if you don’t have soy sauce on hand, otherwise soy sauce is a key ingredient that isn’t easily replicated.
3. 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
   • Tip: Brings savory sweetness to the sauce, but without the acid of non-balsamic vinegar.
   • Substitution: You can simply leave the balsamic out if you don’t have it on hand. Only use regular vinegar, such as rice wine vinegar, if you feel the need to help bind the other ingredients together. More on that below.
4. 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
   • Tip: I always use toasted sesame oil, as it has a richer, nuttier flavor, which I find works delightfully in recipes like this one.
   • Substitution: I’m honestly not sure if any other oil would work in this recipe, but feel free to experiment with flavor neutral oils, or with a good quality olive oil – though the flavor will be markedly different.
5. 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
   • Tip: I prefer to use Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) as they bring both mild heat and a slightly sweet, smoky flavor.
   • Substitution: Your choice of red chili flakes will get the job done, or even regular red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
6. 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or chili paste (or sambal oelek)
   • Note: Your choice of chili garlic sauce, chili paste, or your favorite brand of sambal oelek is what we're looking for here.
   • Tip: This is a key ingredient, as this is what brings the heat to the recipe.
   • Substitution: Once again, any of the three above-mentioned ingredients will get the job done. This is an easy recipe, that is not at all fussy. Yes, you can dice up your favorite red chili peppers, puree those with a few cloves of garlic, and then reduce them over medium heat to make your own homemade chili garlic sauce, I would recommend using either Korean or Thai chilis for this. However, I do strongly recommend opting for a store-bought version.
   • Alternative: You could also double down on sweetness and use something like a sweet Thai chili sauce in place of the chili garlic sauce.

Quick Tips – Make it Perfect Every Time

1. Mix for Consistency: You can’t overmix or over-stir this sauce. With that in mind, you want to mix the sauce until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, resulting in a smooth, thick sauce. Yes, a whisk can help bring the sauce together, but a spoon is really all you need.
2. Adjusting Heat: Let me start by saying this sauce is ‘not’ terribly spicy. It has a kick to it, but it is by no means fiery. If you prefer a spicier sauce, increase the amount of gochugaru or chili garlic sauce. Conversely, reduce these ingredients for a milder flavor.
3. Adjusting Sweetness: If the sauce is too sweet, but you don’t want to balance it with more spice, add a bit more soy sauce to increase its savoriness. Conversely, if you want the sauce sweeter, just add a little more duck sauce (or a pinch of plain white sugar or brown sugar) until it’s reached the desired sweetness level.
4. Balance All Things: If you feel that the flavors haven’t come together quite right, the best way to bind the flavors is with a splash of vinegar to help tie the flavors come together. Rice vinegar or white vinegar both work well for this.
5. Chilling Time: I do recommend chilling the sauce immediately after mixing to allow the flavors to meld. However, I also recommend serving it at room temperature. That said, yes, you can indeed serve this sauce immediately after mixing.

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And that’s our Easy Homemade Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce Recipe. If you enjoyed this recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, let us know in the comments below. We always love hearing from you!

Happy cooking!

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