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You might be a fan of sweet chili sauce, but if you do not have one at home, then what could be the sweet chili sauce substitute for you?
Sweet chili sauce goes well with fries, grilled food, etc., and makes your food delicious and spicy.
This sauce is mostly used in Asian cuisine and has a growing use in the kitchen. Sweet chili sauce is made of sweet and spicy flavors and is easy to make at home.
This post will share the substitute for chili sauce you can replace or try instead of spicy sweet sauce. Let’s get into the discussion.
What Is Chili Sauce?
Sweet chili sauce is a sauce made of spicy and sweet ingredients. For example, it uses red chilies, sugar, vinegar, and other spices. This sauce is mostly used with fried foods or as a noodles condiment.
Apart from these, sweet chili sauce can be used to marinate meat, fish, or vegetables. Also, it can be used as salad dressings or dipping.
It has lots of uses, and people enjoy having food with sweet chili sauce.
How To Make Sweet Chili Sauce?
Making chili sauce is very easy. But first, you must roast red chilies and grind them into a paste.
Then combine the chili paste with sugar, vinegar, minced ginger and garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, water, and chili flakes to create the desired flavor.
Adding water, you can make the sauce thick or thin, as per your preference. However, this homemade sauce can be stored in the fridge for two months.
And when you add sauce to your food, make sure to check out and adjust it to your taste. For example, some people love spicy food, while some like milder.
So, what are some substitutes for sweet chili sauce? Let’s figure out together –
Top Sweet Chili Sauce Substitute
Here are our top five sweet chili sauce substitutes you can try and enjoy. Also, preparing them at home is effortless with some ingredients that are available at home.
Harissa Sauce
Harissa sauce is also strong, like sweet chili sauce. This is one of the best sweet chili sauce substitutes anyone can try. It is a North African condiment that packs a fiery punch.
This sauce is also combined with red chili and other ingredients. It uses cumin, garlic, caraway seeds, and vinegar. Harissa sauce is delicious, but it is very spicy.
Harissa is your best bet if you love eating spicy dressings, marination, dips, etc.
However, this sauce makes chicken delicious with a bit of honey. You can also add some yogurt to balance the spice. It’s one of the best substitutes for chili sauce.
Here’s the recipe on how you can make it.
Ingredients
- Dry red chili
- Tomato paste
- Roasted red peppers
- Garlic cloves
- Kosher salt
- Vinegar
- Olive oil
Preparation
- Soak the dry red chilies in hot water and rehydrate them.
- Add tomato paste, spices, vinegar, roasted red peppers, dry red chilies, garlic, and salt to the blender and blend them. Also, pour olive oil into the mixture.
- You are done!
Ketchup And Cayenne
Do you like sweeter sauce? Then try ketchup and cayenne. You can customize this sauce according to your preference.
Ketchup and cayenne go well when mixed with mayonnaise. Anyhow, for people who cannot eat hot spicy sauce, ketchup and cayenne would be a delicious substitute.
Let’s prepare this recipe –
Ingredients
- Onion
- Tomato
- Garlic
- Pepper
- Brown Sugar
- Vinegar
- Cornstarch
Preparation
- First, cook the pepper and onion together for 5 minutes. Then add garlic to it.
- Next, add other ingredients to it and stir it. Bring them to a boil and reduce the heat. And then, simmer it for one hour to develop the flavor.
- Until the ingredients become soft, keep them on the stove.
- Then strain the ketchup using a mesh strainer.
- Store it in an airtight container.
Spicy Tomato Sauce
Are you craving spicy sauce? Try out the spicy tomato sauce. It’s one of the delicious sauces that you can customize to your preference.
Also, you can add cayenne pepper and fresh or dried chilies to the sauce to make it tasty.
This sauce goes perfectly with pasta, pizza, beef, chicken to any dipping. In addition, you will get an Italian flavor from spicy tomato sauce, which is an excellent substitute for chili sauce.
Here is the easiest recipe for you.
Ingredients
- Peeled tomato 2 pounds
- Sliced onion 1/2 cup
- Crushed red pepper 1/2 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Two garlic cloves minced
- Vinegar
- Minced mint and basil 1/2 tbsp
Preparation
- Scoop the seeds from the tomato and then extract the juice. Then chop the tomato.
- Heat olive oil and add onion. Then gradually add other ingredients to the pan and keep stirring. When the sauce comes into a thick form, stop the heat and let it cool before serving.
Fresh Peppers
If you are health conscious and want to make a sweet chili sauce substitute, fresh pepper is one of the best options.
You can easily prepare this sauce, and while preparing this sauce, you will get complete control of every ingredient. Fresh pepper sauce is super customizable.
You just need to chop and puree the pepper and season it as you like.
You must balance the vinegar and water to make the sauce thick or thin. Fresh pepper sauce is one of the best choices for dipping or eating with fried food.
However, to prepare this recipe, you will need fresh peppers, vinegar, water, salt, and minced garlic.
First, chop the peppers, add them to a pan with other ingredients, and put them on the stove. Boil them until the pepper becomes soft. You will need approximately 10 minutes.
Next, add them to the blender and blend them until it comes to your preferred thickness.
Spicy Ketchup
Spicy ketchup is one of the delicious sweet chili sauce substitutes. It’s like the ketchup and cayenne recipe.
To prepare spicy ketchup, you will need cayenne. You can also use fresh red chili flakes. The easiest recipe for spicy ketchup is chili flakes, hot sauce, and ketchup. Combine all these ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well.
Conclusion
There are many substitute for chili sauce. For instance, hot sauce and honey, plum sauce and hot sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic paste, black bean sauce, etc.
However, sweet chili sauce is a versatile condiment, and you can use it for various dishes. But if you do not have chili sauce, then try out these sweet chili sauce substitutes to make your meal prep better.
