sweet chili sauce
A Southeast Asian condiment combining chile heat with sweetness -- usually from sugar -- and a light tang, used as a dipping sauce and glaze. It's noticeably sweeter and milder than most hot sauces, closer to a syrup with heat than a straight chile sauce.
Buying guidance
Check the ingredient list for how much sugar is used relative to chile, since brands range from a mildly spicy syrup to a sharper, more vinegar-forward version.
Substitutions
- Mild chile sauce, such as sambal, mixed with sugar or honey and a splash of rice vinegar -- approximates the sweet-hot-tangy balance; thicken briefly over heat if a glaze consistency is needed.
- Sriracha -- hotter and less sweet, so not a direct 1:1 swap; cut it with a little extra sugar when using it in place of sweet chili sauce.
Tips & common mistakes
Its high sugar content means sweet chili sauce burns quickly when used as a glaze over direct heat -- brush it on during just the last few minutes of grilling or roasting, or the sugars will scorch and turn bitter well before the food underneath is done.
Storage
Refrigerating sweet chili sauce after opening extends its life, but its sugar content makes it thicken and pour more slowly when cold -- let the bottle sit out for a few minutes, or warm it briefly, if it's too syrupy to drizzle straight from the fridge.