Name: Sweet Chilli Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 8 red peppers (deseeded and roughly chopped); 8-10 red chillies (see note 1) (roughly chopped); finger-sized piece fresh root ginger (peeled and roughly chopped); 8 garlic cloves (peeled); 400 g (14 oz) tin cherry tomatoes (*Replace with finely chopped good quality tinned tomatoes if preferred); 760 g (4 cups) golden caster sugar; 210 ml (7/8 cup) red wine vinegar

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Sweet, spicy and sticky, this chilli sauce makes an appearance on our table whenever we're eating curry, crispy chicken, kebabs or fajitas.
Easy to make at home, this recipe makes 2 jars, so you can always have some in the fridge.

Spoonful being taken from a jar of sweet chilli sauce. Ingredients scattered around the jar.

Who doesn't love some sweet chilli sauce with their chicken wings, as a dip for prawn toast or samosas or even as an added bonus to breakfast eggs and avocado!
Sweet and spicy at the same time, the blend of ginger, garlic, chillies and red pepper is just so perfect.

It takes about 20 minutes prep, and then you can leave it to bubble away (with the occasional stir) until it's lovely and sticky.

I don't like it too hot!

Don't worry, this is a relatively mild Thai style sweet chilli sauce. I use mild chillies (Fresno or Serenade varieties) in addition to red bell peppers. The bell peppers help to bulk out the sauce and give it a fresh flavour. So we can have lots of chilli sauce, without it being too overpowering.
If you like it hotter, simply replace some of the mild chillies with hot chillies - such as Thai red chillies.

What do we need?

Ingredients for sweet chilli sauce on a wooden table

We going to need tinned cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, red chillies, fresh ginger and garlic, red wine vinegar and golden caster sugar.

How to make it

Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Add the roughly chopped peppers, chillies, ginger and garlic to a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Add to a saucepan.
Add in the tinned cherry tomatoes, sugar and vinegar and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down and simmer for around 90-105 minutes (scoop off the scum from the top of the mixture in the pan a few times) - until the sauce thickens.
Leave to cool slightly and pour into sterilised jars.

8 image collage showing how to make sweet chilli sauce

What to serve this sauce with

Quick Chicken Stir Fry
Asian-style Baked Cauliflower Wings
Thai-Style Fish Burgers
Guacamole and Egg Breakfast bowl
Crispy Sesame Chicken
Asian Mushrooms with Cashews with Veggies

Sweet chilli sauce in a jar surrounding by ingredients on a blue background

Why should I make it at home?

Apart from being able to show off your awesome sauce-making skills, making the sauce at home allows you to control the thickness and spiciness of the sauce.

How long can I store sweet chilli sauce?

Once prepared and sealed in sterilised jars, it can be stored for 3 months in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate the jar after opening.

Jar of sweet chilli sauce with a board next to a spoon and some fresh chillies

More fantastic Asian style recipes

Ultimate Beef Massaman Curry
Try this copycat Firecracker Chicken
My go-to Chicken Fried Rice
Reader favourite Honey Garlic Chicken
Slurpy Seafood Laksa
Oven-Baked Asian Spare Ribs with Crispy Onions

Watch how to make it

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Overhead shot of sweet chilli sauce in a jar with chillies and garlic scattered around

Sweet Chilli Sauce Recipe

By: Nicky Corbishley

This Sweet Chilli Sauce recipe is sweet, spicy and makes a great dipping sauce. It's not difficult to make and super satisfying to know you made it yourself!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 50 mins

Course Jams and dips

Cuisine American, Asian, British

Servings 2 large jars (16 fl oz)

Calories 59 kcal

Ingredients

8 red peppers - deseeded and roughly chopped8 red peppers - deseeded and roughly chopped
8-10 red chillies (see note 1) - roughly chopped8-10 red chillies (see note 1) - roughly chopped
finger-sized piece fresh root ginger - peeled and roughly choppedfinger-sized piece fresh root ginger - peeled and roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves - peeled8 garlic cloves - peeled
400 g (14 oz) tin cherry tomatoes - *Replace with finely chopped good quality tinned tomatoes if preferred400 g (14 oz) tin cherry tomatoes - *Replace with finely chopped good quality tinned tomatoes if preferred
760 g (4 cups) golden caster sugar760 g (4 cups) golden caster sugar
210 ml (7/8 cup) red wine vinegar210 ml (7/8 cup) red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop the peppers, chillies (with seeds), ginger and garlic by hand or in a food processor until finely chopped.
Transfer the peppers, chillies, ginger and garlic to a large saucepan and add the tin of cherry tomatoes, sugar and vinegar.
Bring to the boil. Skim off any scum that comes to the surface, then turn the heat down and let it bubble gently for about 90 mins-1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir more frequently during the last 20 mins or so and give the tomatoes a mush with a fork if they haven't broken down.
The sauce should thicken during this time, but will still be pouring consistency (about the consistency of tinned tomato soup). It can be cooked for longer if it still looks very thin (but it will thicken more once cooled).
Once the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat and leave to cool for 20 mins or so. Then carefully pour into sterilized jars, place lids on and leave to cool completely before storing (see notes on storage).

Video

✎ Notes

Note 1:

What variety of chillies for sweet chilli sauce?

I use Fresno or Serenade chillies - these are the most common 'regular red chillies' found on UK supermarket shelves.
They're relatively mild (Scoville rating of 2,500 to 8,000 - about the heat of a jalapeno). You can bump up the heat by adding or replacing a couple of the chillies with hot chillies - such as Thai chillies (birds eye chillies).

Storage:

This sauce will keep for 3 months in a sealed, sterilised jar in a cool, dark cupboard – refrigerate once opened.

Why use tinned cherry tomatoes and not chopped tomatoes?

The cherry tomatoes are a little sweeter and don't contain as much liquid as chopped tinned tomatoes. You can replace with good quality finely chopped tinned tomatoes. Or you can replace with regular chopped tinned tomatoes if you prefer, just drain off a few tablespoons of the liquid before adding.

Source:

Based off BBC Good Food Sweet Chilli Jam recipe (here) with some of my own changes.

Nutritional Information is per tablespoon

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcalCarbohydrates: 14gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 80mgSugar: 13gVitamin A: 585IUVitamin C: 31.8mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.3mg

Keywords Any Time Of the year, homemade

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This recipe was first posted in Feb 2014. Updated in August 2020 with new photos, video and tips.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

I don't like it too hot!

What do we need?

How to make it