One of my favorite ingredients for marinades and sauces is Chili Garlic Sauce. It adds so much flavor, unique flavor, in my opinion. This Homemade Chili Garlic Sauce Recipe is one to keep in your recipe arsenal.
I have been using Chili Garlic Sauce well over half of my life. WAY before it was a more mainstream ingredient and available in grocery stores. I reach for it to flavor so many things.
I have said many, many times that Chili Garlic Sauce is one of my favorite ingredients, period. There is just nothing quite like it. It adds garlic, a zing from the vinegar, sweetness from the sugar and just adds a complexity of flavor to so many things.
All of a sudden, Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce was no longer available (because of a dispute between the farmer grower and the recipe creator). SO many panicked and I personally realized that there really is no perfect chili garlic sauce substitute. (Thankfully it is now back on the shelves after a 2 year or so hiatus).
The closest thing is Sriracha, however its too spicy in my opinion. Chili Crisp doesn't have any depth of flavor, sambel oelek was close just not the same (no or just a small amount of garlic in it) and even trying gochujang in place of it wasn't right.
So, a few years ago, I set about making homemade Chili Garlic Sauce. Because I can not live, or rather cook, without it, lol!! Plus, when my jalapenos turn red its a great way to use them up. I grown jalapenos and garlic, so making this myself is a no-brainer.
The very best brand of Chili Garlic Sauce is Huy Fong (same goes for their Sriracha sauce), I have tried the other brands and trust me they do not come close in my opinion.
Table of Contents
What is Chili Garlic Sauce?
- Chili Garlic Sauce is an Asian condiment used by various cultures around the world. Its made with just a handful of ingredients however the stars of it are chili peppers and garlic.
- It's a fabulous addition to marinades, sauces, soups, as an ingredient in dipping sauce for spring rolls or egg rolls or used as-is as a condiment.
- Chili Garlic Sauce is super flavorful without being overly spicy / hot. It's a unique flavor that is garlic forward. It helps deliver that umami flavor we all crave (umami hits all the notes; sweet, salty, sour & bitter).
What does Chili Garlic Sauce taste like?
Chili Garlic Sauce is flavorful with a rich simple yet complex flavor. It's not as spicy as Sriracha with somewhat of a similar flavor. It's garlicky and tangy from the vinegar with a little sweetness from the sugar.
Tip: If you grow jalapenos, this is a great recipe for when your jalapenos turn red on the vine! I now we often let that happen by accident or on purpose!! Red jalapenos are often milder and sweeter vs green jalapenos.
Ingredients
- chili peppers, specifically birds eye chilies
- fresh garlic
- vinegar
- sugar
- salt
- water
Uses
- Use chili garlic sauce in marinades for chicken, pork, beef or seafood.
- Add it to your ramen noodles.
- It's a wonderful ingredients for Asian flavor leaning recipes such as Sesame Noodles or this stunning Asian Chicken Salad.
- Its a great addition to any sort of stir fry, whether vegan, vegetarian or protein based. Just toss some in at the end or add it to whatever your sauce is.
- Stir some into a soup or stew for a kick of garlic and red pepper.
- Top you fried eggs or scrambled eggs with a dollop, yum!
- Swirl into your deviled egg mixture or top traditional deviled eggs with a dollop of this instead of paprika.
- Adds a fabulous flavor to burgers and meatloaf too!
- Almost anywhere garlic is called for, you can swap or add this for a slightly different, more robust flavor.
If you enjoy this type of flavor, you will LOVE my homemade Sriracha Salt! You can make it with just 2 ingredients (its so inexpensive to make). This is a GREAT food gift idea as well!
Tips
- The original creator of this, the Huy Fong brand, uses red jalapenos for this. That is easy to do if yo grow your own, however they are sometimes hard to find in markets. If you grow your own, that's an easy fix. Just leave them grow till they get softer and turn red.
- Be careful which peppers you use for this recipe. The Scoville rating (heat rating) for a red jalapeno pepper or a red fresno pepper is 2500-10,000. while the Scoville rating for a birds eye chili pepper is 50,000-100,000. All peppers are not created equal when it comes to heat, be careful.
- I don't strain this sauce, it is meant to be on the thicker side, however you do you.
- Depending on how spicy this comes out, sometimes I add a swirl of Sriracha after its made for an extra kick if it was on the milder side. It all depends on your peppers.
Storage
Store in a sealed mason jar in the refrigerator for up to a month.
I first shared this recipe on TikTok back in 2023. You can find me there at @ColleensCooking. Click here for the Chili Garlic Sauce recipe video.
Enjoy! XO Colleen
Favorite Recipes Using Chili Garlic Sauce
Chili Garlic Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 garlic cloves
- 6 red jalapenos
- 6 TBS rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar (heaping unless sugar is an issue)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (scant teaspoon or ¾ of a tsp) taste and adjust
- 2 TBS water, divided
- 1 TBS cornstarch
Instructions
- Add garlic, peppers, vinegar, sugar, salt and 1 TBS of water to your food processer. Pulse until fully blended.
- In a small pot combine 1 TBS of the mixture, 1 TBS water and 1 TBS or cornstarch, and stir until incorporated.
- Turn heat to medium and scrape the remaining mixture into your pot. Bring to a simmer for a minute or so.
- Remove from heat and cool. If too thick, add in another ½ TBS or so of water and stir.
- Taste and adjust for saltiness.
- Once completely cooled. Store in a mason jar with lid for up to a month.
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