This sugar free sweet chilli sauce recipe is wonderfully spicy, fragrant and tangy! It's a healthy homemade dipping sauce for any Asian favourites from spring rolls to chicken wings and fried calamari. Keto, low carb, gluten free and ready in only 15 minutes.
Hands up who else loves sweet chilli sauce? It's one of those condiments in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine that take dishes to the next level. It's great for dipping with various appetisers, but you can also mix it into stir-fries.
Unfortunately, the sweet chilli sauce you can buy in the shops contains HUGE amounts of sugar. Often, people are not even aware that they are consuming more sugar they would have in a dessert when they use shop-bought condiments and sauces. Read the labels - you might be surprised.
After making this yummy homemade sugar free ketchup, a delicious keto teriyaki sauce and my sugar free BBQ sauce, I decided it was time to create a sugar free sweet chilli sauce recipe.
To make an authentic tasting sweet chilli sauce, you only need a few ingredients - red chilli, vinegar, garlic, sweetener, a salty flavouring sauce such as soy, tamari, coconut aminos or fish sauce plus water and a thickening/gelling agent.
I decided to add fresh grated ginger to the recipe, which lends a beautifully aromatic and zesty touch.
All you need to do is let the ingredients cook until the flavours start to mingle - and after only 10 minutes you have a healthy, sweet, spicy, tangy sauce that will make you swoon whilst keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels perfectly stable.
How to make sugar free sweet chilli sauce - step by step:
1.) Chop the red chilli, ginger and garlic. Add them to a pan together with the apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos and powdered sweetener. 
2.) Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let the mix bubble away on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Mix the hot water with the xanthan gum. Blend well so there are no lumps. Add to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached.
Be aware that the sauce will thicken further while it cools. Fill into a clean glass jar and let cool.
Tips, tricks and substitutions for this healthy sweet chilli sauce recipe
What type of chilli should I use?
I went for a mild red chilli. Mild chilli varieties are generally larger in size. You could use red jalapenos, for example. If in doubt, ask your greengrocer 😉
The rule of thumb is that the smaller the chilli, the hotter it is. If you decide to use Thai red chillies, for example, you should reduce the amount stated in the recipe to 1 ½ tbsp (not packed) and ensure you remove all seeds.
Tip: Make sure that you wear gloves when chopping chilli. This counts especially for all of you who wear contact lenses like me. The last thing you want is to touch your eyes with remnants of chilli juice on your fingers!
If you are a shortcut kind of person, you can substitute the fresh chilli with sambal oelek. This is an Indonesian chilli sauce which is widely available in supermarkets. Sambal contains a small amount of sugar, but 2 tbsp will not significantly increase the net carb count. You could also experiment with using sriracha sauce, but you will end up with a smooth sauce. I have not yet tried the recipe with dried chilli flakes, though it should also work. Be cautious with the amount - I always find them to be very hot. 1 tbsp should be plenty!
I decided to use coconut aminos in this recipe. This is a super tasty gluten free and vegan flavouring sauce I recently discovered (I LOVE to use it in salad dressings). It's often used in place of either soy sauce or tamari. But if you're finding it hard to source, feel free to use soy or tamari instead. Tamari is gluten free as well.
Another upgrade option is to add 1 tsp of fish sauce to the mix. Fish sauce has a strong, salty and slightly pungent flavour. It is INCREDIBLE!
Instead of the xanthan gum you could use 1 tsp finely ground (!!!) chia seeds to thicken the sauce. I have not tried chia seeds as a thickener in this recipe, but use it frequently to thicken sauces and jams.
I like apple cider vinegar because of all its health benefits. It is possible to substitute it with white wine vinegar or rice vinegar. Make sure the rice vinegar is not flavoured - this often means added sugar.
You can store your healthy sweet chilli sauce in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
NOTE: If you store the sauce in the fridge, the erythritol might crystallise a little bit over time. I had a few crystals collecting on the edges of my jar after a few days, which did not bother me. But to get rid of the crystals, you can re-heat the sauce and let it cool back down to room temperature.
This chilli sauce would work well with these recipes:
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Sugar Free Sweet Chilli Sauce Recipe
from sugarfreelondoner.comNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp red chilli chopped
- 2 tsp ginger chopped
- 2 tsp garlic chopped (2 cloves)
- ½ cup / 120 ml apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup / 120g powdered sweetener
- ½ tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce / tamari
- ½ cup / 120 ml hot water
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
- Chop the red chilli, ginger and garlic. Add them to a pan together with the apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos and powdered sweetener.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let the mix bubble away on a low heat for 5 minutes.
- Mix the hot water with the xanthan gum. Blend well so there are no lumps. Add to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached. Be aware that the sauce will thicken further while it cools.
- Fill into a clean glass jar and let cool.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ania says
Can I use agar agar instead of xanthan gum?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Agar agar or guar gum are commonly used as an alternative to xanthan gum. I haven't tried it myself, but it should work.
Marian Lund says
I found this really sharp and acidic. Will try using rice vinegar next time.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Did you use apple cider vinegar? It's normally very mild and not sharp at all.
Megan Hadlow says
Awesome recipe. Always have some in my fridge. Great on just about anything
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like the sauce!
Pauline Clarke says
My sauce is a bit cloudy , I couldn’t get the xanthum gum to dissolve so whisked it in my ninja , any tips for get a clear sauce, should I re boil it thanks
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, you could always reheat it which will make it easier to get rid of any clumps.
Teri says
I made this today with dried crushed red pepper. I used 1 tablespoon. Very spicy(my husband loved it). Mine also did not have a red hue to it. I believe the red would come from the fresh pepper. Next time I will try that. Really good! so much better than the bought one.
Kieran says
Hi, I have made your recipe several times and it's amazing! I just had a question about the consistency. Even after cooling, it's a little bit runny - how do I fix this? Should I try adding more xanthan gum, or less water? Thank you!
Katrin Nürnberger says
A little more xanthan will do the trick, but less water will also work - and cooking on a higher temperature and/or for longer.
Marcie says
Has anyone tried to make this with a stevia sweetener like Truvia? Or monk fruit?
CELESTE SEGAL says
I made it for the first time today, but I used stevia as I didn't have the other powdered sugar things. My husband says it has a funny taste....I am wondering if this is because I used the stevia. Does anyone know?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Stevia can have a metallic / bitter aftertaste that some people find unpleasant. Allulose tastes most like "real" sugar, if you can get hold of it. It is also a great sweetener for sauces because it does not re-crystallise. A allulose is not easy to come by in the UK, I mostly use an erythritol / monk fruit blend.
Hannah Tindall says
Best chilli sauce I have had. I was looking everyheere at all my supermarkets for sugar free sweet chilli sauces to use for a recipe I wanted to make, so instead I tried making some and honestly, I think its better than the store brought ones. Will definitely be making this again!
Katrin Nürnberger says
So glad you like the sauce!!
Kari Alana says
I love your use of ginger and garlic in this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Emma says
How do you manage to NOT get lumps in your hot water and xanthan gum mix? I tried a few times, with just a little water first/cold water/warm water (like you would with corn flour) and I still had little lumps floating around. In the end I just skimmed them out and used the rest of the liquid but wasn't enough to get the right thickness... I thought I was quite good at these things haha, any advice?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hm, no special tips on that one... I just sprinkled it over and whisked real fast 🙂
Louise says
I used one of the small metal hand whisks (u-shaped ones) and that worked a treat. A normal whisk wouldn't work as it needs to be fine. Hope that helps!
Marian Lund says
I pushed it through a sieve.
Lois says
When the recipe calls for red chillis, what kind of chilli is that?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I used fresh chili. There are different types, so choose whichever heat level you prefer.
Vicky says
Is it possible to batch make this and freeze it in ice cube portions?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes that would work! You may have to reheat them after defrosting, if the erythritol re-crystallises
Angela says
Hi my sweet chilli sauce looked great when I put it in the jar but once cooled I out in fridge and next day it had crystallised - any tips to prevent that happening next time please?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Erythritol does crystallise a little when in the fridge. If you reheat it this will go away. I've just started to use a new sweetener called allulose, which does not do that, it works just like sugar and is perfect for sauces and anything you want soft.
Wendy says
Loved this chilli sauce
Lorelei says
Best chili sauce. So easy to make. Love love love it.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Wonderful!!
David says
Made this yesterday to toss some baked chicken wings in. Delicious and very much missed since starting Keto. Thank you for this recipe. I made a double batch and have 1 still in the fridge.
Katrin Nürnberger says
I love having a second dinner waiting in the fridge. Hurrah to double batches!
Mike says
Not tried this recipe yet but I intend to.
Is it suitable for use in Stir Frying - for instance with some chicken and stir fry vegetables. It's a real quick meal and I love it with a chilli sauce, but the supermarket sachets can contain up to 50g of carbs (mostly sugar) for a 2 person serving.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, I've used it for stir-frying 🙂
Andra says
I’ve found that a tablespoon or two of fermented pickle juice acts very well as a preservative for cold-stored condiments. I add it to my homemade ketchup and bbq sauce and haven’t had any go off yet before we were able to finish it.
Let the condiment cool a bit first before adding the pickle juice for the same reason you don’t put yeast into very hot water. I’ve never noticed that it has any effect on the flavor.
Cheers!
Katrin Nürnberger says
That is such a great tip! Thank you so much for letting us know 🙂
Shimmy says
Hello Katrin,
Could I use red chilli flakes instead of fresh? If so how much? Many thanks.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Shimmy, I find that dried chili flakes are much hotter than fresh chili. 1 tbsp should be plenty.
Neil Stevens says
Thanks for all the fabulous recipes. They have been a real life saver for us - literally- in our need to switch to a low carb diet. So many to choose some days we just don't know what to cook!
My question about this fab sauce is : can I make a big batch and safely bottle it for later? The apv makes it acidic so I guess I could. Just wanted your thoughts and any tips. Thanks
Katrin says
Hi Neil, I have kept mine in the fridge for quite a while and it was fine. I recon it was over 2 weeks. You do get a little more crystallisation over time from the erythritol, but it was not enough to bother me.
I cannot guarantee that you can make a batch and store it in several bottles (in the fridge) over months without them going off. My feeling is that you probably could, because of the acidity and provided you create a proper vacuum and used sterilised jars, but the honest answer is that I just don't know. It would be a sniff-and-taste situation.
Olive McGrath says
This looks great. How long will this keep for?
Katrin says
Hi Olive, I kept mine in the fridge for about 2 weeks, after that it was finished 🙂
Louise Allison says
Wow! Wasted a fiver on a S-F sweet chilli sauce from Amazon - which was horrid!! THIS is da bomb! (Though possibly 4 large chilies has made it a bit spicy!! Thank you as always!!
Ruth says
Only looking at these appetizing photos, I decided to make it. It was so easy, and the taste is really surprising. It's incredibly unique, tangy, spicy, and full of Asian flavour. I find no way to describe. For me it's the best chilli sauce I ever tried. Could get addicted to its taste.
Surely there are lots of other applications in the cuisine. I added a tsp to my rice to give it this particular spicy aromatic Asian flavour. Looked great and tasted fantastic. Can really recommend it.
What a great recipe. Thank you for sharing
Katrin says
Hello Ruth, I bet it would be nice stirred into rice!
Brenda says
I for sure m going to try this. Also your other recipes. I just tried making tortillas from a different web site, and what a mess, and loss of product. I have joined your site, and enjoy it.
Katrin says
I'm glad you found my site and you like the recipes. If you ever have any questions about a recipe, get in contact just like this and we can figure it out! 🙂
karen says
I used to be able to buy a wonderful hot and sweet sauce, a la thailand, that I used on all sorts of things like potato or fish cakes. then it disappeared and I made my own chili syrup. but, now on keto despaired that i would ever have this sauce again. Voila! You have done it! thanks much
Katrin says
I missed a good chilli sauce too.... hence this recipe. Let me know what you think of it if you try!!!