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 than 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.
Jump to:
Ingredients
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.
Substitutions
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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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 teaspoon of fish sauce to the mix. Fish sauce has a strong, salty and slightly pungent flavour. It is INCREDIBLE!
How To Make Sugar Free Sweet Chilli Sauce
It is really easy to make a homemade healthy sweet chilli sauce recipe.
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.
Here are the basic steps:
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.
STEP 2
Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and let the sauce bubble away on low heat for 5 minutes.
STEP 3
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.
Expert Tips
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 tablespoon (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!
Recipe FAQs
Instead of the xanthan gum you could use 1 teaspoon of finely ground (!!!) chia seeds to thicken the sauce. I have not tried chia seeds as a thickener in this recipe, but use them frequently to thicken sauces and jams.
I like apple cider vinegar because of all its health benefits and mild taste. It is possible to substitute it with white wine vinegar or rice vinegar although these are sharper in flavour and you may need to use less. Also, 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 at least 2-3 weeks.
Allulose is great because it does not re-crystallise as it cools. However, most of the time I make the sauce with powdered erythritol.
Serve With
This sweet chili sauce is perfect as a dip for keto tortilla chips or keto chicken nuggets.
It is also wonderful over Vietnamese scrambled eggs and keto fried rice.
Storage
Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. The vinegar in the recipe preserves it, making it stay fresh for several weeks.
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.
More Sugar Free Sauce Recipes
- Low Carb Keto Bechamel Sauce8 Minutes
- The Ultimate Keto Pizza Sauce15 Minutes
- The Best 5 Minute Keto Mayonnaise5 Minutes
- Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce (Keto)10 Minutes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
★ STAY IN TOUCH on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM for more great food and join my NEWSLETTER for the latest updates and a FREE EBOOK.★
Recipe
Sugar Free Sweet Chilli Sauce Recipe
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon red chilli chopped
- 2 teaspoon ginger chopped
- 2 teaspoon garlic chopped (2 cloves)
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar 120 ml
- ½ cup powdered sweetener 120g *** see notes
- ½ tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce / tamari
- ½ cup hot water 120 ml
- ¼ teaspoon 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.
Kim
I would like to know if this sauce can be processed to make a big batch.
Katrin Nürnberger
The sauce contains enough vinegar to preserve it long-term. However, I do not have personal experience in canning or preserving so I cannot advise you how to do it.
Cat
I don't have Chili peppers except for canned so could you use canned chilies or can you use chili powder to substitute?
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't know if canned chili are vinegary, so that would affect the flavor ad make the sauce taste more sour. Chili flakes may be a better choice than chili powder. But ultimately, the suace will taste best with fresh chili.
Mel
This sauce was absolutely delicious. I used a garlic, chilli paste instead of the fresh chilli. I made keto Thai Chicken rissoles and served this on the top with a salad. Yum!!!!
Val
Hi would this be stored in fridge or cupboard and how long does it last please?
Katrin Nürnberger
I would store it in the fridge. Since it contains vinegar, it should last several weeks.
Angela
Thank you for this recipe, I absolutely love sweet chili sauce on just about anything but shop bought are full of sugar and additives. This recipe turned out fabulous though a little too hot for me so next time I'll use 1 chili but I put 2 teaspoons in some mayo and omg it's just like how I used to have it with shop bought chili sauce. I am now patiently waiting for my chicken tenders to be ready and I'll be 1 happy camper.
Thanks again
Ania
Can I use agar agar instead of xanthan gum?
Katrin Nürnberger
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
I found this really sharp and acidic. Will try using rice vinegar next time.
Katrin Nürnberger
Did you use apple cider vinegar? It's normally very mild and not sharp at all.
Megan Hadlow
Awesome recipe. Always have some in my fridge. Great on just about anything
Pauline Clarke
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
Yes, you could always reheat it which will make it easier to get rid of any clumps.
Teri
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.