9 Best Chili Sauce Substitutes (Updated 2024)

Name: 9 Best Chili Sauce Substitutes
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 2 min
Cuisine: side dish
Ingredients: Sriracha Sauce; Spicy Tomato Sauce; Harissa Sauce; Regular Hot Sauce; Sweet Chili Sauce; Spicy Ketchup; Black Bean Sauce; Gochujang; Chili Powder or Flakes

Updated Jan 18, 2023Recipe Marker

Are you looking for a good substitute for chili sauce? Stick around as we share some of the most popular alternatives.

If chili sauce is out of stock, you can replace it with other ingredients for your recipe. Choose suitable options that will give your recipe a similar flavor and texture.

Discover how the following options may be used to replace chili sauce in many recipes and why they are effective in terms of hotness and substance. You can decide based on your preferences and the recipe you will be making.

9 Best Chili Sauce Substitutes

1. Sriracha Sauce

Try this popular Thai sauce, sriracha, as a stand-in for chili sauce. It is composed of jalapeño peppers, garlic, sugar, and vinegar. Generally, this spicy sauce also has a tangy and sweet taste.

Use sriracha with caution because its spicy level is extremely intense compared to other options.

Sriracha sauce is available to purchase at your local grocery store, or you can also make your own homemade sauce.

2. Spicy Tomato Sauce

Got some spicy tomato sauce? It is a great replacement for chili sauce in pasta sauces, soups, and stews.

It is also great for other dishes, like pizzas, that benefit from the addition of a rich tomato taste. There are a variety of tomato sauces you can choose from.

3. Harissa Sauce

Get a delicious flavor and pleasant odor when you use harissa sauce as a replacement for chili sauce. A combination of multiple spices, as well as red chilies, garlic, and vinegar are used to make this sauce. It comes from North African origins, particularly the Tunisia region.

You may use it as a dip or marinade, as well as in soups and stews. Store-bought harissa sauce is excellent, or if you want to make your own, you can find a variety of harissa sauce recipes online.

4. Regular Hot Sauce

A regular hot sauce is an easy substitute for chili sauce in any recipe. There are so many options for ready-made hot sauces.

They vary from mild to extreme spiciness. So, carefully select one that fits your preference. Check heat levels on the packaging.

5. Sweet Chili Sauce

A common substitute for chili sauce is sweet chili sauce. It is made with red chilies, sugar, ginger, garlic, and vinegar. It has sweet, spicy, tangy, and savory tastes.

Sweet chili sauce is readily available in many grocery stores. However, producing homemade sweet chili sauce is not complicated, provided you have the required ingredients.

The quantities to use will vary based on the recipe you pick. You may always change the amount to match your spiciness or sweetness preferences.

6. Spicy Ketchup

You can opt to use spicy ketchup, whether store-bought or homemade, in place of chili sauce.

This option will have a mix of sweet and spicy flavor, and it works well in many dishes, particularly in soups. It can give your meal an exciting taste and texture.

7. Black Bean Sauce

Black bean sauce is made of soybean oil, chili, salt, and water. This Chinese sauce has a deep, earthy, and fermented taste.

Moreover, it is a key ingredient in every Sichuan meal. So, black bean sauce is worth a try if you are looking for an alternative to chili sauce.

8. Gochujang

If you’re into Korean cuisine, you are probably familiar with gochujang. This Korean paste is absolutely unique, with an intensely spicy flavor. It comes from crushed Korean red peppers and fermented soybeans.

Gochujang combines nicely with ginger and garlic, as well as wine and sake. It is ideally used as a marinade for meat, such as steak, chicken, or pork.

So, go ahead and use this option for your recipe when you run out of chili sauce.

9. Chili Powder or Flakes

How about some chili powder or chili flakes? These items will also serve as decent chili sauce substitutes. They are readily available in stores in packets or jars, or you can roast or dry chili peppers to produce homemade chili flakes.

It makes no difference whether you choose powdered or flakes. The flavor depends on the chili type included in the seasoning. Examine the description to know if the level of spiciness is to your liking.

If you want a lighter amount of spice, Anaheim and poblano peppers are among the varieties to select from. Choose options prepared with jalapeño peppers, Korean chili peppers, and ghost peppers for a super hot punch.

Wrapping Up

We’ve provided you with some of the best chili sauce substitutes that offer satisfying results. Pick the ones that suit your preferred spiciness level and the recipe you have.

You can even experiment with some combinations of these options to improve the flavor of your recipes.

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