This easy homemade Chili Garlic Sauce recipe is made with dried chili peppers, garlic, and shallots and can be kept in the refrigerator for months! An Asian-style chili paste to use in dishes you are already making.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about. Ideas, language, even the phrase “each other” doesn’t make any sense. The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.
Rumi
Why You’ll Love This
Here’s a fun recipe I learned how to make while in Malaysia! Chili garlic paste is made with dried chilies that have a very similar flavor to Huy Fong’s chili garlic sauce (a pantry staple!). Use it in a wide variety of Asian dishes like you would with sriracha.
What I love about this recipe is that it is made with dried chiles versus hard-to-find red jalapenos. Since we’ve been on a Szechuan food kick, we have these dried Chinese chiles on hand, and you know how much I love using things up in my pantry. 🙂
Another reason to love this recipe is you can control the amount of sweetness or use an alternative type of sugar versus grocery store brands, which are pretty heavily laden with sugar. This recipe is also oil-free. Easy to make, it keeps for months!
Garlic Chili Sauce Ingredients

- Dried Chinese Chili Peppers: use medium-heat chilies like dried Chinese chili peppers or chile de arbol. Dried Thai chilies will be WAY too hot. See notes for more info on adjusting the spiciness in the sauce.
- Garlic cloves and shallots: Savory aromatics that add complex flavor.
- Salt: Enhances each flavor in the sauce.
- Sugar: Optional, but adds a hint of sweetness to balance the flavors. Use cane sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar.
- Vinegar: Use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
How to Make Chili Garlic Sauce
1. Boil water. Boil 2 cups of water.
2. Prep the chilies. Break apart the chilies and shake out the seeds. You should have about 1 cup or 6-7 ounces. Place in a heat-proof bowl or pot and pour boiling water over the chilies. Cover for 20-30 minutes until softened and plumped. Stir halfway through.


3. Blend the sauce. Strain the chilies and transfer to a mini blender with garlic, shallots, salt, and sugar. Add 4-6 tablespoons water and blend until smooth.


4. Gently Simmer. Scoop the chili paste into a small saucepan and cover. Simmer gently over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add vinegar. Stir in the vinegar, then taste and adjust for salt, sugar, and vinegar. If it needs more heat, add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes.
6. Store. Transfer to a jar and seal with a lid. The garlic-chili sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.

Variations
- For extra depth, Add fish sauce.
- For a more complex flavor, add fresh ginger root.
- Make this with fresh chilies! Red jalapenos or red shishito peppers work great here! A mild to medium red chili is best.
Chef’s Tips
- Use medium-heat chilies: Chinese chili peppers or dried chile de árbol are best. Dried Thai chilies will be WAY too hot. Generally, the smaller the chili, the more spice it has! I have not tried Mexican chilies in this recipe, but I don’t know why they couldn’t work.
- If using fresh chilies, use gloves to remove the seeds to prevent stinging your eyes!
- Use a mini blender: If you have one, a mini blender works best with this 1-cup batch.. A regular high-speed blender will also work, but you may need to make a double batch. A food processor that has a sharp blade should get the job done too.
Storage
Store your Chili Garlic Sauce in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. For longer periods, add more vinegar.
Serving Suggestions
Use this sauce as a condiment in a variety of dishes or use it in Asian sauce recipes. We love adding a spoonful of chili garlic sauce anywhere we use Sriracha– Portobello Mushroom Burger or Thai Turkey Burger, Soba Noodle Salad, Zen Noodle Bowl, or Chicken Ramen Noodles. But the options are endless!
FAQs
Sriracha has more vinegar and a more tangy flavor. Chili garlic sauce has more of a garlicky, smoky, and sweet flavor.
Chili garlic sauce is made with dried red chilis, garlic, salt, sugar, and vinegar. It is a type of paste that can be used as a condiment in a variety of dishes!
It will eventually, yes, but due to the vinegar, it has a long shelf life. If stored in properly sealed glass jars or an airtight container, it will last up to 3 months in the fridge.

I know you’ll find a lot of uses for this easy Chili Garlic Sauce recipe. Make a batch, and I promise you’ll find many uses for it.
More Recipes You Might Like!
On the homefront: Life is full of ups and downs, always. So many good things to celebrate, yet at the same time, it’s speckled with hard things that life inevitably brings. I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night riddled with anxiety for friends who are struggling—situations where I feel completely powerless to help. I hear the voice of my mother, who, when things felt impossible, told me to just pray about it— which could be maddening. It wasn’t until my life completely fell apart in my late 30s that I tried it. And guess what? It worked. No, my life didn’t magically change, but the act of prayer itself brought me back into my own heart, and there, I felt comfort and… connection. I find myself returning to this place in the middle of the night and often wonder who else is there.
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Chili Garlic Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- Category: sauces, condiments
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy homemade Chili Garlic Sauce recipe is made with dried chilies, garlic, and shallots and can be kept in the refrigerator for months! An Asian-style chili paste to use in dishes you are already making!
Ingredients
- 30 dried Chinese chili peppers– see notes
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 small shallots, quartered
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
- 4–6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
Instructions
- Boil 2 cups water.
- Break the dried chilies apart and shake out the seeds. You should have roughly 1 cup (6-7 ounces). In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over the chilies and cover for 20-30 minutes or until fully softened, stirring halfway through.
- Strain the chilies and place them in a mini blender with garlic, shallots, salt, and sugar. Add 4-6 tablespoons water ( or enough to get the blender going) and blend until smooth.
- Pour the chili paste into a small saucepan, cover, bring to a simmer, lower heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the vinegar. Taste, adjust salt, sugar, and vinegar to taste.
- Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 months.
Notes
Types of Chili Peppers- use medium heat like dried Chinese chili peppers or chile de arbol. Dried Thai chilies will be WAY too hot. In general, the smaller the chili, the hotter it is. Dried Chinese chili peppers are roughly 2 inches long. Though I have not tried Mexican chilies in this recipe, I don’t know why they couldn’t work. You can also use fresh red chilies like red jalapenos or red shishito peppers. Use gloves to remove the seeds. Use 1 ¼ cups, cut and packed tight.
Variations: feel free to add ginger root (1-3 teaspoons) or fish sauce (1-3 teaspoons) for extra depth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 490
- Sugar: 119.7 g
- Sodium: 7.5 mg
- Fat: 1.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 126.4 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Good Afternoon,
Great recipe – would you recommend to top up with oil to keep from developing mold?
Thanks,
kind regards
Erika
Hi Erika, the vinegar will prevent it from molding!