Low-Carb Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

This low-carb Thai sweet chili sauce brings together sweet, tangy, garlicky flavor with a little heat from crushed red pepper flakes. It uses Swerve in place of the sugar in my original sauce, with an optional small amount of arrowroot if you prefer it thicker.

A low-carb version of my original sweet chili sauce

After readers asked for a low-carb version of my homemade Thai sweet chili sauce, I developed this recipe and shared it in 2016. The original recipe ratios are preserved here, along with clearer notes on sweeteners, texture, and storage.

You don’t need fresh chilies for this pantry-friendly sauce. The pepper in the recipe is crushed red pepper flakes—a detail readers have asked about over the years!

What you’ll need

• Swerve sweetener: The original recipe uses 1/2 cup. Check the exact product you buy; sweetener blends and formulations can change.
• Rice vinegar and water: 1/4 cup of each creates the tangy liquid base.
• Garlic: 2 cloves for savory flavor. Finely chop them to distribute the garlic through the sauce.
• Coconut aminos: 1 tablespoon. Check the label when calculating carbohydrates.
• Ketchup: 1 tablespoon. The sugar and carbohydrate content depend on the brand.
• Crushed red pepper flakes: Start with 1/8 teaspoon and add more to taste.
• Sea salt: A pinch, to taste.

The original optional thickener is 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch. That’s different from the tablespoon in the regular sugar recipe, and adding it contributes carbohydrates.

How to make low-carb sweet chili sauce

1. Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat. Let a small spoonful cool before tasting and adjusting the salt or pepper flakes.

If using the optional arrowroot, mix it into the cool liquid before heating to help avoid lumps. Refrigerate the finished sauce promptly using the storage guidance below.

Sweetener swaps and texture

This version was developed with Swerve. Other sweeteners may differ in sweetness, bulk, and how they behave after cooling, so they aren’t all interchangeable by volume. Concentrated stevia drops, for example, are not a direct 1/2-cup replacement.

In the original reader discussion, a sauce made with Swerve became cloudy and firm after cooling. My advice at the time was to warm it gently and add a little water if needed. That troubleshooting note still matters: the cooled sauce may not look or pour exactly like a sugar-sweetened sauce.

Start by warming a small portion gently and stirring. Add water a little at a time only if it needs thinning. There isn’t a newly tested sweetener substitution in this refresh.

How many carbs are in it?

The original post estimated roughly 13 grams of net carbs in a 1-cup batch. That historical estimate has not been recalculated against current product labels, so it should not be treated as a verified nutrition value for the ingredients you use today.

Garlic, coconut aminos, ketchup, and optional arrowroot all contribute carbohydrates. Calculate using your exact brands, your sweetener’s labeling, the optional starch if used, and your finished batch size. This recipe is not automatically sugar-free or carb-free simply because it replaces the granulated sugar.

Ways to serve it

Use it as a dipping sauce for shrimp or chicken, or as the sweet chili component in my Bang Bang Shrimp. The carb content of the whole meal depends on everything served with it; using this sauce alone doesn’t make another recipe low-carb.

Storage

Keep in a clean, covered container in the refrigerator at 40°F or below. As a conservative household guideline, use within 3–4 days. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. This follows USDA guidance for cooked leftovers, rather than a tested shelf life for this particular sauce.

This is a refrigerator sauce, not a tested canning recipe. Do not store it at room temperature as a preserve.

Can I make the regular sugar version instead?

Absolutely! Follow my original homemade sweet chili sauce for its ingredient amounts and thickener ratio.

Low-Carb Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

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Servings: 1 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
• 1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/4 cup Water, filtered
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon Ketchup
• 1/8+ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 pinch Sea Salt to taste

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Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Transfer to a clean, covered container and refrigerate at 40°F or below within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F). As a conservative guideline, use within 3–4 days. This is not a tested canning or shelf-stable recipe.

Notes

If you would like a thicker sauce, add 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch, being mindful that it will increase the carb count.

Tried this recipe?Mention @hayley_inthekitchen or tag #hayley_inthekitchen!