What Is a Decent Replacement for Chili Garlic Sauce?

Chili Garlic Sauce is a hot sauce used in Asian cuisine that adds a fiery touch to any dish. It’s a chunky, thick sauce made from chilis, garlic, vinegar, sugar, oil, and salt. Although the taste and texture combination is unique, there are various chili garlic sauce alternative possibilities if you’re in a need.

Creating your own chili garlic sauce is a simple process. Nevertheless, thanks to the preservatives in store-bought sauce, it’s a healthier option to many other sauces. Chilis provide vitality, while garlic helps to decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

So what happens when you need a substitute for chili garlic sauce? This post will go through some of the better solutions available.

What is Chili Garlic Sauce?

Chili garlic sauce is a hot condiment made mostly of chile and garlic. It is often thick, hefty, and a bright crimson hue. And it’s usually used as a dipping sauce, a sauce topping, or it may be added to specific meals while they’re cooking.

This flexible and spicy sauce originated in Vietnam and is widely used in Asian cuisine. Traditional chili garlic sauce is produced using Thai chilies that are red and fiery. Nevertheless, various regional varieties of the sauce exist, with serrano, jalapeo, and cayenne chilies being common substitutes.

Some people even pickle the combined ingredients instead of boiling and reducing them to generate this hot sauce. In any case, including chili garlic sauce into your meal will provide you with a sweet, spicy complement with plenty of umami.

Substitutes for Chili Garlic Sauce

Some suitable substitutes have a taste profile that is close to that of this favorite sauce. Some have a higher or lower level of heat than chili garlic sauce. And our list below has a suitable substitute for practically every case.

1. Harissa Sauce

Harissa sauce is most likely the most similar to a chili garlic sauce substitute. This sauce is often created using a variety of red chili native to North Africa. These specific chilis are quite spicy. As a result, harissa sauce is often spicier than chili garlic sauce.

Additional components in harissa sauce include vinegar, garlic, and spices. It’s not as sweet as chile garlic sauce and has a garlicky, peppery flavor. As compared to chili garlic sauce, its texture is likewise more paste-like.

2. Chili Garlic Paste

Chili garlic paste is produced at home using a pestle and mortar from crushed garlic cloves and chilis. It is thicker and more flavorful than chili garlic sauce. It may also be used to give depth of flavor to a variety of recipes.

Since chili garlic paste has a stronger taste than chili garlic sauce, a little goes a long way. Since there is no sugar in the paste, it lacks the sweetness of chili garlic sauce.

Chili garlic paste is fantastic in marinades and dips. It’s also a great basis for soups and stews.

3. Sriracha

Sriracha is a spicy sauce derived from components comparable to chili garlic sauce, making it an excellent replacement. Traditionally, the sauce is created of jalapeo peppers, garlic, vinegar, and salt. As a result, it has a fiery and tangy taste comparable to chili garlic sauce.

This spicy sauce is often hotter than typical chili garlic sauce due to the inclusion of spices such as cayenne pepper and chili pepper flakes.

4. Chili Peppers and Sesame Oil

Chili garlic sauce may be made using chili peppers and sesame oil. This combination may be equally as fiery and tasty depending on the kind of chili pepper used. It’s also quite simple to make. It’s as simple as mashing the peppers in a little oil and seasoning with salt or spices to suit.

The nice thing about this option is that you may modify the intensity dependent on the chili pepper you choose. Keep in mind that sesame oil gives this condiment a somewhat nutty taste.

5. Hot Sauce

Chili garlic sauce may be replaced with hot sauce. It’s widely available and adds a lot of flavor and spice to the meal. Chili peppers, vinegar, salt, and spices are common ingredients in hot sauce.

If you’re not sure what sort of spicy sauce to use, start with anything labeled medium or moderate. This manner, you may add extra sauce to your preference to make it hotter.

Conclusion

Finding the finest chili garlic sauce alternative is all about figuring out what works best for you and your taste buds. Finally, the goal and heat of the replacement will be decisive. Thankfully, our preceding list includes the best solutions for a variety of scenarios.