Chili Garlic Sauce Substitutes
Chili garlic sauce is a type of sauce that originates from Asia(China or Vietnam) and it is a common ingredient used when making some local recipes in places like South Asia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Chili garlic sauce is typically made with ground garlic and ground chili peppers, sugar (or any kind of sweetener), cornstarch and cooking oil. Sometimes, vinegar and salt can be added to help provide more taste to the sauce.
Chili garlic sauce commonly has a dark red color with yellow chili speckles seen throughout it sometimes. It has a hot and tangy taste with the garlic’s taste also being quite prominent. The vinegar also adds a bit of brightness to the taste. It can be used when making different recipes like pizza, pasta, meat, shrimp, eggs, soups, and stir-fries. Overall, chili garlic sauce has a very unique flavor that can help to make your snacks and meals more enjoyable. You can keep it as a spicy condiment that you can use whenever you need both chilies and garlic in a recipe. Sometimes one could have the meal or snack ready but no chili garlic sauce available, that is when this list of chili garlic sauce substitutes would come into play. This article would share some of those so you can learn from.
In this article, I will be sharing with you some of the 11 best substitutes for chili garlic sauce you could use as a perfect replacement for the original chili garlic suace.
Chili Garlic Sauce Substitutes
Here are some of the best 11 replacements and alternatives for chili garlic sauce when you need it in the kitchen. These substitutes range from things you can easily make at home to options you can buy from the store. Hopefully, these different options will make sure you find one that works for you.
Sweet chili sauce and garlic
This is a really quick mixture you can make at home if you have run out of chili garlic sauce. All you need is sweet chili sauce and garlic.
Sweet chili sauce is a type of chili sauce that is made from red chili pepper, vinegar, sugar, and fish sauce. As you can see, the ingredients are quite similar to that of chili garlic sauce except for the fact that garlic is missing. It has its signature taste that is quite sweet but also a bit spicy and sour.
If you have sweet chili sauce at home with you, then you can easily make a substitute for chili garlic sauce when you need to. To make this, get some garlic and sweet chili sauce. Pour the sweet chili sauce into a jar then add some finely grated garlic to it then mix them thoroughly. Allow the mixture to sit for some time until you can confirm that the sweet chili sauce now has the garlic taste to it. If you don’t feel the taste well, just add more grated garlic.
This mixture will easily help you to replace chili garlic sauce when you need to. You might need to checkout some sweet chili sauce substitutes as well.
Chiu Chow
Chiu Chow, fully known as Chiu Chow chili oil, is a chili sauce that is made from a mixture of fresh fine chiles, fresh garlic, chili flakes, and oil. It originates from a town in China and it is a common ingredient used to make different traditional meals across different cultures in Asia.
Chiu Chow has multiple layers of flavor with hints of fruitiness and garlic. It is also quite spicy and can help to provide “heat” to many recipes. Chiu Chow chili oil can be used when making different dishes like pasta, stir-fries, ramen, etc. It is also used as a dip for wings, fries, or as an ingredient when making sandwiches.
Due to its taste of garlic and fine chili pepper, Chiu Chow can be used as a substitute for chili garlic sauce when you are making any recipe.
Harissa sauce
Harissa sauce is a type of hot chili sauce that originates from Tunisia in North Africa. Now, it has become popular in other parts of the world where it is regularly used to make different recipes and dishes. Harissa sauce is made from dry red chili peppers, garlic, onions, cooking oil, citrus, and other seasonings. On its own, it is usually used to marinate meat, as a dipping sauce, or even to make stews have a bright red color and more heat.
It has a smoky and tangy taste and it also tastes a bit sweet. It contains different shades of flavor that are not usually in normal chili garlic sauce but that does not make a major difference.
Harissa sauce can be used in place of chili garlic sauce when you are making different meals like pasta, pizza, eggs, meats, soups, and marinades.
Red chili pepper, garlic, and vinegar
You can easily make a mixture that contains these ingredients to easily replace chili garlic sauce when you need to.
Chili peppers are a type of berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum and it is cultivated for their level of spiciness, hotness, and heat. It originated from Bolivia but they were first cultivated in Mexico. Chili peppers are used to add heat to many recipes.
If you have chili peppers, fresh garlic cloves, vinegar, salt, and sugar, you can easily make this mixture to replace chili garlic sauce. Get these ingredients together and blend them thoroughly to form a paste with a nice consistency.
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Chili paste
Chili paste is a paste that is mainly made from chili peppers with other secondary ingredients being vinegar, sugar, garlic, spices, salt, and other seasonings. It is usually used as an ingredient when cooking and sometimes, it is used to add extra seasonings and flavor to a meal. It can also be used to marinate meat and as a dipping sauce.
Chili paste is quite similar to chili garlic sauce in terms of taste but it has a thicker consistency and slightly different texture. It is known to be a good ingredient when making burgers, sandwiches, stir-fries, soups, and marinades.
It can serve as a good enough alternative for chili garlic sauce and it should get the job done with ease.
Hot sauce, garlic, and cooking oil
Hot sauce is a type of sauce, condiment, or salsa that is commonly made from chili peppers. Most times, chili peppers are used as the primary ingredient then other ingredients like salt, vinegar, and even vegetables can be added. It is used when making different meals like eggs, burgers, soups, stews, wings sauce, etc. It can also be used to dress fresh meat and make a dipping sauce for fries.
Now, as you can see, hot sauce does not have garlic as part of its ingredients so to make a replacement for chili garlic sauce, you need to get cloves of garlic and cooking oil.
To go on with this, get some fresh finely grated garlic and cooking oil, add them to a portion of hot sauce, then mix them thoroughly. Now, let it rest for some hours so the garlic flavor can be induced to the hot sauce.
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Sriracha sauce
Sriracha sauce is a type of chili sauce that is made from a fine mixture of chili peppers, garlic, salt, distilled vinegar, and sugar. It is a common ingredient used to make meals in different places around the world. It has a smoky and tangy taste with a garlic flavor that reminds one of chili garlic sauce.
Sriracha sauce may not have the same consistency as the normal chili garlic sauce but it does a great job of replacing chili garlic sauce.
Sambal oelek
Sambal oelek is a chili sauce that is made from a mix of various types of chili peppers with other ingredients like garlic, ginger, vinegar, lime juice, etc. It is indigenous to Indonesia and it is now a common ingredient used to make different local recipes across different countries in the world.
If you have sambal oelek chili paste at home, you can easily use it to replace chili garlic sauce when making any recipe. One thing to note is that the sauce’s taste of garlic is not as prominent as chili garlic sauce so you might need to add some finely chopped ginger to it to get the signature garlic flavor.
Sambal oelek has been proven to be quite a good replacement for chili garlic sauce when making meals like pasta, meat, pizza, burgers, eggs, etc.
Red pepper flakes, garlic, and cooking oil
Red pepper flakes is a type of condiment that is made from crushing dried red chili pepper and other similar types of pepper. It is used to make spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, chowders, soups, and sausage. It is also a common spice used by many people when making different dishes. Red pepper flakes are said to be a great source of antioxidants, fiber, capsaicin, and vitamins A, C, and B6, all of which are needed in the body.
To make this, you need to get red pepper flakes, finely grated fresh cloves of garlic, and cooking oil. Now, add them together in a jar and mix them thoroughly, then leave the mix to rest for some hours so it can get a consistent flavor. This mixture can help to replace chili garlic sauce when making any recipe. Check out the comparison between red pepper flakes vs chili flakes.
Chili sauce and garlic
Chili sauce and garlic mixture is a nice substitute that one can use in place of chili garlic sauce when you need to. Chili sauce is made from chili peppers and red tomato and other ingredients like sugar, vinegar, and salt. It has a sweet and spicy taste like sweet soy sauce and its substitutes.
Now, mix chili sauce and finely chopped garlic together thoroughly in a jar and leave it to rest for some hours. After that, the mixture is going to have that garlic flavor that you usually get from chili garlic sauce.
That’s the end of the list of excellent Chili Garlic Sauce Substitutes, these substitutes have been in use by many cooks from all over the world. In the next section I would answer some frequently asked questions about Chili Garlic Sauce Substitutes.
FAQs About Chili Garlic Sauce Substitutes
What can i substitute for chili garlic sauce?
What you can substitute for chili garlic sauce should be any of the following; Chili sauce and garlic, Red pepper flakes with garlic and cooking oil, sambal oelek, Sriracha sauce, chili paste, hot sauce with garlic and cooking oil. Each of these combos make an outstanding substitute for chili garlic sauce.
What is a substitute for chili garlic sauce?
Some substitutes for chili garlic sauce you should consider are Chili sauce and garlic, Red pepper flakes with garlic and cooking oil, sambal oelek, Sriracha sauce, chili paste, hot sauce with garlic and cooking oil. Each of these combos make an outstanding substitute for chili garlic sauce.
Can you substitute chili garlic sauce for sambal oelek?
Yes, you can absolutely substitute chili garlic sauce for sambal oelek, you could also go the other way around and substitute sambal oelek for chili garlic sauce in your recipe because they have some similarities in ingredients and flavors.
Can you substitute chili garlic sauce for sriracha?
Yes you can substitute chili garlic sauce for sriracha in your recipe because sriracah and garlic sauce have been proven to be excellent replacements for each other.
What is a good substitute for chili garlic sauce?
A substitute for chili garlic sauce is one that can replace chili garlic sauce but still provide the same or better flavors, some of those substitutes are Chili sauce and garlic, Red pepper flakes with garlic and cooking oil, sambal oelek, Sriracha sauce, chili paste, hot sauce with garlic and cooking oil. Each of these combos make an outstanding substitute for chili garlic sauce.
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