If chili garlic sauce has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 25 recipes to try it in.

What is chili garlic sauce?

Chili garlic sauce is a coarse, bright-red paste of ground red chilies and garlic held together with vinegar and salt. It is chunky, not smooth. You can see the chili skins and seeds, and it brings sharp heat with a strong raw-garlic punch.

The familiar version is the Huy Fong jar with the green cap. It is a close relative of Indonesian sambal oelek, which is the same idea without the garlic.

A spoonful adds heat and garlic with a little tang, so it works as both a cooking ingredient and a table condiment.

People often reach for it where they would reach for sriracha, but the two are not the same. Sriracha is smooth and thinner, blended into a pourable sauce with more sweetness. Chili garlic sauce is chunkier, sharper, and far more garlic-forward.

How to Use Chili Garlic Sauce

You can cook with it or spoon it on raw. Stirred into a hot stir-fry or noodle dish, the garlic mellows and the heat spreads evenly through the sauce. Added at the table, it stays brash and bright.

It is a workhorse in noodle bowls and soups. Best Hot & Sour Udon Noodle Soup uses it for the tang-and-heat backbone, Korean Hot Pot leans on it for the broth, and Chinese Stir-fry Noodles with Fresh Vegetables stirs it through the pan.

It also builds sauces and dressings. It sharpens the dipping sauce in a Lettuce Wrap and gives Asian Zing Wing Sauce its kick. Whisk it into mayo for a quick spicy spread, or into soy and vinegar with a little sugar for an all-purpose dip.

A teaspoon goes a long way. Add it bit by bit and taste, since the raw garlic and chili build fast.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

It plays well with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, honey, and lime. A little sugar or honey rounds off the sharp edge, and an acid like lime or vinegar keeps it lively. It suits noodles, tofu, eggs, chicken, shrimp, and roasted vegetables.

The most common mistake is treating it like sriracha and pouring it on. It is hotter and far more garlic-heavy, so the same quantity can overwhelm a dish.

The second is burning the garlic. If you fry the paste in oil to bloom it, keep the heat moderate and stir constantly, because the garlic bits scorch and turn bitter in seconds.

Substitutes

No chili garlic sauce? Sambal oelek is the closest swap; just add a little minced or grated garlic, since sambal usually has none.

Sriracha works in a pinch but is sweeter and milder, so use more and cut back on any sugar in the recipe.

For a from-scratch version, mince fresh red chilies and garlic, then mix with a splash of rice vinegar and a good pinch of salt.

Crushed red pepper flakes bloomed in oil with garlic will cover the heat and aroma if that is all you have, though the texture and tang will differ.

Buying and Storing

Find it in the Asian aisle near the sriracha and chili pastes, sold in jars, often with a clear window so you can see the coarse texture. Huy Fong is the standard, but any "chili garlic sauce" or "chili garlic paste" works.

It keeps almost indefinitely thanks to the salt and vinegar. Store an opened jar in the refrigerator and use a clean spoon each time, and it will hold its color and bite for many months. A little separation or darkening at the top is normal; just stir it back in.

Quick facts

In Chinese

辣椒蒜蓉辣酱

British (UK) term

Chili garlic sauce

en français

sauce à l'ail chili

en español

salsa de ajo de chile

Recipes using chili garlic sauce

There are 25 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 25 recipes