How Much Sugar Is in Sweet Chili Sauce?
One tablespoon of sweet chili sauce has about 8 g of added sugar — more than twice as much as the same amount of ketchup, hiding behind the chili heat.
in 1 tbsp (18 g) · about 1.9 teaspoons
- Per serving
- 8 g
- Per 100 g
- 45 g
- Type
- Added sugar
- In teaspoons
- ≈ 1.9 tsp
Fine in a portion — worth keeping an eye on.
A single tablespoon of sweet chili sauce carries about 8 g of added sugar — more than double what the same spoonful of ketchup delivers. The chili heat and vinegar tang mask how sweet it actually is, so it doesn't register as a sugary condiment the way a dessert sauce would.
It's also easy to use more than a tablespoon — dipping spring rolls or drizzling over a stir-fry can mean 3–4 tablespoons per meal, quietly adding 25–30 g of sugar to a savoury dish. Treat it like a sauce to measure, not one to pour freely.
How sweet chili sauce compares
Out of 114 everyday foods and drinks we track, sweet chili sauce ranks #80 for sugar per serving — more than 30% of them.
- Kombucha8g
- Teriyaki sauce8g
- Sweet chili sauce (this page)8g
- Granola bar8g
- Strawberries7g
Bars show sugar per serving. Tap any food to see its full breakdown.
Lower-sugar swaps
- A squeeze of lime with fresh chili and a splash of fish sauce for heat without the sugar
- Sriracha or a plain chili-garlic sauce, which carry far less sugar per spoonful
Frequently asked questions
- Why does sweet chili sauce have so much sugar if it tastes spicy?
- The chili heat and vinegar mask the sweetness, so a sauce that's nearly half sugar by weight doesn't taste like a dessert topping the way you'd expect.
- Is sweet chili sauce higher in sugar than ketchup?
- Yes, considerably — about 8 g per tablespoon versus roughly 3.7 g for ketchup, more than double for the same serving size.
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Sugar values from Typical nutrition label; actual amounts vary by brand, ripeness, and recipe. Last updated 2026-08-28.