Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Creamy, sweet, and just a little bit spicy, this homemade bang bang sauce is the perfect condiment to add excitement to your meals. There are so many ways you can use bang bang sauce!
How long it takes: 10 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: bowl
Servings: makes ¾ cup
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItHave you tried bang bang sauce yet? The sauce has its origin in China as a street food in Sichuan, but bang bang sauce has been made popular in the United States at Bonefish Grill restaurant, with their Bang Bang Shrimp. You can buy bang bang sauce at the grocery store, but I realized I could easily make it at home. And now I’m kicking myself for waiting so long!
It’s is a blend of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and a hint of honey or sugar. It’s sweet, spicy, creamy, garlicky, and tangy—basically, everything delicious in a single sauce. (I love French fry dipping sauce for similar reasons!) It’s popular for drizzling over fried chicken, dipping coconut shrimp, and even spooning over meal bowls, but I’ve especially been loving it spread onto turkey burgers. Tasty!
Homemade Bang Bang Sauce
Easy to make. Just stir the ingredients together—that’s it!
Versatile. You can use this sauce on so many dishes, similar to mayonnaise or ranch dressing. It’s the kind of all-purpose sauce you’ll appreciate having on hand in the fridge. If you’re cooking dinner and think it needs a little something to jazz it up, this sauce is the perfect answer. You can even use it as a salad dressing!
Customizable. When you make bang bang sauce yourself, you can adjust the heat level, tanginess, sweetness, and more.
Cheaper than store-bought. Making your own bang bang sauce at home can be less expensive than buying it at the store, especially if you have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already. It can be more convenient, too.
Ingredient Notes
- Mayonnaise: The creamy base of this sauce is regular mayonnaise. For maximum richness and Asian authenticity, use Kewpie mayo—it’s made with yolks instead of whole eggs.
- Sweet chili sauce: This sauce is sweet, spicy without being fiery, and a bit tangy. It’s pinkish red in color and often served with egg rolls or crab cheese in Chinese restaurants. I use sweet chili sauce to make my sweet chili chicken recipe and firecracker shrimp. You can also add it to peanut sauces, like this tofu sheet pan dinner.
- Sriracha: A chili garlic sauce, sriracha adds heat, acidity, and garlicky flavor, along with bright red color. A common brand is Huy Fong Sauce which comes in a squeeze bottle with a rooster logo on the front.
- Honey: This balances the flavor of bang bang sauce with a touch of natural sweetness.
- Lime juice: I love the citrus flavor of lime juice but rice vinegar could also be used.
- Garlic powder: Using garlic powder instead of fresh garlic adds savory flavor without the bite. It also means your sauce will have a longer shelf life in the refrigerator.
How to Make It
Mix. Whisk all of the ingredients in a small bowl. If you’re planning on making bang bang sauce to store for later, you can stir it all together in a glass jar with a lid.
Adjust. Taste and adjust any of the elements where you want a little more oomph—more lime juice, honey, sriracha, etc. Then, taste again (using a clean spoon!) and adjust more if needed. Use immediately or store for later.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegan. Swap in your favorite vegan mayo, and use maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey.
- Use yogurt instead of mayo. While it won’t have the same richness as using mayo, substituting plain Greek yogurt will lighten up your bang bang sauce.
- Experiment with other seasonings. Onion powder, soy sauce, tamari, a splash of toasted sesame oil—there’s definitely room to play around with the formula and come up with the perfect version for your tastes!
How To Serve Bang Bang Sauce
- Add it to proteins. This sauce is the perfect complement to proteins like air fryer chicken breasts and honey garlic salmon. It will give any cooked meat a flavor boost!
- Use it as a dip. Serve it as a dipping sauce for blistered shishito peppers, egg rolls, and sweet potato fries
- Spread on sandwiches and wraps. Slather it onto a California burger. Add it to a roasted vegetable wrap or jazz up a deli meat wrap or sandwich. Make an ordinary sandwich special with bang bang sauce!
- Add to salads or bowls. Mix the sauce with a little extra lime juice for a creamy dressing to drizzle over egg roll in a bowl. Switch out the sauce and use bang bang sauce on this salmon bowl for an exciting change. Use it on any green salad as a tasty dressing. Mix it with a bag of coleslaw blend to make bang bang coleslaw!
- Tacos. Try it with salmon tacos or shrimp tacos!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Because it’s made with mayo, which separates when frozen and thawed, you should not freeze this recipe.
More Sauce Recipes
Bang Bang Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, lime juice, and garlic powder until smooth.½ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon sriracha, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon lime juice, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Taste and adjust seasoning. For more heat, add extra sriracha. For more sweetness, add a little more honey or sugar.
Notes
- Storage: Refrigerate bang bang sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 week. It does not freeze well.
- Serving suggestions: Use bang bang sauce as a dipping sauce for shrimp, chicken, fries, or egg rolls. Drizzle it over tacos, grilled seafood, or rice bowls. Mix in a little extra lime juice to make a creamy salad dressing. Use bang bang sauce as a spread for burgers or sandwiches.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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