Bang bang Sauce, with its unique blend of creamy, spicy, and sweet flavors, has become a favorite in many households and restaurants across North America. While it gained significant popularity in the West through restaurants like Bonefish Grill, its roots are deeply embedded in Asian culinary traditions. The sauce draws inspiration from various Asian sauces that balance heat with sweetness, a testament to the region’s rich culinary heritage.
I like to make Bonefish Grill copycat bang bang shrimp at home by lightly breading shrimp, frying them, and finishing them with bang bang sauce and sliced green onions. I also like bang bang sauce as a dip for these grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp, French fries, or chicken nuggets. It’s delicious as a sauce on burgers, chicken wings, hotdogs, or lobster rolls, and we use it as a dip with these chicken bacon ranch sliders.
The recipe is so simple—you can mix up a batch in minutes! It’s mild on the spice, so tweak it if you’re after that extra kick. My secret? A dash of honey to bring out the sweetness of the Thai chili sauce. Think of it as your versatile mayo alternative; it pairs well with almost anything.
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💞 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ It’s made with basic pantry items.
✔️ You can use it as a sauce or as a dip.
✔️ One taste of this flavor booster and you’ll be smitten!
📋 Ingredients For Bang Bang Sauce
Ingredient Notes
- Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: Often served in Asian restaurants alongside crispy spring rolls, you can usually find it in the international section of the grocery store.
- Rice Vinegar: Sometimes called rice wine vinegar, rice vinegar is available at most well-stocked grocery stores with other kinds of vinegar.
It’s important to note when making substitutions in recipes, the texture and flavor may be slightly different. However, these substitutes are the best options if you are looking to change the original recipe.
Ingredients Substitutions
- Honey: Adding honey to your bang bang-chili sauce is optional, but it really makes the sweet chili sauce shine. I recommend using it.
- Rice Vinegar: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a good substitute for rice vinegar.
- Sweet Thai Chili Sauce: If you want to make bang bang sauce without sweet chilli sauce, you can try adding dried red pepper flakes and a bit of sugar to taste, a touch of red pepper jelly, or apricot jam with dried chilli flakes.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of this post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the PRINTABLE recipe card with ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
👩🍳 How To Make Bang Bang Sauce
STEP 1—Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
STEP 2—Stir everything together.
STEP 3—The sauce is ready when everything is well combined, and no streaks of mayonnaise remain.
🗣 Expert Tips
1. I don’t recommend heating bang bang sauce as it does contain mayonnaise.
2. Replace the mayonnaise with sour cream for a slightly different (and delicious!) taste.
3. This recipe doubles and triples well.
📝 Recipe Notes
- Store bang bang sauce in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep the jar in the fridge for up to one week.
Uses For Bang Bang Sauce
Other than its classic use with shrimp or chicken, here are a few other ways you can use bang bang sauce:
- As a Dressing: Its creamy consistency makes it an excellent choice for salads, especially those with grilled chicken or shrimp.
- Elevate Your Sandwiches: A spread of Bang Bang Sauce can transform a regular sandwich into something special.
- Marinade Magic: Use it as a marinade for proteins like chicken or tofu. Allow them to soak in the flavors for a minimum of 1 hour in the refrigerator
🙋♀️ Recipe FAQ
Bang bang sauce is a faintly sweet creamy sauce with a touch of heat. Generally made with mayonnaise, sweet Thai chili sauce, Sriracha, and rice vinegar.
No! One of the main ingredients, mayonnaise, is made with eggs but does not contain any dairy. None of the other ingredients contain dairy.
Use it as a dipping sauce for shrimp, as a burger sauce, drizzled on shrimp tacos, fish tacos, cauliflower or chicken wings, as a sauce for crab legs, salmon, grilled meats, or ribs, as a dip for tempura shrimp or crispy tofu, on grilled corn, omelets, sushi, and so much more!
💃 More Sauces & Dips
Did you make this bang bang sauce? Please rate the recipe and tell me how it went in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and recipes!
🖨 Recipe
Bang Bang Sauce
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or digital kitchen scale
- Bowl
- Small rubber spatula or spoon
- Glass jar with tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until no streaks of mayonnaise remain. Store in a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
Notes
- Store bang bang sauce in a jar with a tight fitting lid in the fridge for up to one month.
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