At one point, my husband got so obsessed with Bang Bang sauce that he ordered takeout just for the sauce.
Not the shrimp, not the chicken — the sauce. He’d dip everything in it, ask for extra on the side, and finish the whole container before the food was even cold.
If you’re just as obsessed with bang bang sauce and any bowl that has it, you’ll love this recipe. It’s the version that finally made him stop ordering takeout just for the sauce, and it comes together in about five minutes with a whisk and a bowl.
The sauce is made from mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, rice vinegar, and a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder.
Most recipes skip that last ingredient, and it makes the biggest difference—the garlic gives the sauce a savory backbone that cuts through the sweetness of the honey and sweet chili sauce, so it tastes like something from a restaurant instead of just sweet and spicy mayo.
I’ve been making this sauce for years, and it’s one of those components that earns a permanent spot on the refrigerator door.
I use it on chicken, shrimp, cauliflower, tacos, sandwiches, and rice bowls. I use it as a dipping sauce for fries and chicken tenders.
I even use it as a salad dressing when I want something creamier than a vinaigrette. It’s the kind of sauce that makes the rest of the meal feel much more interesting, and my husband now asks for it by name.
Why This Recipe Works
A few specific decisions make this bang bang sauce work.
Use both sweet chili sauce and sriracha. Sweet chili sauce brings the sweetness and the mild chili flavor, and sriracha brings the heat. Using only one makes the sauce either too sweet or too spicy — together they give you the balance that makes bang bang sauce recognizable.
Add a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder. Most recipes skip this ingredient, but it’s the one that gives the sauce its signature restaurant flavor. The garlic cuts through the sweetness and adds savory depth, making the sauce taste finished instead of one-note.
Add rice vinegar for brightness. Rice vinegar is what keeps the sauce from tasting flat and one-note sweet. It brightens the whole thing and gives it a slight tang that balances the richness of the mayonnaise and the sweetness of the honey.
Let the sauce rest for 15 to 30 minutes before serving. This is the pro tip that makes the biggest difference. Resting lets the garlic powder hydrate and the mayonnaise fat coat the capsaicin in the sriracha, mellowing the heat and turning the sauce into a cohesive, velvety glaze. It tastes good right after you mix it. After it rests, it tastes like restaurant Bang Bang sauce.
Taste and adjust before you serve. Different brands of sweet chili sauce and sriracha vary a lot in heat and sweetness. Taste the sauce after it’s rested and adjust with a little more honey for sweetness, a little more sriracha for heat, or a little more vinegar for brightness.
Ingredients That Matter
Most of the ingredients in this bang bang sauce are straightforward. Three of them are easy to get wrong, so those are the ones worth explaining.
Mayonnaise. Use a full-fat, real mayonnaise, not a light or fat-free version. The sauce’s whole point is its creamy richness, and light mayonnaise doesn’t have the same body or flavor. Duke’s, Hellmann’s, and Kewpie all work well.
Thai sweet chili sauce. Use a Thai sweet chili sauce, not a generic chili sauce. Thai sweet chili sauce has the right balance of sweetness and mild heat, and it’s what makes the sauce taste like bang bang sauce instead of just spicy mayo.
Sriracha. Use a good-quality sriracha, like Huy Fong, and taste it before you add the full amount. Different brands vary widely in heat, and you want the sauce spicy but not overwhelming.
How to Make It
Step 1: Combine the ingredients.
In a small mixing bowl or glass jar, combine ½ cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of kosher salt.
Step 2: Whisk until smooth.
Whisk vigorously until the sauce is completely smooth, creamy, and a uniform bright coral-pink.
Step 3: Taste and adjust.
Taste the sauce and adjust the heat with a few extra drops of sriracha, the sweetness with a touch more honey, or the tanginess with a small splash of rice vinegar.
Step 4: Rest for the best flavor.
Cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes before serving, so the ingredients can fully meld and the flavors can come together. It tastes good right after mixing, but it tastes like restaurant bang bang sauce after it’s rested.
Step 5: Serve or store.
Use the sauce immediately after resting, or store it in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Give it a quick stir before using.
Tips and Troubleshooting
The sauce turned out too spicy. Add another tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of rice vinegar. Both will round out the heat and bring the sauce back into balance.
The sauce turned out too sweet. Add another teaspoon of sriracha or a small splash of rice vinegar. Both will cut through the sweetness.
The sauce turned out too thick. Add a teaspoon of water or rice vinegar and whisk again. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to chicken or shrimp but thin enough to drizzle.
The sauce separated. Whisk it back together. Mayonnaise-based sauces can separate slightly as they sit, and a quick whisk brings them back to a smooth, creamy consistency.
The sauce tastes flat. Add a pinch more kosher salt and a small splash more rice vinegar. Both wake up the flavor and make the sauce taste finished.
Easy Variations
Bang bang sauce for chicken. Use the sauce as a dipping sauce for crispy chicken tenders, or toss it with shredded chicken for bang bang chicken sandwiches or bowls.
Bang bang shrimp sauce. Toss the sauce with crispy fried shrimp for a classic bang bang shrimp, or use it as a dipping sauce for grilled shrimp skewers.
Crispy bang bang chicken. Toss the sauce with crispy fried chicken pieces and serve over rice with shredded cabbage and green onions for a bang bang chicken bowl.
Bang bang chicken sandwich. Spread the sauce on a toasted bun, add crispy chicken, and top with pickled vegetables and shredded lettuce.
Storage and Make-Ahead
You can make Bang Bang sauce up to 2 weeks ahead and store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Whisk or shake it before using, since it can separate slightly as it sits.
Store leftovers in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
The sauce doesn’t freeze well because the mayonnaise separates when thawed.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of making the sauce. Discard any sauce that has been left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Ultimate Bang Bang Sauce
A restaurant-quality, 5-minute bang bang sauce made with mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, and a hint of garlic. Perfectly creamy, tangy, and addictive over shrimp, chicken, or rice bowls.
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise (good quality, like Hellmann's or Kewpie)
- 3 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 to 2 tbsp sriracha (1 tablespoon for mild heat, 2 for a punchier kick)
- 1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl or a glass jar, combine the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and kosher salt.
- Whisk vigorously until the sauce is completely smooth, creamy, and uniform in a bright coral-pink color.
- Taste and adjust the heat with a few extra drops of sriracha, the sweetness with a touch more honey, or the tanginess with a small splash of rice vinegar.
- Cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to fully marry.
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Give it a quick stir before using.
Notes
Notes: Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Do not freeze. Nutrition information is an estimate.
Nutrition (per tablespoon, estimated): About 65 calories, 0g protein, 3g carbs, 6g fat, 0g fiber, 95mg sodium.
FAQ
What is bang bang sauce made of?
Bang bang sauce is made from mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, rice vinegar, and a hint of garlic powder. The combination gives it its signature creamy, spicy-sweet flavor.
What does bang bang sauce taste like?
It’s creamy, spicy, sweet, and slightly tangy all at once, with a savory garlic note in the background. The mayonnaise brings the creaminess, the sweet chili sauce brings the sweetness and mild chili flavor, the sriracha brings the heat, the rice vinegar brings the brightness, and the garlic powder brings the depth.
Is bang bang sauce spicy?
It’s mildly to moderately spicy, depending on how much sriracha you use. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you want it hotter.
How long does bang bang sauce last?
Up to 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
What do you use Bang Bang sauce for?
Use it as a dipping sauce for chicken, shrimp, cauliflower, and fries, or as a sauce for rice bowls, sandwiches, and tacos. It’s also excellent as a spread for burgers and wraps.
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Closing
Make this bang bang sauce on a Sunday and use it all week — on chicken, shrimp, cauliflower, rice bowls, and sandwiches. It’s the kind of sauce that makes the rest of the meal feel more interesting, and it takes about 5 minutes with a whisk and a bowl. I’ve been making this one for years, and the technique in the recipe card — the balance of sweet chili sauce and sriracha, the splash of rice vinegar, the quarter teaspoon of garlic powder, and the 15- to 30-minute rest — is what makes it taste like the version from a restaurant. If you make the healthy yogurt version or the spicy mayo variation, let me know how it turns out.
