Homemade Bang Bang Sauce
This Homemade Bang Bang Sauce comes together in just 5 minutes with 5 simple ingredients and is about to become your new favorite condiment. Creamy, sweet, and a little spicy, it is the kind of sauce that makes everything taste better. Drizzle it, dip it, or put it on practically anything!
About This Sauce
Honestly, I only discovered bang bang sauce because of our Bang Bang Salmon Bowls recipe. Now I keep a squeeze bottle of it in my fridge at all times. Once you make it, you will understand why!
Here’s why this bang bang sauce recipe belongs in your fridge:
- 5 minutes and 5 ingredients: This is as easy as it gets. Whisk everything together in one bowl and you are done.
- Perfectly balanced: Sweet, creamy, and just enough heat. You can make it as mild or as spicy as you like.
- Incredibly versatile: This sauce goes on everything. Salmon, shrimp, chicken, tacos, rice bowls, roasted veggies, and more.
- Easy to customize: Dial up the sriracha for more heat, add extra sweet chili sauce for a sweeter version, or keep it mild for the kids. It is totally flexible.
- Allergen-friendly: Dairy-free and gluten-free. You can also make this egg-free by using a vegan mayo.
What Is Bang Bang Sauce?
Bang bang sauce is a creamy, sweet, and mildly spicy condiment made with a mayonnaise base. It was popularized by Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp dish and has since become a go-to sauce for all kinds of proteins, bowls, and veggies. The name comes from the dish itself, not the heat level.
It is sometimes compared to yum yum sauce, but the two are a little different. Yum yum sauce (a Japanese steakhouse classic) is milder and more mayo-forward, while bang bang sauce has a bolder sweet chili flavor and more heat from sriracha. Both are delicious, but they are definitely not the same thing.
Ingredients Needed
Just 5 ingredients come together for this delicious sauce you can use for Air Fryer Salmon Bites, Parmesan Baked Chicken Tenders, Catfish Nuggets, and more.
- Mayonnaise – I used avocado mayo. You can substitute plain Greek yogurt.
- Thai sweet chili sauce – I used Melinda’s brand.
- Sriracha sauce – You can adjust the heat to your liking by changing the amount of sriracha—use less for a milder flavor or more if you prefer extra spice, or leave it out altogether.
- Rice vinegar – You can also use white wine vinegar.
- Honey – If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add in more of the sweet chili sauce and/or honey.
- Optional Add-Ins: soy sauce, fresh minced ginger, fresh lime juice, or sliced green onions to taste.
Tips We Learned From Testing This Recipe
As always, our recipes go through multiple rounds of testing in at least two different kitchens. Here’s what we learned about this simple sauce:
1. Go easy on the honey.
When we tested this recipe, we found that 1 teaspoon of honey made the sauce a touch too sweet alongside the sweet chili sauce. We landed on ½ teaspoon as the sweet spot. If you have a serious sweet tooth, you can always add a little more, but start there!
2. Adjust the sriracha to fit your family.
Two teaspoons gives the sauce a mild, crowd-pleasing kick. For kids or heat-sensitive eaters, drop it to ½ teaspoon or leave it out entirely. For spice lovers, go up to a full tablespoon.
3. Double the batch and use a squeeze bottle.
This is our favorite tip. Make a double batch and pour it into an inexpensive squeeze bottle (dollar store works perfectly). Keep it in the fridge and drizzle it on everything all week. You will not regret it.
How to Make Bang Bang Sauce
1. Combine: In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, rice vinegar, and honey until smooth.
2. Taste and adjust: Give it a taste and add more sriracha for extra heat or more sweet chili sauce if you want it a little sweeter. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
Uses for Bang Bang Sauce
Bang Bang Sauce pairs especially well with fried or crispy foods, as well as foods with Asian flavor profiles, like our Asian Turkey Meatballs or Egg Roll in A Bowl.
- Protein (prepared grilled, baked, fried, or pan-seared):
- Chicken (breasts, tenders, nuggets, wings, bites, etc).
- Shrimp
- Pork chops
- Crab cakes or Salmon Cakes
- Fish (especially salmon)
- Vegetables:
- Dipping sauce for fresh vegetables or steak fries.
- Drizzle over roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or any vegetable of your choice.
- Entrees:
- Rice/grain bowls – Delicious on Bang Bang Salmon Bowls, Shrimp Coconut Curry Bowls or Egg Roll in a Bowl.
- Burgers
- Sandwiches
- Tacos
- Salads
- Egg Fried Rice or Chicken Fried Rice
How to Store Bang Bang Sauce
- Store in an airtight container or squeeze bottle in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Give it a quick stir or shake before using if it has been sitting for a few days.
- We do not recommend freezing this sauce as the mayo base can separate when thawed.
Five minutes is all it takes to make a sauce that works on practically everything. We hope this Homemade Bang Bang Sauce becomes a staple in your kitchen the way it has in ours!
Bang Bang Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I used avocado mayo; sub: plain Greek yogurt)
- 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce (I used Melinda’s brand.)
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (plus more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (sub: white wine vinegar)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, rice vinegar, and honey until smooth.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
Notes/Tips
- You can adjust the heat of the sauce to your liking by changing the amount of sriracha—use less for a milder flavor or more if you prefer extra spice, or leave it out altogether.
- If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add in more of the sweet chili sauce and/or honey.
- Optional Add-Ins: soy sauce, fresh minced ginger, fresh lime juice, or sliced green onions to taste.
- I recommend doubling this recipe and putting it in a cheap plastic squeeze bottle from the dollar store to store in. Keep it handy in the fridge for bowls, salads, and dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Photos and video by Whitney Reist from Sweet Cayenne.
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