Chili is one of the most beloved home-cooking dishes in the world precisely because of how easy it is to make, and how much flavor is carried in every inch of the dish.
No great chili is ever truly complete without a perfect chili bean sauce, and thus you may have found yourself in that heart-stopping situation where you’re craving a chili, but you’ve totally run out of the sauce!
What can you possibly do in such a situation?
Instead of panicking and planning a whole trip to the grocery store for one can of sauce, why not read this guide, as we take you through 4 of the best substitutes you can use in place of the famous sauce?
Let’s dive right in!
1. Miso Paste And Tabasco
You’re likely scratching your head right now wondering just how a Japanese food staple could possibly help you to create the iconic Mexican dish.
Well, prepare to be surprised just like we were, because miso paste works perfectly as an alternative!
Miso paste is renowned for having what can only be described as an ‘Umami’ taste, which delights a fifth sense of taste in the mouth, which gives it an unparalleled flavor for your to experience.
When miso paste is mixed with some tabasco, that amazing umami flavor is then complemented with some amazing fiery flavor that stands in perfectly for chili sauce.
This replacement sauce was, thankfully, incredibly easy to make, as all you needed to do was mix together the ingredients, and you were left with an amazing sauce that tasted so good when mixed into a delicious chili.
Make sure to carefully consider your ratios when making this replacement sauce, as tabasco is very spicy. You don’t want to make your chili totally impossible to eat!
2. Sriracha Sauce
Sriracha is a sauce, originating from Thailand, that is known for its amazing chili flavor that is surprisingly fiery, and yet incredibly rich in sweet and savory flavors.
Though it is not as spicy as tabasco sauce, it can still provide a great spicy kick to your favorite chili recipe, making it a great ingredient to use in place of your standard chili sauce.
Simply mix a bit of the sauce with some water and a little bit of oil, and you’ll soon have a perfect sauce to replace your chili sauce.
Sriracha sauce is made up of chili pepper paste, sugar, salt, and garlic, which gives it a distinct flavor you might ordinarily expect from chili sauce.
Sriracha sauce is a great alternative to chili sauce because it is very popular across the world, so you can easily grab some should you find your grocery store has run out of chili sauce!
3. Sriracha And Miso
Since miso has such a great umami flavor that can make dishes taste better than ever, what would happen if you were to mix it with the deliciousness of sriracha sauce? Well, an amazing chili sauce replacement would ensue, of course!
This amazing combination of simple ingredients can be a great way to replace chili bean sauce in your recipe with very few ingredients, and very little time.
We loved the way that the umami flavors combined with the fiery chilis, and the garlic flavors from the sriracha sauce. It’s such a match made in heaven that you’d likely wonder how you never discovered it yourself!
4. Spicy Tomato Sauce
If you’ve ever trawled through the sauces available at your local grocery store, especially those sauces intended for use with pasta, you’ve likely come across some spicy tomato sauces for more fiery pasta, and these are actually perfect for mixing into your chili in place of chili sauce.
Try grabbing some of these spicy pasta sauces should you ever find your grocery store running out of chili sauce during your visit.
The tomato base of the sauce is remarkably similar to chili sauce, and the extra spiciness helps to create even more of a chili taste!
However, if you’re at home without chili sauce, then you can easily make use of the average tomato sauce that you likely already have waiting in your kitchen pantry.
You can easily mix in some chili powder, or some chopped up chilis into the sauce, and it will quickly take on a more spicy flavor that is absolutely perfect for adding to your chili recipes.
We love making use of tomato sauces in place of chili sauce because the sweetness of the tomatoes is able to elevate our chilis to another level, and it is totally easy to adapt the flavor as you see fit by simply mixing some spices and herbs into the sauce to create exactly the flavor you want.
To Wrap Up
There you have it! Running out of chili bean sauce can be incredibly stressful, especially when you find yourself suffering from some insatiable cravings.
But with these amazing substitutes, you can easily replace your missing chili sauce with some basic ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen pantry!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Difference Between Chili Sauce And Ketchup?
Easily the biggest difference between these two sauces is that chili sauce is more spicy.
Can I Substitute Tomato Sauce In Chili?
Absolutely. If you run out of tomato sauce when making chili, you can simply use things like tomato paste.
Can I Use Ketchup Instead Of Tomato Paste In Chili?
Absolutely! If you run out of tomato paste to make your chili sauce, you can easily mix in some ketchup instead!
Chili bean sauce is an important ingredient for creating the perfect chili. But what can you use if you find yourself running out? Try these substitutes!
Hi, I’m Aubrey, and I have been a chef for close to 8 years. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. I loved my play kitchen when I was a kid, and would offer my parents my own (albeit gross) cookie recipes to taste!
Here at ButterandSaltGatherings, I want to offer a wide range of ingredients, flavors, meals and recipes so that you can start living each day to the fullest, and enjoy only the best food.
