With this homemade Heinz chili sauce recipe, you’ll never have to buy the expensive bottle again.
With its wonderful combination of sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy flavors, the Heinz chili sauce tastes better than ketchup.
If you agree, you’ll definitely have to try this copycat recipe. After experimenting with tons of ingredients and recipes, I finally found the one.
I kid you not, this chili sauce tastes even better than the original.
And you can make it at home in just 30 minutes at the fraction of the cost! Sorry, Heinz, but this sauce is here, and it’s here to stay.
What is Heinz chili sauce?
Heinz may be famous for their ketchup, but their chili sauce is also pretty epic. But what is it, exactly?
It’s a tomato-based condiment flavored with sugar, vinegar, and aromatic spices.
And just to set the record straight, this chili doesn’t contain chili.
It gets its heat from garlic powder and onions, which means it’s really not spicy at all. That’s why even kids can’t say no to it!
Another great thing about it is its sheer versatility. It’s not just a condiment, but a sauce, a dip, a dressing, and a marinade, too.
Because it has so many uses, I highly suggest you triple this recipe, at least. Don’t worry, just like most sauces, its shelf-life is pretty impressive.
Ingredients
- Tomato Puree – Not to be confused with tomato sauce, tomato puree is made of cooked strained tomatoes and has a thicker consistency and concentrated flavor. If you don’t have tomato puree, swap it with the same amount of tomato sauce and 1-2 teaspoons of tomato paste.
- Light Corn Syrup – I like to use a thick sweetener here to help achieve that thick consistency. Maple syrup and honey make great substitutes.
- White Vinegar – You’ll need just a few spoonfuls to lend just a bit of tanginess to the sauce. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Dried Onion Flakes, Salt, and Garlic Powder – These three are my choice of seasonings. This combination complements and enhances the taste of tomatoes and sugar, giving the sauce an even deeper flavor.
- Granulated Sugar – For an extra dose of sweetness. You can use brown sugar as well.
- Lemon Juice – The tartness counterbalances the sweetness of the sauce.
Tips for the Best Chili Sauce
- Make a sweet swap. If you don’t have corn syrup on hand, maple syrup makes a fantastic alternative. You can also use a mix of brown sugar and honey.
- No tomato puree? Use a mix of tomato sauce and paste. Don’t add too much paste, though, or the sauce will be way too thick. Just 1-2 teaspoons will do.
- Season it up. I like a simple seasoning of salt and garlic powder in mine but feel free to make it your own. Some add cloves and nutmeg to give the sauce a bit of warmth. Try it and let me know how it turned out!
- Kick up the heat. While it’s called a chili sauce, this sauce isn’t actually that spicy. If you want a spicier version, amp up the heat with cayenne, hot sauce, or red chili powder.
Serving Suggestions
Heinz chili sauce is remarkably versatile and can be used in a variety of ways.
- Shrimp dip. With its wonderful balance of sweet and fiery flavors, this chili sauce makes for a great dip for chilled shrimp. Use it just like you would a cocktail sauce.
- Ketchup replacement. Because it has similar flavors, ketchup and chili sauce can be interchanged. Squirt this onto hot dogs, burgers, sausages, and fries!
- Meatloaf and meatball binder. Aside from the added layer of flavor, it’ll also keep the meat-based dishes super moist.
- Sauce for BBQs, stir-fries, and grilled meats. Ditch the usual BBQ sauce and use this! Or, combine the two condiments to create an even bigger explosion of flavors.
- Salad dressing. If you like your salad with a hint of sweetness, add a spoonful of chili sauce to your favorite dressing.
- Pasta sauce. It’ll give the classic spaghetti sauce a spicy kick.
- Soup enhancer. You’d be surprised at how much flavor this chili sauce adds to chili and all kinds of soups and stews.
More Sauce Recipes
Heinz Chili Sauce (Copycat Recipe)
1
Cup5
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 cup tomato puree
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika, optional
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the tomato puree, corn syrup, vinegar, onion flakes, sugar, salt, lemon juice, and garlic powder. If using, add the paprika and red pepper flakes, too.
- Once it starts to bubble, lower the temperature to low and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes. Allow the chili sauce to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks
You were a life preserver for me today. I needed 10 quick and easy finger food, snacky stuff, for a party with limited supplies…… I made it work. 🙂
Keep cookin’
Cheers
Sandi
Thanks so much for taking the time to share this. I make a sweet and sour meatball in the slow cooker for my Christmas party each year and it calls for 2 jars of chili sauce and 1 jar of grape jelly, and it tastes amazing, the only problem is the chili sauce is costly so two jars would cost me $15 for just PART of the sauce. This is a MUCH cheaper alternative and it smells exactly like the chili sauce does when I pour it out of the jar. I only had tomato sauce so I used that, and since I’m combining it with the thick grape jelly I’m not going to worry too much about adding the tomato paste to thicken it. It looks and smells perfect, thanks so much!
Hi Alicia, I’m so happy to hear you liked the sauce! It’s one of my favorites, and I make it all the time.
Hello, those sweet and meatballs sound delicious. Can you share that recipe?
sorry I didn’t get a notification of your message. I just came back now because I’m about to make the sauce again for my Christmas party meatballs 🙂 here’s the recipe
https://www.food.com/recipe/grape-jelly-meatballs-72826?ftab=reviews
I will double the recipe here in place of the Heinz chili sauce and then add the grape jelly and it’s amazing.
What if I don’t have dried onion flakes? Will that make a big difference? Can I use onion granules instead?
Hi Renee, yes, you can use granules! Use about 1 teaspoon of onion granules as a substitute.
Tried this out tonight for my homemade meatballs in the Crockpot with grape jelly. I didn’t have time to let it simmer, just mixed and poured over the meatballs. I used maple syrup instead of corn syrup. It was delicious!! I’ll never buy the jarred stuff again. It was so easy! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!
Hi Brooke, I’m so happy to hear you liked the sauce! Swapping maple syrup for corn syrup is a great idea. I’ll have to try it!
How do you store it? Canning just in the fridge?
Hi Jessica,
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
It will last longer if the container is sterilized and you use clean utensils to spoon it out.
Hope this helps!