By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026
Serves 6
77 cal · 5 min
Nuoc Cham
Recipe GLPRfef732c5bfa73a
A traditional Vietnamese dipping sauce combining sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors. This bright condiment features lime juice, fish sauce, and fresh garlic balanced with sugar and infused with heat from bird's eye chili. Perfect for drizzling over spring rolls, grilled meats, or rice dishes.
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Ingredients
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup Vietnamese fish sauce
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 small bird's eye chili, minced (optional)
Directions
Pour the hot water into a small bowl and add the white sugar. Whisk vigorously until the sugar dissolves completely, about 1-2 minutes.
Once the sugar solution has cooled slightly, stir in the freshly squeezed lime juice.
Add the Vietnamese fish sauce and stir well to combine.
Fold in the minced garlic and the minced bird's eye chili, if desired, stirring until evenly distributed.
Use the sauce immediately with your favorite dishes, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Comments
This Vietnamese dipping sauce is genuinely simple and comes together in five minutes flat, but fish sauce and bird's eye chilis require a special trip to an Asian market—neither Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix, Walmart, ALDI, nor Kroger reliably stock these. At roughly $3 for fish sauce and $2 for fresh bird's eye chilis from a Chinese or Vietnamese grocer, this is cheap by weight, but the second errand adds real friction to a weeknight. The sauce keeps well for days in the fridge and pairs brilliantly with grilled chicken, shrimp, or spring rolls, so it's worth a planned shopping run, not an impulse. Budget the extra stop for authentic nuoc cham rather than a bottled substitute.
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