Bang Bang Sauce

This Bang Bang sauce is creamy, sweet, spicy, and ready in less than 5 minutes. It’s perfect for crispy shrimp, chicken, fries, burgers, tacos, and anything else that needs a bold dip or drizzle. If you like my boom boom sauce, you’ll love the extra sweetness in this version and how well it balances the heat.

Why This Bang Bang Sauce Recipe Works

Bang Bang sauce became widely known as the creamy dipping sauce served with Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish Grill. Since then, it’s become a popular sauce for everything from crispy chicken and seafood to fries, tacos, and sandwiches.

I made a version that has enough body to cling to crispy shrimp or chicken instead of sliding off, but is still smooth enough for dipping and drizzling. The sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors also balance each other without one taking over the entire sauce.

I especially like how little effort it takes. Everything gets whisked together in one bowl, and the sauce is ready in less than 5 minutes. It’s an easy way to make whatever you're eating taste significantly better.

Ingredients

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons Tabasco or Sriracha
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Ingredient Notes

• Mayonnaise: Full-fat mayonnaise gives the sauce its thickest, creamiest texture. Light mayo will work, but the finished sauce will be slightly thinner and less rich.
• Sweet chili sauce: This provides the signature sweet chili flavor and helps thicken the sauce. Don’t replace it with Sriracha or regular chili sauce since neither has the same sweetness or consistency.
• Tabasco or Sriracha: Tabasco gives the sauce a sharper, tangier heat, while Sriracha makes it slightly thicker with a deeper garlic and chili flavor. I like both, so choose based on the flavor you prefer.
• Honey: Start with 2 tablespoons for a more balanced sweet and spicy sauce. Use 3 tablespoons if you prefer the sweeter flavor commonly associated with Bang Bang sauce.
• Rice vinegar: Two teaspoons are enough to brighten the sauce without making it thin or overly acidic. Rice vinegar has a milder flavor than white vinegar and blends more smoothly with the sweet chili sauce.

How to Make Bang Bang Sauce

Step 1: Combine everything

Add the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, Tabasco sauce or sriracha, honey, and vinegar to a medium bowl.

Step 2: Whisk until smooth

Whisk everything together until completely smooth and fully combined with no streaks of mayo remaining.

Step 3: Taste and adjust

Taste the sauce and adjust to your preference. Add more honey if you want it sweeter, more Tabasco if you want more heat, or a small extra splash of vinegar if you want more brightness. The sauce should taste balanced with the sweetness, heat, and acidity all present without any one of them being overwhelming.

Step 4: Serve or chill

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. The sauce actually tastes better after it has had a chance to sit for at least 30 minutes since the flavors meld together as it chills.

My Tips for the Best Bang Bang Sauce

• Whisk until completely smooth. Sweet chili sauce and honey can settle into streaks at the bottom of the bowl. Scrape the sides and bottom as you whisk so the sauce has an even color and flavor throughout.
• Let it rest before serving. I think the sauce tastes noticeably better after chilling for at least 30 minutes. The sweetness, heat, and acidity blend together and taste more balanced than they do immediately after mixing.
• Taste it with the food you’re serving. Bang Bang sauce can taste bold on its own, so your final adjustments after trying a small amount with the actual dish.
• Thin it only when needed. Keep the sauce thick for dipping or coating. For tacos, bowls, salads, or drizzling, whisk in water 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.
• Coat crispy foods right before serving. Shrimp and fried chicken will soften quickly once covered in sauce. Toss them immediately before serving, or serve the sauce on the side if you want to preserve as much crunch as possible.
• Let it sit out briefly after chilling. Take the sauce out of the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving. This loosens the texture slightly and allows the sweet and spicy flavors to come through more clearly.
• Stir it again before using. The sauce may thicken or separate slightly as it chills. A quick whisk will bring it back to a smooth, creamy consistency.

Best Ways to Use Bang Bang Sauce

Bang Bang sauce works as a dip, drizzle, spread, or coating. Some of my favorite ways to use it are:

• Bang Bang shrimp: Toss crispy fried or air-fried shrimp with the sauce immediately before serving, or keep it on the side for dipping.
• Bang Bang chicken: Use it with fried chicken, chicken tenders, chicken bites, or grilled chicken. 
• Fish and shrimp tacos: Drizzle it over fish tacos, shrimp tacos, or crispy chicken tacos with cabbage, avocado, and fresh lime.
• Fries and appetizers: Serve it as a dipping sauce for French fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, or fried pickles. It's also delicious drizzled on loaded fries like my chicken burger bowl loaded fries.
• Burgers and sandwiches: Spread it on smash burgers, crispy chicken sandwiches, crispy chicken wraps, or sliders in place of regular mayonnaise.
• Rice and grain bowls: Thin the sauce with a teaspoon or two of water, then drizzle it over shrimp, chicken, salmon, tofu, or vegetable bowls. It works well as the sauce for this crispy rice salad.
• Dumplings and spring rolls: Serve it with egg rolls, spring rolls, wontons, or pan-fried dumplings for a creamy sweet and spicy dip.
• Vegetables: Use it as a dip for roasted cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cucumber slices, or fresh peppers.

How to Store Bang Bang Sauce

Transfer the sauce to a clean, airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Give it a good stir or quick whisk before serving, since it may thicken or separate slightly as it sits.

Always scoop the sauce with a clean spoon to avoid introducing crumbs or moisture into the container. Don’t leave it at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F.

Keep leftover sauce separate from cooked shrimp, chicken, or other foods whenever possible. Once the sauce has been mixed with cooked food, follow the shorter storage time recommended for that dish.

I don’t recommend freezing Bang Bang sauce. Mayonnaise-based sauces can separate as they thaw, leaving the texture watery or uneven even after stirring.

Bang Bang Sauce FAQs

What is Bang Bang sauce?

Bang Bang sauce is a creamy, sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce commonly served with crispy shrimp or chicken. It’s typically made with mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, hot sauce, and rice vinegar. This version also includes honey to balance the heat from the Sriracha or Tabasco.

What does Bang Bang sauce taste like?

Bang Bang sauce is creamy, sweet, tangy, and spicy. The mayonnaise gives it a rich base, while the sweet chili sauce and honey add sweetness. The hot sauce brings the heat, and rice vinegar keeps the finished sauce bright and balanced.

Is Bang Bang sauce spicy?

This recipe has a medium level of heat when made with 2 tablespoons of Sriracha or Tabasco. The mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and honey soften the spice, so the sauce still tastes balanced. For a milder version, start with 1 tablespoon of hot sauce. For more heat, add extra Sriracha or Tabasco after tasting.

Is Bang Bang sauce the same as spicy mayo?

Bang Bang sauce is a type of spicy mayo, but it has more sweetness and tang than basic spicy mayo. Traditional spicy mayo is often just mayonnaise and Sriracha, while Bang Bang sauce also contains sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, and sometimes honey.

Is Bang Bang sauce the same as Yum Yum sauce?

No. Both sauces are mayonnaise-based, but Bang Bang sauce is sweeter and spicier because it contains sweet chili sauce and hot sauce. Yum Yum sauce usually contains ketchup or tomato paste and has a milder, more savory flavor.

Is Bang Bang sauce the same as Boom Boom sauce?

They’re similar, but they aren’t exactly the same. Both commonly use mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce, but Boom Boom sauce often contains ketchup, mustard, or additional garlic. Bang Bang sauce is usually sweeter and more focused on the combination of sweet chili and hot sauce.

Can I use Tabasco instead of Sriracha?

Yes. Both work in this recipe, but they produce slightly different results. Sriracha makes the sauce thicker and adds a deeper garlic-chili flavor. Tabasco creates a thinner sauce with a sharper, more vinegar-forward heat.

Is Bang Bang sauce from Bonefish Grill?

The creamy American-style sauce became widely associated with Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp. Bonefish describes the dish as crispy shrimp served with its signature creamy, spicy sauce, and says the appetizer originally appeared as a menu special before becoming a permanent signature item.

Is American Bang Bang sauce the same as traditional Bang Bang chicken sauce?

No. The creamy mayonnaise-based sauce commonly used for shrimp and chicken in the United States is an Americanized version. Traditional Sichuan Bang Bang chicken is usually served with a savory sauce containing ingredients such as sesame paste, chile oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and Sichuan pepper rather than mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce.

Is Bang Bang sauce dairy-free?

This recipe doesn’t contain milk, cream, butter, or cheese. Most mayonnaise is made with eggs and oil rather than dairy, but check the labels on the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and hot sauce if you need the sauce to be strictly dairy-free.

Can I make Bang Bang sauce vegan?

Yes. Use vegan mayonnaise and replace the honey with maple syrup or agave. Check the sweet chili sauce label as well, since packaged ingredients can vary by brand.

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