Easy-to-make bang bang sauce is creamy, spicy and perfect for serving with crispy fried chicken, shrimp or cauliflower. It’s delicious on a burger, or as a dip too. With just five ingredients, you can whip up this bang bang sauce recipe in less than a minute.
Bang bang sauce
Bang bang sauce is a spicy mayonnaise-based sauce that is creamy, spicy, sweet and piquant. All the elements are perfectly balanced together as they should be in an Asian inspired dish. Not to be confused with the sauce for the Chinese classic bang bang chicken, this is a creamy dip that is great with crumbed and battered savoury morsels.
Bang Bang sauce was made famous by the Bonefish Grill chain of fish restaurants in Florida, where it is served with crispy coated shrimps. Now you can enjoy this copycat recipe at home, on anything you like. It is so addictively good that we have been putting it on everything!
Why make bang bang sauce
- It is so easy – ready in less than a minute.
- It is delicious – addictively good. I guarantee you will be putting it on everything!
- It is adaptable – hotter, sweeter, more piquant, it’s so easy to adjust
- Uses just five everyday ingredients!
Bang bang sauce ingredients
- Mayonnaise – You want a thick creamy full fat mayo here. Avoid anything too fully flavoured that tastes strongly of olive oil. A sweeter, Japanese-style mayo would also be ideal if you can get hold of it. Use a vegan/egg free version if preferred.
- Sweet Chilli Sauce – I like a Thai style for the flavour.
- Sriracha – Use your favourite brand, mild or hot to taste.
- Honey – Runny honey to sweeten. You could use a vegan alternative such as maple or agave syrup if you prefer.
- Lemon Juice – optional, but I like a little sourness to cut through the heat and creamy mayo.
How to make bang bang sauce – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – This recipe could not be easier! Start by adding all the ingredients to a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice in by hand. You only need a drizzle, so there’s no need for a lemon squeezer.
Step Two – Mix everything together with a spoon or whisk. Taste and add more sriracha to amp up the heat if you like a lot of spice.
Ideally leave for an hour or overnight before serving, to allow the flavours to meld together and the dip to thicken slightly.
Serving suggestion
I like to garnish my bang bang sauce with a few slices of chilli, some spring onion and some sesame seeds.
This dip is particularly good with breaded or battered prawns, shrimps, scampi, chicken, breaded mushrooms or cauliflower. You could equally serve it on a burger (it makes a great alternative to burger sauce) or chips or on salmon. It would also be good with mixed vegetable tempura.
Make your own homemade tortilla chips, or melba toast for dipping!
Variations
- Go to town on your favourite flavours, adding extra ginger, lemongrass paste, a sprinkling of chopped peanuts – whatever you like.
- Substitute some Greek yogurt for half the mayonnaise for a slightly lighter version.
Storage
Fridge – Keep your sauce in a sealed jam jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezer – I absolutely do not recommend freezing this.
Hints and Tips
- Don’t be tempted to get the blender or food processor out. It’s quicker and easier to mix your sauce by hand with a spoon or spatula, and you get better results.
FAQS
Not too fierce but make it how you like it, adding more or less of the sriracha sauce to taste.
This is an Asian-influenced American recipe.
It can be! Just use a vegan mayonnaise and swap the honey for a vegan alternative.
More sauces and dips
- Blue cheese dip – the classic dip, perfect for dipping or serving on wedges!
- Sour cream & chive dip – the classic creamy, cooling dip
- Prawn cocktail sauce – the seafood classic
- Cheese and chive dip – the British supermarket favourite!
- Garlic onion dip – The party favourite that is so much better when made at home.
- Burger sauce – a classic burger sauce to make a burger amazing!
- Diane sauce – For steak and so much more
- BBQ sauce – smoky, sweet and tangy, and better than anything you buy in a bottle
- Smoked mackerel paté – a delicious dip or spread of nutritious oily fish
- More delicious sauce recipes
Easy Bang Bang Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 120 ml (0.5 cups) mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) sriracha chilli sauce
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) honey (runny)
Optional
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) lemon juice (or lime )
- garnish – sliced chillies, sliced spring onion, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts (entirely optional but nice for entertaining)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix.120 ml mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp lemon juice
- Check the taste – add more chilli sauce or sriracha to amp up the heat if desired.
- Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week. Serve garnished as you prefer.garnish – sliced chillies, sliced spring onion, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts
Beth
I made this with Japanese mayo – amazingly good!
Dave
Love this – can eat it from the jar with a spoon!
Sara
Made a batch to have with sushi – used the rest for a slaw – so delicious!
Kate
Great tip to use half mayo, half yogurt!