Nước Chấm Recipe (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce)

Nước chấm or Vietnamese dipping sauce is a staple component to Vietnamese cuisine. This nuoc cham recipe is made with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chili paste for a bright and umami flavor explosion that instantly elevates any meal.

If you had Vietnamese food, chances are you have come across nuoc cham aka this Vietnamese dipping sauce. It is the one Vietnamese dipping sauce that resonates with almost every Vietnamese child growing up. My mom would make this sauce by the gallon and store them in every type of container she could get her hands on (ie. pasta sauce jars, empty greek yogurt tubs, re-usable novelty boba glass bottles, etc). This nước chấm was basically a part of the family. It was present at almost every dinner, definitely at family gatherings, and was always available in the refrigerator.

This nuoc cham recipe is incredibly versatile and can be used on a number of Vietnamese dishes. You can use it as a dipping sauce, as a dressing for salads, or as a marinade for proteins. My family loved enjoying this nuoc cham recipe with bun thit nuong (grilled pork noodles), Vietnamese pork chops, and nem nuong spring rolls. I have also used it as a glaze for my Vietnamese chicken wings! Whatever you want to eat it with, this Vietnamese dipping sauce will instantly elevate your meal from 0-100 real quick.

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Stirring a large jar of nuoc cham to use as a dipping sauce.

What is Nước Chấm?
Common Uses of Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Kitchen Equipment
Ingredients
How to Make Nuoc Cham
Tips for the Best Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Storage Instructions
Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s
Additional Ways to Serve Nuoc Cham
Recipe

What is Nước Chấm?

Nước Chấm is a Vietnamese staple dipping sauce. Nuoc Cham sauce is made with fish sauce, water, sugar, minced garlic, lime juice, and chili paste. It is basically a sweet, salty, fishy, umami flavor explosion with a kick. This Vietnamese dipping sauce is used in the majority of Vietnamese dishes.

Looking down at a small serving jar of nuoc cham Vietnamese dipping sauce.

Common Uses of Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Nuoc cham can be used as a dipping sauce, as a dressing for a salad or noodle bowl, or as a marinade for chicken wings! There are slight variations on nước chấm depending on the Vietnamese dish but this recipe will work best for most dishes.

I most commonly eat them with chả giò (egg rolls), spring rolls, bún thịt nướng (grilled pork with rice noodles), bánh xeo (Vietnamese savory crepes), bánh cuốn (thick rice noodles), bánh beo, fried fish and so much more.

Dipping an egg roll wrapped in lettuce into a small bowl of nuoc cham dipping sauce.

Kitchen Equipment

Mixing Bowl: you will need a mixing bowl to mix all the sauce ingredients together.
Citrus Juicer: I find the easiest way to get all the juice out of my limes is using a juicer.

Ingredients

There are only 5 ingredients for this nuoc cham sauce. All of which you can find at your local grocery store in the Asian aisle or Asian grocery store.

Fish Sauce: fish sauce is the base for this sauce. There are two different brands of fish sauce that I trust and have been using for years—1. Red Boat Fish Sauce and 2. Three Crabs Brand. Both of these have a delicious robust flavor that is fresh and well balanced. You can find fish sauce online or at your local grocery store in the Asian aisle or at your local Asian grocery store.

Two bottles of popular fish sauce brands next to each.

Water: the water dilutes the fish sauce and creates more volume for the nuoc cham.
Granulated Sugar: the granulated sugar is necessary add sweetness to the salty fish sauce.
Lime Juice: you can also substitute lime juice with lemon juice. The citrus brightens up the fish sauce and adds acidity to the wings. You can substitute lime juice for lemon juice. But don’t use bottled juice. The flavor will not be the same and will not last for long.
Chili Garlic Sauce: Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce is an Asian pantry staple. It adds a slight spicy garlic-y kick to the sauce. You can find this Chili Garlic Sauce online or at your local Asian grocery store.
Garlic Cloves: you will need freshly minced garlic for the boldest flavor.
Optional Thai Chili Peppers: if you want an even spicier kick, add in chopped Thai chili peppers.

The various ingredients for nuoc cham laid out in respective mixing bowls.

How to Make Nuoc Cham

You can make this nuoc cham sauce in under five minutes by following these three simple steps.

Prepare the ingredients. Mince the garlic and freshly squeeze the lime or lemon juice.

Mix the ingredients together. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together fish sauce, warm water, sugar, lime juice, garlic and garlic chili paste until the sugar dissolves.

Mixing together a bowl of Vietnamese dipping sauce in a glass bowl with chopsticks.

Store. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Tips for the Best Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

This recipe makes a small batch. You can easily double or triple the recipe for a larger batch for meal prepping.
You can alter this recipe based on your preferences. If you prefer a more tart fish sauce, then you can add more lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time. If you want a less pungent fish sauce then you can add more water 1 tablespoon at a time to taste.

Storage Instructions

You can store this nuoc cham sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s

What is in Vietnamese Fish Sauce?

Vietnamese fish sauce is made from anchovies, sea salt, and water. The real flavor comes from the process of fermenting the anchovies for anywhere from a couple of months to a few years.

The anchovies are coated in salt and packaged in barrels to ferment. The natural bacterias break down the fish which produces a briny, savory liquid.

Are there any other Nuoc Cham variations?

Yes! Every family has its own nuoc cham recipe and variation. This recipe is my mom’s version. Some nuoc cham recipes may include adding white vinegar instead of lime juice. Others may only use Thai chilis instead of garlic paste sauce. You can even opt-out of adding minced garlic as well.

Additional Ways to Serve Nuoc Cham

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Recipe