Sauce Too Sweet

Here's how to fix sauce too sweet so that you can still use your tasty sauce and don't have to start over! From adding different flavors to upping the liquid content, I'm going to walk you through a bunch of different options for fixing your sauce. Keep on reading to find out what you need to do!

How To Fix Sweet Sauce

Sometimes adding a sweet sauce to your recipe is a good thing, but other times it is a mistake! Some sauces, like ketchup or caramel, are supposed to be sweet, while others are meant to be savory.

If you accidentally added too much sweetness to your sauce, then use one of my tricks listed below. I have quite a few tips to help dilute the sweet flavor!

Jump to:

• How To Fix Sweet Sauce
• 🌶️ Add Other Flavors
• Add Some Spice
• Add Something Bitter
• Add Something Acidic
• Add Something Salty
• 💧 Add More Liquid
• Chicken Broth
• Tomato Sauce
• Cream
• Water
• Citrus
• Unsweetened Nut Butter
• Herb Infused Oil
• 🥔 Add Flavor Absorbent Ingredients
• Potato Puree
• Cheese
• Bacon
• 🥣 Leave The Sauce Alone
• 📖 More Cooking Guides
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments & Reviews

Here are my recommended options to help you balance out your sweet sauce!

🌶️ Add Other Flavors

One of the easiest ways to help dilute the sweetness of your sauce is to add other flavors. Not sure what to add? Try one of the following:

Add Some Spice

Adding spiciness will help reduce the sweet flavor of your sauce, it will also add a kick to the recipe! Try spicy peppers such as finely chopped fresh red chilis or jalapeños.

No peppers? No problem! You can also balance your sauce with spices such as cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes!

If you love spice, then try adding 1 teaspoon of spice at a time. Check the flavor, and increase the amount if you want it to be spicier. If you don't like spice, start by adding ½ a teaspoon to be safe!

Add Something Bitter

Adding bitter flavors can help neutralize the sweetness in your sauce, try ingredients such as bitter leafy greens, fresh cranberries, or even a scoop of unsweetened cocoa!

For a large pot of sauce, add bitter ingredients in small amounts until the sauce is no longer too sweet.

Add Something Acidic

Try adding more acid to your sauce when it tastes too sweet. Acidic flavors can help subdue the sweetness and allow the sauce to become savory and balanced.

Try various types of vinegar such as white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar. Citrus juice is also a great acidic alternative!

Add acids little by little to your sauce, start with about a tablespoon and increase as desired.

Add Something Salty

Salt can help complement sweet flavors, which makes it a top option when you are trying to make your dish taste savory. You can use table salt, sea salt, garlic salt, or onion salt!

Salt can be overwhelming sometimes, be sure to only add a pinch at a time to your sauce. Taste the sauce, and add more if needed.

💧 Add More Liquid

Adding more liquid helps balance the flavor in multiple ways. If the liquid added is flavored, it can help minimize the sweetness from overpowering the dish.

Liquid also helps dilute the sauce, which can reduce the sweetness. Here are some great choices for diluting your sauce:

Chicken Broth

Chicken broth adds savory flavors that help mask the sweetness, as well as volume to help dilute the sauce.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth to your sauce to help dilute it. Add more chicken broth if you want the sauce to be thinner.

Tomato Sauce

Adding a can of tomato sauce will create more sauce, helps the sauce taste great, and can help reduce the sweetness.

You can add as much tomato sauce to your recipe as you would like. Tomato sauce will balance the sweetness and can be added 1 can at a time.

Cream

Cream is a great additive to help reduce the sweet taste in your sauce. It has a high-fat content that helps absorb that extra sweetness.

Heavy cream, whole milk, sour cream, and yogurt are all great alternatives.

Add about half of a cup to your sauce and taste it, if needed continue this process until it tastes right.

Water

Water is the simplest way to dilute your sauce. It will help balance the sweet flavor, while also increasing the volume.

Add 1 cup of water to your sauce, stir and taste. Add more water if needed!

Citrus

Citrus is a unique alternative for reducing sweetness in a dish. Add the acidic juice of a lemon, lime, grapefruit, or orange.

Add 1 tablespoon of citrus juice at a time. Thoroughly stir your sauce, then add more if needed.

Unsweetened Nut Butter

Unsweetened nut butter is a great way to fix an overly sweet sauce. The nut butter helps add creaminess, balance the sweetness, and make the sauce thicker.

Add half of a cup of unsweetened nut butter to your sauce and allow it to thicken.

Herb Infused Oil

Herb-infused oil will help add flavor while also reducing the amount of sweetness in your sauce.

Add your herb-infused oil 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste your sauce and add more if needed.

🥔 Add Flavor Absorbent Ingredients

Sometimes we just need to add other ingredients that help absorb the sweetness, the following choices are ones that we highly recommend!

Potato Puree

Potato purée can help neutralize the sweetness of your sauce, while also keeping it thick. It also bulks up the sauce and increases its volume!

Add 1 cup of potato purée and stir the dish. Taste the sauce, and add more if desired.

Cheese

Cheese is one of my favorite foods, it is a great additive for sauces that are too sweet as well. Use shredded mozzarella cheese or chunks of sharp cheddar!

Start with 1 cup of cheese for the whole pot of sauce, add more as desired.

Bacon

Bacon has a very powerful and bold flavor that can help neutralize the sweetness in most sauces.

The best thing about bacon is that you can never add too much! Add as much as you want!

🥣 Leave The Sauce Alone

If you want to help compliment the sweet sauce instead of changing it, that is an option too!

Pair sweet sauces with some fresh whole wheat bread from scratch, this savory balsamic roasted brussel sprouts, or my succulent baked chicken wings.

Do you like sweet or savory sauces? When you have a sauce recipe that is too sweet, what is your favorite thing to help balance it out? I would love to know which recommendation you prefer in the comments down below!

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