Vietnamese Dipping Fish Sauce Recipe (Nước Chấm/Nước Mắm Chấm)

An simple yet delicious recipe for Vietnamese dipping sauce or nước chấm. Make sure to taste as you go and adapt to your own liking.

Prep time: PT5M

Total time: PT5M

Rating

4.97 stars (98 reviews)

Keywords

fish sauce, sauce

Ingredients

6 tbsp water
2 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 clove minced garlic
1/2 minced bird's eye or Thai chile

Cuisine

Vietnamese

Steps

Combine 6 tbsp water and 2 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Optional: heat 1/3 of the water, then mix in to make dissolving the sugar easier, then add the rest of the water.
Add 1.5 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice in increments until you like how it tastes. A good guide is it should taste like lemonade/limeade.
Add 2 tbsp fish sauce in small increments until you like how it tastes. It should be a little strong since it will be paired with unseasoned food.
Top with 1/2 clove minced garlic and 1/2 minced bird's eye or Thai chile then serve.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 43 kcal
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 1 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 775 mg
Sugar: 10 g

Reviews

Jerlyn on 2025-05-24 (5 stars):
My go to recipe for fish sauce. Best dipping sauce for fried fish 😋
Jennifer Blake on 2025-04-13 (5 stars):
This was great! I did your pickled carrots and daikon as well, and they are both great. I subbed out the sugar for splenda since I have insulin resistance, and it is slightly better for me that way. Big ask- any suggestions for a lower sodium fish sauce? I have kidney disease, and one serving on this is over half of my sodium allowance for the day, and that is not counting the marinade on the pork if I am making a pork vermicelli bowl. This is currently my "once a week indulgence" at our local restaurant, but I would love to be able to make a slightly safer version for my health needs.
Mona on 2025-01-11 (5 stars):
Love this recipe. This is my absolute favorite Nuoc Cham recipe.
Ruby on 2024-12-14 (5 stars):
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve tried to make all different versions of this sauce and yours is by far the best! So simple and exactly how I tasted it when I’ve gone to Vietnamese restaurants!
J Chan on 2024-10-29 (5 stars):
Great recipe! I’ve tried it a few times. Now, I double everything but the water (I still only used 6 tbsp of water). I quadrupled the garlic and chili. Works perfectly for me!
Mary on 2024-05-09 (5 stars):
Great recipe! Just like the one at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant! I’m a bit lazy and love leftovers so I did the recipe order differently. I added everything except the citrus in a big batch. Then when it came time to eat it I pulled out the amount I wanted for the meal and added the fresh lime juice to that portion. This worked great for the 3 days we had leftovers. The citrus is really the part that gets worse when not fresh. The garlic and chili just end up infusing the sauce more which i personally enjoyed. Thanks so much for the great recipes!
Carly on 2023-05-10 (5 stars):
I keep coming back to your page for all the best recipes! This sauce is one of my favorites and I'm making it for the millionth time tonight. Thank you!!!
Langlay on 2022-11-10 (5 stars):
Why does my sauce look so dark compared to yours? Is there a light colored fish sauce that I can use? My Fish sauce is dark and it is not as appealing as your clear-looking sauce. Thank you.
Katrina Gray on 2022-08-31 (5 stars):
Love this recipe. So easy and perfect. Will be making this sauce for a long time. Thank you so much for sharing.
Gaojoua on 2022-03-13 (5 stars):
I have been searching for this recipe for years! I’ve done YouTube videos and other blogs, but for some reason, this recipe just gets it right each time. Absolutely delicious! I love the citrus and sweet notes in it. I make it more often now that I know how. Thank you so much for sharing and detailing why each ingredient works and what to substitute with.
Vaughn Allen on 2022-02-13 (5 stars):
Thank you I have been making this for decades using the various recipes when I did not just pull it out of my head for proportions. This makes sense to make the lemonade first. While at my local Dat Moi Market in Southern California. I kept seeing the fried onions and smelling them. Yesterday at home I tried this. Sugar in pan and melt until Carmel and light to medium brown and then tossed in minced shallots and removed from flame. Let them get on together for a few minutes and zested lime and tangerine peel. Squeezed the juices, water and let come to room temp. The sugar was not as sweet so I added more. Then the fish sauce to taste, garlic, chili and scallion. This might be my Nuac Cham through my 60's until I take another fork in the road. Thank you for reading. Vaughn
Ted on 2021-02-23 (5 stars):
You have no idea how many versions of this that I tried just to get the taste as close as the restaurant version of this and this is the ONE. it’s so good I have to do a cheat day to get extra rice. I tried your pork chop recipe as well. That alone with no sauce is great. Followed the recipe as is. With this sauce, it’s trouble I tell you. Thanks for this awesome recipe.