Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (2024)

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Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (1)by ChihYu
May 22, 2019 (updated 8/10/21)
20 comments »

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5 from 17 votes

This Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) is one of my favorite Paleo and Keto salad dressings. From spring roll dipping sauce to noodle dishes. This is the must-have condiment for Vietnamese food lovers!

Use my Keto Nuoc Cham for Vietnamese noodle salad, Vietnamese air fryer chicken wings, and Vietnamese lemongrass chicken!

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (2)

Nuoc Cham is a sweet, sour, and salty condiment that is served with virtually every Vietnamese dish. I love using it as a dipping sauce for my Paleo spring rolls or drizzle it over Vietnamese lemongrass chicken noodle bowls. Today’s Vietnamese dipping sauce recipe is for keto and paleo users.

Nước Chấm Pronunciation

Nuoc [nook] Cham [chum]

How long does nuoc cham last in the fridge?

If store in a glass and airtight container in the fridge, nuoc cham should last 3-4 weeks. The chili and garlic flavor might become stronger overtime. Use a clean spoon every time to keep the sauce fresh.

Does fish sauce have shellfish?

I only use one brand of fish sauce – Red Boat – and it contains dry anchovies and sea salt. Red Boat fish sauce does not have shellfish and it’s my go-to for Thai and Vietnamese cookings.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (3)

How do you make Vietnamese dipping fish sauce?

To make Paleo and Keto Vietnamese Sauce (Nuoc Cham), you’ll need –

  • Lime juice
  • Fish sauce
  • Rice vinegar
  • Warm water
  • Keto honey (product link in profile), honey, or maple syrup
  • Garlic cloves
  • Thai chilis or serrano chili pepper

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce Pairings

  • Paleo lemongrass pork
  • Vietnamese lemongrass meatballs
  • Banh-Mi Salad
  • Vietnamese aromatic egg wraps
  • Paleo Egg Rolls
  • Shirataki Noodle Salad
  • More Vietnamese food here

So my friends, you can use this Vietnamese dressing for any dishes you like! It’s the perfect salad dressings for hot summer and whenever you crave Vietnamese food. If you give this Nuoc Cham dipping sauce a try, rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (4)

More Healthy Easy Paleo Salad Dressings

  • 5 Spring Whole30 Salad Dressings
  • Paleo Creamy Ginger Salad Dressing
  • Paleo Easy Thai ‘Peanut’ Sauce
  • More Dipping Sauces here

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (5)

5 from 17 votes

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) – Paleo Keto

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 0 minutes mins

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

Servings: 12 tbsp

Author: ChihYu Smith

This Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) is one of my favorite Paleo and Keto salad dressings. From spring roll dipping sauce to noodle dishes. This is the must-have condiment for Vietnamese food lovers! Makes about 3/4 cup.

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Ingredients

Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nuoc Cham)

  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2.5 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 5 tbsp warm water
  • 3 tbsp Keto honey, regular honey or maple syrup
  • 2 clove small garlic, finely minced
  • 1 whole Thai chilis or half serrano red chili pepper, sliced, optional ingredient

Instructions

  • In a bowl, combine ingredients from lime juice to chili pepper, if using. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Let the sauce sit for at least 15 minutes before using.

  • Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks. The chili and garlic flavor might become stronger overtime. Use a clean spoon to scoop the sauce every time to keep it fresh.

Notes

  • The nutritional label is calculated per tablespoon with Keto honey.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tbsp, Calories: 10kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 16mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: dressing, sauce

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: Keto Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Nuoc Cham, Paleo Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, Vietnamese Salad Dressing

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @iheartumami.ny on Instagram and hashtag it #iheartumami.

More Awesome Recipes to Try with Keto Nuoc Cham Sauce

  • Paleo Asian Chicken Cabbage Salad
  • Thai Larb (Larb Moo)
  • Stir-Fried Thai Brussels Sprouts
  • Thai Chopped Bok Choy Salad with Crispy Shallots
  • Vietnamese lemongrass chicken noodle salad
  • Vietnamese Garlic Shrimp
  • Vietnamese shirataki noodle salad

Gluten-free Keto Less Than 5 Grams Paleo Salad Dressings/Sauces Spring Summer/BBQ Vietnamese Whole30

posted by ChihYu on May 22, 2019

20 Comments / Leave a Comment »

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20 comments on “Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)”

  1. Alli Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (6)
    Thank you thank you! I am going keto again and did not want to give up this beloved condiment. Can’t wait to try!

    • ChihYu Reply

      So very welcome! Thank you, Alli!

  2. Ivana Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (7)
    Oh so THIS is what that sauce is! Definitely making this week!

  3. jennifer Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (8)
    oooh, this looks like a very versatile sauce to dip yummy things in!

  4. Kari - Get Inspired Everyday! Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (9)
    I’m so excited to try out one of my favorite sauces w/o sugar, definitely intrigued by the monkfruit!

  5. Laura Duffy Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (10)
    I’m so excited that you made this dipping sauce clean and simple so I can indulge! I love me some flavorful dipping sauces 😁

  6. paleoglutenfreeguy Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (11)
    Love this sauce! That sweet/salty combo makes me want to put it on everything.

  7. STACEY CRAWFORD Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (12)
    This sauce! I want to dip everything in it!

  8. Amy Sheree Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (13)
    Oh this looks so tasty!! I can’t wait to make it!

  9. Kelly Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (14)
    Love this sauce! I can find a lot of uses for it from proteins to veggies!

  10. Annemarie Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (15)
    Dipping sauce makes all the difference for my son. I’ll try this one with spring rolls.

  11. Joni Gomes Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (16)
    I made the recipe with apple juice and it was SO GOOD! Need to try it with the monkfruit sweetener next!

  12. linda spiker Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (17)
    Love this dipping sauce so much! Thanks for offering a W30 option:)

  13. Tessa Simpson Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (18)
    One of my absolute favorite sauces…it does truly amazing things to salads and grilled meats! What a great idea to use apple juice too!

  14. Megan Stevens Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (19)
    Great to have a Whole30 version, thank you. This is so pretty, too! Pinned to make. My family will LOVE it!

  15. Jean Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (20)
    This sounds so amazingly flavorful! I’m so excited to recreate Vietnamese flavors at home with this sauce.

  16. Raia Todd Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (21)
    Sounds delicious! Will it work as a marinade, too?

    • ChihYu Reply

      Yes! Absolutely!

  17. Sarah Reply

    Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (22)
    I served this Vietnamese dipping sauce with your lemongrass Chicken and my 6 year-old ate 3 chicken things and absolutely loved this dipping sauce. So good!

    • ChihYu Reply

      We love this nuoc cham sauce very much, too! Good for many things, including salad dressing!

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham) (2024)

FAQs

What is nuoc cham made of? ›

At its simplest, nuoc cham is a mixture of water, sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce, creating the base that's a staple of Vietnamese flavor.

What is the difference between nuoc mam and nuoc cham? ›

There is no difference between them. They are 2 different names for the same sauce. Nuoc cham translates to “dipping sauce” while nuoc mam pha translates to “mixed fish sauce”.

What is the most popular sauce in Vietnam? ›

One of the most well-known and essential components of Vietnamese cuisine is fish sauce. This sauce is vital to almost every Vietnamese meal served across the country. It is made from salted fish, mostly anchovies, that have been fermented for months or even a year.

What is the primary ingredients used to make nuoc cham is _______? ›

Depending on the dish, nước chấm can vary a bit but it all starts with a similar base: fish sauce, sugar, water and lime juice (or vinegar). From there you can add things like fresh ginger and have Nước Mắm Gừng.

How long does nuoc cham last in the fridge? ›

How long does nuoc cham last in the fridge? If store in a glass and airtight container in the fridge, nuoc cham should last 3-4 weeks. The chili and garlic flavor might become stronger overtime. Use a clean spoon every time to keep the sauce fresh.

What are the two sauces that come with pho? ›

Resist the urge to sauce your pho: The hoisin and sriracha should be reserved for the meat and not squeezed directly into the broth. In fact, at Vietnamese restaurants, side dishes are often provided for the hoisin and sriracha so you can dunk your steak directly in the sauce.

What does nuoc mam mean in Vietnamese? ›

Meaning of nuoc mam in English

a type of sweet, salty, and spicy fish sauce, originally from Vietnam: Season the broth to taste with nuoc mam.

What is the difference between nuoc mam and Nam PLA? ›

If you'd like to stick to one or two of the Asian varieties, here's a rough guide: Vietnamese nuoc mam may be lighter and sweeter, Thai nam pla saltier, and Filipino patis heavier, according to Andrea Nguyen, author of The Pho Cookbook. Whatever you choose, look for an amber liquid with a reddish tint.

Why do Vietnamese love fish sauce? ›

The acid in the fish sauce tenderizes the meat and leaves behind a rich umami flavour without a fishy taste. And of course, any dish that uses anchovies (Caesar salad, pasta sauce and pizza etc.), fish sauce easily substitutes salted canned anchovies, a beloved delicacy in Europe.

What is the brown sauce in Vietnamese food? ›

Vietnamese cuisine

In Vietnamese, hoisin sauce is called tương đen. It is a popular condiment for phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup, in southern Vietnam. The sauce can be directly added into a bowl of phở at the table, or it can be used as a dip for the meat of phở dishes.

What is the difference between nuoc cham and nuoc cham Chay? ›

So you might recognize that the title looks similar to Nuoc Mam Cham (a Vietnamese salty fish dipping sauce). This is basically its vegan sister, Nuoc Cham Chay. Chay means vegetarian so this sauce is loosely translated as vegetarian dipping sauce.

What is the smelly sauce in Vietnam? ›

Your father was probably talking about the Vietnamese national food condiment called : “Nuoc Mam” which is liquid fish sauce. (FYI, it comes in various grades of quality. It is quite nutritious in vitamins and minerals. Used in its pure state it can be quite smelly.

What sauce do Vietnamese restaurants use? ›

Nước Chấm is a quintessential sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from simple ingredients like fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, this sauce adds a delicious umami flavor to a wide range of dishes. It's a staple item in Vietnamese households and provides an essential finishing touch to many Vietnamese dishes.

What is the number one food in Vietnam? ›

1. Phở Phở-real: this world-famous soup differs from north to south. Phở is the quintessential Vietnamese dish, the word phở referring to the type of noodle used in the recipe.

What is nuoc Sam made of? ›

Sugar cane, nettle leaves, grass roots, and corn silk make up the most basic nuoc sam. This drink can also be made with dried longan, liquorice, coriander, and roasted water chestnuts. The herbal tea has a fresh and sweet flavor that is mildly fragrant, making it ideal for cooling down on a sweltering day.

What is Cham Cham made of? ›

Cham cham, Chomchom or chum chum (Bengali: চমচম) is a traditional Bengali sweet, popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. The sweet comes in a variety of colours, mainly light pink, light yellow, and white. It is made from chickpeas and coated with coconut or mawa flakes as a garnish.

What is nuoc yen made of? ›

This is made from white fungus (I assume it's a mushroom) and bird's nest (Which apparently is actually parts of a bird's nest). It tasted like cake batter.

What are the ingredients in nuoc mam Phu Quoc? ›

Like many Asian sauces, Nuoc-Mam is based on anchovies fermented in brine. Salty like soy sauce, it is often mixed with other ingredients like lemon, water, chili peppers, garlic and others, to form what we know as spring roll sauce.

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