Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)
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!

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.

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!

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) – Paleo Keto
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.
Thank you thank you! I am going keto again and did not want to give up this beloved condiment. Can’t wait to try!
So very welcome! Thank you, Alli!
Oh so THIS is what that sauce is! Definitely making this week!
oooh, this looks like a very versatile sauce to dip yummy things in!
I’m so excited to try out one of my favorite sauces w/o sugar, definitely intrigued by the monkfruit!
I’m so excited that you made this dipping sauce clean and simple so I can indulge! I love me some flavorful dipping sauces 😁
Love this sauce! That sweet/salty combo makes me want to put it on everything.
This sauce! I want to dip everything in it!
Oh this looks so tasty!! I can’t wait to make it!
Love this sauce! I can find a lot of uses for it from proteins to veggies!
Dipping sauce makes all the difference for my son. I’ll try this one with spring rolls.
I made the recipe with apple juice and it was SO GOOD! Need to try it with the monkfruit sweetener next!
Love this dipping sauce so much! Thanks for offering a W30 option:)
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!
Great to have a Whole30 version, thank you. This is so pretty, too! Pinned to make. My family will LOVE it!
This sounds so amazingly flavorful! I’m so excited to recreate Vietnamese flavors at home with this sauce.
Sounds delicious! Will it work as a marinade, too?
Yes! Absolutely!
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!
We love this nuoc cham sauce very much, too! Good for many things, including salad dressing!