This stir-fry sauce is sure to become a new kitchen staple for whipping up easy weeknight stir-fried meals everyone loves! It's a quick and simple condiment to mix up and use as-is or heated and thickened to get that just-right consistency! Adjust the sweetness to taste, make it a touch more sour and tangy, or kick up the heat a notch if you love spicy foods!
Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipe
Ditch the store-bought stir-fry sauces and whip up your own in no time! With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a flavorful condiment that's tastier and more budget-friendly than any pre-made sauce.
Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing exactly what's in your sauce and the flexibility to adjust the flavor to your liking! Simply add it to your favorite protein and veggie combo to make a flavor-packed meal that your family will love.
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If your family loves to eat stir fry for dinner as much as mine does, check out my collection of easy and flavorful stir fry recipes!
🥘 Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
If you're a fan of cooking Asian cuisine, you might have most of these ingredients! I highly recommend using fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavor results.
- Soy Sauce - ½ cup of low-sodium soy sauce.
- Liquid - ½ cup of low-sodium vegetable stock (or use water). You can match chicken or beef broth or stock to your protein.
- Sweetener - 1 tablespoon of honey or a honey substitute, or use granulated sugar or light brown sugar. You can use up to 2 tablespoons if you want a sweeter stir-fry sauce.
- Cornstarch - 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or use a cornstarch substitute.
- Garlic - 2 teaspoons or about 2 cloves of minced garlic.
- Vinegar - 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar or use a rice vinegar substitute.
- Ginger - 1-2 teaspoons of fresh and grated ginger or use a ginger substitute.
- Sesame Oil - 1 teaspoon of sesame oil or use a sesame oil substitute.
- Red Pepper Flakes (optional)- 1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes is listed as optional, but I highly recommend using them. *See notes for more alternatives.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Stir Fry Sauce
Stir fry sauce is incredibly easy to make at home and only takes a total of 7 minutes to make! Take out a silicone whisk, mason jars, mixing bowl, measuring spoons, and a saucepan to get started.
This recipe makes around 1¼ cups, perfect for a stir fry for 4-6 people. If you want your stir-fry to be less saucy, start with ¾ cups and add more sauce as needed.
- Prep. Measure out all of the stir-fry sauce ingredients (½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ½ cup vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoon garlic, 1-2 teaspoon ginger, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes).
- Combine and thicken. Place all the ingredients into a saucepan, whisk them together, and heat the sauce to a low boil while whisking occasionally. Once heated, reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, then remove from heat. *The sauce continues to thicken while cooling!
- Serve or store. Add this stir-fry sauce immediately to your favorite stir-fry recipes or store it in your fridge for later use.
My homemade stir-fry sauce is so versatile; there are endless dinner options you could make with it! Simply toss your favorite protein and veggies in it and serve with some Instant Pot long-grain white rice, Instant Pot basmati rice, or Instant Pot jasmine rice. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- I prefer to thicken the sauce separately from my stir fry, which means a quick simmer in a saucepan. If you want to skip that step, choose one of these mixing methods:
#1 - Place the ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl and use a whisk to mix until well combined.
#2 - Add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid, and shake to combine. - If you prefer that your stir-fry sauce be spicier, add more crushed red pepper flakes, sriracha, or chili paste (like Sambal Oelek brand)!
- For a tangier sour version of this sauce, increase the rice vinegar to 1-1½ tablespoons.
- Add a quick slurry of up to 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and an equal amount of broth or cold water to make the sauce thicker. Whisk into the stir fry sauce and heat to a low boil, then remove from heat.
🥡 Storing
Make sure that the sauce is in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezing Stir-Fry Sauce
Transfer the fully cooled stir fry sauce into a shallow airtight freezer storage container or freezer storage bags (lay the bags flat on a baking sheet to freeze). Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
If you choose to simmer and thicken your sauce with cornstarch and it becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding the vegetable stock, broth, or water. Use a whisk to stir until you reach your desired level of thickness.
To use stir-fry sauce, simply add it to your stir-fried vegetables, meats, or noodles during the cooking process. The amount of sauce you use will depend on your personal taste and the amount of food you are cooking with it. You can also use this sauce as a dipping sauce for your favorite Asian-inspired appetizers like my air fryer potstickers!
Absolutely! Transfer your sauce to an airtight container or freezer bag (lay it flat until frozen). Store in your freezer for up to 3 months and thaw in your refrigerator overnight before using it in your favorite stir-fry recipes.
😋 More Tasty Sauce Recipes
- Cheese Sauce For Vegetables - This cheese sauce is an excellent way for kids to learn to love their vegetables!
- Mushroom Steak Sauce - A rich and creamy garlic sauce with tender mushrooms perfect for topping your favorite steak!
- Mild Buffalo Sauce - This easy wing sauce only requires 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make!
- Big Mac Sauce - A delightfully tangy sauce that tastes better than the fast food version!
- Burger Sauce - A flavorful condiment that will make your burgers extra delicious!
- Sweet and Sour Sauce - The perfect dipping sauce for your favorite tempura-battered proteins and vegetables!
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📖 Recipe Card
Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup vegetable stock (low-sodium broth or stock is recommended, or use water)
- 1 tablespoon honey (or use granulated sugar or light brown sugar, up to 2 tablespoons if you want a sweeter stir fry sauce)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoon ginger (grated)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional but recommended)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Measure out all of the stir-fry sauce ingredients. (½ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ½ cup vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoon garlic, 1-2 teaspoon ginger, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes if using).
- Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan, whisk them together and heat the sauce to a low boil while whisking occasionally. Once heated, reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, then remove from heat. *The sauce continues to thicken while cooling!
- Add this stir-fry sauce immediately to your favorite stir-fry recipes or store it in your fridge for later use.
Notes
- I prefer to thicken the sauce separately from my stir fry which means a quick simmer in a saucepan. If you want to skip that step, choose one of these mixing methods:
1 - Place the ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl and use a whisk to mix until well combined. 2 - Add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid, and shake to combine. - This recipe makes around 1¼ cups, perfect for a stir fry for 4-6 people.
- If you want your stir-fry to be less saucy, start with ¾ cups and add more sauce as needed.
- If you prefer that your stir-fry sauce be spicier, add more crushed red pepper flakes, sriracha, or chili paste (like Sambal Oelek brand)!
- For a tangier sour version of this sauce, increase the rice vinegar to 1-1½ tablespoons.
- To make the sauce thicker, add a quick slurry of up to 1 tablespoon cornstarch and an equal amount of broth or cold water. Whisk into the stir fry sauce and heat to a low boil then remove from heat.
- To store: Make sure that the sauce is in an airtight container with a tight fitting lid. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
- To freeze: Transfer the fully cooled stir fry sauce into a shallow airtight freezer storage container or freezer storage bags (lay the bags flat on a baking sheet to freeze). Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
KAREN says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!