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    Home » Recipes » Condiments

    September 13, 2020 Last Modified: April 29, 2022 By Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com Leave a Comment

    Sweet And Sour Sauce

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    Jump to Recipe
    Pin image with text of sweet and sour sauce.

    This amazingly tasty Sweet And Sour Sauce has just the right amount of tangy, pineapple juice-sweetened flavors! It's a perfect dipping sauce, a super glaze for fried chunks of chicken or pork, tempura-battered shrimp, or pan-fried short ribs, and a fantastic stir fry sauce!

    Sweet And Sour Sauce Recipe

    This well-loved and very popular Chinese food sauce is always a hit with the family! It's been a while, but when I was growing up, my Mom and I would enjoy some takeout food from a little Chinese restaurant.

    I still can't believe that she would have to ask, "What would you like?". Um, sweet and sour, please! Some things never change, and I am still a die-hard addict of this addictive red sauce that I have loved for as long as I can remember!

    Square image of sweet and sour sauce in a small bowl with won-tons on the side.
    Deliciously tangy sweet and sour sauce that's perfect for dipping or serving over your chicken, pork, or shrimp dinners!
    Jump to:
    • Sweet And Sour Sauce Recipe
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
    • 💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
    • 🥡 Storing
    • 🥢 More Chinese Food Favorites
    • 📋 Recipe

    🥘 Ingredients

    • 1 cup Canned Pineapple Juice
    • ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar
    • ⅓ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 3 tablespoon Ketchup
    • 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
    • ½ tablespoon fresh Ginger (fresh, grated or ¼ tablespoon dried ground ginger)
    • 2-4 drops Red Food Coloring (optional)
    • 1 ½ tablespoon Cornstarch (combine with 2 tablespoons cold water)

    *Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*

    🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions

    1. Start out by combining the pineapple juice, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, grated ginger, and red food coloring in a small saucepan.
    2. Bring the saucepan with the ingredients to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the temperature as needed to maintain a low boil during cooking.
    3. While the sauce is heating, mix the cornstarch and cold water to make your slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry into the sauce once it has reached a low boil.
    4. Stir the sauce constantly while cooking at a simmer for about one minute, or until thickened and clinging to your spoon. Remove from heat once it reaches your desired thickness.
    5. Allow the sauce to cool completely before storing it if you will be using it later.

    Serve over your sweet and sour chicken, pork, or shrimp garnished with green onions and/or sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!

    💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes

    • Use Canned Pineapple Juice. This is a pretty big thing! Just like in my pineapple curd, you need to use canned pineapple juice rather than fresh pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain (in the stem, fruit, and juice of the pineapple) which will break down the cornstarch and prevent your sweet and sour sauce from thickening. The bromelain enzyme is broken down during the canning process, which is why canned pineapple is required for this recipe.
    • Authenticity. Practically everything that we are used to here in America has been 'Americanized' in some way, shape, or form. Sweet and sour sauce as we know and love it, is based on the original Cantonese sauce also called sweet and sour that was first used with sweet and sour pork. The well-known chef, Leung Kim, of Hong Kong included rice wine vinegar, Chinese brown candy, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, dark soy sauce, and salt in his sweet and sour recipe. His friend, Willie Mak, a gourmet also from Hong Kong, suggests using a less acidic apple cider vinegar along with superior quality brands for your ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and dark soy sauce as the key to a great sweet and sour sauce.
    Tall image of won-tons being dipped into sweet and sour sauce.

    🥡 Storing

    Store your sweet and sour sauce after it has cooled completely. Use an airtight container and keep the remaining sauce refrigerated. If stored properly, the sauce will last for up to 2 weeks.

    🥢 More Chinese Food Favorites

    • Won-Ton
    • Chinese Beef Meatballs with Hoisin Ginger Sauce
    • Potstickers
    • General Tso's Shrimp
    • Chicken with Garlic Sauce
    • Egg Rolls Air Fryer

    Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📋 Recipe

    Square image of sweet and sour sauce in a small bowl with won-tons on the side.
    Print Recipe Leave A Comment
    Love This Recipe?Click On A Star To Rate It!
    4.88 from 25 reviews

    Sweet And Sour Sauce

    This amazingly tasty Sweet And Sour Sauce has just the right amount of tangy, pineapple juice sweetened flavors! It's a perfect dipping sauce, a super glaze for fried chunks of chicken or pork, tempura battered shrimp, or pan fried short ribs, and a fantastic stir fry sauce!
    Author | Angela
    Servings: 2 cups of sweet and sour sauce
    Calories: 448kcal
    Prep 5 minutes
    Cooking 5 minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes
    Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup canned pineapple juice
    • ¾ cup light brown sugar
    • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 3 tablespoon ketchup
    • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
    • ½ tablespoon fresh ginger (fresh, grated or ¼ tablespoon dried ground ginger)
    • 2-4 drops red food coloring (optional)
    • 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch (combine with 2 tablespoons cold water)

    Instructions

    • In a small sauce pan, combine the pineapple juice, light brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger and red food coloring.
      1 cup canned pineapple juice, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoon ketchup, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon fresh ginger, 2-4 drops red food coloring
    • Bring the saucepan and sauce to a low boil over medium high heat, reducing the heat if needed to keep it at a low boil.
    • Mix the cornstarch with cold water to make your slurry. Add the slurry to your sauce once it has reached a low boil and cook at a simmer for about one minute, stirring constantly until thickened and clinging to your spoon.
      1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch
    • Remove from heat once the sauce has thickened and allow to cool before using as a dipping sauce.

    Equipment You May Need

    Sauce Pan
    Silicone Whisk
    Can Opener

    Notes

    Fresh vs Canned Pineapple Juice

    This is a pretty big thing! Just like in my pineapple curd, you need to use canned pineapple juice rather than fresh pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain ( in the stem, fruit and juice of the pineapple ) which will break down the cornstarch and prevent your sweet and sour sauce from thickening.
    The bromelain enzyme is broken down during the canning process, which is why canned pineapple is required for this recipe.

    Storing Your Sweet and Sour Sauce

    Store your sweet and sour sauce after it has cooled completely. Use an air tight container and keep the remaining sauce refrigerated. If stored properly, the sauce will last for up to 2 weeks.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 448kcal (22%) | Carbohydrates: 110g (37%) | Protein: 3g (6%) | Fat: 1g (2%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Sodium: 1265mg (55%) | Potassium: 411mg (12%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 98g (109%) | Vitamin A: 131IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 13mg (16%) | Calcium: 84mg (8%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can’t wait to see your results! Mention @bake_it_with_love or tag #bake_it_with_love!
    Course Condiments, Sauces
    Cuisine American, Asian, Chinese
    author profile photo
    Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com

    Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!

    bakeitwithlove.com/
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    Hi there, I'm Angela! I am an avid vintage cookbook collector, recipe creator, animal lover, and total foodie. I love sharing recipes that are new, fun, and creative as well as great classic recipes just like my Grandma used to make!

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