The Gunny Sack

Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

This stir fry sauce recipe can be used for vegetables, chicken, beef, shrimp, and pork. It is super easy to make and totally adaptable. Store in the fridge or freezer for later!

Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

One of the easiest meals to make is stir fry and using a stir fry sauce makes it even easier because it has all of the seasonings you need.

You can use whatever meat you have. Chicken, beef, shrimp, and pork all work really well. Or skip the meat for an all vegetable option.

Grab some veggies, fresh or frozen, depending on what you prefer.Try using cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, peppers, onions, corn, beans, and mushrooms. It’s a great way to use up extra vegetables.

You can eat the stir fry with just the meat and vegetables or serve it over rice or noodles.

Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.

 

Stir Fry Sauce for Cooking In The Kitchen

While in Florida with my mom and sisters, one of the meals we shared was a simple stir fry. We used bottled stir fry sauce and our meal was delicious!

I decided to try to make my own stir fry sauce recipe and found that it was really easy to make.

Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

Homemade Stir Fry Sauce mixture in a glass pitcher

Step One: Soy Sauce Mixture

Start by mixing together the soy sauce, chicken broth, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, and black pepper so that it is ready to add to the saucepan once the ginger and garlic are ready.

I chose to use barbecue sauce in this stir fry sauce because I always have it on hand but an equal amount of hoisin sauce could be used instead.

Cornstarch and Water for this Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

Step Two: Cornstarch Mixture

The thickener in this stir fry sauce recipe is cornstarch but you can’t just add the cornstarch to the hot, boiling sauce since it will clump together.

To prevent this from happening, mix the cornstarch with cold water in a small bowl so that it is ready to use when you need it.

Garlic and Ginger in Sauce Pan for the Stir Fry Sauce

Step Three: Garlic and Ginger

Now, it time to start cooking the sauce. Start by heating the olive oil, minced garlic, and ground ginger.

For this step, you can use powdered garlic or minced ginger if you prefer. See the FAQs below for the amounts.

Stir Fry Sauce Recipe cooking in saucepan

Step Four: Liquids

Once the olive oil is hot, it’s time to add the soy sauce mixture that was previously made. Whisk in the mixture and cook over medium heat until it starts to boil.

whisking thickened stir fry sauce in saucepan

Step Five: Add Cornstarch Mixture

Finally, add the cornstarch/water mixture to thicken the sauce. You’ll want to add the mixture slowly while whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Cook until the sauce has thickened.

Recipe for Stir Fry Sauce

Step Six: Sauce Storage

Once the stir fry sauce has cooled, move it to an airtight container or jar with a lid and store it in the fridge.

Chicken Stir Fry Recipe | thegunnysack.com

Use this stir fry sauce for vegetables, chicken, beef, shrimp or pork.

Stir Fry Sauce Recipe Tips and FAQs

1. What kind of vinegar should I use? I used rice vinegar when making this recipe. You can also try substituting white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

2. What kind of barbecue sauce should I use? Barbecue Sauce: Some of you have very strong opinions regarding barbecue sauce. You can use your favorite brand of barbecue sauce, make homemade barbecue sauce, or use a tablespoon of hoisin sauce instead.

3. Do I have to use sesame oil? This recipe calls for sesame oil because it adds so much flavor to the stir fry sauce but it can be made without it or substitute the sesame oil with olive oil.

4. Can I substitute another kind of liquid? For this recipe, I used chicken broth for the liquid. You can substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version. Or change the flavor by using orange juice or pineapple juice instead.

5. I don’t have any minced garlic. Can I use garlic powder instead? To substitute the 3 teaspoons of minced garlic with 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. If you love garlic, you can increase the amount of minced garlic in this recipe.

minced ginger for stir fry sauce

6. How can I use freshly grated ginger instead? I made this stir fry sauce with dried, ground ginger because that is what I typically have on hand. It would be fabulous with freshly grated ginger though. Use 3-4 teaspoons of grated ginger instead. Again, if you love ginger, you can up the amount you use.

7. Do you have any suggestions for making this stir fry sauce spicier? To make this stir fry sauce spicier, add sriracha sauce, chili sauce, or red pepper flakes.

8. How can I freeze this stir fry sauce? Put it into one large airtight container or in a couple of smaller containers if you only plan to use a little at a time. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw completely before using.

9. Does this stir fry sauce only last two weeks? From the research I did, that is what I found but feel free to use your best judgment and freeze what you can’t use. (see #8 above)

10. How much sauce do you use when making stir fry? I used 2 tablespoons of stir fry sauce for one pound of chicken. Plus, an additional 1/4 cup when I added 5 cups of veggies. See my chicken stir fry recipe here.

11. Can I add peanut butter to make a peanut butter sauce? Yes! Collin commented below and said he added a couple tablespoons of crunchy unsweetened peanut butter.

12. What can stir fry be served over? Try it with white rice, brown rice, fried rice, cauliflower rice, Chinese noodles, angel hair pasta, zucchini noodles, or quinoa.

13. Can I make this into a gluten free stir fry sauce? Yes. Be sure to use all gluten free ingredients. Here are a few I found on Amazon: gluten free soy sauce, gluten free barbecue sauce, gluten free rice vinegar, gluten free sesame oil, and gluten free cornstarch.

5 from 5 votes
Stir Fry Sauce Recipe | thegunnysack.com
Print
Stir Fry Sauce Recipe
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

This stir fry sauce recipe can be used for vegetables, chicken, beef, shrimp, and pork. It is super easy to make and totally adaptable. Store in the fridge or freezer for later!

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: stir fry sauce
Servings: 14
Calories: 56 kcal
Author: The Gunny Sack
Ingredients
Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, broth, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper. Set aside.

  2. In another small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together. Set aside.

  3. Mix together oil, minced garlic, and ground ginger in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until oil starts to simmer.

  4. Whisk in the soy sauce mixture and bring it to a boil.
  5. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Cook for a few minutes until thickened, stirring constantly.
  6. Allow the sauce to cool. Store in the refrigerator in a jar with a lid for up to two weeks.
Recipe Notes

This recipe makes 1 3/4 cups of sauce. Serving size is about 2 tbsp per person.

Nutrition Facts
Stir Fry Sauce Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 56 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Sodium 372mg 16%
Potassium 34mg 1%
Total Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Sugars 4g
Vitamin A 0.2%
Vitamin C 0.9%
Calcium 0.6%
Iron 1.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Updated from original recipe posted June 2015


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Comments


  1. My daughter-in-law makes this all the time, but she subs out the soy sauce for coconut aminos as I’m allergic to soy. I love it! Tonight I made my own batch, doubled it. For about a third of it, I put peanut butter in it as someone suggested. Yum! I also used veggie broth and 100% apple juice concentrate for the brown sugar as I try to avoid table sugar. It turned out delicious and such a nice recipe, it can stand a few subs and still come out great.

    Reply

  2. Made this recipe for friends and family a campground gathering. Rave reviews all around and there wasn’t a morsel left. Best yet. Thanks

    Reply

  3. The sauce did not turn out as expected. I added soybean paste since I did not have any hoisin sauce which ruined the flavor; and mixing it with rice vinegar made it too tangy. I will surely try it again and use hoisin. I did not rate the recipe because I changed up the ingredients.

    Reply

  4. Yum! Would I be able to can this sauce? Trying to put together gift baskets of homemade sauces.

    Reply


  5. Loved it. I made it as the stir fry sauce and tint for use later. My husband loved it. I will use more ginger and orange juice instead of water

    Reply


  7. Really loved this sauce. I did cut the soy and doubled the chicken broth-still tasty. Did a pork and veggie stir fry over brown basmati rice. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

    • Awesome! Stir frys are such a great way to get more veggies in and a good way to use of leftover vegetables. Thanks for stopping back to let us know how it turned out. ~Tonia

      Reply


  8. i made this once… i subbed the chicken broth for veggy broth cos im vegetarian… my bottle lasted only 2 days cos it was so damn delicious.

    Reply

  10. This sauce is very good. I just cook up enough for us two, and the rest is refrigerated until I need a sauce again (up to 2 weeks). I cooked up some blackened chicken and we used the sauce in the pan drippings to thicken up. Mine doesn’t look quite like the photo though.

    Reply

  11. WOW. I made a few changes to your recipe. First, I doubled the ingredients. I omitted the sesame oil and honey, because I didn’t have either. I also cut the brown sugar in half, because I didn’t want it so sweet. I used half the soy sauce and made up the volume difference with more chicken broth. Lastly, I added twice the amount of minced garlic, from 4.5 tsp (double portion) to 3 tablespoons. Everything else was as directed, except I used ACV instead of rice vinegar. It’s cooling now, I plan to use it tonight, but I’m not sure I can wait that long. Any good cook tastes food in preparation to make adjustments as necessary, and this was so delicious, I wanted to eat it warm with a spoon! This is just too good not to share. Thank you! Will serve with chicken, asparagus stir fry mixture over quinoa made with chicken broth and onion powder. I’m already drooling at the prospect!

    Reply

  12. This is my new go to stir fry sauce! So good! Have used with chicken beef and shrimp…yum! I used “fighting cock” barbecue sauce which has more kick to it. Anyway thanks so much for your recipe!#

    Reply

  15. Great recipe. Have used this twice now and really enjoyed it. I like to add a couple table spoons of crunchy unsweetened peanut butter to make it like a peanut stir fry sauce. Vegetable Broth is also works instead of chicken broth for any vegetarians.

    Reply

  16. This was very good and will plan to make some tweeks next time for our personal tastes: red pepper flakes added to the devil spit BBQ sauce from Famous Daves.

    I will note, if you are used to eating low sodium….we found this sauce still quite salty even with the call for low sodium items. Didn’t know if cutting the soy sauce to 1/4 cup and adding a 1/4 cup of low sodium chicken broth may help? Water even? We also added 1/3 cup of fresh pineapple juice to help cut the salt. We used the sauce scantily over our dish and it was tasty with chicken, water chestnuts, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots etc. alongside a medley of brown rice, wild rice, red rice and quinoa. Thank you!!!

    Reply

  17. Made this for dinner and we loved it. Easy to make. I used left over pork from the other nights dinner. This will be a definite every couple of weeks! Thanks!

    Reply

  18. This sounds a lot like sweet and sour sauce? Is that the taste? I am planning to make a stir fry tomorrow night, but I will not be using corn starch because I am out of it lol, but I know it’s just a thickening agent so no biggie!! I will probably make a double batch as we love more sauce than the actual
    Ingredients for the most part!! Can’t wait to try!! Also, if you don’t have or cannot find ginger, whether fresh or otherwise, is there a good alternative? I’ve NEVER bought/used ginger before! Thanks in advance!!

    Reply

    • I’m not sure about the sweet and sour sauce, I’ve never made it. I don’t know of an alternative for ginger but you can leave it out if you can’t find it. Best of luck! ~Tonia

      Reply

  19. I think I’ll try it with some White Balsamic Vinegar, I have.
    Are the Sesame Seeds toasted, and when did you add them?

    Reply

  20. How much sauce per stir fry mix do you add? Just trying to figure out how much chicken and veggies I need.

    Reply

  22. Asian style cooking is a hobby and a passion of mine. I am always trying different sauces, and I gotta tell ya that this is a very good one. I will definitely be making it again.

    Reply

  23. Tried this tonight and my boyfriend (who hates stir fry sauces) was like can you make it again cause it’s so good! Thank you for bringing this to me.

    Reply

  24. This was really yummy! Made it for supper last night and I loved it. I’m going to freeze the leftovers and see how that works. Thanks!

    Reply

  25. I made this totally wrong because I was too impatient to open the pin and just threw all the ingredients together. It was amazing!! I can’t wait to taste the deliciousness when I do it right! I doubled it because I have a big family , and they were all crazy about it. EXCELLENT recipe!!!

    Reply

  27. Making it now, but should obviously read ahead first. I added vinegar, then read to instructions where it says RICE vinegar. Oh well, here goes an experiment!

    Reply

    • I used the sesame seed oil that is sold in the Asian cooking section of the grocery store. It says “100% pure sesame seed oil, an oriental seasoning oil” on the bottle.

      Reply

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