Back a few years, I posted a collection of 15 Basic Stir-Fry Sauce recipes, with the thought that most of us don’t really need a complete stir-fry recipe – just the sauce. Since stir-fries are a great way to use up odds and ends of ingredients from our fridge, a quick reference of easy, stir-fry sauce recipes is just what we need!
Of course, every stir-fry is different in size, so take a look at the liquid amounts in each recipe below and consider whether it sounds like it will be enough for your stir-fry. If not, it’s easy to double/triple the ingredients, as needed.
Print this out or bookmark for handy reference, tweak to your liking and enjoy. I’ve also included a list of stir-fry tips at the end of this article that you might find helpful.
15 MORE Basic Stir-Fry Sauce Recipes
Sweet & Sour Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
Combine all ingredients and add to hot pan or wok. Cook over medium heat until blended and the sugar melts.
Ginger Peanut Sauce:
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. white wine or rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (like Sriracha)
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Peanut Sauce:
6 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
Hot chile sauce, to taste (like Sambal Oleek or Chili Garlic Sauce)
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Spicy Ginger Stir Fry Sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sherry or Chinese cooking wine
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. peanut oil
3 Tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended and thickened.
Teriyaki Sauce:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Lemon Ginger Sauce (nice with veg stir fry):
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. sesame oil
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cornstarch
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Orange and Lemon Sauce (nice with chicken/veg):
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry/rice wine vinegar)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground white pepper
2 Tbsp. finely chopped orange zest
1 Tbsp. finely chopped lemon zest
2 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Coconut Ginger:
1 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
2 minced garlic clove
2 tsp. Sriracha
4 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. red curry paste
4 Tbsp.coconut milk
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Ginger Hoisin:
2 Tbsp. finely chopped green onions
2 1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. peeled fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp. honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Spicy Thai:
1/4 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
1 tsp. rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 Tbsp. sherry or cooking sherry
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Ginger (nice with beef):
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
5 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. chile pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended.
Garlic:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended and thickened.
Spicy Orange:
6 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1 1/2 tsp. red or white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
3 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup water
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended and thickened.
All Purpose Chinese Stir Fry Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup oyster or hoisin sauce
1/4 cup Chinese wine (or sherry)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp. white or brown sugar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. ground white pepper
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended and thickened.
Spicy Orange Peanut:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (smooth)
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. hot chili-garlic sauce
Combine all ingredients and add to hot wok or pan. Cook over medium heat until blended and thickened.
Tips:
- Some of these sauces already have cornstarch added but if they don’t, you can use this to thicken any sauce that you think is too thin. Simply combine 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 3 Tbsp. water and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add a bit, stir and cook until sauce thickens. Add more as necessary.
- Consider using low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce to avoid an overly-salty finished dish.
- Each of these sauces makes 1/2 – 1 cup of stir fry sauce. You may not need it all, depending on the amount of meat, noodles and/or vegetables you are stir frying. Add as necessary to make it as saucy as you like and thicken with the thickener above, if desired. Of course, you can also double the sauce if you’re making a lot of stir fry.
- Some of these sauces already contain things like minced garlic, ginger, onion or chilis (or other heat) but if they don’t, be sure to consider adding some into your stir fry.
- Everyone’s tastes are different so you will likely want to tweak the sauces to your tastes. If you print out the list, you can simply make notes as you go to develop your perfect sauce.
Love these and the sauces in the original article. Great when I have a lot of veggies to get rid of, or just need a quick healthy dinner. Just had the ginger one with a stir fry of beef, onions, red bell peppers, and assorted mushrooms. So good!