The BEST Stir Fry Sauce
Use this Stir Fry Sauce in your favorite stir fry recipes. This homemade stir fry sauce recipe is quick and easy to make. It’s so much better than store-bought sauce or takeout!
Stir fry is one of my favorite easy meals. Stir fries are healthy and so versatile. You can easily switch up the protein and veggies to keep the flavors new and interesting!
I like to make my own stir fry sauce rather than buying it at the store because I can control the ingredients and flavors. Plus, it’s so simple to make, there really is no reason not to make your own. It’s healthier and takes no more than ten minutes.
This easy recipe is perfect for using in chicken stir fry, beef stir fry, vegetable stir fry or shrimp stir fry. Or, use tofu or chickpeas for your protein to make a vegetarian meal. Serve your stir fry over brown rice, Instant Pot white rice or Instant Pot brown rice for a wholesome and tasty meal.
Ingredients
- Chicken Broth: I recommend using a low sodium broth to limit the amount of salt in your sauce. I prefer to use broth rather than water because it is more flavorful.
- Soy Sauce: Look for a low sodium soy sauce to limit the sodium in your meal.
- Honey: A little honey balances out the salty and savory flavors.
- Sesame Oil: Just a little bit of sesame oil brings big flavor to your stir fry sauce.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: Don’t be tempted to substitute ground ginger or garlic powder. Fresh garlic and ginger are essential to a flavorful stir fry sauce.
- Cornstarch: You need cornstarch to thicken the sauce. When you add your sauce to the other stir fry ingredients in the hot pan, the cornstarch will thicken the sauce in just minutes.
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce
This recipe is so easy, it’s as simple as combining all of the ingredients and mixing them together. I like to make stir fry sauce in a jar that has a tight-fitting lid. Then you can just shake the jar up to easily mix the ingredients together. You can also make the sauce in a small bowl and mix it using a whisk.
How to Make Stir Fry
Now that you have your stir fry sauce ready, how do you use it to make a delicious stir fry? The key is to use the right ratio of sauce to protein to vegetables. This recipe makes one cup of sauce, which is the perfect amount to add to one pound of protein plus six cups of vegetables. This will serve four people. If you want to serve your stir fry over rice, you’ll need four cups of cooked rice.
To make a stir fry:
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok. Add your protein (such as cubes of chicken, slices of beef or shrimp) and cook it until browned and almost cooked through. Transfer the protein to a clean plate.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, along with your vegetables. Stir fry until the veggies are crisp-tender.
- Add the protein back to the pan. Stir in the stir fry sauce. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and your protein is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
How long does stir fry sauce last?
You can keep this sauce in your refrigerator for up to one week, stored in an airtight container. I keep mine in a jar with a lid.
Is this recipe vegetarian?
You can make this recipe vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. For a vegan stir fry sauce, also replace the honey with pure maple syrup.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
You can make this stir fry sauce recipe gluten-free by replacing the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari, gluten-free coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce.
The BEST Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- crushed red pepper flakes, sriracha or sweet chili sauce (optional, for spicy sauce)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a jar or bowl. Whisk or shake (with a tight fitting lid on the jar) until fully combined.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- To use stir fry sauce to make stir fry: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok. Add 1 pound of protein (cubed chicken, sliced beef, shrimp, tofu, chickpeas, etc.) and cook until browned and almost cooked through. Transfer the protein to a clean plate. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil and 6 cups of chopped vegetables (broccoli, snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, etc.) to the pan. Stir fry until crisp-tender. Return your protein to the pan. Add 1 cup of stir fry sauce (this full recipe) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened, stirring to evenly distribute the sauce. Serve over cooked rice.
Notes
- To make gluten-free, use gluten-free soy sauce, gluten-free tamari, or gluten-free coconut aminos.
- For vegan stir fry sauce use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and pure maple syrup instead of honey.
Nutrition
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It was yummy! So easy and I had all of the ingredients.
I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂
Delicious sauce, though I put in too much sriracha once and toned it down with peanut butter, delicious too!
I made this tonight, it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Made tonight and was delicious!
I’m planning on using siracha sauce. How much should I use? Sounds delicious!
That is really personal preference, since everyone’s tastes are different when it comes to spicy. I’d start with a small amount and add more as needed to taste.
Cette sauce est délicieuse!!
This sauce was amazing, not too sweet, and satisfies the craving for classic stir fry from a restaurant
Just made stir-fry with frozen stir fry veg and Raman noodles and daughter called it “delicious”. She is super picky and was a major win. Thank you. This is my new go to for stir fry sauce! 😊
Hi!
What can I substitute the seasons oil with?
The sesame oil adds a lot of flavor, but you can substitute another oil, such as olive oil or avocado oil.
Can I skip the honey? I want something savory
I would start with halving the honey and seeing if it is to your taste.
The honey is not over powering at all & it doesn’t make the sauce too sweet. It balances out the rest of the ingredients.
This was delicious! Perfect mix of everything, nothing to over-powering or SALTY! I find that’s the worst offence for many stir fry sauces, but this was fantastic.
Does it freeze well ? I’m going camping and would like to make it ahead of time to take with us, but Stir-Fry is on the menu for the 8th day and prep will be done before the first day so I am past the 7 day rule.
I haven’t tried freezing this, but I think it would freeze well. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
did you freeze it? Did it work well? Please let me know, I would love to have some on hand for those days you just want stir fry.
Tried this tonight for dinner. It was simple and delicious. Hubby approved.
I LOVE using TOASTED sesame oil!! Have you ever tried it, Kristine? My chef friend told me that’s the key to any Asian dish’s rich flavor! She isn’t wrong! Gonna try this tomorrow for dinner! Thank you!
I haven’t tried toasted sesame oil. I’ll have to try it! Enjoy the stir fry sauce. 🙂
This recipe is a keeper! The perfect balance of flavours. Better than my local takeaway! Thanks
Looking forward to trying this out tonight, but I have one small problem. I don’t have fresh ginger, just the powdered kind, and I don’t want to run out for one thing! What’s a girl to do?
I would substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger for the fresh. Enjoy!
This was super easy and delicious, a really good recipe using ingredients I usually have. Thank you, totally enjoyed eating it!
I don’t have chicken broth on hand but I do have beef broth—will that work??
Yes, it will just change the flavor of the sauce slightly.
This Stir Fry Sauce was absolutely delicious! We like a lot of sauce, I used 2 cups of chicken stock & adjusted the rest of the ingredients accordingly. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
The stir fry sauce was great. My family really loved it . Thanks so much
Delicious,
I doubled the batch for large family. Instead of putting stir fry over rice I used rice noodles for a change.
This is going to be a staple from now on.
Thank you so much
Very very tasty, and easy to make. my wimpy friend said it was too spicy for her, but I emphasize wimpy. I used it with chicken and an Asian style chopped salad mix, then added noodles as well. I will definitely be using this sauce recipe again 🙂 Thank you
I planned stir fry for dinner, and then realized too late that I was out of sauce.
I found your recipe and happened to have all the ingredients. Used sweet chili sauce to spice it up. Wow!! I may never go back to bottled sauce again. Delish and easy!! Thanks!
I loved the sauce my problem is the honey agave neither one of them really work for me I’m on weight watchers and 2 tablespoon of either one is Eight points and since I’m only allowed 23 for the day Please suggest some thing what about Stevia brown sugar?
I haven’t tried that, but you could try it. You could also try reducing the amount of honey in the recipe.
Made this recipe exactly as called for except I used ginger so as it seems to be the only ginger in the house right now. Very tasty! My husband complimented me and I said “I’m you like it.” He says, “like it? I love it!”
I made this last night for my improvised stir fry with Chinese Brand sausages and snap peas with rice and egg (kind of a cross between stir fry and fried rice). I thought it was very good, but I would have liked a bit more acidity. It might have been because the Chinese sausage is a little sweet, but I think next time I’ll add a bit of rice wine vinegar.
It’s was a use what we have night. A quick Google search led me here! Mom and kids approve! I had all the ingredients and the kids ate every last bite!
Sssssooooooo good! Sometimes it’s the most simple things that are the best, and this proves it!
I have not had much success with a stir fry sauce. I made this recipe tonight and it was absolutely outstanding. I stir fried baby bok choy, celery, carrots, onion and green peppers. I had leftover beef filet as my protein. Thanks for this recipe. I will use it a lot.
Outstanding! Made this last night. Definitely a keeper recipe.
I have some Santa Maria tri tip leftover from last night so I’m going to use that with some stir fry veggies over rice or rice noodles not sure yet and your sauce. I have all ingredients except fresh ginger and I’m being lazy I don’t want to go to the store so I’m using ground ginger. I will let you know how it turns out.
Perfect – simple & satisfying – thank you. I don’t write things down as I used to for quick reference. It’s been a minute since I made an Asian stir fry dish. As soon as I saw the ingredient list I knew this would work. And it does.
Loved, loved, loved it. It was my first time making my own stir fry sauce and it was easy and delicious. The perfect balance of flavors…not too salty or too sweet! Thank you
Hi! I’m new to cooking. What step is the cornstarch used?
You combine the cornstarch with the other ingredients in step 1. 🙂
Hi, made this stir fry sauce tonight for a steak and shrimp stir fry>>>>>>>>>>>YUMMY
Thank you
How long can you keep this in the fridge? Thanks!
You can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Made this tonight with leftover chicken breasts, whatever veggies were “almost” going bad, and some cauliflower rice…. great recipe for the night before I go grocery shopping as I had everything for the sauce and cleaned out all my drawers and tupperware. Delish, fast, easy. Yum!!!!!
This sauce was a hit. Instead of 1/3 c soy sauce, I used 1/3 c hoisin and soy sauce mixed, and added 1 T of chili garlic sauce for a little heat. Printing this one! Thanks for sharing!
Made it for one time use, meaning no stock or cornstarch. Perfect as an add-in seasoning.
Simple and delicious! Sometimes I cannot get fresh ginger, so nice to read comments that I may get by with the ground version too. I forgot to add sweet chili sauce, but will do it again tomorrow or next day to use up veggies.