BEST Stir Fry Sauce
This stir fry sauce brings the best flavor to any stir fry! It’s quick and easy to make and so much better than store-bought sauce.
The Only Stir Fry Sauce Recipe You Need
This stir fry sauce is one of my tried-and-true, most well-loved, most frequently made recipes! I first shared this recipe over 4 years ago, and I wanted to highlight it again today because it’s just so good!
Stir fry is one of my favorite easy meals and this sauce is so versatile, you can use it with any stir fry. I like to make my own stir fry sauce rather than buying it at the store because I can control the ingredients and adjust the flavors to my tastes. Plus, it’s so simple to make, there really is no reason not to make your own. It’s healthier and takes just ten minutes, tops.
This sauce is bursting with savory, umami flavors. It’s garlicky and gingery, with plenty of robust flavor to stand up to any combination of protein and veggies you toss it with. It thickens up beautifully when you pour it into a hot skillet, to perfectly coat each bite of your stir fry.
Quick, budget-friendly and so tasty, you’ll be so glad you have this stir fry sauce recipe in your back pocket. I’ve used this sauce to make Chicken Stir Fry, Beef Stir Fry, Vegetable Stir Fry and Shrimp Stir Fry. Serve your stir fry over white rice or brown rice for a healthy meal the whole family will love.
Excellent stir fry sauce. Just the right mix of sweet, spicy and salty to keep the whole family happy and going back for more.
Happy Dad
Stir Fry Sauce 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: Brings umami flavor to the 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.
- 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: To thicken the sauce. When you add the 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 the 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 or liquid measuring cup and mix it with a whisk.
How to Make Stir Fry
Now that you have your stir fry sauce ready, how do you use it to make a 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.
Kristine’s Tip: Add your veggies to the skillet in batches, starting with firmer vegetables that will take the longest to soften (think carrots and broccoli). A few minutes later, add quick-cooking veggies like bell peppers and snow peas.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
I like to get a head start on cooking dinner by making this sauce ahead of time. You can store this stir fry sauce in your refrigerator for up to one week, sealed in an airtight container. I keep mine in a jar with a lid. Give it a good shake or whisk to recombine the ingredients before using.
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian: You can make this recipe vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Vegan: For a vegan stir fry sauce, use vegetable broth and replace the honey with pure maple syrup.
- Gluten-Free: You can make this recipe gluten-free by replacing the soy sauce with gluten-free tamari, gluten-free coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce.
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.
- Recipe makes about 1 cup of sauce.
Recipe originally published January 2020, updated July 2024.
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!
Wow!!! Absolutely delicious. I didn’t have any chili sauce….but added a 1/2 teaspoon of tiger sauce. I’ll be making this again
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.
Can you use flour instead of cornstarch?
I have not tested this sauce with flour instead of the cornstarch. If you decide to give it a try, you may need to use double the amount since flour doesn’t thicken as well.
Made this last week with grilled chicken, stir-fry veggies and white rice, so delicious! Didn’t have to use flour, went out and bought cornstarch. Making it again tonite with beef, broccoli and carrots! Thank you.
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!
My husband and I loved this sauce! And, he can be a bit picky at times. He even printed it to make for his guys’ camping trip! I made it just as written – the whole ginger rhizome had been frozen but once finely grated, it was perfect. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Cary, may I ask you about frozen ginger, please? Do you freeze it to keep it from drying out quickly, as it tends to do? And is it easier to grate frozen? Do you peel it first? When I try to peel it, as recommended in some recipes, I slice off most of the ginger inadvertently. Wondering if you just discard the peel as you grate it, or discard some of the peel?
I’d be inclined to slice the ginger lengthwise, and put it in the sauce in a few large pieces, to marinate overnight, then remove them before using.
Any suggestions please, from either you or Kristine?
This is a reply to Alice, if she is still interested. I always freeze a piece of ginger so I have it when I need it. I just use a fine grater and grate skin and all. It works fine and tastes great! Hope that helps.
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.
I really want to try this but can’t get out to the store to get chicken broth–is water an okay substitute??
Yes, water will work fine. You’ll lose a bit of flavor, but shouldn’t notice much difference. Enjoy!
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.
Excellent and easy sauce. I substituted ground ginger for the fresh (½ ts for the 2 Tbs.) This is a keeper and I will be printing it for my collection!
Wow!! My husband is not a real fan of stir fry. I suggested it tonight for something different. Made it with shrimp as the protein. He loved it so much. Wants it again next week. Thanks so much – loved the flavor of the sauce.
Best stir fry sauce I’ve ever tasted. So delicious…
I’ve searched for years for an easy to make, with items I have in my kitchen already, no granulated sugar, Stir Fry Sauce and YAY yours is it! New fan here and follower on Instagram. Can’t wait to make more of your recipes. Thank you for sharing this one! Love how adaptable this one is too, as I have vegetarian/vegan family and friends also! Made it the other night with veggie stir fry and hubby loved it too!
This was so perfect. Been looking for a stir fry sauce like this for a looooooooooong time. Thank you so much! You’ve enriched my dinner!
So good. I didn’t have sweet chili sauce so I used a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce. Perfect!!
Sesame seed oil or sesame oil?
Either will work and sometimes they are labeled interchangeably.
I use Trader Joe’(although I’m sure there are many brands) chili sesame oil instead of plain. Really gives it a kick without adding any extra red pepper flakes. Wonderful!!
Made this tonight and wow! It’s a keeper! I subscribe to your newsletter, so when I needed a sauce I knew where to look. It’s so easy to make, I kept checking it thinking I was missing something!
Easy excellent recipe… can also customize like less garlic or ginger…
Tried this recipe tonight to go with the Asian Stir Fry mix from Trader Joe’s and it was so good. I used Tamari instead of soy sauce and it was still great. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Great job! Blows away anything else I’ve tried! Thank you! Timing is everything on this dish, I would cook the harder veggies first at 10 minutes to go i.e. Carrots, Celery, Water Chestnuts then add the Onions with about 6 minutes to go. Then the softer veggies with 4 minutes to go, i.e. Mushrooms, Bell Pepper, Peas. then add the Stir Fry Sauce with 2 minutes on the clock at 3/4 heat until it comes to a slight boil. Then immediately turn off the heat and serve over rice! Winning!
This has been a winner in our household for years. My 7 year son loves stir-fry night all because of this recipe.
I love this recipe I make it at least once a week! Can I freeze leftover sauce?
I have not tried freezing this, but it should freeze well. I’m so glad that you are enjoying this recipe!
Does this sauce work for pork as the protein?
Yes!
This is a winner — thank you! I’ve tried it a few times already and have one question and one observation to share:
(1) What are your thoughts about adding rice vinegar or lime juice? A lot of Asian sauce recipes include vinegar.
(2) I think it’s worth noting that the sauce is so much better when you use fresh vegetables: as the vegetables cook, they add so many more flavors. I tried this recipe once with a bag of frozen Birds Eye vegetables and it just wasn’t the same. Just thought I’d share!
BTW I found this recipe via a Google Search — it was on the first page of results. Clearly, it’s quite popular!
I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe! Yes, you could definitely add about a tablespoon of rice vinegar or lime juice. I agree, fresh veggies will give you the best texture. 🙂
Tried this recipe tonight… it was delicious ? thank you I will definitely use it again
I have used this sauce recipe several times over the past couple years. It is always a winner! Had it again tonight, this time with shrimp. It’s my go-to stir fry sauce, and so much better than the one I had used before. Thank you!!
Thank You for this recipe!! Can be used on all types of proteins..delicious on noodles too
I just made this tonight with crushed red pepper, super easy. We had leftover chicken kabobs so I used this stir fry sauce with that and brought it all to a boil, then let it simmer while my rice was cooking. Delicious!!
Great sauce! Can add different things to taste and still a great base for anyone’s taste preference, delicious sauce for my stir fry! Never buy store bought, make your own with this recipe!
Can you use regular soy sauce instead of low sodium
Yes, you can.
I really hate honey – what can I use as a sub. Or can I just leave it out all together?
You could substitute brown sugar. The sauce needs a little sweetness. 🙂
Delicious! Thank you! Added fresh veggies and Green Giant’s riced veggie blend asian stir fry. Couldn’t have been better!
Absolutely love this recipe. The blend of flavors is perfect and this is my go to recipe for stir frying. Thank you for sharing!
I usually scoff at recipes that say “the best…” but this truly is the best stir fry sauce I’ve ever had. Super easy to make, I had everything on hand, and now I want stir fry all the time!
This was delicious and easy to make – keeper in our house! Shared this recipe too- thanks!
This recipe is delicious. Thank you for sharing it!
Quick note: I didn’t have cornstarch, so I used flour as a substitute. I used 2 Tablespoons of flour, mixed with a bit of water in a separate bowl, then added that to the sauce. Worked great. Will definitely be enjoying this dish again.
Made this tonight and subbed 1/2 Oj, 1/2 water for the broth. It was delish!! I did increase the honey a tad. Thank you so much!
I’ve been making this for a while now and love it so much every time! Quick, easy and just as delicious as leftovers (I likve alone).
My husband and I found it to be way too salty. I’m looking forward to trying it again with just a couple tablespoons of the soy sauce instead of the 1/3 cup.
Needed to make something quick, easy and healthy. This recipe checked all the boxes. Wish I could have posted a picture, it came out beautifully and delicious. Thank you!
Really great stir fry sauce. Loved the ease of ingredients and making. Flavor was fantastic.
Yum!!
I steam the broccoli, onion, and baby carrots 5-7 minutes while the oil is heating and always have sous vide/browned chicken in the fridge, ready to pop in the hot pan for a warm up with the steamed veggies. I cook/freeze brown rice ahead and always have this sauce in the fridge, ready to go. Super quick lunch/dinner for our Heart Healthy Diet menu – husband likes veggies a tad softer than crisp. It’s the best, thank you!
I made this but the sauce was very strong- how many servings is this for? I made it for 2 servings of udon with this amount of sauce
Hi Jane, This recipe makes 1 cup of sauce, which is at least 4 servings. I think if you had used less sauce it would have been better.
Love this stir fry sauce! I’ve used it for a handful of different meals now. It never disappoints!
My go to recipe. Everyone loves it! So easy.
I make this whenever I make a vegetable or chicken and veggies stir fry. Delicious! Ade it for today for the Girls Iowa Hawkeye Basketball game! Go Hawkeyes! 🏀🏀
Can you use this to marinate meat?
You probably could, but I recommend trying my Chicken Marinade, Steak Marinade or Pork Chop Marinade.
Super easy and yummy. Will make again.
YUM!!! Our new go-to sauce 😋
Lower salt and so much flavor compared to store bought. This is my new go to for stir fry. And I know you said do not use powder ginger but it’s all I had on hand. It was still super good but can’t wait to make it with real ginger. Thanks for a great, simple sauce.
I keep a ginger root in a ziploc in the freezer. Whenever I want “fresh” ginger I grate the frozen ginger with a microplane. It grates up fast and fine. It’s easy enough to peel/scrape the skin off the frozen ginger root with a sharp paring knife. pop the ginger right back into the freezer when you’re done.
Easy and delicious, it’s my go to
This is The Best sauce for stir fry 👍👍 and So easy to make
Loved the flavor but sauce didn’t thicken much. It slightly resembled a stir-fry soup in our bowls. I’m debating whether to add the sauce earlier in case it just needed more time. I let it go a bit over 3 minutes, but was afraid of over-cooking the ingredients. I may add more corn starch instead.
You can try adding more cornstarch, and also be sure to whisk the sauce again right before adding it to the pan because the cornstarch tends to settle at the bottom of the bowl. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor!
This sauce has so much flavor! I highly recommend making this recipe over prepackaged store bought sauce.
Great recipe, I did Rice Syrup instead of Honey and lemme tell you it was like eating from the restaurant! I also added about 1/2 tsp of Sriracha! Just an amazing recipe, thank you!
This is pretty much the only stir-fry sauce we use now. I found your recipe from Pinterest a few years ago, and we always have the ingredients available, it whips up so fast, and it’s so much better than premade store bought sauces.
I haven’t made this as yet but I can tell from your ingredients it is exactly what I was looking for. I am so tired of over sweet stir fry recipes and hey, who doesn’t love honey. Thanks
I made this recipe for the first time tonight, very good. I added shrimp and a few noodles which was very tasty. Yes, will make again😊
Thank you for the recipe, I have made this sauce a few times it’s the only one I use now for stir fry.
I substitute the chicken broth with beef bone broth and use for beef stir fry. It is so delicious and easy.
This is the best stir fry sauce! Even my picky granddaughters thought it was great! I have made it several times using different stir fry ingredients and it always taste amazing!
This is the Best Stir Fry sauce by far! Totally enjoyed this! My husband was so very impressed! I added red pepper flakes to spice it up! Good job and thanks for sharing!
This really is a great sauce, especially for one that is so simple and doesn’t involve a ton of ingredients that you have to go to an Asian grocery for! I have bookmarked it because I think it will become my “go to“ as many others have said. Thank you for this!
LOVE IT!!!
Very good stir fry sauce!
Definitely will make again kids loved it!!
Not a comment, but a question. Can this stir fry sauce recipe be frozen? Thanks.
I personally have not tried freezing it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well. If you try it let me know how it goes!
This was amazing! I put everything in a pot besides the cornstarch and let it simmer while cooking the chicken and veggies. Then I added in the cornstarch and put it all to the stir fry.
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It was very tasty. This is a keeper.
This is a no-fail recipe that can be flexible with what you have on hand. I have used it many many many times so I figured I should do my part and take the minute to leave a review.
When I say it’s flexible… when I can make it exactly as written, I always do!
That said, last night I had everything going and realized I only had beef stock on hand rather than chicken or vegetable… Worked like a charm!
Another time I only had garlic infused honey on hand rather than plain… Awesome!
This is excellent with any sort of meat and veggies and it’s easy to “up” the ingredients if you’re feeling extra saucy!
I haven’t bought a store bought stir fry pack in years.
Thanks Kristine! You nailed it!!
Delicious! My husband, toddler and I love this sauce with chicken and veggies and rice. Very quick and easy to make. Will be my new go to stir fry sauce!