This stir fry sauce recipe is the perfect blend of savory flavors that complements meat, chicken and vegetable stir fries. Homemade stir fry sauce tastes so much better than what you’d get at the grocery store!
I like to make my own sauces whenever possible. I can control the ingredients that go into my food, and I find that the flavor is superior to store bought sauces and condiments. Some of my favorites include homemade BBQ sauce, steak sauce, teriyaki sauce and this easy stir fry sauce.
When I need dinner recipes in a hurry, I often turn to stir fries. They’re full of nutrition, and a great way to use up leftover meats and vegetables. Every good stir fry needs a delicious stir fry sauce!
Table of Contents
Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce provides a lot of flavor, as well as the salt needed to enhance the vegetables and meat in your stir fry. If you are sensitive to salt, you can use low sodium soy sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Adding some broth to the sauce helps to add a more complex flavor. I recommend low sodium broth so that your sauce is not overly salty. If you’re doing a vegetarian stir fry, feel free to use vegetable broth. I swap in beef broth when I’m making a beef stir fry.
- Honey: The sweetness of the honey balances the savory flavors of the soy sauce and broth. You can also use other types of sweetener such as brown sugar.
- Seasonings: Fresh garlic, fresh ginger, salt and pepper add to the savory taste of the sauce. I do not recommend substituting garlic powder and ginger powder as the flavor won’t be as good.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch thickens the sauce. If you prefer a thin sauce, you can omit the cornstarch. For an extra thick sauce, increase the amount of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon. You will need to dissolve the cornstarch in cold water before you add it to the sauce.
How Do You Make Stir Fry Sauce?
Place the soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper in a pan, and bring everything to a simmer. Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl, then slowly pour it in the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook for 1 minute or until it starts to thicken. Your sauce is now ready to use!
Tips For The Perfect Sauce
- Be sure to stir constantly as you add the cornstarch to the sauce so that it doesn’t clump up.
- Use a microplane to grate your ginger and ginger into fine pieces.
- Stir fry sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for 2 months.
- This recipe makes enough sauce to coat 1 pound of meat and 2 cups of vegetables. You can easily double or triple the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd.
Quick Tip
Serve your stir fry alongside other Asian favorites such as Asian cucumber salad or green tossed in Asian salad dressing. You can also offer some appetizers like crab rangoon or potstickers.
Recipe FAQs
Stir fry sauce typically contains soy sauce, broth, cornstarch and garlic. It may also contain other ingredients such as herbs and spices, hot sauce or chilies.
Cornstarch is the most common thickener for stir fry sauce. It is flavorless, easy to find at all grocery stores, and produces a shiny sauce that has a lot of body.
The key to a great stir fry is to make sure your vegetables and meat sear instead of steam. Use a very hot pan or wok, and take care not to overcrowd the pan so that there’s room for the hot air to circulate.
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Flavor Variations
While this sauce is delicious as-is, you can absolutely add other ingredients to suit your tastes.
- Herbs & Spices: Feel free to add some fresh herbs after the sauce is cooked such as sliced green onions or chopped cilantro. You can also add a dash of Asian five spices. It is also common to add dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns or red pepper flakes for a spicy sauce.
- Sauces: You can add chili garlic sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce or black bean sauce to your stir fry mixture.
- Add-In: Feel free to stir in some black or white sesame seeds for flavor and color.
This stir fry sauce will elevate a regular old dinner into a culinary experience! It’s a must-have on those busy days where you need a quick meal.
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Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Place the soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, garlic, ginger, black pepper and salt in a pan over medium heat.
- Bring the pan to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl. Slowly add the cornstarch to the pan, stirring constantly.
- Bring the sauce to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened. Serve, or refrigerate for later use.
Notes
- I recommend using low sodium chicken broth to help control the salt content of the dish. You can also use low sodium soy sauce if you prefer.
- Use fresh garlic and fresh ginger for the best results.
- This sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
