Why I love this easy stir fry sauce
Stir fry has been a go-to meal for us since long before we went dairy free, and for the longest time, I would make up the sauce as I went – little soy sauce, a little garlic. Eventually, I nailed down a specific recipe that I keep coming back to, and this is it. It makes for a quick and healthy dinner, and you can customize with whatever proteins and veggies you want.
If you like this recipe, I know you’ll love my honey teriyaki sauce and pepper steak stir fry that uses a variation of this sauce, but with added ginger and sesame. And, don’t forget to try my baked pineapple chicken, which is basically a sheet pan stir fry. Any of these can be served with our favorite garlic rice or coconut rice.
Ingredient notes:
- Soy sauce – For this recipe, you will want to use reduced sodium soy sauce. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a bit of a salty mess (see the comments section for examples).
- Chicken broth – I normally use reduced-sodium soy sauce for this recipe. If have regular or chicken stock, it should be fine, but make sure you aren’t using regular soy sauce if that’s the case.
- Cornstarch – This thickens the sauce, and if definitely need it. I haven’t tried substitutes like arrowroot or other alternatives, so I’m not sure how they would turn out.
- Olive oil – Any oil can be used here. We normally have olive oil or canola oil, but any neutral oil should work.
- Brown sugar – If you don’t want to use brown sugar, you could substitute another sweetener like honey or agave nectar. Since it’s small amount, equal parts shouldn’t make a difference. Feel free to adjust to your liking.
- Sesame oil – This is option, but I highly recommend it.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make this stir fry sauce recipe
Mix the ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients until they’re smooth. Get rid of all the lumps now or there will be no saving it later.
Simmer the sauce. You can either do this in a saucepan (make ahead) or in the pan with your partially cooked stir fry. Over medium-high heat, the sauce will begin to thicken within 5 minutes. Make sure the stir frequently to prevent it from clumping or burning.
If you’re making the sauce ahead of time, transfer it to an air-tight container (I usually use a mason jar) and store it in the fridge for up to a week. Or freeze for up to a month.
Frequently asked questions
This versatile sauce can be used to add flavor to a wide variety of dishes. Its delicious flavor pairs wonderfully with veggies and meats such as pork and chicken. The possibilities when making stir fry are endless.
Mix a small amount of cornstarch and water in a bowl until it’s completely incorporated and then add it to your sauce. Cook over medium heat until its thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and the mixture will thicken even more as it cools.
This sauce brings a burst of flavor to your dish, but you can elevate it further by incorporating an extra pinch of sugar, a splash of lemon juice, or a dash of coconut oil for cooking the meats and vegetables. These additions enhance the natural flavors and add an extra layer of depth to your meal.
Easy Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 – 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
To make ahead:
- Whisk stir fry sauce ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Heat a saucepan to medium-high.
- Add sauce and heat until thickened, whisking as needed, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
To use immediately:
- Whisk sauce ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Add to your favorite stir fry recipe as needed. Allow sauce to cook with your stir fry until thickened.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Just found you blog last week. This recipe was outstanding! Thanks!
Thank you! I’m glad you found it!
Just made your stir fry sauce, just wonderful, delicious
I made a wok full. Gone in 60 seconds. Lol. Loved it. Whole family loved it
Thanks for sharing this recipe…I’ve been looking for a good stir fry recipe and this sounds like it will work fine!
I am very lactose intolerant and diabetic. To get a sugarless recipe, it’s going to have dairy. Your recipes for me have been spot on delicious and I can eat them! Stir Fry Sauce is awesome!
I’ve been a type 1 diabetic for 36 years. Great recipe as is. Wonderful flavor! Everyone in my household loved it on beef stir fry, chicken stir fry and vegetable stir fry. Will continue to use this sauce as often as possible.
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
Good flavor but quite salty. Also it makes barely over a cup. Next time I think I won’t salt the food (chicken this time) before cooking and use straight water instead of chicken stock to cut the saltiness. Will definitely make again!
Great recipe! It was too salty though. Maybe lesser soy sauce and plain water instead of broth.
I made this without the ginger (hubby doesn’t like it) and without the rice vinegar (didn’t have any). It had good flavor and hubby liked it. I used it in a quinoa stir fry. Next time I will probably cut back on the corn starch because it was almost too thick.
It is very tasty. I doubled the recipe, and added double the chicken broth. I make my own, so there is no salt added to my chicken broth, however I still found it too salty. Are used tamari soy sauce which isn’t super salty. Next time I will cut the soy in half.
I have a question, does this freeze well?
If you make most any sauce and add cornstarch to it, it will gell up as it cools down. You can fix this by slowly heating the sauce up again or simply smooth out the sauce over your food and heat it up that way. Freezing should be ok, but it may gell up as well.
Been looking for a good stir fry sauce using ingredients I commonly have. I didn’t have rice vinegar, but had the other ingredients. I doubled the recipe, cut the soy sauce by one third (used 2/3 c instead of 1 cup) and replaced the difference with more Homemade chicken broth (unsalted). It did get too thick, but I thinned it down with some water until got the consistency I wanted. My husband thought it needed to be a little sweeter, so we added some real maple syrup. 👍🏻
Fabulous!! I only modified a smidge but it still turned out amazing!! Thank you!!! (Instead of the minced ginger I used ground ginger, and it was still really good. Not overpowering at all!) Thanks again for sharing!!
aldubben@yahh.com