The BEST Stir Fry Sauce
This stir fry sauce recipe is easy, healthy, & ready in no time! Smother this homemade sauce over your favorite stir-fried meat & veggies- the BEST!
Allow me to introduce you to the BEST stir fry sauce ever! Yes, it is very necessary that BEST is in all caps. I love a great stir fry packed with veggies and meat, but let’s be honest, the most important part is an amazing, Asian-inspired sauce!
This recipe will blow your mind. It’s homemade, easy, and ready in under 10 minutes! Did I mention it’s better than takeout?!
Table of Contents
Watch The Recipe Video
Note: You can also watch this recipe video on YouTube.
What Makes This Recipe Great
Now, this sauce may not look like much, but its lack of beauty is more than made up in flavor. Delicious Asian flavors like soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seed oil, and rice vinegar are all whisked together into a versatile, easy-to-make sauce.
It can be adjusted to be vegan or gluten-free without losing any flavor. Just add all the ingredients to a pint-sized mason jar, close the lid tightly, and shake!
This is really the only stir fry sauce you’ll ever need. It’s quick, and the kind of recipe you’ll want to make again and again! It’s great with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and just about every combination of stir-fried vegetables. I just can’t get enough!
Ingredient Notes
Soy Sauce: I like to use low sodium soy sauce to make this recipe healthier. If you need it to be gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for Tamari (you seriously can’t tell the difference!).
Chicken Stock (or Broth): I use Kettle + Fire organic chicken bone broth (my favorite! Use code TASTESLOVELY for 20% off!) for this recipe, but if you’re vegan, use vegetable broth. It’s a totally easy substitution that still tastes just as good!
Corn Starch: Many people prefer corn starch because it’s what they have on hand, but a healthier swap for corn starch is either Tapioca Flour or Arrowroot powder. These have fewer carbs and are excellent thickeners!
Honey: Instead of brown sugar, I use a healthier swap like honey. If you want a vegan alternative, simply swap the honey for agave nectar.
Sesame Seed Oil & Rice Vinegar: These are both pretty easy to find! Check your favorite local grocery store if you don’t have any on hand!
Ginger: You can use grated ginger, minced ginger, ginger paste, or even ground ginger (many readers have had success with this!) for this recipe.
Garlic Cloves: Use either finely grated or minced garlic.
Recipe Step by Step
- Simply whisk all ingredients together. Alternatively, you can put all the ingredients in your mason jar (or another container with a tight lid), close the lid, and shake until combined!
Expert Tips
- You can adjust the amount you make according to how many servings of stir fry you need.
- This recipe makes 1-1/4 cups of sauce, which is the perfect amount for a chicken stir fry that serves 4 people with 1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed, 1 head of broccoli, 2 red bell peppers, 1 yellow onion, 1 zucchini, all chopped, and served with 2 cups cooked white rice.
- If you want your sauce to serve 8 people, simply double the recipe!
Note:
- When you add this sauce to your stir-fried veggies and protein, make sure to add the sauce last. Allow it to cook for 3 full minutes with the stir fry to give the corn starch or alternative thickening agent time to thicken.
(scroll to the bottom to see the customizable, printable recipe!)
Stir Fry Sauce Variations
With just a few swaps, you can easily make this sauce fit your dietary needs and it will still taste AMAZING!
Vegan: Use vegetable broth and agave nectar!
Spicy: Add red pepper flakes (to taste).
Keto: Swap corn starch for tapioca flour or arrowroot, and monk fruit sweetener, or click here for my Keto Stir Fry Sauce recipe!
Gluten-Free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I’ve listed several swaps to make this stir fry sauce recipe healthier and lifestyle-friendly. It’s super versatile and tastes amazing in all the different ways you make it!
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week, though you will probably eat it sooner!
If you have leftover sauce, you can freeze it! Freeze in any freezer-safe container for at least 6 months. Thaw, then use in your stir fry.
This recipe makes 1-1/4 cups of sauce, which is the perfect amount for a stir fry that serves 4 people. However, If you are serving more people, you can increase the number of servings when you print the recipe below!
While you can make a few swaps to make this recipe keto, I’ve already created an even healthier version of this oh-so-popular recipe. Check out this Keto Whole30 stir fry sauce recipe!
The BEST Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup Kettle + Fire chicken stock bone broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Make The Stir Fry Sauce
- In a mason jar (or small bowl), combine all the ingredients. If using a mason jar, I love adding on the lid and shaking to combine. If using a bowl, whisk to combine. Whisk all ingredients together.
- Makes 1-1/4 cups. You can use immediately, or keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 1 week.
- How To Make A Stir Fry
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in 2 tablespoons oil, then 1 pound protein of your choice. (Works with chopped or ground chicken, sliced or ground beef, peeled + deveined shrimp, chopped or ground pork, tofu, etc) Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the protein is cooked through. Transfer the protein to a plate.
- To the same skillet, add in another 2 tablespoons oil and 4 cups of chopped vegetables of your choice. (broccoli, green beans, bell pepper, asparagus, onion, mushrooms, zucchini, etc). Cook 5-7 minutes until the veggies are crisp tender.
- Add back in the protein, and pour over all 1-1/4 cups of the sauce. Allow to come to a bubble, which will activate the thickener.
- Remove from the heat and serve warm over cooked rice, cauliflower rice or noodles.
532 Comments on “The BEST Stir Fry Sauce”
We are hosting dinner tomorrow night at our house for some of my husband’s important colleagues. I want to make sure that everything is perfect, so I made a test run of this sauce recipe tonight, along with a new Brazilian rice recipe. I whisked the sauce in a mixing bowl and then let it simmer on low for about 10 minutes to mix the flavors and heat it up. I just needed to taste the sauce to make sure that it was going to be good for tomorrow. Well, this is the first time that I have ever commented on a recipe online. I poured some of the sauce over the rice and tried it. AMAZING!!!! I can’t wait until tomorrow when I actually put this with all the veggies and steak. Seriously, thank you! I know that dinner will be a hit for sure!
Oh this totally made my day! I am so glad you liked it! I’m so curious to hear what your guests thought? I hope your dinner was a hit!
The sauce was delicious.it was a last minute decision for me and it all came together so quickly.
Thank you, Maxine! I am so glad you liked it!
Quick and easy to throw together, this sauce is THE sauce I use when stir-frying. Love how the fresh ginger gives it a nice kick (I use extra). Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Gina! I am so glad you like my recipe! It’s a tried and true favorite for my family too!
This was excellent! I’d tried a different sauce recipe that was meh before, so I was leery but this was better than store bought, for sure!
I did add 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, as suggested, for a bit of kick. I may add more next time, but this was flavorful! A winning combination.
Thank you!
Hi Sue! Thank you! I love that you added the red pepper flakes for a kick and that it was flavorful and better than store-bought- what a compliment! So honored to have you here!
I doubled the recipe because EVERY time I find a sauce recipe, it’s for a birds amount.
I’m here to say that this recipe makes plenty and it does not need to be doubled unless cooking for a large crows.
The sauce itself is a perfect stir fry flavor and it thickened up nicely. I didn’t need to add thickening or add liquid to thin it out.
Hi Beverlee! I am so glad you liked my recipe! It truly is the BEST stir fry sauce, and I am so glad the yield is more than you’re used to. You can never have enough sauce, right?!
I was getting bored with my stir fry sauce so decided to try this out and WOW. It’s seriously so flavorful and delicious!! I do agree that it can be a little salty if you don’t use low sodium soy sauce, but I also feel like a little goes a long way so I’ll try again and use a bit less next time. Still, it turned out amazing and so much more exciting than my same old recipe ❤️ I used it on a bunch of veggies and some soy “beef crumbles” and ate put it on some fresh cabbage leaves with a side of rice. Definitely making this again!
Thank you, Kristen! I am so happy to hear that you loved this recipe! It’s one of my all-time favs! Agreed on the soy sauce- low sodium is the way to go!
Too salty for my tastes
Sorry to hear that, Abby! You might try a lower-sodium soy sauce. I know even the “less” sodium soy sauces vary quite a bit, so I’d look for one with the least amount!
I will be making this tonight!! It sounds amazing!
Can’t wait to hear what you think, Cindy!
You’ve invited me to comment again and again — so here I am once more!! I had to restore my computer to the original factory settings and many of my FAVORITE recipes were gone (so very, very sad). Yours, of course was one of them. I had to find a sauce in a hurry and found one that was similar, but not nearly as good. In fact, my husband didn’t even comment (he ALWAYS comments on how good it is when I use your recipe). Happy days!!! I found your recipe and just couldn’t be happier. So based on my experience with other recipes (well, one other recipe), your is DEFINITELY the best. Please give yourself a huge pat on the back for me!
Awww, thank you Celie! What a nightmare having to find all of your favorite recipes again! I am so so happy you found mine again and absolutely love having you here! Thank you for your sweet comment- means so much!
We’ve been making this for YEARS! Still our go to. Wouldn’t change a thing!
Thank you, Lizzy! This means so much to me! So honored!
This is so tasty and so easy!
We had no garlic or ginger in the house as run out lol and we used vege stock coz ran out of chicken stock lol
Added a little chilli and boom! YumYumYummy!
Used leftover fridge veg: carrot, daikon, onion, Corgette, mushroom, capsicum and some pork WOW!! Family loved it!! Will make again!!! Thank you xx
Aww love this! So glad it worked out and was so delicious!
The best! Our go-to. Love it every time. My husband says I make dinner better than takeout. 😘
This is the BEST! What a compliment from your husband! I am so so glad you like this recipe and I LOVE that you’re nailing it!
This is my go to stir fry sauce now. My kids and I love it. Thank you!
LOVE to hear this! Thank you Candis!
Been making stir fry sauce for years. Just chucking ingredients in. Googled for recipes and selected yours to try. Kept to the proportions given in the recipe. Boy what a difference! Absolutely flippin amazing. Thanks so much.
Hi Stephen! This is such a great compliment! So so glad you found this recipe and it worked so well for you. Makes my day to hear this!
When you say Serving= 1.25 cups, how many people will this serve?
Thanks!
It’s enough to make a stir fry that will feed 6 people!
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