Friends!! This is so exciting because you are never going to have to wonder what’s for dinner when you are looking for an easy, simple recipe.
No, in fact, you can just shake up a jar of homemade stir fry sauce and toss it with…just about anything to make a deliciously healthy veggie-loaded dinner.
Seriously, there’s no end to the dinner options with this sauce. It marries up well with frozen veggies, shrimp, tofu, whatever other proteins you have on hand or enjoy, and my favorite – the random vegetables you need to use up in your fridge. There are honestly endless possibilities.
You know I love delicious game-changing homemade sauce recipes. They take otherwise meh ingredients and bring the WOW, adding so much flavor and bringing excitement to mealtime. So without any more chatter, let’s see what this next-up, super simple sauce is all about.
Why Should You Make Your Own Sauce?
For starters, I did mention the crazy amount of flavor they add to just about any and every dish, right?
Making sauces at home, especially this stir fry sauce, allows you to control the ingredients and keeps the flavors fresh, which means it can also be healthier, depending on your needs, like if you are looking for a low sodium option or one without added oils.
In most cases, it’s also cheaper, making it super budget-friendly. The simple ingredients are ones that you likely have in your pantry or fridge, and use just a little bit of them at a time, so it’s quite economical.
Not that you need one more reason, after all of that, but just in case you do, I’ll remind you that making stir fry sauce from scratch takes less than five minutes, and that my friends, is a no-brainer to me!
Ingredients for Stir Fry Sauce
If you’re wondering what’s in stir-fry sauce, let’s take a look at the ingredients you’ll need. The beauty of making the sauce yourself is that you can adjust the flavors just how you like them – make the sauce a little sweeter, or a little more sour, depending on your tastes.
As written, the sauce recipe has a nice balance of sweet, salty, and sour. You can absolutely adjust to your preferences and taste-test the sauce before you begin cooking. Be sure to see the full recipe card below.
- Soy Sauce (low sodium recommended): this is the base of the stir fry sauce, adding the dark color to it (replace a tablespoon or so with dark soy sauce that we use in vegetable lo mein for an even deeper flavor!).
There is quite a bit of soy sauce in the base, so I recommend using low-sodium soy sauce.
- Vegetable Stock: using stock instead of water adds more flavor to the sauce, but if you need to, you can also substitute with water (or chicken stock if you’re not vegetarian). Use no salt stock to make sure the sauce isn’t overly salty.
- Sesame Oil: it’s nutty, rich, and toasty. A little bit of this oil goes a long way!
- Rice Vinegar: it’s vinegar, so this is where our sourness can come from if we add too much, but rice vinegar is overall pretty mild and has a slightly sweet flavor to it, too. I start with 1/2 tablespoon but increase to 1 full tablespoon if you like vinegar-type flavors.
- Garlic and Ginger: just about every stir fry recipe you’ll find on this site is going to also include added garlic and ginger – they are huge flavor add-ins and I do think they need to be in the sauce, too. Definitely recommend using fresh!
- Sugar or Honey: a little sweetness to balance out the acidity and saltiness; use brown sugar for a deeper molasses flavor to the sauce, or honey for a more natural-sugar option.
- Cornstarch: ah, the sauce thickener. Without cornstarch, the sauce is really thin. Cooking it down with cornstarch thickens it making it luxuriously sticky so it coats all of the other ingredients.
- Red Pepper Flakes: making this an optional ingredient for you… adding just a pinch of red pepper flakes adds a little more depth to the sauce, without being spicy. You can always add more to make it spicy or use chili garlic paste. Or, you can leave it out.
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce from Scratch
This is truly one of my favorite sauces to make. It’s simply the best – full of flavor from all the ingredients (especially the fresh ginger and garlic – oh my!) and I can pair it with anything. Ok, have I told you yet how dang easy it is, too? Like I said, THE BEST.
You can either whisk together the ingredients in a bowl or add them all to a jar and shake, shake, shake. If you know me, then you know I’ve turned into the kind of adult who likes to reduce the number of dishes I have to do, and one-pan dinners have become my BFF (ok, is this all adulting?) so the jar method is used frequently around here.
Either way, add the aromatics along with the sugar or honey, pour in the vegetable stock, add the soy sauce, and then the corn starch.
Whisk or shake them together until it’s completely combined. Then, you can use it immediately or store it in the fridge for later use (more on that in a minute).
Stir Fry Sauce Ideas
There are basically endless dinner options when it comes to stir fry. Make an at-home Asian or Chinese-inspired dinner the whole family will love, mixing and matching your favorite ingredients. Here are a few of my (and my fam’s) favorite ideas. Note that not all are vegetarian ideas for those who do eat meat.
- Shrimp Stir-Fry
- Vegetable Stir-Fry – honestly, use whatever veggies you love or that need to be eaten before they go bad in that fridge drawer! Some great ones are snow peas, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers…you name it!
- Cabbage Stir Fry
- Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Noodle Stir-Fry – pair it with thick rice noodles, udon noodles, or thin ramen noodles for a noodley dinner.
- Tofu Stir-Fry
- Broccoli Stir Fry
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Beef Stir Fry
- Toss it with roasted cauliflower or jackfruit to turn it into lettuce wraps!
How to Make a Simple Stir Fry
Here’s a very high-level overview of how to make a stir fry using the ingredients you have. If you are a comfortable at-home chef, I am sure you’ll be able to work with what you’ve got to make it happen. Otherwise, I highly recommend you take a look at one of my stir fry recipes for more specific instructions.
- If you are making a protein like shrimp or chicken, first saute them in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat in a little bit of oil. At this point, I like to cook the proteins halfway through (for shrimp) or just before it’s completely cooked (for chicken) so once it’s added back into the vegetables at the end, it doesn’t overcook. This is the same method I use for shrimp scampi.
- Remove the protein, then add in the hearty vegetables first. This would be things like onion, mushrooms, broccoli, etc. The veggies that will take longer to cook should go first.
- Add in some aromatics if you’d like more; I am always a fan of more garlic and ginger.
- Add in tender vegetables, like bok choy or bell peppers. Cook the veggies until they are tender-crisp. Add the protein (if using) back into the mixture.
- Add in the sauce and simmer for a few minutes until thickened.
- Serve over rice as desired, garnish, and enjoy!
Serving Size
This sauce recipe as written makes just over 1 cup of sauce (about 1 1/4 cups). If making enough stir fry for 4-6 people, I find it to be the perfect amount; it’s a little saucy but not swimmingly so.
If you prefer less sauce in your stir fry, I would recommend starting with about 3/4 cup of the sauce, and adding more as you see fit. And if you have leftover sauce, never fear…
Storage and Freezing
This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to one week, which means it is absolutely perfect for meal prep. I mean…if you must prep it. It’s also easy enough to make in the rush of weeknight dinner flurry.
Anyway, keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
You can also freeze the sauce, just place it in a freezer-safe airtight container like Souper Cubes or Stasher Bags and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place it in the fridge, at room temperature, or on the stove over low heat until warmed through.
Commonly Asked Questions
Use low-sodium soy sauce in place of regular soy sauce to make this sauce with less sodium. Also, use vegetable stock, not broth, as stock is made without added salt. Or, be sure your broth is ‘low sodium’ too. Or just use water instead of stock.
Yes, as long as you use gluten-free soy sauce like Tamari. While the remaining ingredients should be naturally gluten-free, be sure to check all the ingredient labels to be sure.
Yes! It is vegetarian, and vegan if you use sugar, not honey.
You can use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce to make this sauce soy-free.
To make the sauce even thicker, add another 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. If you are adding it after the sauce has already been mixed with other ingredients, quickly whisk it together with a little stock or soy sauce, then add it into the stir fry. This will ensure it is incorporated seamlessly.
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Get the Recipe 5-Minute Stir Fry Sauce (so easy!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable stock, or water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 – 2 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 Tablespoon sugar or honey*, up to 2 tablespoons for a more sweet than sour sauce
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- In a bowl or mason jar with a lid, combine all of the ingredients and whisk or shake well until combined.
- Use immediately in a stir fry recipe, simmering it to thicken. Or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week before using. This recipe yields approximately 1 ¼ cup of sauce; you may want to start using half in your recipe and add more as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Sour: to make it more sour, increase the rice vinegar to 1 tablespoon.
- Sweet: to make it sweeter, add up to one additional tablespoon of sugar or honey.
- Sugar: speaking of, brown sugar or granulated sugar work!
- Thicker: to make the sauce extra thick, add up to 1 tablespoon additional corn starch.
- Play around with the ratios if you have a preference for a certain taste – it’s super customizable!
By the Way…
This recipe is part of our collection of savory homemade sauce recipes. Check it out!
I whipped this yummy sauce up last night, threw some veggies in a pan, rice in my insta-pot and had a delicious and super fast dinner made just in time to eat while watching Survivor!
Way, way too much soy sauce per amount of water. Diluted it a lot but still too salty. Used a lot of honey & brown sugar. Didn’t help enough. I would cut it to 1:2 water to soy sauce.
Sorry to hear you found it too salty for your liking, Dick. I would suggest trying low-sodium soy sauce next time you make something similar.
Loved this!! So easy and with a great flavor! Will be my go to from now on.
So glad to hear! Thank you for commenting!
So easy and tasty! Loved it! Will be my go to from now on.
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing!
The vinegar! I never would have thought to include that and it is 100% what takes it next level.
So glad to you love! Thanks, Vanessa!!
Made with a few changes due to what was on hand. Used liquid aminos, toasted sesame oil(1tsp), accidentally used 1tbsp vinegar and inceased the sugar/honey because hubs likes it sweet. Didn’t add red pepper flake but used siracha on the whole dish. Was delightful and will be used on the regular. Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing, Laura! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!! 🙂
This turned out great!!
So glad to hear! Thanks, Kate!
Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipe’s.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them! Thank you, Linda!
This sauce is yummy. I used Better than Bouillon for the chicken broth. I also added sambal for heat and added flavor.
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for sharing, Matthew!
Overall a good sauce. I found it a touch too salty and adjusted, I also like a thicker sauce so I’ll probably add a bit extra cornstarch next time. But yummy overall!
Thanks so much for your feedback, Nicole! Glad you were able to adjust to your liking, too!
Made last minute and girl its perfect!!!!
So glad to hear! Thanks so much, Emily!
I found it very easy to fix. Next time I will use low sodium soy sauce. We love garlic so I minced up about 6 gloves. It is something I would make again.
Thanks
So glad to hear, Rick! I’m always a huge fan of more garlic too. 🙂 Thanks so much for your review!
I love this recipe! It is my new stir fry sauce. It is as easy as described and so tasty. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear! Thanks, Courtney!
This an easy recipe and I always use low sodium Soy sauce and fresh Ginger and Garlic. I have used this numerous times with all kinds of Stir fry and it tastes great every time. There is also low sodium bouillon as well.
I’m so glad to hear! Thanks, Terry!
Excellent. You can truly use this recipe as is and it’s wonderful or make some alterations like was suggested, to suit your taste. I make a lot for leftovers as well, so I doubled the recipe,
but only used 1 tbsp of ginger. For me that was the perfect amount. Just a tiny hint. 👍 I will def be making this from now on.
So glad to hear! Thanks so much, Allyson!
Sauce was delicious. Quick and easy to make. I liked that it was a customizable. . I added extra garlic and ginger. It was salty before combining with stir fry which I did not add any season to. So the saltiness of the sauce was balanced by my stir fry veggies and protein. Overall, I would definitely make this sauce again.
Thanks, Sandy! Spot on note about the salt and not needing to season the veggies and protein much because of it, and I always love extra garlic and ginger too. 🙂 So glad to hear you enjoyed!
First time a stir fry recipe came out perfect! Super fast and super easy. Thank you.
I am so glad to hear it, Dee! Thank you so much for your comment, and for making it!
This is absolutely perfect. I put extra honey like the instructions says and it was to die for. My whole family devoured it and said it was the best stir fry I’ve ever made.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear everyone loved it!! Thanks so much for making it and leaving such a day-maker comment, Jessica! 🙂
Delicious and easy.
Thanks, Marie! So glad you enjoyed!
This was so good! I tweaked it a little, I used 1/4 tsp xanthan gum instead of corn starch, used 1 packet of Splenda instead of sugar and didn’t put in the garlic, since I put it in the stir fry with onion, carrot, celery, sugar snap peas and thinly sliced chicken. My family loved it! definitely wrote it in my Go-To recipe book! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Annalisa! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, your stir fry sounds yummy! 🙂
I tried this recipe and it’s really good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to try the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks, Elsie!
Its so easy and so delish on my stirfry .. no more buying ready to mix stirfry on bottles and jars.. this is absolutely way better❤️Thank you
Yay!!! This makes me so excited to hear! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Mylene!
I have thrown in a tablespoon of Pineapple Juice which kind of takes it into a teriyaki territory but is a good option to sugar ro add sweetness and it pairs well with the ingredients. Just a thought. I have been making various stir fries for years.
Good tip! Thanks so much for sharing!
I usually use just the package mix, but after I had all the vegs and meat prepped, I discovered that I didn’t have any. Panicking a little, I googled Stir-fry sauce and found yours. Simple to make and very good. Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear it worked out for you, Ginnie! I hope you had a delicious dinner. Thank you so much for giving it a try and taking the time to comment!
This is a great sauce, so simple yet so tasty! I used it tonight and will definitely use it again. The veggie broth made such a huge difference and I’m glad I tried it. Using a mason jar was a great idea. Thank you🙂
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Anthony!
We so enjoyed this recipe template! As we are cooking for two, we made the amounts you list but a little less reduced sodium soy and a dash of fish sauce, sriracha and oyster sauce. Also, we didn’t utilize all of the sauce per our portion size but will save the rest for another meal. Thank you – easy and delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing, Julie! I’m glad you enjoyed.
Omg, this was SO amazing!!! Added green onions and used sugar free brown sugar splenda instead of sugar and it was GREAT. This will be my go to sauce now! Very restaurant quality!!
Make sure to coat your meat in cornstarch before frying to give it that velvety, restaurant flavor!
Awesome!! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, and thank you for making and for sharing your swaps/tips with us. So helpful!
Super delicious, and easily adjustable based on whatever is on hand.
So glad to hear you enjoyed! Thanks for your review, Mark!
Did a noodle stir-fry with this (modifications below) and came out really well. My wife says it tasted like Chinese-take-out Lo Mein, but better and healthier!
Surprised I didn’t try this as stir-fry sauce sooner given it’s nearly identical to my noodle soup tare (seriously – try it as a tare).
My individual servings were portioned as:
1 TB tamari (black soy tamari for mine)
1 TB fish sauce
2 TB (1/8 cup) water
1 tsp corn starch (mixed into water ala roux for ease of adding to other liquids)
1/2 tb rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
1/2 tb finely chopped ginger
1 tsp coconut sugar
+ 1/2 tb sesame oil (darn memory!)
Thanks for sharing, Michael! So glad to hear you both enjoyed it!
Great stir fry sauce made over and over again. Great way to get our veggies…
So glad you enjoy it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Annette!
Tasty and very easy to adapt to your taste preferences, very affordable.
Thanks for the great recipe!!
Thanks so much, Jan! I’m glad you enjoyed, and I appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.
I really love all your sauces Becca and have now added this one to the list. Super quick and easy. I use a low-sodium tamari which removes the gluten, and I always add a bit more fresh ginger and garlic. Yum
I’m so happy to hear, Anita! Thanks so much for sharing!!
I made this tonight for dinner with organic frozen veggie’s. Cauliflower. broccoli and carrots. Served it with chicken and a side salad it was amazing. My husband loved it. We’ll definitely make it again and again
So easy and delicious.
I’m so glad to hear you both enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing and leaving your review, Louanne!
It was easy and tasty.
But I must object to the use of “at-home” in your copy; it’s grating and unnecessary.
Very tasty and super easy to make! First time making stir fry and I appreciate this is simple and uses ingredients that are already in my pantry. This will be a regular on my menu plan. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Natasha! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your review!
This is rally good, I’ve made it a few times now. You’re right it’s so customizable, I used apple cider for the liquid and a tbd if peanut butter in it with pork and veggies. Insanely good
So glad to hear! Thanks so much for sharing, Brandye!
This was goooooood!
Thanks, Elaine!!
Great flavor!! Only had powered ginger, jarred minced garlic and olive oil- had all the other items, but still awesome!!
Will def make again with the correct ingredients
Ty !
Thanks for sharing, Tina! I’m glad you were still able to make it work!
Made this stir fry tonight. I used coconut aminos and found it a bit too salty so i added a bit more honey. All in all, it was very good.Thanks
Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
One of the hardest things to duplicate after finding out our daughter has celiacs is Chinese food. This is the simplest and best tasting stir fry sauce recipe I’ve come across. Found GF soy sauce voila, we’re back in business. Found shaking it up on a Tupperware was easier than whisking. Thanks!
I am so, so, so happy to hear this recipe has helped your family! Thank you so much for sharing!
Just what I was looking for! I used honey and next time will add about a tsp more. We luckily had just enough sesame oil to make the recipe which is a key flavor.
This is definitely going in my recipe box.
Thank you!
Awesome, thanks for sharing, Bruce!
I found this yesterday when I was looking for a way to jazz up some veggies & shrimp – I had fresh ginger, that made me decide to go ahead, even though I couldn’t find cornstarch! I used a little flour which probably wasn’t as good, but it came out great. It makes a pretty big batch of sauce; I had more than was needed for two people, but so easy to put together! Yes it’s salty, even with low sodium soy sauce, but this is a once in a while dish, right? Thank you, I’ll make this again..
Thanks so much for sharing, Carolyn!
I’m not a great cook but my wife broke her shoulder so I’ve been doing all the cooking the last couple of months not just every now and again. I have a new appreciation for having to come up with ideas for a meal that can be eaten one handed! Anyway, love this recipe and I’ve made it 3 times in the last few weeks. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Thanks so much for sharing, Doug! I’m glad you’ve been loving it – I wish your wife a speedy recovery!
This was perfect and excellent with veggies! Do you think it would also work with veggies & lentils combined? Thank you for this tasty treat!!
Hi Jenn – yes, I do think that would work! I’m so glad you enjoyed – thanks for your review!
Thank you Becca for sharing your recipe. It is amazing. Super easy even for someone who doesn’t enjoy cooking. Loved by all even by my fussy eaters
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for your review, Sarah!
Very easy and very good. I used low sodium soy, low sodium veggie broth, ginger powder and garlic powder, only used 11/2 tablespoons of sugar. I loved your notes as to making it sweeter or sour, will be making this again soon!
I’m glad you found the notes helpful! Thank you so much for making and leaving a review, Kathleen!
I found out at the last minute that my brother-in-law who is vegetarian was staying at our house. Had all the ingredients except sesame oil. Substituted for Mongolian oil. I added an extra teaspoon of honey to cut some of heat. Turned out perfectly and amazing! Very easy to follow and loved the canning jar method to shake the ingredients.Thank you again. Beautifully put together.
Awesome! Thanks so much for your review, Danielle!
I made a vegetable stir with this sauce, it was so delicious.
Thanks for your review, Dana! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Wow, super easy and oh so dalicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad to hear you loved it – thanks so much, Catherine!
great for a quick stir fry. just added a “splash” of asian chili oil for some heat….great recipe!
Thanks for your review!
I have no idea how this recipe has received 5 stars. The sauce is incredibly salty. I followed the instructions to a tee and I actually prefer a saltier taste but this? This is way too much. Very disappointing.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the sauce, Kristina. I know it’s frustrating to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too! Thanks for your feedback.