Elevate your everyday stir fry with this simple, homemade Easy Stir Fry Sauce. It’s a 5-minute sauce made from pantry-staple ingredients, like soy sauce, broth, garlic, and ginger. No cooking required!
Stir fry is a classic meal made from endless combinations of meat and vegetables. One way to take a vegetable stir fry, lamb stir fry, and Thai beef stir fry from good to great is with a really amazing sauce.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Stir a few pantry staples together, pour it over the stir fry, and enjoy!
This is the best stir fry sauce! And, it’s made with just a handful of ingredients you probably already have at home. The dynamic blend of sweet, salty, spicy, and umami-forward flavor brings life to any stir fry recipe.
Keep a batch on hand at all times so you never have to suffer through a boring stir fry again!
Why You’ll Love It
- It doesn’t require any complicated or hard-to-find ingredients.
- It’s a budget-friendly and easy alternative.
- You have much more control over the flavor.
- Homemade sauce always tastes fresh, more vibrant, and well-balanced.
- It’s easy to customize and can be made vegetarian, vegan, or gluten free.
There’s no cooking necessary to make the sauce itself either. All you need to do is stir the ingredients together, and then you’re ready to make your stir fry.
Ingredients needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple sauce:
- Soy sauce – Try to use low sodium soy sauce if you can. If you’re gluten free, make the sauce with tamari or coconut aminos instead.
- Stock – Chicken broth or vegetable stock will lend the richest flavor, but water can be used in a pinch. For even more nutrition, swap in my slow cooker bone broth.
- Brown sugar – A sweetener is always needed to balance the salty flavors. If you don’t want to use brown sugar, replace it with white sugar, honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup.
- Cornstarch – To help thicken the sauce. Arrowroot or tapioca starch should work just as well.
- Sriracha – For a spicy kick! Red pepper flakes work too.
- Garlic and ginger – Freshly grated garlic and ginger add a sharp, zingy flavor.
How to make it
Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl or a jar with a lid and that’s it! You can use the sauce right away in a simple stir fry or store it in the fridge for later.
How to Make a Simple Stir Fry
Are you ready to use your sauce right away? ¼ cup should be enough to coat this simple stir fry:
- Cut the protein of your choice (like chicken, tofu, shrimp, pork, or steak) into uniform size pieces. Place it in a shallow container, pour some of the stir fry sauce over top, and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat some oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the marinated protein and sear.
- Add some aromatics to the pan to saute, like onions, garlic, and/or fresh ginger.
- Once the aromatics are soft and fragrant, add a medley of fresh or frozen vegetables to the pan. Saute until tender.
- Pour the homemade stir fry sauce over the stir fry in the pan. Toss to coat, then serve hot.
What are the Best Vegetables to Stir Fry?
- Bell Peppers
- Zucchini
- Snap Peas
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Onions (yellow, white or red)
- Snow Peas
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Kale
Click HERE → for my favorite Veggie Stir Fry Recipe!
How to Make Ahead & Store
- Keep the sauce in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- It can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before using.
Serving Suggestions
Stir fry sauce doesn’t only have to be used with stir fry. Add it to any of these dishes for layers of complex flavors:
More Simple Homemade Sauces
- Sauces for Rice Noodles
- Dumpling Dipping Sauce
- Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)
- White BBQ Sauce
- Lemon Butter Sauce
- Bearnaise Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
Did you make this easy stir fry sauce recipe?
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Easy Stir Fry Sauce (5-Minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup chicken stock (vegetable stock or water)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1-2 Tablespoons sriracha (depending on how spicy you like it)
- 4 cloves garlic (grated or minced)
- 1 Tablespoon grated ginger
- Optional: Red pepper flakes (if you like it extra spicy)
Instructions
- In a jar with a lid or in a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and shake or whisk to combine.
- Use immediately in a stir fry recipe, or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week in an airtight container.
Notes
- Keep the sauce in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- It can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge before using.
Nutrition
Check out the web story here.
great sauce, thank you, my kind of spiciness and even worth spiking it a bit, love making these kinds of sauces from scratch
This has become my go-to stir-fry sauce recipe. I do have to omit the cornstarch, which keeps it thinner, but it still works. So adaptable (the heat) and so yummy!