Skip the store bough bottles, making stir fry sauce at home is so easy!
This easy recipe is perfect which chicken, shrimp, or beef and your favorite vegetables for a quick and easy meal.
Homemade is Best!
- This stir fry sauce recipe is versatile, easy, and flavor packed.
- Tailor it to your likes – add a little heat or some extra sweetness if you’d like!
- This sauce can go beyond a stir fry, heat and serve it over rice, or use it as a marinade for beef or pork.
- Prep ahead and keep it in the fridge for easy meals!
Ingredients in Stir Fry Sauce
- Garlic & Ginger: Fresh garlic and ginger add the best flavor; if needed, substitute garlic powder and ground ginger.
- Chicken Broth: Chicken stock or broth adds depth and flavor while a bit of water keeps the sauce from being too salty.
- Soy Sauce: Essential for umami or savory flavor. I prefer low sodium to keep this stir fry sauce recipe from being too salty. If using regular soy sauce, use a bit less and add extra water.
- Brown Sugar: This lightly sweetens the sauce, you can add more to taste. Use honey or maple syrup as substitutes.
Variations – Don’t be afraid to add a little extra ‘zing’ like cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, or even a squeeze of sriracha.
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce
This stir-fry sauce recipe is so easy, simply shake and enjoy!
- Combine all ingredients in the recipe below in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to mix.
- Refrigerate for up to one week.
Serving Suggestions
- It’s perfect with almost any protein, from beef stir fry to tofu, chicken, or shrimp.
- Use this easy stir-fry sauce with any variety of stir fry vegetables – try broccoli, mushrooms, onion, bell peppers, carrots, or snow peas/snap peas.
- Whisk the sauce over medium-high heat in a small skillet until thickened, and pour over a bowl of rice or noodles as an easy side dish.
- The cornstarch will settle to the bottom. Shake the jar vigorously to mix it back in before using.
Savory Stir Fries
Did you make this Stir Fry Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Stir Fry Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- ⅔ cup chicken broth or chicken stock, or vegetable broth
- ⅔ cup water
- ½ cup less sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients. Shake well to mix.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Shake very well before using.
To Use Stir-Fry Sauce
- To make a stir fry, cook meat and vegetables in a large skillet with a bit of oil.
- Move meat and veggies to one side of the pan and pour the desired amount of stir fry sauce into the empty side. Allow it to simmer until thickened.
- Mix well with the meat and vegetables and serve.
Notes
- The cornstarch will settle to the bottom of the jar. Shake the jar vigorously to mix it back in before use.
- Use fresh ginger and garlic if possible, the flavor is so much better.
- Add sriracha or chili flakes for a little bit of heat.
- For a thicker sauce, add extra cornstarch or create a slurry.
- To thicken the sauce further, combine equal parts of cornstarch and water and graudally add it to the simmering sauce while whisking.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dip, Dressing, Sauce
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Hi Holly,
Please disregard my last (male) question, I just noticed the photo of the ingredients and saw that it is light brown sugar used in the recipe.
I made a Teriyaki sauce last week and used dark brown sugar, and I’m not sure whether it added to the overall bitterness of the sauce, which I ended up binning.
Cheers,
John
Hi John, I hope you both love this sauce as much as my family does!
That’s a great question. For the most part, dark brown sugar and light brown sugar can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Dark brown sugar has a bit more molasses so it’s darker in color and has a bit of more flavor but aside from that there isn’t much difference. I use either depending on what I have on hand but I do prefer dark for baking as it adds a bit of a caramel flavor.
This is a really good sauce. It makes enough for two dinners. I added some sriracha sauce and Shaoxing wine to the sauce for the second dinner as per a prior commenter’s suggestion. My husband said he thought the first try was good (he’s never been impressed by my stir fry) and that he really liked the second try (because he likes food spicy). I am very grateful that Holly shared this recipe! Thank you!
So glad you and your husband enjoyed it, Jeaneti!
what a great sauce, love it and on repeat. Will add a bit more heat, when having with hubby. One question, the fresh garlic, can be dangerous if kept longer in fridge, right. so can I freeze this sauce with the garlic? Or can you add garlic to sauce when ready to use?
If you are freezing this sauce, I would just add fresh garlic when you’re ready to use the sauce again, Betty!
Hello Holly , Will this sauce go well with shrimp & scallops stir-fry ? We the the fact that it’s low sodium verses store brands . Easy to make Too! Happy New Year to you and Family , Thanks Holly
Yes, this would be delicious with shrimp and scallops! Happy New Year to you as well Peggy.
great recipes that are cheap to produce.
I’ve used this recipe three times in the past month. My husband and I love it! I’ve changed up the protein and vegetables, but this sauce is amazing! I like that I can adjust my spice level by throwing more chili flakes in. One sauce recipe will make two stir fry meals. I told my husband that when I make the sauce, we have to have stir fry twice within a week. He said he was very okay with that! Lol! Thank you! This will be a regular for us.
So happy to hear that, Sharon!
Delicious and easy!
Like my mother before me I’ve always made stir fries and winged my own sauce, with inconsistent results. Lovely to have something on hand which always makes a great sauce. Only changes I made were adding 2 T. Shaoxing rice wine (as I had it on hand) and a good shot of Sriracha.
Sounds great Jocelyn!
The was the best stir-fry I ever had. Thank you for sharing.
very good recipes can t wait to try them .
We loved the stir fry sauce it is easy to make and delicious, so much better than anything store bought. Thank you so much!
Can’t wait to try some of these yummy recipes
All the ingredients look nice and tasty, look forward to trying it out to night.
Could you freeze this sauce in ice cube trays?
Yes Caroline, you sure can! :)
So happy to have a nice stir fry sauce recipe. I’ve been winging it and sometimes it is good and sometimes not so good. I will keep this right at my fingertips so it will always be good. Thank you so much.