Keep this fantastic homemade Stir Fry Sauce on hand and make a restaurant quality Asian stir fry dinner in a flash. Delicious with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and vegetables. Over rice or noodles. This easy recipe is made in minutes and can be used right away or stored for later.
We have so many favorite stir fry recipes, all quite different in ingredients and flavor. All fantastic. Some favorites we alternate between each week include Pepper Steak, Cashew Chicken, and Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry. But sometimes you just want a go-to sauce that can accommodate no matter what you’re cooking. So years ago, I took the elements from each one that I love and combined them for this all-purpose stir fry sauce. This recipe is an absolute winner!
Chinese Stir Fry Sauce
One of the best components of any good stir fry recipe is the sauce. It’s that wow factor, which elevates the dish from delicious to exceptional!
This all-purpose stir fry sauce is something I keep in my back pocket, making weeknight dinners a synch. It takes only minutes to put together and can be used right away or kept in the fridge for later. It’s perfect for protein or vegetable stir fry recipes, served with rice or over noodles.
Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth: We use chicken broth instead of water, for added flavor, and low sodium to cut down on the salt in the sauce. You can always add, but you can’t take away! For a vegetarian version, you can use vegetable broth, but be aware it will change the flavor profile.
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce: We always use low-sodium soy sauce to limit the salt in our meals. If you need the sauce to be gluten-free, use Tamari sauce.
- Sesame Oil: Sesame oil brings big authentic Chinese flavor to a stir fry sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar balances out the salty, bitter soy sauce and acidity from the wine, plus contributes great flavor. It makes a big difference, so don’t skip it.
- Shaoxing Wine: This is Chinese cooking wine and a secret weapon in Asian restaurants. It gives the sauce depth of flavor so it tastes like your favorite take-out. It can usually be found in the International section at most common grocery stores. If you can’t find it, dry sherry is the best substitute. You can also use Mirin, but it’s much sweeter, so if you do use Mirin, cut back on the brown sugar. If you can’t consume alcohol at all, use apple juice, but know that the sauce will be “lacking” something.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic are key in a great stir fry sauce. Skip the powders this time.
- Red Pepper Flakes: We like the added flavor and slight heat this lends. It’s just a small amount, so the sauce isn’t spicy. If you do like your sauce spicier, add more. You can also use chili garlic sauce or Sriracha.
- Cornstarch and Water: Cornstarch and water are combined to thicken stir fry sauce and make it glossy. Once it’s added to the stir fry, it will cook and become thick and bubbly. The mixture will continue to thicken after being removed from the heat and cools down. Also a great flour alternative if you need this dish to be gluten-free.
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce
Like most homemade sauces, this recipe is so easy. You simply combine all the ingredients in a pint-sized mason jar, fasten the lid, and shake until fully incorporated. You can also mix everything in a bowl with a whisk, but I prefer to combine everything in a jar – then you can easily give it a quick shake to reincorporate all the ingredients that have settled to the bottom.
*Scroll below for the detailed printable recipe.
How to Use Stir Fry Sauce
*Don’t miss the complete printable sauce recipe below.
This recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce and is the perfect amount (IMHO!) for a complete stir fry where everything gets coated, but the meats and veggies aren’t swimming in it. If you want more sauce, you can always add a bit more water or chicken broth.
Stir fry can be made up of just about any meats and/or vegetables, swapping them out every time to keep the flavors new and interesting. We love onion, broccoli, snap peas, bell pepper, carrots, water chestnuts, and scallions.
A good rule of thumb is 1 pound of protein and 6 cups of chopped vegetables to feed 4 people. We always serve stir fry over cooked white rice or noodles, which stretches it even further or provides leftovers the next day.
To use stir fry sauce to make stir fry:
- Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 pound of protein (cubed chicken, sliced beef or pork, or thawed shrimp) and cook until browned and almost cooked through. (Time will vary depending on the protein.) Transfer to a clean plate.
- Add 1 more tablespoon of oil and 6 cups of chopped vegetables (onion, broccoli, snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, etc.) to the pan. Stir fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
- Return the protein back to the pan, along with the stir fry sauce. Cook, stirring to distribute, until the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes or until desired thickness is reached.
- Serve over hot cooked rice.
NOTE: I always season the meat and vegetables with just a pinch of salt and pepper as I stir fry, which contributes to layers of flavor. The sauce does have plenty of flavor on its own, though, so this is personal preference.
Proper Storage
How long does stir fry sauce last? This stir fry sauce should be stored in a jar with a tight fitting lid (or airtight container) in the refrigerator. It will keep for 1-2 weeks. There aren’t any ingredients in this sauce that should go “bad” very soon, but look at the containers of everything and use that as a guide.
After it’s been sitting and untouched for a while, the ingredients will separate and the cornstarch has a tendency to settle and harden at the bottom of the jar. Take a dull knife to loosen it up, then fasten the lid and give it a good shake to reincorporate everything before using.
Easy Stir Fry Sauce Video
Other Homemade Sauces
Stir Fry Recipes We Love
- Beef and Broccoli Ramen
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Beef Stir Fry
- Fried Rice
I hope you love this delicious and simple recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine cornstarch and water in a mason jar until smooth. Then add in all the remaining ingredients. Fasten the lid, and shake until fully incorporated.
- (Alternatively, you can mix everything in a bowl with a whisk.)
- Use as desired. Instructions for a basic stir fry are in the full article.
- If not using right away, store in a sealed jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. Note: after it's been sitting and untouched for a while, the ingredients will separate and the cornstarch has a tendency to settle and harden at the bottom of the jar. Take a dull knife to loosen it up, then fasten the lid and give it a good shake to reincorporate everything before using.
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
This is a fantastic sauce – simple to make and far better than any sauce you’d buy at a store.
I use this 1x per week!
Do you think if I use clear jel instead of cornstarch I could can this?
Bloody Delicious!
This sauce has become our family’s favorite.
Absolutely loved this AP sauce. I make stir fry a lot and haven’t found a bottled version that my family loved. This was 10/10 for us!
I cook stir fry A LOT so I had all the ingredients to make this. We absolutely loved it. No more store bought sauce for us!
My family loved the sauce. I used ground ginger, chicken bouillon dissolved in 1/2 cup of water and omitted the sesame oil since I was out. The sauce was delicious even with the changes I had to make. This will definitely be my go to stir fry sauce. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
We have a garden and fresh veggies that needed a stir fry sauce. I changed the broth to beef since we had leftover steak to add to it. Other than that I didn’t and wouldn’t change a thing. Hubby wants it every week now, twice a week!
This is a great recipe. I prefer it so much than buying a pre-made bottled sauce from the store or a dry seasoning packet.
Toasted sesame oil, or regular sesame oil, please? ?
Either, but my preference is toasted.
I use this recipe every time i make stir fry, it is SO GOOD
Excellent! No need to keep looking for another sauce. Definitely my go to sauce!
I just love the sauce.
This is now our go to stir fry sauce. So flavorful and our family of three really enjoyed it. Thank you!
I use this recipe every week. 5 stars!
Loved this recipe so much, thanks for sharing.
So, so, so good!
This recipe is delicious! My daughter is obsessed and my picky nephew requests his own jar whenever I make a new batch. I triple it and we keep it on hand. My daughter will use this instead of Ramen packets so now i just keep rice noodles on hand.
Can this recipe be multiplied and canned for later use?
I didn’t think my hubby would like it, but he said it was a winner.
I’ve made this sauce 2 days in a row now. It’s so good, I can’t stop eating stir fry!!
This recipe is easy to make and so tasty. It’s a favorite for me!!
The stir fry sauce was excellent.
Very tasty!!! It’s my go-to recipe for an all purpose stir fry sauce!
I used this with some stir fried cubed boneless thighs, chinese sausage, baby bok choy, brocolli, carrots, and baby corn. Served over steamed white rice. It was delicious. This has earned a place in the dinner rotation.
This sauce was such a nice find! Made and served over chicken stir fry. Thank you for sharing! Will definitely make again.
I have tried a lot of recipes and this recipe is by far the best I have ever tasted.
Sounds delish! How long will this keep in the fridge?
All storage information is included in the article.
Soooo good! I also used honey instead of brown sugar. This will be on a regular rotation. Thanks!
First try….and boom!! Being a heck of a spicy eater, I customized it a lil bit with addition of 2 full tbsp black pepper and 4 tbsp red pepper flakes. Shit was KICKIN’ DELICIOUS just how I like it. Ohh, I also added a tbsp of Thai red boat fish sauce for that little extra Asian oomph. All thanks be to the author of this wonderful recipe.
Seriously to die for!! I have been making various stir fry for years. I always felt my sauce was lacking. This is absolutely what I have been looking for. SO good! I followed the recipe to a tee using dry sherry. At the very end I added a couple tablespoons of oyster sauce because I love that so much. I always sprinkle a few cashew halves & pieces on top and served it over riced cauliflower. It was seriously so so good!
Best stir fry sauce ever!
This tasted the most like Chinese restaurant sauce of any recipe I’ve tried. Very good sauce!
Wow, this was fantastic. So much flavor and so easy. I made veggie stir fry with it.
I found this recipe and loved how simple it was and how I had all the ingredients, except one. I found I can use chicken stock & lemon since I didn’t have Sherry. The substitution turned out great. My family loved this sauce. We will be adding this into our rorarion.
this was wonderful. My favorite go too for stir fry. Thank you
This was a simple, delicious sauce recipe. I will definitely make this again!
Absolutely brilliant recipe ? made it last week and have used it all! Now making a second batch for the fridge. Just like having a real Chinese at home and so simple to make and handy to have on hand! Thank you ?
This was perfect. I did add some Sambal instead of pepper flakes, but same thing-ish. Saving this one.
So easy, quite tasty!
I am making this for the third time. I love to change up the protein and veggies and it is always great!
This was a winner! So easy, delicious, and versatile. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Best stir fry sauce I ever made and so much better than store bought!!
Love this sauce. This is a definite keeper. My go to stir fry sauce for any protein!
Made this for my wife and I. It really is a great all purpose sauce.
So easy and delicious!
Very GOOD! And, yes it is a universal sauce. I added Oyster Sauce one time to the recipe, and that was good too.
I am a Newby with asain/Chinese cooking. I’ve used this sauce 2 times in the past week, once with shrimp & veges, and once with beef & veges. The only changes were a bit more garlic (we love garlic) and added some housin sauce a tblsp or 2. Incredible! Better than any Chinese in our town. Thank you! Will look forward to learning more about asain cooking, thanks to this Recipe!
I had some boneless pork chops to use up before they spoiled and no idea what to do with them that wasn’t boring. This was perfect! Made as written, but added some Chinese stir-fry noodles at the end. Perfect!
If it had less ginger it would have been perfect.
I have found my go to stir fry sauce! This will become a staple at our house. I made stir fry for four but just my husband and I gobbled it all up, YUM! I could not find Shaoxing Wine at our local grocery so made without out. The sauce was still fabulous. I plan to include the Shaoxing wine next time (if I can order it) or substitute Rice Wine.
Thank you for an easy yet flavorful recipe!
I bought a bottle of Soeos Shaoxing wine on Amazon and it has great flavor. It’s not cheap but so worth it
Easy and tasty
This recipe is so good and super easy. Made it today with broccoli. I’ll try using it with noodles next time.
My family loved it. Very easy to make.
a great flavor and substantial sauce, thickens well, and easy to make at the last minute.
What can be substituted for the cooking wine/dry sherry?
Mirin would be my first choice, but it’s much sweeter, so if you do use Mirin, cut back on the brown sugar. Rice wine is also a good substitute and very common in Asian cuisine.
Did not have all ingredients but did what I could, loved it. Thank you.
You saved me with this recipe tonight! The stir-fry sauce is so flavorful and well-balanced, and super easy to make. Thanks!
I made this sauce and we all loved it.
I didn’t have some of the ingredients however the taste was fantastic!
Needed something super quick today when I had a bowl of left over uncooked diced chicken, onion, red and green pepper that I used for something else. Wanted to cook the rest w/Asian flavors and your recipe came up when I typed in stir fry. Thankfully had everything. THIS WAS AMAZING! The addition of the sherry (didn’t have Shaoxing cooking wine) was fantastic and something I wouldn’t have thought of. Thank you. Try this folks.
I love Asian Cuisine so much. I do believe you have just become my new best friend. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s great.
Can I substitute rice wine?
This sauce was absolutely amazing!!! It will be my only stir fry sauce, its unbelievable!! THANK YOU!!!!!!
I’ve made this several times, shrimp, zucchini and mushrooms, red bell pepper, so yummy!
BEST stir-fry sauce ever. I’ve tried so many and they are always either too sweet or too salty. This was perfect. Thank you so much!
Could u make a bunch of this and freeze it. Had to order the cooking wine and wanna use it up before it goes bad.
Hi there Joe – Yes. Transfer to one large freezer-safe, airtight container or in a couple of smaller containers if you only plan to use a little at a time. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Could you use this sauce for sticky baked chicken wings
I’ve never tried that, but can’t see why not!
Used this last night for chicken and a mix of broccoli, carrots, and a couple water chestnuts. It had perfect flavor for us – my husband loved it. Totally versatile sauce to have in your recipe binder if you make stir fry a lot. Might also make a good marinade? Thank you for this recipe!
We use this sauce recipe all the time – it’s perfect!
Loved this, will make again.
Made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC. Perfect flavor. I used it with a beef stir fry and added a combination of broccoli, bell pepper, and mushrooms.