All-Purpose Stir Fry Sauce
Updated
Updated
Keep this fantastic homemade All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce recipe on hand and make a restaurant-quality Asian stir fry dinner in a flash. I find it’s delicious with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and vegetables. This easy recipe is made in minutes and can be used right away or stored for later.
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5 STAR REVIEW
Easy All-Purpose Stir Fry Sauce
I have so many favorite stir fry recipes, all quite different in ingredients and flavor. All fantastic. Some favorites we alternate between each week are this classic pepper steak, and if I’m in the mood for chicken, it’s either cashew chicken or chicken and broccoli stir fry.
But, sometimes I just want a go-to sauce that can accommodate no matter what I’m cooking. So, years ago, I took the elements from each one that I love and combined them for this all-purpose stir fry sauce.
Having this stir fry sauce recipe in my back pocket makes weeknight dinners a cinch. 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 and can be served with rice or over noodles, much like this Japanese-inspired teriyaki sauce.
Helpful Tips
- Proper amount of sauce for a stir fry dish. This recipe makes about 1¼ cups of sauce and is the perfect amount (IMHO!) for a complete stir fry where everything gets coated, but the meat and veggies aren’t swimming in it. If you want more sauce, you can always add a bit more water or chicken broth.
- What to include in a stir fry. Stir fry can be made up of just about any meat and/or vegetables, swapping them out every time to keep the flavors new and interesting. We love onions, broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, carrots, water chestnuts, and scallions.
- How much stir fry should I cook? 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.
Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine, (or dry sherry)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- ¼ tsp 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce Step by Step
Combine the cornstarch and water: Combine 2 tbsp cornstarch and ¼ cup water in a mason jar until smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients: Add in ½ cup chicken broth, 1/3 cup soy sauce, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger, 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic, and ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes. Fasten the lid, and shake until fully incorporated. (Alternatively, you can mix everything in a bowl with a whisk.)
Store and enjoy: Use as desired with your favorite stir fry and enjoy.
How To Use Stir Fry Sauce
- Warm 1 tbsp of oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 lb. 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 tbsp 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 the layers of flavor. The sauce does have plenty of flavor on its own, though, so this is personal preference.
How to Store
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 best before dates on the containers of everything and use that as a guide.
After it’s been sitting 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.
What to Serve With Stir Fry Sauce
I find this stir fry sauce can be used in place of the sauce in any stir fry, like a hearty beef and broccoli ramen or our kid-favorite sweet and our chicken and even with fried rice.
Made this several times now, great sauce and easy to assemble to boot. Thank you
This made the best stir-fry sauce ever. It was quick and easy.
This was easy to make and very tasty. I’d use it again and recommend it to everyone.
This stir fry sauce was very tasty and easy to make!
Easy and delicious!
I made this sauce for my vegetable stir fry. Took this dish to an Asian potluck and everyone loved it. This one’s a keeper.
I love making stir fry and was looking for a flavorful sauce that could be used with a variety of veggies and protein. We love it! Thank you!
This is an easy recipe and delicious.
Thank you for this stir fry sauce recipe. I have been looking for years for one that actually tastes good and we all loved this one. Putting it in my permanent file!
I did make this. It will be my new stir fry go-to sauce and in fact, I will be making more stir fry’s from now on. I didn’t like the sauces I tried before. Now, I do. Thanks for posting the recipe.
My favourite!
I have made this twice now- once with London broil and another with chicken. Both using a rice noodle. It makes my stir fry so good! A definite keeper!
This is my first comment ever…..this sauce is delicious! We love it! Never will we buy sauce from the store again!
This recipe is a jewel
I just made this and I loved it. This was delicious and easy. Thank you!
My go to for stir fry! We make this sauce often and it’s always a hit
EXCELLENT!!
Perfect sauce for my chicken stir fry! Thank you Amy
So good! A keeper!
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 was wondering the same thing. I see you did not get any feedback on your question but wanted to ask if you have tried canning this recipe?
I’ve never tried canning this to make it shelf stable, so I don’t know.
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!