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Stir Fry Sauce

August 22, 2024

Our homemade stir fry sauce has the grocery store sauce aisle beat. You can make it in ten minutes with a handful of ingredients you have at home, without all the preservatives.

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a dish of homemade stir fry sauce made with tamari, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and cornstarch
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Stir fries and more

The Best Stir Fry Sauce Takes Ten Minutes To Make

Once you make this homemade stirfry sauce, we imagine that you’ll never go back to the store-bought version (we haven’t!). You’ll need a few easy pantry items and a few fresh items, and this easy stir fry sauce is ready in ten minutes. You can use it in our Vegetable Stir Fry or Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry, or just to add to plain White Rice. It’s a great recipe to have under your belt, in addition to our homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe.

tamari, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and cornstarch in prep bowls to make stir fry sauce

Ingredients For Our Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

  • Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari

  • Toasted sesame oil

  • Garlic, minced

  • Freshly grated ginger

  • Brown sugar or honey

  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

  • Cornstarch or arrowroot starch

soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and cornstarch cooking in a skillet

How To Make Stir Fry Sauce

  1. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

  2. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with ½ cup cold water.

  3. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce and return it to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

  4. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

homemade stir fry sauce made with tamari, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and cornstarch in a bowl

How to Store Stir Fry Sauce + Tips

  • Do you thicken stir fry sauce? Cornstarch or arrowroot are great thickening agents. There’s a fun food science explanation, but in short, the starch molecules expand to absorb liquid, thickening the sauce. This all occurs when the thickening agent is heated, so make sure you don’t skip this essential step!

  • Fresh ginger: We always have a knuckle of fresh ginger in our freezer. It stays fresh and is easy to whip out and use for recipes like our simple stir fry sauce.

  • We keep our leftover sauce in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.

a jar of homemade stir fry sauce made with soy sauce sesame oil garlic, ginger, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and cornstarch

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Stir Fry Sauce

  • Serves:  6
  • Yields:  2 cups
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  5 min

Ingredients

  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
  • ¼ cup brown sugar or honey
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch

Method

  1. In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes if using. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with ½ cup cold water. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce and return it to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

  3. Store refrigerated in an airtight jar container for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 36
  • Protein 1 g
  • Carbohydrates 7 g
  • Total Fat 1 g
  • Dietary Fiber 0 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • sodium 460 mg
  • Total Sugars 4 g

Stir Fry Sauce

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Patrick

    I was just going through your recipes and it seems interesting.What to give a try.

    Hope you enjoy Patrick!

  • Jenn

    This was very simple to make and very tasty. Poured it over some chicken and green beans and served over rice.

    Thanks Jenn, glad you enjoyed it!