Look no further for what is consistently ranked the BEST sweet and sour sauce recipe on the web! There are so many ways to enjoy this popular and versatile sauce (see blog post for ideas) and it takes just 5 ingredients and only 5 minutes of prep/cook time. This homemade sweet and sour sauce couldn’t be simpler to make and it tastes so much better than store-bought or takeout!
What is Sweet and Sour Sauce?
Sweet and sour sauce is a popular condiment made, just as its name suggests, by combining sweet and sour flavor components (a sugar and a vinegar) with a thickener to make a sauce that is used for dipping, drizzling, and incorporated into dishes. Chinese food and sweet and sour sauce go hand in hand and for that reason you’ll find it served in every Chinese restaurant and at every takeout. If you’ve never made your own, it’s time to get on board because not only is it incredibly easy, it tastes WAY better than store-bought and what you get at your local takeout. Plus it’s free of preservatives, chemicals and junk ingredients.
How To Use Sweet and Sour Sauce
Sweet and sour sauce features a balanced combination of sweet and tangy flavors, making it a versatile condiment that can be used in various ways to enhance the flavor of your dishes. Here are a few ways to use it:
- Dipping Sauce: This is the ultimate dipping sauce for things like potstickers, egg rolls, spring rolls, wontons, dumplings, tempura, fish sticks, and chicken nuggets. Pour the sauce into small bowls to serve alongside your favorite foods and snacks.
- Stir-Fry Sauce: Use this as a base for stir-frying vegetables, meat, or tofu. Stir fry your meat/tofu and veggies and then add the sauce towards the end of the cooking process. Toss everything together and serve it over steamed rice or noodles.
- Marinade: Add the sauce to the meat or tofu before grilling, let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, then proceed with grilling.
- Glaze: This works great as a glaze for grilled or roasted meats and seafood like chicken, pork, fish and shrimp. Brush the sauce over the meat during the last few minutes of cooking for a tasty, caramelized glaze. This also works great for things like baked chicken drumsticks and wings.
- Salad Dressing: Mix some of this sauce with your salad oil, and add a dash of toasted sesame oil if you like, to make an Asian-inspired salad dressing for your greens.
- Sandwich Spread: Use this as a spread for your sandwiches and wraps for an Asian twist. It goes particular well with chicken, turkey and pork.
- Pizza Sauce: Get creative and drizzle this over your pizza for an Asian twist, for example chicken or ham, pineapple, peppers, and onions.
Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients
You need just five ingredients to make the best sweet and sour sauce: pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and ketchup. Then to thicken it you’ll need some cornstarch and water.
Do I Have To Use Red Food Coloring?
Not at all! You can make this without food coloring. One of the advantage of making homemade anything is that you don’t have to include the junk ingredients that the store-bought stuff often uses. The red food coloring is purely for aesthetics and tastes exactly the same without it. If you prefer the red color but don’t want to use chemicals in your food there are natural food coloring options and I provide a link to one option in the recipe card below.
Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
Let’s get started!
Get your ingredients ready to go because making this sauce goes fast. Measure out your pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and ketchup. Prepare the cornstarch slurry and set it aside.
Add all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for another minute until thickened.
You can stop at this point or, if you want, you can add 2-3 drops of food coloring to make your sauce look the way it does at the Chinese takeout. Check out this all-natural food coloring.
Let the sauce cool completely. Store it in an airtight jar in the fridge where it will keep for up to 3 weeks.
Enjoy!
For more phenomenal homemade Asian sauces be sure to try our:
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Eel Sauce
- Plum Sauce
- Asian Salad Dressing
- Kecap Manis
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Char Siu Sauce
- Ginger Sauce
BEST Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pineapple juice , see note
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- OR brown sugar alternative (for low sugar option)
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar , found in the Asian or general vinegar section of any grocery store, or you can substitute apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (GF)
- For the Cornstarch Slurry: 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
- Optional: 2-3 drops all-natural red food coloring (the one I've linked to is natural, colored with beets. It's in powdered form, simply stir some in to a couple of teaspoons of water and add it to the sauce)
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients, except for the cornstarch slurry, in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for another minute until thickened, stirring constantly. If using red food coloring, stir it in.
- Let the sauce cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator where it will keep for 2-3 weeks.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 9, 2017
Bonnie says
Perfect! Made exactly as described and made sweet and sour air fried tofu with it. Just steam fried red and green peppers and red onion and the pineapple from the can. Had over brown rice. Sauce is #1 and made a delicious fat-free meal
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yay! Thank you, Bonnie, I’m so glad you enjoyed this and appreciate the feedback. Your dinner sounds fabulous!
Timothy Goroski says
If you make a triple batch do you have to triple the cornstarch?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Timothy, yes that is correct, you’ll want to triple all of the ingredients.
Kim Apfel says
I want to make this tonight, but I need to tweek it a little. I can’t get outside because of health problems. So I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Ty says
Quick and simple. Taste much better than store bought. I added chili flakes for a little kick.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Ty!
Emily Fontanella says
Why does this have to sit in fridge for 2 to 3 weeks?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Emily, it doesn’t have to. That’s how long it can keep.
Danica says
Tasted just like I bought it from the restaurant and great texture too! Thank you for the recipe :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, thanks so much, Danica!
Anonymous says
Can I use flour instead?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
No, flour isn’t a good substitute. Arrowroot works as a substitute for cornstarch.
Ruth Gervais says
In Canada we have Burger Baron hamburger places and they have the “Pomo Burger” which has fried pineapple and their special sauce. This sauce is the closest I have tasted to replicate the one from Burger Baron. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Ruth, thank you! :)
Rod says
Do the enzymes have the same effect on arrowroot ? I can’t find canned or bottled cheaply or easily. The easiest is fresh or from concentrate. I am tempted to not thicken or reduce for a bit. I would appreciate your advice.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Rod, are you referring to the pineapple juice? If so, from concentrate is perfectly fine. And we’ve had several readers use arrowroot with success.
Batbara says
Can I substitute fresh orange juice for the pineapple juice?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes you can, Batbara. It will alter the flavor profile of course, but not in a bad way.
allison kirkpatrick says
how to prepare this “cornstarch slurry” and in what quantity?
Matthew says
About 1 teaspoon of water to one tablespoon of cornstarch. Mix it in a separate bowl before you add it into the sauce or you will get corn starch chunks in your sauce.
Stfri says
I added some crushed pineapple, pickled ginger, and subbed the brown sugar for white sugar plus molasses. I was able to use up some ketchup packets also. I loved the way it came out but it’s good as is as well! I used it for meatballs.
Anonymous says
Delicious and easy!
Dave B says
Can’t wait to try this. Do you think the shelf life would be something like 3 months in the freezer?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dave, yes, I’d give it up to 3 months. Cornstarch tends to break down when frozen and thawed so just be prepared to re-thicken it over the stovetop.
Coralie Richmond says
Much better than a bought sauce..you can add pineapple to it as well.
Excellent.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Coralie! :)
Andy Carter says
Sooo good. Much better than anything from the store and better than most restaurants. Maybe my favorite ever. I used pineapple mango juice because that’s all I could find at the store and used apple cider vinegar. Came out amazing on the first try. Highly recommend trying the pineapple mango, perfect flavor for me. Thanks!
Kimberly Killebrew says
I’m so glad, Andy, thank you for the feedback and the pineapple mango sounds great!