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 and with only 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep/cook time, this popular sauce couldn’t be simpler to make!
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 is the ultimate dipping sauce for potstickers, egg rolls, wontons, chicken nuggets, fish sticks and anything else your heart desires.
You can also incorporate it into your favorite Chinese dishes like sweet and sour chicken, pork or shrimp, sweet and sour meatballs, Asian salad dressings, and as a glaze for grilled chicken, pork, seafood, kabobs, ribs, etc. It’s even delicious just drizzled over a bowl of hot steamed rice.
You can also omit the cornstarch and use this sauce as a marinade.
How To Store Sweet and Sour Sauce
Store it in a non-reactive airtight container (I prefer glass) in the fridge where it will keep for up to 3 weeks.
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.
BEST Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
Let’s get started!
Get your five 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. Â 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 2-3 weeks.
Enjoy!
For more phenomenal homemade Asian sauces be sure to try our:
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Plum SauceÂ
- 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 for 2-3 weeks.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
CAROL - says
wow!! easy and fantabulous sweet and sour!! made crab rangoon and served it with this awesome sweet and sour. next up, sweet and sour chicken, yummers!! Thank you so much
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Carol, thank you!
Nancy says
It was delicious and easy! Thanks for putting this recipe out there!
Jenny says
Hi, I made this tonight but found it very sour and mostly tasted like soy sauce and vinegar. Also, mine was dark brown, I followed the recipe so what went wrong?? I added more ketchup and sugar but it was still very tangy.
jr says
Yep, mine was sour and sour sauce, too. If I make this again, I will be using a significantly less amount of vinegar.
PETER C MCGRATH says
OK, OK, OK here’s the secret… follow directions…. Rice Vinegar… 1/3 cup Rice Vinegar ONLY. Ketchup – Heinz “Simply Ketchup” ONLY (a must have for Sabrett’s NY Red Onion Sauce recipe; so it’s always in the house – look it up). I use the “Light Brown” Brown Sugar. Soy Sauce …. only Soy Sauce, not reduced sodium or anything else than good ol’ Kikoman Soy Sauce. DON’T FORGET RED FOOD COLORING if you want it RED – else it will be BROWN…. tastes the same unless your head (thoughts/eyes) get in the way – – – it is the same. IJS (I’m Just Sayin’)
PETER C MCGRATH says
BTW – Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you, Kimberly Killebrew
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Peter! :)
PETER C MCGRATH says
Oh, BTW I forgot to mention – this sauce is the very best if you use ingredients FRESHLY OPENED….. Don’t use Soy Sauce opened 4 months ago – even if you so tightly resealed, you need pliers to re-open. Same with ALL ingredients – try with all fresh and see what I am talking about….. IJS
Charles Hudson says
This sweet and sour sauce is wonderful Easy to make. I have already gone through a dozen spring rolls with this sauce You will not be disappointed. Many thanks for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Charles!
Marlene says
OMG!! The Best sauce I’ve ever made! Hubby now thinks I’m a cooking goddess ( as if he needs more reasons!). Thanks so much for sharing this!! I will definitely be making this again!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
LOL, Marlene, that’s wonderful, thanks so much!
Wilma J Strong says
This is the best and fastest red sauce! I didn’t have rice vinegar so I used red wine vinegar. Used crushed pineapple with juice. Came out wonderful! Couldn’t have been easier!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Wilma, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Tammy Meyer says
I need it a little more sour.
Christopher Parker says
Oyster Sauce
Amanda Stone says
Hi there, I am trying to ditch all questionable ingredients from our diet and make my own dressings and sauces as much as possible. That’s what brought me here. However, my concern is that ketchup is store bought and contains all those bad things. Are you using home made ketchup or can pure tomato paste be subbed for ketchup in this recipe? Thanks so much 🤗
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Amanda, it depends on the brand of ketchup – some have junk ingredients in them while others are simply tomatoes, vinegar and seasonings. Tomato paste will not yield the same flavor results, so I do recommend ketchup.
PETER C MCGRATH says
Heinz Simply Ketchup – try it you will like it. Excellent on everything ketchupy… try in glaze for Meat Loaf, Sabrett’s NY Onion Sauce (put on hot dogs at Street Vendors in NYC that have yellow umbrellas with blue Sabrett name) OH, and replace Hot Dog with Oscar Meyer Hard Wood Smoked Smokies – I do not like OM products, had one of these on a Hawaiian sweet hot dog bun that was “steamed in the micro wrapped in a paper towel to retain moisture (heat 80% – we have a Panasonic Inverter Microwave for 10 seconds … look it up)… smothered in Sabrett’s Red Onion Sauce and OMG – We are eating them tonight for dinner!!!! IJS
Jo says
Fab recipes, made this twice now, much better than local takeaway, can I freeze left over sauce though?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, thank you Jo! Cornstarch doesn’t freeze well, you’d need to make a batch without cornstarch to freeze and then reheat/add the cornstarch later.
delle says
l’ve read somewhere that to use potato starch instead of cornstarch because potato starch is more stable in the refrigerator or freezer?
Cat Sipes says
Do you use unsweetened pineapple juice or sweetened pineapple juice?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Cat, I use 100% pineapple juice but you can use either – if you use sweetened you can cut back a bit on the brown sugar.
Tabs says
Hi, just made this sauce and I used unsweetened pineapple juice but I would guess if you only have sweetened just put a bit less sugar/ sweetener in.
Really nice sauce, can’t wait to try the black bean sauce
KT Kacer says
I’ll TRY yours… but, IMO, for now… I think this is the best I’ve ever had:
Sweet and Sour Sauce
1 cup pineapple juice (1/2 juice, 1/2 water works too)
1 cup light brown sugar (substitute more or less according to your taste)
1 cup rice vinegar or 1/4c vinegar, 3/4 c lemon juice fresh squeezed
1 diced sweet red pepper – roasted and peeled
2T macerated strawberry juice
salt (to taste)
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons warm water
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients and cook until red pepper is softened (approximately 20-25 minutes).
2. Thicken as desired with the cornstarch and water, pouring slowly and constantly stirring.
I then tend to blend it a bit when cooled…. or dice the red pepper very fine… depending on of it’s for “company” or not.
I do not recall where I found it… but liked the ingredients and found it to be GREAT… you try mine, I’ll try yours… we can update accordingly ;)
Debbie Derocher says
Just made it. It really is the best sweet and sour sauce. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Debbie, thanks so much!
Anthony Allen says
This was delicious. It is the best stuffing I have ever made. Our guests raved about it. Thanks for your sharing!
Charles Sampson says
This really is the best sauce!! I would prefer this over any recipe a Chinese restaurant would provide to it’s patrons.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Charles, thanks so much!
Bryan says
This sauce was totally awesome! Our kids even loved it. We used it in chicken stir fry.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Bryan, thank you!