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!
Watch How to Make It
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 9, 2017
Maria says
I dont know what I did wrong but after it all boiled and I added the cornstarch mixture the whole thing over flowed everywhere made a huge mess and smelled horrible.
Leah says
Amazing!! The family and I loved it. I made 3 batches so we could use for dinner and to keep in the fridge. Wow it went fast with cream cheese wontons and sweet and sour chicken. I added pineapples. 5 stars ⭐️
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Terrific, I’m so glad it’s been a hit, Leah, thank you! :)
Anonymous says
This is the best sweet and sour recipe I have made. I will continue making it. Thanks.
Lyndsay Silvestre says
Can I sub white vinegar for the rice or apple cider vinegar?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lyndsay, yes you can!
Jo says
Wow, just wow! Never dreamed I could make this sauce at home. So simple yet so amazingly perfect! Thank you Kimberly. I will defiantly use again
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks Jo, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Sara says
Thank you! Will try it tomorrow. Can I use honey instead of brown sugar?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sara, yes you can use honey. Different flavor but still good. Happy cooking!
Natalie says
I put chili paste and chopped garlic in mine and made a spicy garlic sauce! Do you know if you can freeze this?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Natalie, unfortunately sauces with cornstarch do not freeze well.
Laura says
Too much vinegar I think. It’s all I could taste.
Kayla O'Brien says
I’m allergic to pineapples, is there a substitute I can use maybe orange juice?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kayla, yes, you can use orange juice!
Anonymous says
Super yummy just like Asian restaurants!!!!
Sara says
I’m curious what size can of pineapple juice you are using…? Thanks for the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sara, sometimes I’ll use bottled pineapple juice and other times I’ll use the juice from canned pineapple chunks. A 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks should give you about a cup of juice. If it’s slightly under you can just top it off with water.
Cindy Miller says
Great! Used it as the sauce for sweet and sour chicken over rice!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Cindy, thank you!
Ellie Smith says
Brilliant,easy and fast recipe, what’s not to like, just made another batch, so yummy x
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Ellie, thank you!
Heather says
Perfect and super yummy! It went great with our egg rolls. This sauce was a big hit! I am going to freeze the leftovers.
Thank you!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Heather, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Sam says
I think there was too much ketchup in it as the recipe states, it turned out ok, but not really like the sweet and sour I was expecting.
I did some changing up and ext batch, I only put in 1 tspn in. It was better that way. more authentic. Still, I could taste it and it didn’t add anything to the recipe.
Note: I made it again w/o the Ketchup and it was even better. I added more pineapple juice, a bit more rice vin. and the brn sug. I liked it that way much better.
Sam says
I think there was too much ketchup in it as the recipe states, it turned out ok, but not really like the sweet and sour I was expecting. Next batch, I only put in 1 tspn in. It was better that way. more authentic.
I think I might leave it out altogether in the next batch.
Note: I made it again w/o the Ketchup and it was even better.