7 Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipes (2024)

Table of Contents

Reasons you'll ♡ these sauces Recipe video How to use these sauces Ingredient notes How to cook a stir fry FAQ 7 Stir fry sauces More stir fry recipes 7 Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipes Ingredients Instructions Tips: Video Nutrition Information You May Also Like... Reader Interactions Leave a Comment FAQs

By: Denise Bustard142 Comments
Posted: 4/8/21Updated: 4/8/21

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These SEVEN easy stir fry sauce recipes add so much flavor to your dinner! They are easy to prep with pantry staples, and you can even freeze them for later.

Stir fry does not just mean teriyaki (though I do love teriyaki!). There are so many ways to get creative, and the good news is that all you need are some simple ingredients- you probably already have them in your pantry!

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Whether you cook chicken, beef or tofu, these stir fry sauces will add a ton of flavor. Sweet, savory, sour, or spicy, the flavors you can build are amazing. Serve it up with a batch of perfectly fluffy rice to complete your meal!

Reasons you'll ♡ these sauces

they are unique
they're ready in 5 minutes and made with 'regular' pantry ingredients (nothing too weird!)
they can be made ahead and even frozen
would make a fantastic gift!

Recipe video

Watch the video belowto see exactly how I prepped four of these Stir Fry Sauce Recipes. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on myYouTube channel, or onFacebook.

How to use these sauces

The recipes in this post were tested using the following 'stir fry formula':

2 large chicken breasts (cubed)
4-6 cups veggies
1 cup uncooked rice (2 cups cooked).

You are welcome to increase the amount of meat in the recipe, but I wouldn't alter the rice without increasing the sauce. The sauce: rice ratio is pretty important 😉

Following this stir fry formula, you are going to get a serving of healthy protein, 3 servings of veggies, and one serving of grains. And a super delicious dinner!

Ingredient notes

soy sauce- adds saltiness and umami to the sauce; also adds body. Swap for tamari, coconut aminos or liquid soy seasoning for gluten-free alternatives.
sweetener- honey, maple syrup and brown sugar are commonly used; low carb or alternative sweeteners have not been tested in these recipes.
acid- lemon or lime juice add a touch of sourness, building in flavor complexity that balances the salty and sweetness.
aromatics- ginger and garlic are commonly used to build aroma and depth of flavor into your stir fry sauce.
spicy ingredients- red pepper flakes are commonly used to build spice in a controlled way; fresh peppers such as Thai red chiles are also used (though their spice levels can be more difficult to control as it varies between chiles). Sriracha is also used.
cornstarch- used to thicken some sauces, it helps the sauce stick to the meat and vegetables, enhancing the flavor.

How to cook a stir fry

1. Prep ingredients & sauce- For the most organized and enjoyable cooking experience, shake up your sauce, chop up all your vegetables and your protein up before you begin cooking.

2. Cook veggies first- Add oil to a large pan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until hard veggies like carrots or broccoli are softened. Add tender veggies like bok choy or bean sprouts during the last minute of cooking, to just soften. Remove the veggies from the pan (transfer to a large clean bowl).

3. Cook protein last- Add more oil to the pan, then add your protein (whether chicken, beef, tofu or shrimp). Cook until your protein is cooked through. This will depend on the type of protein you are cooking.

4. Add the sauce and thicken- Once the protein is cooked through, add the sauce to the pan, and heat through. Some sauces which contain cornstarch will bubble and thicken. Add the veggies back, toss everything up, and serve.

FAQ

How many servings do these stir fry sauces make?

Each recipe serves 4 and is meant to go with 1 lb of protein, 4-6 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of cooked rice. You can increase the serving size by clicking and dragging the serving size number on the recipe card.

How long do these sauces last for?

You can make them ahead and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 3 months.

What are the best ingredients to use in stir fry?

For proteins- chicken thighs or breast (cubed); ground beef, flank steak, shrimp, tofu. For vegetables- sliced carrots, bell peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, snow or snap peas, onions, bok choy.

7 Stir fry sauces

The ingredient amounts for each sauce is listed in the recipe card below. Here are the best ingredients to use with each stir fry sauce. These are just suggestions! Get creative and use what you have in the fridge.

Honey Sriracha- protein: chicken, tofu; veggies: bok choy, carrots; garnish: sesame seeds, cashews, green onions
5 Spice Mango- protein: chicken, ground pork; veggies: bell peppers, cabbage, bean sprouts; garnish: cashews, cilantro, basil
Lemon Sesame- veggies: asparagus, broccoli; protein: chicken, tofu; garnishes: sesame seeds, green onions
Thai Lime & Basil- veggies: protein: beef (steak, ground beef), chicken; peas (snow or sugar snap), broccoli; garnish: BASIL, crushed peanuts
Maple Ginger- vegetables: protein: chicken, ground pork, tofu; squash (butternut, delicata), kale; garnish: cashews
Coconut Sweet Chili- protein: chicken, shrimp; vegetables: cauliflower, green beans; garnish: cashews, cilantro
Hoisin Peanut- protein: chicken, shrimp; veggies: bell peppers, carrots; garnish: peanuts, cilantro

More stir fry recipes

Easy Sweet Chili Shrimp Stir Fry
Vegan Teriyaki Stir Fry
Mongolian Beef Meal Prep
Firecracker Chicken Meal Prep

Instant Pot Coconut Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry
Lemon Sesame Chicken Stir Fry
Thai Basil Beef Stir Fry
Honey Sriracha Chicken Stir Fry
Maple Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry (30 Minutes)

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

7 Easy Stir Fry Sauce Recipes

4.67 from 63 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Print Rate

These SEVEN easy stir fry sauce recipes add so much flavor to your dinner! They are easy to prep with pantry staples, and you can even freeze them for later.

Ingredients

Coconut Sweet Chili

▢ 200 mL coconut milk full fat, ½ can or mini can
▢ ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
▢ 2 teaspoons lime juice
▢ ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes

Maple Ginger

▢ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
▢ 5 tablespoons maple syrup
▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
▢ ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to taste
▢ 2 tablespoons ginger grated finely
▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Thai Lime & Basil

▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
▢ 1 tablespoon fish sauce
▢ 3 tablespoons brown sugar
▢ juice of 2 limes 3 tablespoons
▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
▢ optional: 1 Thai chili chopped (remove seeds for a less spicy version)
▢ 1 bunch basil leaves (add fresh)

Lemon Sesame

▢ ½ cup chicken stock
▢ 1 lemon juiced; 2.5 tablespoons
▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil
▢ 3 tablespoons brown sugar
▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
▢ 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Hoisin Peanut

▢ ¼ cup peanut butter creamy
▢ 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons water
▢ 2 tsp lime juice
▢ ½ tsp red pepper flakes

5 Spice Mango

▢ 1 cup mango cubes
▢ 2 teaspoons lime juice
▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
▢ 1 tablespoon water
▢ 1 clove garlic
▢ ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
▢ 3 tablespoons brown sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice

Honey Sriracha

▢ ¼ cup honey
▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
▢ 1-3 teaspoons sriracha
▢ 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
▢ 1 clove garlic minced
▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

Shake together all ingredients. 5 Spice Mango sauce- puree with an immersion blender.
Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.

To cook the stir fry/use the sauce:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan or a wok. Add 4-6 cups of veggies such as bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, snap peas. Cook for 5 or so minutes, until tender but crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Cook 1 lb of chicken (cut into bite-sized pieces) for 5-7 minutes, until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
Add the entire batch of stir fry sauce (thawed completely if you froze it). Cook for 1-2 minutes until heated through. Anything with cornstarch should be thickened at this point.
Return the veggies to the pan and toss everything to coat in the sauce.
Serve over rice.

Tips:

1- to make these sauces gluten-free, you should swap soy sauce for tamari, coconut aminos or liquid soy seasoning

2- in general, honey, maple syrup and brown sugar are interchangeable in equal amounts

3- cornstarch should be interchangeable with ½ the volume of arrowroot starch

Hoisin Peanut- just heat it through quickly when adding to the pan so it doesn't dry out

Lime Basil- do not add the basil directly to the sauce, add it to the stir fry just before serving.

Storage

Add the cornstarch to the sauce before storing; let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes when removing from the fridge, and shake it up really well before adding to the pan.

store in the fridge for up to 1 week
freeze for up to 3 months

Nutritional information is for one serving of the sweet chili coconut stir fry sauce (¼ of the batch).

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 batch sweet chili coconut, Calories: 63kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 663mg, Sugar: 4g

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Chinese

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Reader Interactions

Sarah Penny says
Posted on 4/27/22 at Posted on 4/27/22

Hello, I think I love you! I've been looking for A+ (and easy!) stir-fry recipes for ages and this post ticked every box imaginable for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this info - brilliant! So glad I discovered you. Thank you!
Reply
- Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 5/3/22 at Posted on 5/3/22
  Hi Sarah, you are very welcome. We are very happy to hear you found us.
  Reply
Molly says
Posted on 3/14/22 at Posted on 3/14/22

I made the Lemon Sesame sauce tonight because my husband asked for a stir fry sauce that wasn't too heavy with flavor. This totally hit the spot! We both loved it and so did our 2.5 year old son. Can't wait to try the other sauces as well!
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 3/14/22 at Posted on 3/14/22
  Hi Molly, so glad this hit the spot, and the whole family enjoyed! Thanks for leaving a rating and review - hope you enjoy all the other flavors just as much!
  Reply
Richard says
Posted on 1/17/22 at Posted on 1/17/22

These are my go to recipes. So simple but why use such backwards measuring units.
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 1/17/22 at Posted on 1/17/22
  Hi Richard, glad to hear you've enjoyed these stir fry sauce recipes! Was there a measurement in particular that you're referring to? All measurements are listed in the recipe card, but we'd love to help you out if needed.
  Reply
Liz says
Posted on 12/6/21 at Posted on 12/6/21
I just LOVE having one place to get 7 options for stir fry sauce recipes!!
Could these be canned using a proper canning process and given away as Christmas gifts?
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 12/7/21 at Posted on 12/7/21
  Hi Liz, we haven't tested canning and of these recipes, however, they do store well in the fridge (up to 1 week) or in the freezer (up to 3 months)! Sorry we can't provide any feedback on canning - if you do try it, be sure to let us know how it works!
  Reply
Ree says
Posted on 11/10/21 at Posted on 11/10/21
Hello… just a quick question - 1lb = 0.45kgs roughly anyway. Would that be half a kilo? I’m so confused 😂🤦‍♀️
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 11/12/21 at Posted on 11/12/21
  Hi Ree, Correct. 1 lb would be 0.45 kilograms. So if you round up then yes, roughly half a kilo. I hope this helps!
  Reply
Cain Wellings says
Posted on 9/25/21 at Posted on 9/25/21

Hi, just tried the maple ginger and it's fantastic, so quick and easy and loads of original flavour. Love my stir fry, and used to using shop bought (full of sugar) sauces, but these are so quick and easy, I can really get away from shop bought. Have made then all and have then in the freezer, can't wait to try the next one, hmmmm but which one.
Reply
- Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
  Posted on 9/27/21 at Posted on 9/27/21
  Hi Cain, we're so glad you enjoyed the maple ginger stir fry sauce. These are a great sub for store-bought sauces - so flavorful and easy to prepare too! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review! 🙂
  Reply
Gail Busuttil says
Posted on 1/14/21 at Posted on 1/14/21

I made the maple ginger sauce
Absolutely beautiful and felt so good making my own sauce rather than buying them
I hadn't felt confident to try making my own but your recipes
have changed all that
Thanks so much for sharing and allowing your recipes to be printed
Can't wait to try more
Regards and thanks
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 1/15/21 at Posted on 1/15/21
  Hi Gail! Way to go, I'm so happy to hear the recipes have given you confidence <3 Thank you so much for reporting back!
  Reply
Susan says
Posted on 11/30/20 at Posted on 11/30/20

I made the maple ginger tonight. Amazing, I made a double batch to share with my daughter’s family.
Thank you for making stir fry dishes easy and delicious
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 1/5/21 at Posted on 1/5/21
  Hi Susan! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the stir fry, that one is my personal favorite! Thank you for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
  Reply
Cynthia says
Posted on 11/27/20 at Posted on 11/27/20
Tried the hoisin peanut sauce for dinner tonight....absolutely amazing. Can't wait to try the rest of these sauces.
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 1/5/21 at Posted on 1/5/21
  Hi Cynthia! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the hoisin peanut sauce. Thank you for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it!
  Reply
Chris says
Posted on 11/17/20 at Posted on 11/17/20

I made the hoisin/peanut sauce with chicken. I really enjoyed it. Thanks
Reply
- Denise Bustard says
  Posted on 11/18/20 at Posted on 11/18/20
  Hi Chris! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed that recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review- I really appreciate it 🙂
  Reply

Older Comments

FAQs

What are the seven common ingredients in a stir-fry? ›

The main ingredients to a stir-fry are: Proteins – chicken, beef, pork, seafood, tofu, tempeh, seitan. Aromatics – garlic, green onions, shallots, ginger.

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What are the 3 rules of stir frying? ›

The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.

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What makes stir-fry taste better? ›

If possible, a stir-fry is always more delicious with fresh vegetables and ingredients. While you can use frozen or canned vegetables, fresh ingredients tend to provide a better taste to your meal. Once you are ready to cook your stir-fry, place all the ingredients on your counter and begin prepping.

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What oil to use for stir-fry? ›

Chinese cooks normally use soybean oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil, all of which have a high smoke point. Peanut oil usually has a pleasant nutty flavor and is suitable not only for stir-frying but also for deep-frying. Canola oil, which has a high smoke point but a neutral flavor, is also a good choice.

Get More Info Here ›

What not to put in a stir-fry? ›

"Tomatoes should never go in a stir fry — not at all." Chef Natasha Ford adds that they're too mushy. "They would just make your stir fry soupy," she says. "If you really want to use them, keep them as fresh and uncooked as possible.

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Should you stir-fry with butter or oil? ›

Because stir-frying uses a very high heat, you want a cooking oil that has a high smoke point. Vegetable, canola or peanut oil are my trustee go-tos, and all have a neutral taste, so won't affect flavour. Do not – I repeat, DO NOT – use butter!

Learn More Now ›

What thickens stir-fry? ›

Cornstarch! In his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman recommends mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water, and tossing this into the stir fry just when it's almost done. It thickens in seconds, picking up the flavors of everything already in the dish and coating evenly.

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How to make the best tasting stir-fry? ›

Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.

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When to add sauce to stir-fry? ›

To use the sauce, heat the oil in a wok, then add your choice of meat, vegetables or fish. Fry for a minute over a high heat to seal, and then add the stir fry sauce, before continuing to stir-fry for a further four minutes or so until the ingredients are fully cooked. Serve immediately.

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What are the main components of stir-fry? ›

A great stir-fry typically consists of four important components: protein, vegetables, aromatics, and sauce. Standard stir-fry starts with one pound of protein and two pounds of vegetables, and a basic stir-fry sauce (recipe below). You can add aromatics or herbs to change the flavor profile of your dish.

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What should I put in my stir-fry? ›

Good vegetables for stir-frying include bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, yellow or white onions, green onions, pea pods, cabbage, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and leafy Asian greens in the “choy” family, such as bok choy and yu choy.

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What ingredients are cooked first in stir-fry? ›

Meat first, then vegetables – If you want meat or seafood in your stir fry, cook it first then scoop it out onto a separate plate before cooking the vegetables. You'll add the meat back in at the end. 5. Don't crowd the pan – If you have too much in your pan, the vegetables will steam instead of staying crisp.

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What is the order vegetables get added to stir-fry? ›

Start with the hard vegetables like carrots and broccoli. Stir and scoop vegetables to the side to make room for more. Then add the softer vegetables, like sliced mushrooms and zucchini. Pour in some stock or water and always keep the veggies moving in the pan.

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