This straightforward stir fry sauce makes use of simply 6 substances and comes collectively in minutes. Savory, tangy, and frivolously candy with a silky texture coating each chunk!
For years I made disappointing stir fries, the place the sauce both evaporated to nothing within the pan, or made the veggies style bland (how?). So as soon as I began writing recipes for a dwelling, I made a decision to do a deep dive: and I discovered the best formulation of substances make the proper texture and seasoning.
This straightforward stir fry sauce recipe modified the sport for me! It takes simply 5 minutes to whisk collectively, makes use of 6 pantry staples, and makes simply the best shiny coating. It’s versatile sufficient to work with tofu, shrimp, hen, or only a mountain of colourful veggies for a scrumptious vegetable stir fry. Listed below are all my methods!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Right here’s what makes this stir fry sauce particular:
- Balanced taste: The mix of savory soy sauce, tangy rice vinegar, and delicate sweetness makes magic
- Shiny texture: Not like watery sauces that disappear, it makes a coating that adheres to each chunk
- Prepared in 5 minutes: Simply whisk and go: no cooking required!
- Pantry substances: Every part shops effectively, so you possibly can whip it up for weeknight dinners
5-Star Reader Assessment
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This turned out nice and wasn’t too exhausting to throw collectively. Thanks!” -Raymond W.
Elements You’ll Want
A stir fry sauce is like potato salad: there are 1,000,000 methods to make it and everybody’s mother has their finest model! What you do need is that this: a terrific steadiness of umami (savory) taste, with tangy and candy notes to steadiness it, and a frivolously thick texture in order that it coats all of the greens. The substances for this stir fry sauce are:
- Soy Sauce: I exploit common soy sauce moderately than low-sodium soy sauce for finest seasoning. For a gluten-free model, substitute with tamari or coconut aminos (extra on this beneath).
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is milder and barely sweeter than white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and it’s important for a stir fry.
- Sugar: Provides a delicate sweetness that rounds out the savory and tangy notes. It’s also possible to use the identical quantity of honey or maple syrup.
- Miso: Miso paste provides unimaginable umami depth and a savory high quality that makes the stir fry style so satisfying.
- Cornstarch: This makes the silky, shiny texture that coats your veggies (as an alternative of simply being watery).
- Garlic Powder: Provides fragrant depth with out the trouble of mincing recent garlic. You probably have time, use ½ tsp minced garlic or 1 small clove, grated.
Soy Sauce Substitutions
Soy sauce isn’t gluten free and naturally is stuffed with soy, so what in the event you keep away from these substances? There are two nice substitutes for soy sauce:
- Tamari (gluten-free): Tamari can be made out of soy: it’s particularly a Japanese kind of soy sauce. The most important distinction between soy sauce vs tamari is that tamari accommodates little to no wheat. Verify the label to ensure! By way of taste, tamari is barely much less salty than soy sauce, so you could want to make use of a bit of extra to style.
- Coconut aminos (gluten free and soy free): Working round a soy allergy? No downside. Coconut aminos accommodates no soy and has a really related taste to soy sauce. Substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce in a 1:1 ratio, nevertheless it’s barely much less salty to you could want so as to add a bit of salt to style.
Taste Variations
When you’ve mastered the fundamental recipe, you possibly can simply customise this stir fry sauce to swimsuit totally different dishes and taste preferences. Listed below are my favourite variations:
Spicy Stir Fry Sauce – Add 1-2 teaspoons of sriracha, ½ teaspoon of crimson pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce to the bottom recipe. This works superbly with heartier greens like bell peppers and broccoli. The warmth balances properly with the sweetness of the sugar.
Candy and Savory – Enhance the sugar to three tablespoons or substitute with brown sugar for deeper molasses notes. It’s also possible to add 1 tablespoon of orange juice for vibrant citrus sweetness. This model is ideal for hen stir fry or shrimp.
Additional Umami – Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce or 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce to accentuate the savory depth. This creates a richer, extra complicated taste that works splendidly with beef stir fry or mushrooms.
Sesame Ginger – Add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of recent ginger (minced or grated) for fragrant, nutty notes. Garnish your completed dish with sesame seeds. That is my go-to variation for Tofu Stir Fry.
Thai-Impressed – Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of recent ginger, and a pinch of crimson pepper flakes. This vibrant, spicy model pairs superbly with Thai basil and Vegan Stir Fry dishes.
Thicker Sauce for Noodles – Enhance the cornstarch to 1 tablespoon in the event you’re utilizing the sauce with noodles or need a thicker coating. The additional cornstarch creates a sauce that adheres higher to slippery noodles.
Use This Sauce
This stir fry sauce works very effectively in a stir fry: you’ll simply must know just a few issues earlier than you add it!
- The amount works for a 4 serving stir fry. It ought to be sufficient for six to 7 cups of greens and 14 to 16 oz protein (tofu, shrimp, hen or beef). It coats all of the greens and protein, however doesn’t have a number of extra.
- Add the sauce after the veggies are executed: flip off the warmth! Right here’s the essential half. Prepare dinner all of the veggies, then flip off the warmth. Then add the sauce, and stir till it thickens. For those who add the sauce to the new pan, it should all evaporate, leaving no silky sauce left behind.
This stir fry sauce works with actually any mixture of greens and proteins. I exploit it most frequently with Cauliflower Stir Fry, Broccoli Stir Fry, and Child Bok Choy Stir Fry.
Make a Easy Stir Fry
For those who’re new to stir frying, right here’s a easy option to get you began. Completely different greens have totally different cooking instances, so that you add them to the wok or pan in levels.
- Put together your substances. Reduce all the things into similar-sized items so that they prepare dinner evenly. Have your stir fry sauce blended and able to go. Ensure to prepare dinner your protein (tofu, hen or shrimp) first!
- Warmth your pan. Use a wok or massive skillet over excessive warmth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of normal sesame or vegetable oil.
- Begin with long-cooking greens (6-7 minutes). Add heartier veggies first: broccoli florets, bell peppers, sliced onions, carrots (minimize into matchsticks), or mushrooms. Stir steadily.
- Add medium-cooking greens (3-5 minutes). Add quicker-cooking greens: snow peas, snap peas, sliced cabbage, bok choy, zucchini, or shelled edamame.
- Add aromatics. Add minced garlic, recent ginger, and sliced inexperienced onions (about 1 minute), stirring consistently.
- Flip off the warmth and add protein and sauce. Flip off the burner and add your pre-cooked protein (like Tofu Stir Fry, sauteed shrimp, or pan seared hen) and the stir fry sauce. Stir constantly for about 1 minute till all the things is shiny.
- Serve. Stir fry is finest instantly served with rice, quinoa, or noodles.
For extra detailed directions, see my Simple Stir Fry Greens, Shrimp Stir Fry, and Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry.
Taste Variations
When you’ve mastered the fundamental recipe, you possibly can simply customise this stir fry sauce:
- Spicy Stir Fry Sauce: Add 1-2 teaspoons of sriracha, ½ teaspoon of crimson pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce.
- Candy and Savory: Enhance the sugar to three tablespoons.
- Honey Orange: Use honey and add 1 tablespoon of orange juice for vibrant citrus sweetness (and a little bit of orange zest in the event you like).
- Additional Umami: Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce or 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce.
- Sesame Ginger: Add 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of recent ginger (minced or grated) for fragrant, nutty notes.
Storage Ideas
Retailer the stir fry sauce in an hermetic container or mason jar in within the fridge for as much as 1 week. I like utilizing a small mason jar as a result of you possibly can shake it earlier than serving.
Earlier than utilizing refrigerated sauce, let it come to room temperature for about 5 minutes, then stir or shake vigorously. All the time stir or shake earlier than utilizing so the cornstarch can distribute evenly by the sauce.
Make-ahead tip: For those who’re meal prepping, you can also make 2-3 batches of sauce. Use about ¾ cup for a 4 serving stir fry.
Dietary Notes
This stir fry sauce is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, oil free, and gluten-free (see substitutes above).
Regularly Requested Questions
To make a wholesome stir fry sauce, deal with utilizing minimal oil (or no oil, like this recipe!), selecting low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to cut back sodium content material, and utilizing pure sweeteners like maple syrup as an alternative of refined sugar.
Loading up on greens moderately than heavy proteins additionally retains the general dish nutrient-dense. This recipe is pretty wholesome—it’s oil-free, makes use of solely 2 tablespoons of sugar for the complete batch (which serves 4), and depends on miso for umami depth moderately than extreme salt.
Sure, you can also make stir fry sauce with out cornstarch, although the feel will likely be totally different. The cornstarch creates that shiny coating that adheres to greens.
Substitute arrowroot powder in equal quantities (it really works virtually identically to cornstarch) or just make a thinner sauce with none thickener and let it cut back naturally within the pan.
Sure, to make a gluten-free stir fry sauce, substitute tamari for normal soy sauce. Tamari is a Japanese-style soy sauce made with out wheat, so it’s naturally gluten-free (simply confirm the label to make sure it’s licensed gluten-free).
All the opposite substances on this recipe are naturally gluten-free, together with miso (although all the time test the label), rice vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and garlic powder.
Simple Stir Fry Sauce
This straightforward stir fry sauce recipe will grow to be your go-to! It’s simply 6 substances and has one of the best steadiness of flavors and silky texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Prepare dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Whole Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Sufficient for a 4 serving stir fry
- Class: Sauce
- Technique: Stirred
- Delicacies: Asian Impressed
- Weight loss plan: Vegan
- ¼ cup soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon miso
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (substitute ½ tsp minced garlic or 1 small clove, grated)
- Whisk collectively all substances till a clean sauce types. Retailer in a lined container till utilizing, or use instantly.
- So as to add to a stir fry, use with a 4-serving stir fry like Tofu Stir Fry or Cauliflower Stir Fry. It additionally works with 1 pound protein like hen, shrimp, or beef. Prepare dinner all of the greens, then flip off the warmth and add the sauce, stirring till it thickens.
Notes
Soy sauce substitutions: Use tamari for gluten-free or coconut aminos for soy-free and gluten-free. Coconut aminos is much less salty, so you could want so as to add a pinch of salt to style.
Thicker sauce: For noodles or a thicker coating, enhance cornstarch to 1 tablespoon.
Spicy model: Add 1-2 teaspoons sriracha or ½ teaspoon crimson pepper flakes.
Storage: Refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 1 week. Stir or shake earlier than utilizing, as cornstarch will settle. Skinny with water if wanted.
Finest outcomes: All the time add sauce to the pan off the warmth to forestall evaporation and make sure the excellent silky texture.
