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Stir Fry Sauce

This homemade Stir Fry Sauce is so easy to make! All you need is just 3 ingredients and the flavor is so much better than anything you can buy in the store!

stir fry sauce in a mason jar with a lid

This is the best easy stir fry sauce!

  • Only three ingredients: so easy to make!
  • Highly Concentrated: a little bit of this sauce goes a long way.
  • Pairs well with any kind of stir fry: Stir fry veggies, ramen noodles, chicken, tofu, pork, you name it. This sauce pairs beautifully with any kind of stir fry recipe

The key to the best ever stir fry is in the sauce recipe. I have tried endless store bought sauces, and none of them ever tasted good enough to get that takeout taste that I was craving.

You can find the full recipe and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here’s what you will need.

What is stir fry sauce made of?

  • sesame oil: toasted sesame oil is more flavorful, so use this if you can find it
  • soy sauce: or tamari
  • corn starch
jars of sesame oil, soy sauce, and corn starch

How do you make stir fry sauce from scratch?

  1. Add the corn starch, sesame oil, and soy sauce to a mason jar.
  2. Close the lid, and shake to combine
step by step photos of making the stir fry sauce

This sauce does not mess around. It is bold, so flavorful, and a little bit goes a long way. If you make the whole batch, it will be enough to flavor 6 – 8 generous servings of food.

cornstarch, soy sauce, and sesame oil

What is stir fry sauce used for?

You can use stir fry sauce for just about anything, but commonly used best vegetables for stir fry include

  • Mushrooms
  • Carrots
  • Sugar snap peas
  • Broccoli
  • White or yellow onion
  • Bell peppers, any color
  • Green onion
  • Water chestnuts
  • Baby corn
a bowl of stir fry vegetables over white rice

What should I put in my stir fry?

  • Vegetables: our go to vegetables include onion, garlic, ginger, brococli, mushrooms and bell pepper
  • Protein: beef, chicken, tofu, chickpeas, tempeh
  • Noodles or rice: white rice, brown rice, ramen noodles, brown rice noodles, pad thai noodles
mason jar with shaken up stir fry sauce in it

Stir Fry Sauce Tips

  • Make the sauce first: Prepping this ahead makes it easier to add as you need it when making your stir fry. You can either cook your ingredients in this sauce, or add it at the end of cook time.
  • Add a little bit at a time: If you are unsure of how much sauce to use, I recommend cooking your ingredients first in sesame oil, then adding this sauce to taste in the last 3-5 minutes of cook time to taste.
garlic onion and ginger

What can I add to stir fry for flavor?

I have one recommendation, and that is to always use this together with fresh garlic and fresh ginger. Do not skip this step.

These are not a part of the sauce, but they are part of the full recipe that you will make. I have found this to be the best way to bring out all of those flavors and I highly recommend doing this.

If you skip this step and tell me that the recipe is bland, it is because you did not add the garlic and ginger!

ramen noodles with mushrooms being pulled with tongs from a pan

How to thicken stir fry sauce

Cornstarch acts as an easy thickener in this stir fry sauce recipe. It is is a great way to thicken sauces when you want a quick recipe.

There is no need to cook out a raw flour flavor like you would when cooking with a roux. Most sauce recipes use a corn starch slurry to thicken them.

Instead of that, we are simply mixing it with the other ingredients and once well shaken it will thicken the same way.

stir fry sauce in a mason jar with a lid

I have tested this easy recipe time and time again and it is always incredibly delicious.

cabbage stir fry ramen noodles

“OMG Joy! I have been searching for the true stir fry sauce” for everything “ and this is it! Made shrimp broccoli and mushroom stir fry tonight and and I’m still licking up the sauce from the pan!”

Ramen noodle stir fry with golden oak shitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas, green bell pepper, carrots, green onions, and fresh garlic and ginger.

This recipe seemed to be too easy, but it works better than more complicated recipes. This will be my go to.

More Stir Fry Recipes You’ll Love

Are you making this recipe? I want to see! Don’t forget to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

the easiest stir fry sauce recipe

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sauce in a jar with sesame oil and corn starch in the back ground

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a star rating below!

stir fry sauce in a mason jar

Easy Stir Fry Sauce

Yield: 6- 8 servings concentrated
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 7 minutes

Easy homemade stir fry sauce recipe made with just 3 ingredients!

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch to a mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake to combine
  2. Be sure to use this stir fry sauce with fresh minced garlic and fresh minced ginger in your stir fry (cooked with your vegetables/protein), as stated in the post. This is what will give it the "wow" factor. 
  3. Once your stir fry is mostly cooked, add the stir fry sauce and heat an additional 3 - 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. This is important, as the corn starch needs a few minutes to thicken up.
  4. READ THIS RECIPE NOTE - this is intended to cover around 8 servings of stir fry, served over UNSALTED rice or noodles. Otherwise it will be too salty. It is a highly concentrated sauce. A little goes a long way! If you are making a small stir fry, start by adding a few tablespoons of sauce at a time until desired saltiness.

Notes

To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free soy sauce or tamari.

To see examples of how much food this sauce will cover, check out several of my recipes using this sauce. Cabbage Stir Fry, Stir Fry Vegetables, Ramen Noodle Stir Fry

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 131mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to tag me on instagram @buildyourbite and hashtag #buildyourbite with your recipe creations!

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Virginia

Thursday 15th of February 2024

This is my go-to sauce! I’ve tried others and they’re either too complex — because sometimes simple works best on a weeknight — too sweet, or just thin without a “mouthy feel.” In this I toss garlic, ginger, a splash of cooking sherry, and rice vinegar, use arrowroot instead of cornstarch, and throw sesame seeds in. Overall, it’s a beautiful base and good for veggies, noodles, and even a marinade. And I love how we’ve all made it ours with what we have on hand.

Joy Shull

Tuesday 12th of March 2024

I love that! So glad you found a way to make it your own Virginia!

D

Saturday 10th of February 2024

I very, very rarely comment on a recipe and had to with this one. I added fresh garlic, black garlic granules, and powdered ginger (I didn't have fresh), and threw in some sesame seeds. And just. Wow.

I have finally found my go to stir-fry sauce! Most are too sweet and I grew tired of those so I haven't made stir-fry in awhile. Thank you for bringing me back. :)

Joy Shull

Tuesday 12th of March 2024

I am so glad you found it! Thanks for sharing!

Jacqueline

Monday 29th of January 2024

How long will left over sauce keep in the fridge please?

Cindy Swanson

Friday 19th of January 2024

Tried the sauce tonight. Added 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper (black or white; 1/4-1/2 tsp hot chili oil would also work), 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp Xylitol (or sugar). Mixed it into my stir-fried ramen noodles with pork, mushrooms, & peas (didn’t have snow peas), and served. It was a hit with my 1.5 gen Asian family.

(Only one small suggestion: It would be helpful if the recipe were at the top — or if it were possible to jump from the beginning to the recipe. I had a hard time finding it, and almost gave up.)

Thank you!

Joy Shull

Friday 19th of January 2024

So glad your family enjoyed the recipe Cindy :) There is a jump to recipe button at the top of every page just fyi for the future!

Kiriakitsa

Friday 29th of September 2023

Can the sesame oil be substituted with another oil?

Joy Shull

Friday 13th of October 2023

Sesame oil is best for the flavor of stir fry sauce.

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