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Stir Fry Sauce Recipe

This stir fry sauce is so easy to make! All you need is just 3 ingredients and the flavor is so much better than any store bought stir fry sauce!

stir fry sauce in a mason jar with a lid

Why this is the best easy stir fry sauce

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.

  • Only three ingredients: all you need for bold flavor is soy sauce, sesame oil, and corn starch
  • 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.
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

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the easiest stir fry sauce recipe

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

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stir fry sauce in a mason jar

Easy Stir Fry Sauce

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

Making your own stir fry sauce is so easy! This delicious sauce recipe is just 3 ingredients and comes together in seconds. Perfect for making flavorful stir fries at home.

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • ¼ cup 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?

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LC

Thursday 31st of August 2023

wow! I didn't have low-sodium soya sauce, so just added a bit of water to lighten it. Added grated fresh ginger to the sauce, as well as a tbsp of brown sugar and a splash of rice wine vinegar. Really really nice with the chicken and veggies!

Lena

Sunday 2nd of July 2023

Sesame oil is available in untoasted or toasted forms. If toasted sesame oil is the type used in a recipe, it should be shown in recipe ingredients as toasted sesame oil.

Joy Shull

Wednesday 12th of July 2023

I have had readers comment that they are unable to find toasted sesame oil, so I recommend any form of sesame oil.

Beki

Thursday 22nd of June 2023

This was great! I actually added about a tbs of grated ginger to the sauce, and added the minced garlic to my chicken and veggies, and it was super flavorful! Thanks.

Lauren

Sunday 4th of June 2023

This was a good base. I used about 2/3 of it and added 1 cup water and 2T sugar to cut some of the saltiness.

Kathy Kamp

Wednesday 31st of May 2023

Awesome easy Recipe! I will make it again!

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