Stir Fry Sauce
on Jan 24, 2021, Updated Apr 09, 2024
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!
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.
How do you make stir fry sauce?
- Add the corn starch, sesame oil, and soy sauce to a mason jar.
- Close the lid, and shake to combine
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.
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
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
Tips for success
- 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.
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!
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.
“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!”
“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
3 Ingredient Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- â…“ cup + 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch to a mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake to combine
- 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.
- Once your stir fry is mostly cooked, add the stir fry sauce and heat an additional 3 – 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and coats the stir fry ingredients. This is important, as the corn starch needs a few minutes to thicken up.
- 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.
Have you tried this wth glass noodles in the stir fry
I have not tried it, but maybe someone has and can chime in!
Hi Joy,
I can’t see the amounts to use for the stir fry sauce, one of your replies says to look at the bottom of the post. I have looked several times and I still can’t see it.
Hi Debby,
The recipe card with instructions is right above the comment section 🙂 It also has a print button should you want to print the recipe. Enjoy!
Jesus take the wheel on this one Soooo good!!!!! I added some honey just for a little sweet kick
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, honey sounds like a delicious addition!!
You had mentioned that you had searched all kinds of soy sauces and stuff for the perfect stir fry. Is there a particular brand of soy sauce or sesame oil that you use for this recipe?
Hi Amy,
I meant that I had tried all kinds of premade stir fry sauces, often marketed as “teriyaki sauce” or “garlic stir fry sauce.” Any brand of soy sauce or sesame oil will work, it’s just the already made sauces that are not as good. Hope that helps!
I don’t have cornstarch on hand. Could I use flour?
Hi Kayla,
Flour will not work the same way as cornstarch does. It takes a lot longer to cook and for the taste of the flour to go away.
What are the amounts for this stir fry sauce?
Hi Donna,
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the amounts.
I didn’t find how much you put in for the 3 ingredients stir fry sauce
Hi Brandi,
The ingredients and amounts are at the bottom of the post in a printable recipe card. Enjoy!
THANK YOU! so easy and so good!
THANK YOU! SO EXCITED TO TRY THIS TONIGHT!
This was so good! My wife and I make it all the time now.
Can you keep this in the fridge?
I haven’t personally, but I think you could leave it in the fridge and add it once you’re cooking the stir fry. I usually just throw it together right before it goes in the pan.