Stir Fry Sauce
Updated Mar 05, 2025
This is the only Stir Fry Sauce recipe you will ever need! Making your own stir fry sauce at home is so easy and tastes just as good as your favorite takeout.
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.
“Made this, served it over rice. My sister is still bragging to anyone who will listen, about the stir fry her sister made. our friend said it was the most flavorful stir fry she ever tasted. Thanks for the recipe.” -Rose
Why we love this stir fry sauce
- Only three ingredients: this recipe comes together in no time!
- 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.
How to make stir fry sauce
- Add the corn starch, sesame oil, and soy sauce to a mason jar.
- Close the lid, and shake it all up until it is combined.
- Add the stir fry sauce to your stir fry to taste in the last 5 minutes of cook time.
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 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
Joy’s 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.
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!
Corn starch
Corn starch 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.“
Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 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 it all up 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 for 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 you reach your desired taste.
Used this sauce to make Broccoli with garlic sauce. Was so salty had to dilute it with 1/2 c. water thickened with more cornstarch to be able to eat it. Did not serve over rice, so that was not a source of salt.
The recipe states that the broccoli with garlic sauce is to be eaten over unsalted white rice for even salty distribution. Alone would definitely be too salty. It is intended to be served over an unsalted grain or noodle as it is a highly concentrated sauce.
Thank you. Will try it again
I struggle with lo me in noodles, trying to find the right one! The noodle you have pictured looks awesome. What brand is that.
Thank you
I use ramen noodles! Thin spaghetti will also work as a lo mein noodle.
I use UDON noodles found on along with asian section in most stores makes great stir fries and/r lomien.
This was absolutely delicious!!! My kiddo gobbled it down.
I’ve been searching for a simple, gluten free sauce, Thank you so much. I will try this tomorrow.
Hi. Thank you for this. I haven’t made it yet but I know it will be good. Something I learned from a Chinese chef on television years ago is this: use tapioca starch instead of corn starch. It thickens the same but makes for a less opaque coating on everything. I’ve had some on hand now for decades! Enjoy.
This might be a life changer for me if this works to thicken a donair sauce I want to make. My nearby city shop has my favorite sauce but compared to any recipes I can find, the recipes use sweetened condensed milk and that doesn’t make the sauce i like. Its a sweet garlic sauce but the —–whats the word, is almost clear as opposed to creamy. I tried just water, vinegar, sugar and garlic powder thickened with corn starch and yes! It had this opaque —– whats the word, that was not what I was going for. Would tapioca starch or even instant tapioca (which I have on hand)achieve what I am looking for? Kind of like the red sauce you get at a Chinese restaurant?
Can you use a different oil other than seseme oil?
To me it is the difference between v8 juice and regular season tomato juice. You can but you won’t like it near as much. Sesame oil really strong and I love it. I only need a little bit usually cause so strong. Costlier than at of corn oil but it is the spice of the dish and I do use less. Try it.
Of course. But sesame oil adds flavor to your dish. You can add more garlic union or scallions to it.
Should I use toasted sesame oil or just sesame oil? Will it make a difference?
either will work.
I lovenew recipes I cant wait to makeit I love stir fry
I tried this tonight and I’m in love with it. I used honey sesame sauce with the low sodium soy sauce. I didnt have fresh ginger so I used the powdered kind. I will make this over and over again. Thank you.
I NEVER post on anything but I have tried this stir fry sauce and it IS the absolute BEST sauce!!!! Give it a try you will NOT be disappointed!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Pam!