The other day I made homemade sweet and sour sauce. Why? Oh, I have a good reason….
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Whether you’re making your own egg rolls or heating up leftover Chinese takeout or cooking up something from the freezer, you’ll love this simple and delicious sweet and sour sauce.
Am I the only one who thinks they never get enough sauce in those little packets?
If you haven’t figured out that I love food, I have news for you. And while I tend to cook from scratch at home most of the time, there are days when we eat out or have takeout.
We never get enough packets when we order takeout. Four egg rolls and six crab rangoon? They’ll give me just one lonely packet of sweet and sour sauce.
Instead, I make homemade sauces to fill the gap. Some foods simply need that extra kick of flavor, and it’s so easy to make a dipping sauce for your favorite Asian appetizers and meals.
Looking for more fun Asian inspired recipes? Check out my favorites at the end of this article.
This is perfect if you make your own sweet and sour chicken at home and thrill your family. And nope, there’s no food coloring in this recipe.
In general, this dipping sauce uses fairly standard Asian staples. I had all the ingredients I needed to make my sweet and sour sauce on hand in my pantry.
No fancy ingredients but no rationing of sweet and sour sauce because there’s only one packet to share? Sold!
Is this an authentic sweet and sour sauce?
This is not a traditional Asian sauce, but this is the American version that you will find in the store and when you order your favorite Asian food.
I find that it tastes better than the store bought version, and I love how quick it is to make. So authentic American version?
How do I store homemade sweet and sour sauce?
Make sure to let your dipping sauce come to room temperature. Then add it to an airtight container, and place it in your fridge.
This easily lasts two to three weeks. You can enjoy it cold or gently heat it if you prefer.
What are the best uses for sweet and sour saucve?
Sweet and sour sauce is one of my favorite homemade sauces because you can use it for so many things. I love the traditional use as a dipping sauce for egg rolls, wontons, and crab rangoon.
However, this is also a delicious dip for chicken nuggets in a sort of fake sweet and sour chicken way. You can also use it to glaze chicken or pork or even shrimp to serve with rice.
What if I don’t have rice vinegar?
Honestly, this works best with rice vinegar, as it has a different flavor profile than white vinegar, for example. To me, this is worth a purchase, and you use it in so many Asian recipes (and it doesn’t go bad quickly), so it’s worth the minimal investment.
If you absolutely have to, you can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, but use a little less and know that it will not taste the same. You may need to add some more sugar, as well.
If it is at all possible, use rice vinegar. Just trust me.
How to Make Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
The best part is that this recipe took only about ten minutes to make. I ate it while it was still steaming because I was starving for lunch, and it was so good!
Depending on your personal preferences, you can change up the ingredient ratios a bit, but this worked perfectly for my tastebuds!
In a saucepan, add your pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and all but one quarter cup of your water. Stir to combine.
Side note: When I cook with ketchup – think barbecue sauce, honey bourbon chicken, etc – I buy the organic ketchup. I find that it has a better flavor, and that comes through in the final dish, too.
Over medium high heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
While the mixture is cooking, place your remaining quarter cup of cold water in a bowl or measuring cup and add the cornstarch. Use a fork to stir into a slurry.
Once your mixture boils, turn the heat down slightly and stir the cornstarch slurry again to ensure that nothing is stuck to the bottom.
Pour it into your sweet and sour sauce and stir with a spatula . You’ll notice that it thickens quickly.
Let it simmer for another two to three minutes, then remove from the heat. It’s amazing how quickly it thickens up and is that perfect texture.
Let it cool and store in a tightly sealed container in your fridge for 2-3 weeks.
My mouth is watering just thinking about serving this over some chicken and rice, and I think I’ve changed my mind about what’s for dinner tonight!
If you like it sweeter, add a bit more pineapple juice. If you want more tang, add a touch more rice vinegar.
Bookmark this homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe to make again
More favorite Asian inspired dishes:
- Easy chicken fried rice
- Asian marinated skirt steak
- Homemade fortune cookies
- Orange chicken
- Asian glazed salmon
- Sous vide miso glazed salmon
- Grilled baby bok choy
- Kung pao chicken salad
- Weeknight cashew chicken
- Slow cooker Thai pork
- Simply wonton soup
- Sheetpan shrimp and veggies
- Shanghai fried noodles
Homemade Sweet And Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablepoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a saucepan, add pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and all but one quarter cup of your water. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium heat.1/2 cup pineapple juice, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 cup water
- While the mixture is cooking, place your remaining quarter cup of cold water in a bowl or measuring cup and add the cornstarch. Use a fork to stir into a slurry.2 tablepoons cornstarch
- Once your mixture is boiling, turn the heat down slightly and stir the cornstarch slurry again to ensure that nothing is stuck to the bottom. Pour it into your sweet and sour sauce and stir.
- Let it simmer for another two to three minutes, then remove from the heat. Let it cool and store in a tightly sealed container in your fridge for up to a month.
Notes
- If you don't have rice vinegar, you can substitute white vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you absolutely have to. Reduce the amount of vinegar slightly and add a bit more sugar if needed. It won't taste quite the same but works in a pinch.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
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how much ketchup? there’s no measurement
It’s 1/4 cup. The 1/4 was there, but somewhere along the line, the cup part got lost. Updating now – thank you for letting me know!
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