This straightforward stir fry sauce makes use of simply 6 elements and comes collectively in minutes. Savory, tangy, and calmly candy with a silky texture coating each chew!
For years I made disappointing stir fries, the place the sauce both evaporated to nothing within the pan, or made the veggies style bland (how?). So as soon as I began writing recipes for a dwelling, I made a decision to do a deep dive: and I discovered the suitable formulation of elements make the right texture and seasoning.
This straightforward stir fry sauce recipe modified the sport for me! It takes simply 5 minutes to whisk collectively, makes use of 6 pantry staples, and makes simply the suitable shiny coating. It’s versatile sufficient to work with tofu, shrimp, hen, or only a mountain of colourful veggies for a scrumptious vegetable stir fry. Listed here are all my tips!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Right here’s what makes this stir fry sauce particular:
- Balanced taste: The mixture of savory soy sauce, tangy rice vinegar, and delicate sweetness makes magic
- Shiny texture: In contrast to watery sauces that disappear, it makes a coating that adheres to each chew
- Prepared in 5 minutes: Simply whisk and go: no cooking required!
- Pantry elements: Every thing shops nicely, so you’ll be able to whip it up for weeknight dinners
5-Star Reader Overview
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This turned out nice and wasn’t too arduous to throw collectively. Thanks!” -Raymond W.
Components You’ll Want
A stir fry sauce is like potato salad: there are 1,000,000 methods to make it and everybody’s mother has their greatest model! What you do need is that this: an amazing stability of umami (savory) taste, with tangy and candy notes to stability it, and a calmly thick texture in order that it coats all of the greens. The elements for this stir fry sauce are:
- I’m Willow: I take advantage of common soy sauce moderately than low-sodium soy sauce for greatest seasoning. For a gluten-free model, substitute with tamari or coconut aminos (extra on this under).
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is milder and barely sweeter than white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and it’s important for a stir fry.
- Sugar: Provides a delicate sweetness that rounds out the savory and tangy notes. You too can use the identical quantity of honey or maple syrup.
- Miso: Miso paste provides unbelievable umami depth and a savory high quality that makes the stir fry style so satisfying.
- Cornstarch: This makes the silky, shiny texture that coats your veggies (as an alternative of simply being watery).
- Garlic Powder: Provides fragrant depth with out the trouble of mincing contemporary garlic. In case you have time, use ½ tsp minced garlic or 1 small clove, grated.
Soy Sauce Substitutions
Soy sauce shouldn’t be gluten free and naturally is stuffed with soy, so what in case you keep away from these elements? There are two nice substitutes for soy sauce:
- Tamari (gluten-free): Tamari can also be made out of soy: it’s particularly a Japanese kind of soy sauce. The largest distinction between soy sauce vs tamari is that tamari comprises little to no wheat. Verify the label to verify! When it comes to taste, tamari is barely much less salty than soy sauce, so it’s possible you’ll want to make use of a bit extra to style.
- Coconut aminos (gluten free and soy free): Working round a soy allergy? No downside. Coconut aminos comprises no soy and has a really comparable taste to soy sauce. Substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce in a 1:1 ratio, nevertheless it’s barely much less salty to it’s possible you’ll want so as to add a bit salt to style.
Taste Variations
When you’ve mastered the essential recipe, you’ll be able to simply customise this stir fry sauce to swimsuit completely different dishes and taste preferences. Listed here are my favourite variations:
Spicy Stir Fry Sauce – Add 1-2 teaspoons of sriracha, ½ teaspoon of purple pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce to the bottom recipe. This works superbly with heartier greens like bell peppers and broccoli. The warmth balances properly with the sweetness of the sugar.
Candy and Savory – Enhance the sugar to three tablespoons or substitute with brown sugar for deeper molasses notes. You too can add 1 tablespoon of orange juice for brilliant citrus sweetness. This model is ideal for hen stir fry or shrimp.
Additional Umami – Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce or 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce to accentuate the savory depth. This creates a richer, extra complicated taste that works splendidly with beef stir fry or mushrooms.
Sesame Ginger – Add 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of contemporary ginger (minced or grated) for fragrant, nutty notes. Garnish your completed dish with sesame seeds. That is my go-to variation for Tofu Stir Fry.
Thai-Impressed – Add 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of contemporary ginger, and a pinch of purple pepper flakes. This brilliant, spicy model pairs superbly with Thai basil and Vegan Stir Fry dishes.
Thicker Sauce for Noodles – Enhance the cornstarch to 1 tablespoon in case you’re utilizing the sauce with noodles or desire a thicker coating. The additional cornstarch creates a sauce that adheres higher to slippery noodles.
Tips on how to Use This Sauce
This stir fry sauce works very nicely in a stir fry: you’ll simply have to know a number of issues earlier than you add it!
- The amount works for a 4 serving stir fry. It ought to be sufficient for six to 7 cups of greens and 14 to 16 oz protein (tofu, shrimp, hen or beef). It coats all of the greens and protein, however doesn’t have a number of extra.
- Add the sauce after the veggies are accomplished: flip off the warmth! Right here’s the vital half. Cook dinner all of the veggies, then flip off the warmth. Then add the sauce, and stir till it thickens. For those who add the sauce to the recent pan, it can all evaporate, leaving no silky sauce left behind.
This stir fry sauce works with actually any mixture of greens and proteins. I take advantage of it most frequently with Cauliflower Stir Fry, Broccoli Stir Fryand Child Bok Choy Stir Fry.
Tips on how to Make a Easy Stir Fry
For those who’re new to stir frying, right here’s a easy solution to get you began. Completely different greens have completely different cooking occasions, so that you add them to the wok or pan in levels.
- Put together your elements. Lower every little thing into similar-sized items in order that they prepare dinner evenly. Have your stir fry sauce blended and able to go. Ensure that to prepare dinner your protein (tofu, hen or shrimp) first!
- Warmth your pan. Use a wok or massive skillet over excessive warmth. Add 1-2 tablespoons of standard sesame or vegetable oil.
- Begin with long-cooking greens (6-7 minutes). Add heartier veggies first: broccoli florets, bell peppers, sliced onions, carrots (reduce into matchsticks), or mushrooms. Stir regularly.
- Add medium-cooking greens (3-5 minutes). Add quicker-cooking greens: snow peas, snap peas, sliced cabbage, bok choy, zucchini, or shelled edamame.
- Add aromatics. Add minced garlic, contemporary ginger, and sliced inexperienced onions (about 1 minute), stirring always.
- Flip off the warmth and add protein and sauce. Flip off the burner and add your pre-cooked protein (like Tofu Stir Fry, sauteed shrimpor pan seared hen) and the stir fry sauce. Stir constantly for about 1 minute till every little thing is shiny.
- Serve. Stir fry is greatest instantly served with rice, quinoa, or noodles.
For extra detailed directions, see my Simple Stir Fry Greens, Shrimp Stir Fryand Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry.
Taste Variations
When you’ve mastered the essential recipe, you’ll be able to simply customise this stir fry sauce:
- Spicy Stir Fry Sauce: Add 1-2 teaspoons of sriracha, ½ teaspoon of purple pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce.
- Candy and Savory: Enhance the sugar to three tablespoons.
- Honey Orange: Use honey and add 1 tablespoon of orange juice for brilliant citrus sweetness (and a little bit of orange zest in case you like).
- Additional Umami: Add 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce or 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce.
- Sesame Ginger: Add 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of contemporary ginger (minced or grated) for fragrant, nutty notes.
Storage Ideas
Retailer the stir fry sauce in an hermetic container or mason jar in within the fridge for as much as 1 week. I like utilizing a small mason jar as a result of you’ll be able to shake it earlier than serving.
Earlier than utilizing refrigerated sauce, let it come to room temperature for about 5 minutes, then stir or shake vigorously. At all times stir or shake earlier than utilizing so the cornstarch can distribute evenly by means of the sauce.
Make-ahead tip: For those who’re meal prepping, you may make 2-3 batches of sauce. Use about ¾ cup for a 4 serving stir fry.
Dietary Notes
This stir fry sauce is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, oil free, and gluten-free (see substitutes above).
Regularly Requested Questions
To make a wholesome stir fry sauce, deal with utilizing minimal oil (or no oil, like this recipe!), selecting low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to scale back sodium content material, and utilizing pure sweeteners like maple syrup as an alternative of refined sugar.
Loading up on greens moderately than heavy proteins additionally retains the general dish nutrient-dense. This recipe is pretty wholesome—it’s oil-free, makes use of solely 2 tablespoons of sugar for your complete batch (which serves 4), and depends on miso for umami depth moderately than extreme salt.
Sure, you may make stir fry sauce with out cornstarch, although the feel can be completely different. The cornstarch creates that shiny coating that adheres to greens.
Substitute arrowroot powder in equal quantities (it really works nearly identically to cornstarch) or just make a thinner sauce with none thickener and let it cut back naturally within the pan.
Sure, to make a gluten-free stir fry sauce, substitute tamari for normal soy sauce. Tamari is a Japanese-style soy sauce made with out wheat, so it’s naturally gluten-free (simply confirm the label to make sure it’s licensed gluten-free).
All the opposite elements on this recipe are naturally gluten-free, together with miso (although at all times verify the label), rice vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and garlic powder.
Simple Stir Fry Sauce
This straightforward stir fry sauce recipe will develop into your go-to! It’s simply 6 elements and has one of the best stability of flavors and silky texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Whole Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Sufficient for a 4 serving stir fry
- Class: Sauce
- Methodology: Stirred
- Delicacies: Asian Impressed
- Food regimen: Vegan
- ¼ cup soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos)
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon miso
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (substitute ½ tsp minced garlic or 1 small clove, grated)
- Whisk collectively all elements till a easy sauce varieties. Retailer in a coated container till utilizing, or use instantly.
- So as to add to a stir fry, use with a 4-serving stir fry like Tofu Stir Fry or Cauliflower Stir Fry. It additionally works with 1 pound protein like hen, shrimp, or beef. Cook dinner all of the greens, then flip off the warmth and add the sauce, stirring till it thickens.
Notes
Soy sauce substitutions: Use tamari for gluten-free or coconut aminos for soy-free and gluten-free. Coconut aminos is much less salty, so it’s possible you’ll want so as to add a pinch of salt to style.
Thicker sauce: For noodles or a thicker coating, enhance cornstarch to 1 tablespoon.
Spicy model: Add 1-2 teaspoons sriracha or ½ teaspoon purple pepper flakes.
Storage: Refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 1 week. Stir or shake earlier than utilizing, as cornstarch will settle. Skinny with water if wanted.
Greatest outcomes: At all times add sauce to the pan off the warmth to stop evaporation and make sure the good silky texture.
