This sweet and sour sauce is glossy, tangy, and perfectly balanced with pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce. If you want an easy homemade sauce that tastes better than takeout and comes together in minutes, this is a great one to keep in your back pocket.

What is Sweet and Sour Sauce?

Sweet and sour sauce (or just sweet sour sauce or Chinese red sauce) is a condiment that is typically associated with Asian cuisine but is actually used in many global cuisines. It refers to any sauce that combines sweet flavors with a puckery acidic balance.

Is duck sauce the same thing as sweet and sour sauce? No, duck sauce is very sweet but with no “sour.” It is typically made with many fruit purees and juices including apricots, plums, peaches or pineapples.

Gather This

You are going to love that a lot of these sweet and sour sauce ingredients you might already have on hand in your kitchen. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.

• Ketchup– The base for the sauce and also what will give it color without having to use food coloring.

Variations

There are lots of ways to add variety to this homemade Chinese sauce. You can easily customize it to make your own tasty sauce.

• Orange – Use orange juice instead of pineapple.
• Ginger – Add fresh ginger for additional flavor.
• Heat – Throw in some red pepper flakes for a little heat.
• Maple syrup – Substitute maple syrup for some of the sugar.
• Seasonings – Use onion powder or garlic powder to punch up the flavor.
• Soy sauce – Throw a dash of light soy sauce in for a bit saltiness.

If you’re looking for another good homemade sauce that’s Asian-inspired and perfect for dipping or marinating, try Teriyaki sauce or this Sweet Thai Chili sauce.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce (Step-by-Step)

Making this dipping sauce is literally as easy as one, two three!

1. Whisk ingredients. Whisk together all of the ingredients except the cornstarch, the mixture will not completely blend until fully heated.
2. Heat thoroughly. Continue to heat until small bubbles form, but be mindful to keep the heat at medium. This mixture is heavy with sugar and has the tendency to boil over easily. The sugar can also scald easily, so whisk frequently.
3. Combine with cornstarch. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and then combine with the sauce and remove from the heat.

One thing to make sure you do when you’re making this recipe is to avoid adding cornstarch on its own. Instead, you’ll want to make a cornstarch slurry. Add a little cold water to the cornstarch and mix until you get the perfect consistency before combining it with the other ingredients.

Perfect Pairings

This versatile sauce is used mostly as a dipping sauce in the States, but it can also be used as a marinade or as the star sauce on sweet and sour chicken or sweet and sour shrimp.

While you can obviously use this as an accompaniment to Chinese cuisine like a homemade stir fry, I like it with lots of other foods as well. It may even make some picky eaters more excited about meal time.

Next time you make chicken nuggets or pork chops try whipping up this easy recipe and serve a little bit on the side with your meal. Or you can slather your sweet and sour sauce on while you’re cooking a great recipe like sweet and sour chicken or even on veggies like bell peppers.

More Homemade Sauces

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Print

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

Sweet and Sour Sauce is an amazing dipping sauce. This EASY recipe will make you think it came from your local Chinese takeout!

Course Sauce

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword sweet and sour sauce

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Calories 105kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the 1 cup sugar, 1 cup pineapple juice, 1/3 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons soy sauce over medium heat.
• Continue to heat until small bubbles form, whisking continually and until sugar dissolves and the ingredients have fully combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, when blended, whisk into the sweet and sour sauce and then remove from heat.
• Serve hot or allow to cool fully before storing.
• If you tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!

Video

Notes

Storage: Store homemade sweet and sour sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. As it chills, it may thicken slightly, so stir it well before using again.

Freezing: Sweet and sour sauce can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and whisk well after reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.003g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 32IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe appeared first on My Sauce Recipes.

If you’ve been looking for a simple sauce that can jazz up nearly any meal, you’ll want to make this easy ponzu sauce recipe immediately!

What is Ponzu Sauce?

Homemade ponzu sauce is a bright and citrusy Asian sauce used in many recipes and marinades, but also simply for dipping and drizzling. 

Authentic Ponzu uses two ingredients that can be challenging to source in the United States unless you have access to an Asian grocery store. These are kombu and katsuobushi. 

Kombu is a type of kelp that has umami-rich, briny flavor. Katsuobushi, or bonita flakes, is fermented and dried fish that has been smoked. 

In this recipe, we are substituting dried shiitake mushrooms for those ingredients. They give a umami flavor that is not quite spot-on. However, it’s close enough that you wouldn’t know the difference — unless you’re a Ponzu aficionado!  

Yuzu juice (made from a citrus fruit common in Asia) is another ingredient commonly used and is easier to find. But, it can also be pricey and I don’t tend to use it often. So our recipe calls for fresh lemon and lime juice to provide the citrus notes instead.

Gather This

You can whip up this flavorful ponzu sauce with just a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.

• Rice Vinegar – Rice vinegar adds a tangy and slightly sweet flavor to ponzu sauce. Its acidity also balances out the other ingredients like soy sauce and mirin.
• Mirin – Mirin imparts a subtle sweetness and adds to the complex flavor profile.
• White Chinese Cooking Wine or Sake (Japanese Rice Wine) – Either of these will add depth to the sauce and give it subtle floral and fruity notes.

What To Serve With Ponzu Sauce

Ponzu is a fabulous dipping sauce for dishes like dumplings, spring rolls, or crab rangoon. It’s also the perfect accompaniment to sushi or you can drizzle it over any seafood dish — try it with salmon, tilapia, or halibut.

Other proteins can be jazzed up with ponzu, too. Serve it with beef like steaks or roasts or mix it into ground beef for burgers full of umami. It also goes well with chicken and pork as well as tofu.

As if that weren’t enough, you can also use it in stir-fries, on grilled veggies, or even as a salad dressing. 

Print

Ponzu Sauce

Balanced with sweet, salty, and citrusy flavor and tons of umami, this Homemade Ponzu Sauce recipe is a winner on so many dishes!

Course Sauce

Cuisine Asian

Keyword ponzu sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Calories 162kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons white Chinese cooking wine or sake
• 2 large dried shiitake mushrooms

Instructions

• Combine the vinegar, mirin, soy sauce, lime juice, lemon juice, wine or sake and dried mushrooms in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue to simmer for 15 minutes, making sure the mushrooms are submerged so they can steep.
• Turn off heat and allow the sauce to sit for an additional 15 minutes.
• Pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, discarding solids. You can just pluck out the mushrooms, but sometimes little bits fall off and you’ll likely not want to bite into a little flavor bomb of steeped dried mushroom.
• Use in a recipe or as a dipping sauce.
• If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings!

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 3693mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Storage and Freezing

You can easily store this sauce in the fridge or freezer to keep it on hand to dress up your proteins and veggies.

Common Questions About Ponzu Sauce

More Asian-Inspired Sauces

I love adding a homemade sauce to nearly any meal or snack. It’s a great, easy way to elevate flavors.

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The post Ponzu Sauce appeared first on My Sauce Recipes.

Whether used as a marinade, dipping sauce or even a glaze, this homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe is full of flavor and perfectly sweet!

I love an amazing sauce with nearly any meal. I drizzle my salmon with pesto, I adore some chicken wings drenched in buffalo sauce. And while I’ll let my littles hoard the ketchup to have on their scrambled eggs, my omelets and breakfast burritos get the sriracha treatment.

But while I like those spicy and savory sauces, I also can’t pass up an Asian-style sauce like teriyaki. Teriyaki salmon or even pork kabobs is one of my go-to weeknight meals; but you can use it on virtually any vegetable or protein. It’s so easy to make and your dinner will look and taste like you spent all day on it.

What is Teriyaki Sauce?

The term “teriyaki” initially referred to a cooking method (grilling with a seasoned soy sauce marinade) from as early as the 17th century in Japan. However, while teriyaki sauce is often equated with Japanese cuisine, it was actually created in Hawaii (albeit by Japanese immigrants).

The original soy sauce based delicacy was created in the 1960s and incorporated pineapple juice in addition to many of the other flavors we associate it with today.

Today, teriyaki sauce still remains based in soy sauce with sweeteners and thickeners to create a burst of salty, sweet, umami flavors that delicately coat any food that is graced with it.

Instead of pineapple, mirin, rice vinegar, and brown sugar often serve to sweeten it while cornstarch is popular for thickening the sauce, doing double duty making it either a heartier marinade or delectably dippable.

Is Teriyaki Sauce Gluten-Free?

If you’re worried about the carbs or gluten in the sauce, you can always use an alternative sweetener. Another bonus is that it can be gluten free if you use tamari (without wheat) instead of soy sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients

You can easily find these teriyaki sauce ingredients at the grocery store. Some might be down the international aisle.

• Mirin – with more sugar and less alcohol than sake, this rice wine will add just the level of sweetness you need to the sauce.
• Soy sauce – originating from China, soy sauce imparts umami into this recipe, as well as the saltiness necessary to bring out the other flavors.
• Rice vinegar – made from fermented rice, rice vinegar is sweet. Avoid substituting other vinegars and ensure to use this specifically.
• Sesame oil – made from sesame seeds, this oil is sometimes challenging to source. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, check the “variations” section of this post for some alternative options.
• Light brown sugar – with less molasses than dark brown sugar, light brown sugar is the option to use here. There is plenty of sweetness already derived from the mirin and rice vinegar.
• Garlic cloves – while you can chop or grate, mincing cloves is the best option if you want a smooth sauce.
• Fresh ginger – just like the garlic cloves, ensure that you mince the ginger unless you want a chunkier texture (like for a dipping sauce).
• Cornstarch or arrowroot – cornstarch is the first choice to use for thickening this sauce but arrowroot is a reasonable alternative.
• Water – this helps to achieve the consistency you want to create for this sauce.

Variations

There are plenty of ways you can make this simple teriyaki sauce your own. Here are a few ideas.

• Starch substitutions – in addition to arrowroot, other substitutions for cornstarch are rice flour, tapioca powder, potato starch, and flaxseed gel. Not all are 1:1 substitutions, so make sure to check before adding them to your sauce.
• Oils – while sesame oil is the best option to use in this teriyaki sauce recipe, you can use other oils. Oil options include olive, walnut, grapeseed, or avocado.
• Heat – want to add some extra heat to your sauce? Toss in some crushed red pepper, fresh hot peppers, sriracha, Thai chili sauce or curry pastes, or even cayenne.
• Sweetness – drizzle some honey into your teriyaki sauce for some added sweet flavor or just add some extra mirin. Pineapple juice or tidbits and even agave also work.

How to Make Teriyaki Sauce

I am including instructions for making both a teriyaki marinade and a teriyaki sauce. You need the marinade to make the sauce.

As a Marinade:

1. Combine ingredients. Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan. 
2. Boil. Bring the mixture to a boil before simmering.
3. Blend the mixture until smooth using a small food processor or an immersion blender. 

As a Dipping or Drizzling Sauce:

1. Make slurry. To make the marinade into a sauce, first make a slurry by whisking together cornstarch and water. 
2. Add to sauce. Add the slurry to the marinade and whisk until the mixture has a glossy appearance. 
3. Allow to thicken. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to thicken.

Ways To Use Teriyaki Sauce

This easy teriyaki sauce recipes has tons of uses from marinating meats and fish to dipping appetizers and veggies.

1. Salmon, beef, tofu, chicken, pork… you name the protein and teriyaki will take it up a notch. Brush it on the meat, fish, shrimp, or alternative protein, then cook as you typically would. You can even slather it on teriyaki burgers!
2. Turn your game day traditions around and use teriyaki instead of buffalo sauce for your wings. Make a creamy peanut sauce to give your wings a Thai flair. Or if you choose to add some heat to your teriyaki sauce, whip up a quick, creamy green curry sauce to offset it. Yum yum sauce is another great dipping option.
3. Another great appetizer or snack that dips well in teriyaki is crab rangoon. These tasty cheese-filled wontons are perfect for Saturday night snacking; but they’re also perfect for a party, and they pair amazingly with teriyaki sauce.
4. Egg rolls or dumplings are delicious dippers as well.
5. You can even elevate standard weeknight dishes with teriyaki sauce. Spread it on a burger, dip your fries in it, even drizzle it on a takeout cheesesteak.
6. And don’t sleep on using it outside of the evening hours! Scrambled eggs would love the teriyaki treatment and you could transform your eggs benedict by replacing the hollandaise.

Storage and Freezing

How to Store Teriyaki Sauce

You can store this homemade teriyaki sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Can I Freeze Teriyaki Sauce?

Yes, you can freeze this japanese teriyaki sauce. I like to add it to ice cube trays and freeze it that way. But you can also freeze it in a ziplock bag.

Thaw at room temperature or overnight in the fridge. If you need a quick teriyaki sauce, defrost in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.

More Easy Sauce Recipes

I love a good homemade sauce to jazz up a meal. Here are a few of our favorites that we know you’ll love too!

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

Sweet and Sour Sauce is an amazing dipping sauce. This EASY recipe will make you think it came from your local Chinese takeout!

Check Out This Recipe!

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If you're looking for a soy-based sauce to serve with potstickers, dumplings or eggrolls, this EASY Pot Sticker Sauce is for you!

Check Out This Recipe!

Print

Teriyaki Sauce Recipe

Whether used as a marinade, dipping sauce or even a glaze, this homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe is full of flavor and perfectly sweet!

Course Sauce

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword teriyaki, teriyaki sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Calories 412kcal

Ingredients

TERIYAKI MARINADE

• 2/3 cup mirin
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 7 large garlic cloves minced*
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger minced*

TERIYAKI GLAZE

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
• 3 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients for teriyaki marinade in a small sauce pan. Bring to a low boil, then a simmer for 10-15 minutes. Mixture will be thin. Use this for marinating.
• Using an immersion blender or small food processor, blend well.
• To make marinade into a sauce, whisk together cornstarch and water until fully combined. Mix with teriyaki marinade until it becomes glossy. Remove from heat, mixture will thicken as it cools.
• If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7097mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Teriyaki Sauce Recipe appeared first on My Sauce Recipes.