The Best Sweet and Sour Sauce

The Best Sweet and Sour Sauce, only 5 ingredients and ready in minutes!

Sweet and sour sauce is something you need in your recipe arsenal. Not only is it delicious, it is very versatile and you can use it many different ways!

Use it as a dipping sauce for cream cheese wontons, a glaze for grilled chicken, or even with tempura veggies. I even like to dip my teriyaki beef sticks in it when getting takeout!

How about a fun appetizer of sweet and sour glazed meatballs, perfect for game day!

Sweet and sour chicken is obviously a huge staple at your local Chinese Restaurant and this is definitely the perfect copycat!

Sweet and tangy and thickened with a cornstarch slurry, you will totally impress your guests with this one!

Alternatives and Add-Ons:

This is a super simple sauce with only five ingredients. You can still make it your own by adding a few things!

A few dashes of hot sauce or sriracha would be SO good. Or, even some sweet chili paste would go wonderfully in this sauce.

Or, even a pinch of chili flakes or star anise would be good too! Add a dash of Chinese 5 spice for an unexpected twist.

Sweet and Sour Sauce Directions:

• In a small saucepot, add the vinegar, water, and sugar. Place over medium heat on the stove.
• Whisk continuously until sugar is melted. Add the ketchup and stir until well mixed in.
• Mix the cornstarch and water together to form a slurry in a small bowl.
• Bring vinegar mixture to a slow boil. Pour in the cornstarch slurry slowly while continuously whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
• Continue to stir until thickened, about 30 seconds. Take off the heat. Serve.

A little note of warning. This is a sauce made with a lot of sugar, when it gets hot, melted sugar will burn you worse than regular liquid.

While stirring this sauce and it is boiling, be extremely careful. If the sauce seems like it is boiling too hard and it starts to “pop” from boiling, take it off the heat until it cools slightly.

Better to be safe!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Tools used for this recipe:

• Measuring cups, I love these!
• A small saucepot.
• A whisk.

More yummy Asian inspired sauce recipes from my favorite bloggers:

• Garlic Sauce – Stir Fried Lotus Root
• Spicy Teriyaki – Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
• Sesame Almond Butter Sauce – Noodles

5 from 2 votes

Print

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ketchup

Cornstarch Slurry

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. In a small saucepot, add the sugar, vinegar, and water. Place over medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is melted. Add the ketchup whisk to combine.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Bring the vinegar mixture to a slow boil, slowly stream in the cornstarch slurry while whisking constantly. Cook until thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve.

Recipe Notes

Be careful while whisking the cornstarch slurry into the pot. It is extremely hot and if the sauce starts to boil too hard you might get burned. Take off heat immediately if mixture gets too hot where it is boiling hard.

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