The Best Sweet and Sour Sauce, only 5 ingredients, and ready in minutes! This a super easy recipe that you can serve alongside some of your favorite meals!
Sweet and Sour Sauce is something you need in your recipe arsenal. Not only is it delicious, but it is also very versatile and you can use it in many different ways!
Use it as a dipping sauce or a glaze stirred into some of your favorite dishes. It’s a great copycat takeout recipe that you can make at home.
Like I said this recipe is super versatile and you can pretty much use it in or with anything that you want to have a sweet and sour taste to it.
Sweet and Sour Chicken is obviously a huge staple at your local Chinese Restaurant, and this is the perfect copycat!
Sweet and tangy, and thickened with a cornstarch slurry, you will totally impress your guests with this one!
If you are a fan of homemade sauces instead of store-bought then this Sweet and Sour Sauce is one that you need to keep on hand, not only because it’s delicious but because it’s just simple.
Some of our favorite sauce recipes on our site include: Homemade BBQ Sauce, Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce and Homemade Mayonnaise.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal ingredients and 5 minutes, this is super easy.
- Double this recipe to have more on hand for other dishes.
- This can be used in or with so many different foods.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:
- In a small saucepan, add the sugar, vinegar, and water.
- Place over medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is melted. Add the ketchup whisk to combine.
- 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.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
HOW DO I THICKEN SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE?
Use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce plus a little time boiling. If the recipe is not as thick as you want it to be you can add a little more of the slurry at a time until you reach your desired thickness.
ALTERNATIVES AND ADD-INS:
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.
WHAT CAN I USE THIS SAUCE IN/FOR?
This is great as a dipping sauce, a glaze, or even mixed into recipes. Some of our favorite recipes to use this with include:
There are many more uses for this sauce, but these are some of the more frequent recipes that we use it with!
HOW DOES IT GET ITS RED COLOR?
In our recipe, we use ketchup which not only adds a lot of flavor but is where we get the signature red color from.
A lot of other recipes and restaurants will add red food coloring to it, but thankfully we found a way around that!
HOW TO STORE:
This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 1 week.
This can also be frozen, placed in a freezer container, and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight until thawed.
You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop if you want it warm.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can thicken this to your liking, and add more of the slurry for a thicker consistency.
- This can be served with various different dishes, see some of my favorites above.
- Double this recipe to serve more people or to keep it on hand for later use.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Love a good homemade sauce that is just like your favorite takeout? Then you absolutely must make The Best Sweet and Sour Sauce!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried THE BEST SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
The Best Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 ½ tablespoons ketchup
Cornstarch Slurry:
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the sugar, vinegar, and water.
- Place over medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is melted. Add the ketchup whisk to combine.
- 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.
Notes
- You can thicken this to your liking, add more of the sluffy for a thicker consistency.
- This can be served with various different dishes, see some of my favorites above.
- Double this recipe to serve more people or to keep on hand for later use.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Comments & Reviews
Parrish says
Yasss!! Making this to dip everything in!!!! Thanks!!!
Lane | With Two Spoons says
YES! Give me everything sauce! Totally versatile and way better than buying at the store! Thanks!
Pat Gregory says
I have used this recipe many times for sweet & sour chicken, for Egg Rolls and anything else I want to dip it this great sauce. I tried other recipes but they don’t comapre with this. Thanks for sharing.
Dana DeVolk says
Thanks so much, I feel the same way hehe!
Dennis says
This recipe was super easy and super good!
Kris Whisler says
awesome recipe
Krsta says
This is great. If you want a little kick add red pepper flakes after removing from stove.
rebecca says
how long does this keep in the fridge for?
Dana DeVolk says
This would keep for at least a week. I would heat it up first before reusing.
Michelle says
I did that too. It was good. Trying to creat Szchewann style.
Eva says
The best DIY sweet and sour sauce ever!!
Kristina says
Made this tonight to go with home made chicken tenders- so yummy, definately make this again 🤪
D Young-Danis says
Absolutely amazing sauce!
Definitely 5 star worthy
Tabitha says
Nailed it!!! I had doubts with the simplicity of this recipe, but it’s great! I like a thinner sauce, so I added a little water at the end. Next time, I’ll reduce the cornstarch a little. I also added 2 drops of red food coloring, only because my kids love the pink sauce at our favorite Chinese take-away. The flavor was spot on!! I’ve tried several others before I found this one, and it’s a perfect imitation of our fav. Love it!!
Tom G says
Awesome Love the fact there isn’t any salt.
Diane says
Excellent recipe didn’t change a thing, thanks for sharing,
DJ says
LOVED IT! This is just like restaurant Sweet and Sour Sauce. Thank you!
Terry says
We cooked up some sweet and sour cut pork ribs with seasonung salt and garlic on the bbq. Doubled this recipe, chopped up the ribs and threw it into a 300° f oven for 2 hours . Added sliced onion and yellow pepper for the last few minutes. AMAZING. Would totally recommend.
Barb says
Wonderful, I doubled which I will freeze. Easy recipe, will save this. Thanks.
Helen Bourne says
This is the easiest, tastiest Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe ever!