Make delicious, quick and easy stir fries every time with my Easy Homemade Stir Fry Sauce! This simple all-purpose sauce is perfect for when time is short, but you still want to eat well.
Easy Homemade Stir Fry Sauce
Hands up who loves a stir fry? Stir fries are one of the best meals out there IMHO – they tick all the boxes… quick, easy, delicious, cheap and healthy. They can be made in minutes and are packed with veg and are full of flavour too.
But one thing which can let the side down a bit are commercial stir fry sauces – many are packed with weird, unpronounceable ingredients and lots of sugar! They often taste a bit synthetic and can be pretty pricey too.
Enter my Easy Homemade Sir Fry Sauce. This quick and easy sauce is made using just 6 simple ingredients: soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, chilli flakes, garlic and fresh ginger.
All you need to do is pop these 6 ingredients in a jam jar and shake – how’s that for easy peasy?
My Homemade Stir Fry Sauce is full of flavour and not at all artificial tasting, much cheaper than many commercial stir fry sauces and is not packed full of additives or sugar!
Make this stir fry sauce your own – adaptations to try
If you are used to commercial stir-fry sauces you might find this sauce is not quite sweet enough for you. If that is the case, I recommend you add a teaspoon or two of honey to sweeten this homemade version up.
If you are not a fan of chilli, you can simply omit it from the recipe. Alternatively, if you love chilli, you can absolutely add more! Or, if you prefer, switch the dried chilli flakes for finely chopped fresh chillies.
If you like a thicker stir-fry sauce, add 1 tablespoon of cornflour (cornstarch) to the sauce (stir/shake thoroughly to avoid lumps!).
If you need this to be gluten free, use gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce. (N.B. this Easy Homemade Stir Fry Sauce is naturally vegan, vegetarian and dairy free – but do check your ingredients carefully if this is important to you – especially the soy sauce.)
Can you make Homemade Stir Fry Sauce ahead of time?
Yes, you can. Simply make up the sauce in a jam jar, as per the recipe. Pop the jam jar in the fridge until you are ready to use it. It will keep for about 3 days in the fridge. (Though I have to say, I think it is better made up fresh – and since it only takes a couple of minutes, that’s no big hassle!)
Can you freeze Homemade Stir Fry Sauce?
Yes, absolutely. Simply make up the Sauce in a freezer proof container (e.g. small plastic tub). Pop the tub in the freezer until you need it. Defrost and use as you would normally.
What to eat with Homemade Stir Fry Sauce?
You can use this easy peasy stir fry sauce in all your favourite stir fries. Simply fry up your favourite protein and veggies, then add this sauce and allow it to bubble for a couple of minutes until cooked.
This sauce goes great with my Easy Homemade Chicken Stir Fry, pork stir fry, beef stir fry, prawn stir fry, salmon stir fry, veggie stir fry, tofu stir fry – basically any kind of stir fry you fancy!
This sauce is also delicious as a marinade for meat and fish – especially chicken and prawns. It’s also great as an Asian style dipping sauce for spring rolls and other similar appetisers.
If you like this Easy Homemade Stir Fry Sauce…
…you might also like:
Easy Homemade Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Juice of half a lime
- 3 cm ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic grated
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients for the stir fry sauce in a clean jam jar. Screw on the lid and shake until all the ingredients are well mixed.
- Add to your favourite stir fry.
Notes
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Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
This recipe is amazing, Eb. I need to keep it to use in the future – I think it would be perfect to jazz up my instant noodles, too. 😀 Thanks for sharing, Eb.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Jhuls! Ooh yes – I think it would be a great way to jazz up instant noodles 😀 Eb x
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I love stir fries and this looks so versatile and tasty. I also like how easy it is to adapt to make it exactly how you like it. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Cat! Yes, definitely very adaptable and very versatile 😀 Eb x
Vicki Montague says
Oooo I love the sound of this. I adore stir fries but it is the one thing that my daughter absolutely hates! I guess I’ll have to wait to make this for when she is out!
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Vicki! Oh your daughter is the exact opposite of mine. My daughter absolutely ADORES stir fries. Though mainly it’s the noodles and soy sauce she likes. She would happily eat a whole plateful if I let her (but obviously I insist she eats all the veggies too – hahah!!) Eb x
Choclette says
That sounds pretty much like my perfect stir-fry sauce and actually what I usually use myself. Gosh, I do love Asian flavours.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Choclette – me too! Good to hear this is very similar to yours – great minds and all that 😀 Eb x
Nico @ yumsome says
Yes… someone else who makes their own stir fry sauces – so easy, isn’t it?
I really dislike the ones you get in those little sachets, and yet K insists on buying them, and stashing them in ‘his’ cupboard, “Just in case I need to make dinner one evening” he says.
He never uses them, yet still they keep appearing. Maybe they breed in the darkness.
I have tried to teach him how to make a basic SF sauce but he’s just not interested. Says measuring out four or five ingredients is too much like proper cooking. He’d rather eat rubbish food than learn to make something worthwhile.
He’s now banned from making stir fries. Unless he’s only cooking for himself.
:-p
Eb Gargano says
SO easy! And I agree about the little sachets. I always think they taste so synthetic and WAAAY too sweet. I love that K has his own cupboard (full of stir fry sauce sachets) – hilarious! I always over cater, so my fridge / freezer is so stocked full of tasty leftovers my hubby doesn’t often have to fend for himself – but when he does, it’s usually toast related! Eb x
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
I must try this next time I’m eating alone as my partner isn’t a big asian food fan, but I love it!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, that’s a shame – but this is the perfect meal to make when cooking for one – hope you enjoy it next time your partner is out! Eb x
Enda Mullen says
Did this tonight for two stir frys to cater for different dietary requirements in the household – a beef one and a veggie one using veggie schwarma strips. It was very good indeed and way better than the bought sachets. Made the dish veey moorish and pretty much restaurant standard. Will definitely do again.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! Oh I am so happy to hear that you and your family liked it so much. Eb 🙂
Oliver says
Simple great tasting sauce! Made this tonight sans the lime (due to us not having it) and treble the garlic (due to us being garlic fiends). Thanks ?
Eb Gargano says
Yay! So happy to hear this 😀 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and especially for the 5* rating! Eb 🙂
Shane says
Thanks for the recipe but was does the ‘cm’ in 3 cm ginger stand for? Thanks.
Eb Gargano says
‘cm’ stand for centimetres. If you prefer to work in inches 3cm is about 1 inch. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Simon says
I had loads of fresh veg straight from the garden that were screaming stir fry at me and no ready made sauce 🙁
Found this recipe and by sheer chance had all the ingredients. We have limes in about twice a year and this weekend was one of them. I didn’t have fresh ginger but there was a jar of lazy ginger in the fridge. Two minutes to make and it tasted great.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy to hear you liked this recipe so much. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review… and especially for the 5 star rating!
Dan says
I think the amount of sesame oil is too much. Thanks anyway.
Eb Gargano says
I am sorry to hear that. I tested out many variations before publishing this recipe and I found that any less sesame oil meant the sesame flavour got a bit lost. But then I guess we all have our own personal tastes and preferences! At least it’s an easy fix for you next time. Eb 🙂
Nick says
Easy and quick, I did cut back the soy sauce and also added a heaped teaspoon of cornflour to thicken up a bit. Great sauce to use with all those vege’s hiding in the bottom of the fridge
Eb Gargano says
Great to hear you liked it!
Brenda says
I’m really struggling to convert the ginger. 3 cm of fresh ginger…what would you suggest that equates to in ginger paste (like lazy ginger) that you’d measure using teaspoons. And then also ground/dried ginger? Often the dried stuff is the only stuff I have in the house. Thanks!
Eb Gargano says
Good question! I’d go with 2 teaspoons of lazy ginger or 1 teaspoon of ground/dried ginger. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂