Name: Easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce
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Easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

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×Jump to RecipePrint Recipefrom votesTable of ContentsThe sweet and sour sauce is one of the most popular Asian sauces out there and it's not just limited to Chinese cuisine. There's a sweet and sour sauce in Korean cuisine, which is made out of sugar and vinegar without the red color and is mainly used in Korean sweet and sour chicken (tangsuyuk), and then there is also a sweet and sour sauce for Thai cuisine as well which you may know as the popular Thai sweet chili sauce which has more garlic and chili flakes for a spicy kick.This simple homemade Chinese sweet and sour sauce recipe will be more of a hong kong style sweet and sour sauce with a balance of sweet and tang. I made it without ketchup or pineapple juice and it will be slightly less sweet than the American version.Not to be bias, but it's one of my favorite sauces, and it's the best sweet and sour sauce I have tasted. It is also the same recipe I use in my Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork and my Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe and whenever I make Crispy Wonton Strips, I love dipping this sauce in it as well.Although it won't be easier than buying the store-bought bottled sweet and sour sauce, it will definitely taste better because you will be able to tweak this homemade sweet and sour recipe to exactly the way you like it. You can even make it a spicy sweet and sour sauce by adding some chili flakes, sambal oelek, or sriracha to it.Before we start, I'd also like to mention that this sweet and sour recipe is made without ketchup and it contains no pineapple juice and has no food coloring in it. So if you're looking for something with those ingredients, this won't be it but if you're looking for a sweet and sour sauce like Chinese restaurants have and you want something very flavorful, then this is for you. Let's get started!This is a very easy sweet and sour sauce recipe, and essentially is only four major steps. Prepare the sauce mix; toast the tomato paste in a pot; add the sauce mix; then add the cornstarch slurry to thicken it!In a small bowl, mix the&nbsp;1½&nbsp;tablespoons of&nbsp;corn starch&nbsp;with&nbsp;½&nbsp;cup of&nbsp;cold water&nbsp;and mix well until it is combined. Then mix in&nbsp;½&nbsp;cup of&nbsp;white vinegar,&nbsp;½&nbsp;cup of&nbsp;sugar, and&nbsp;2&nbsp;tablespoons of&nbsp;soy sauce&nbsp;and mix well.Make sure not to mix the oil and tomato paste into this.(Optional)&nbsp;If you are using&nbsp;garlic&nbsp;for flavor, peel it and use the side of a knife to smash it open but keep the clove whole so you can remove it easier at the end.Set a small pot over&nbsp;medium-low heat.Add in&nbsp;2&nbsp;tablespoons of&nbsp;oil,&nbsp;garlic clove (optional), and&nbsp;4&nbsp;tablespoons of&nbsp;tomato paste, and cook it for approximately&nbsp;5 minutes&nbsp;until the oil turns to an orange color and the tomato pastes turn a slightly darker red.Stir the bowl with the rest of the ingredients with a utensil to re-mix the corn starch with the sauce (starch usually settles on the bottom), and pour it into the pot with the tomato paste and keep stirring quickly until the sauce turns thick for about&nbsp;5 minutes.**Make sure you keep stirring quickly during this step to prevent clumps in your sauceIf you used a garlic clove, fish it out with a spoon and remove it.If you like the sauce&nbsp;thinner, add an&nbsp;additional 1-3 tablespoons of water&nbsp;to it.(Optional)&nbsp;Add some&nbsp;Worcestershire sauce&nbsp;to it if you want some additional flavorThis sweet and sour dipping sauce is great as a condiment for appetizers like egg rolls, crab rangoon spring rolls, lumpia, or any type of dumplings especially deep-fried or pan-fried ones like gyoza, or our cheeseburger potstickers.I like to also use this delicious sauce as a dipping for snacks like wonton chips, chicken balls, chicken fingers, and chicken nuggets.If you are planning on having guests you can also make sweet and sour meatballs by cooking them in this sweet and sour sauce in a crockpot or slow cooker as an easy appetizer or snack.If you have leftover sweet and sour sauce, you can use it as a glaze for anything you oven roast or cook on the grill like ribs, pork chops, shrimp, or kababs or you can use it as a marinade as well.You can use it as a quick way to flavor your stir-fries as well by mixing it in with vegetables or shrimp.You can make an easy dinner by pan-frying some chicken, beef, or pork with some vegetables and tossing it in some of this sweet and sour sauce, and serving it with some pasta or rice.My favorite way to use this is to deep fry some battered chicken, pork, and beef into crispy nuggets and toss them in this sauce for some takeout at home. You can find a delicious batter recipe in my Sweet and Sour Pork recipe.You can even keep it simple and have it on plain white rice, it's easy and delicious!You can store this sweet and sour sauce in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.Can I substitute white vinegar with another vinegar? You can substitute it with rice wine vinegar. I don't suggest substituting it with apple cider vinegar because it has a very strong flavor. Can I use brown sugar instead of white sugar? Yes, you definitely can. Keep in mind that the sauce will turn a darker color. What is Chinese sweet and sour sauce made of? At its core, a base sweet and sour sauce is made with a balance of sugar and vinegar, and to get the bright red color, most restaurants will use red food coloring. Why is Chinese sweet and sour sauce red? Most Chinese sweet and sour sauce is red because it is very common to use red food coloring in it. What is the best way to thicken sweet and sour sauce? Corn starch slurry is the easiest way to sweeten sweet and sour sauce to give it that silky texture. Alternatively, you can also use a potato starch slurry as well.If you like my recipes and want to be updated on when new ones come out, please consider subscribing to my&nbsp;newsletter&nbsp;(we don't spam) and follow along on&nbsp;Instagram,&nbsp;Facebook, and&nbsp;Pinterest&nbsp;for all of my latest recipes!PrintPinEmailRatefrom votes*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. While I appreciate the support – please try to buy your items locally if possible to support your local shops (chances are they are cheaper locally as well!)This was so easy and everyone LOVED it! Easy to remember too, so I won't have to look it up every time I want to make it.Crowd pleaserReply« Older CommentsHi I’m Joyce Lee and Welcome to Pups with Chopsticks! Good eats and cooking is my passion! Join me in my kitchen as I create, test and share traditional and Asian fusion recipes with step-by-step tutorials. Read More…Join my free email list and receive and update whenever there's a new post!

×Jump to RecipePrint Recipefrom votesTable of ContentsThe sweet and sour sauce is one of the most popular Asian sauces out there and it's not just limited to Chinese cuisine. There's a sweet and sour sauce in Korean cuisine, which is made out of sugar and vinegar without the red color and is mainly used in Korean sweet and sour chicken (tangsuyuk), and then there is also a sweet and sour sauce for Thai cuisine as well which you may know as the popular Thai sweet chili sauce which has more garlic and chili flakes for a spicy kick.This simple homemade Chinese sweet and sour sauce recipe will...

Easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

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