The Best Sweet and Sour Sauce (2024)

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:

1. With minimal ingredients and 5 minutes, this is super easy.
2. Double this recipe to have more on hand for other dishes.
3. This can be used in or with so many different foods.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:

1. In a small saucepan, add the sugar, vinegar, and water.
2. Place over medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is melted. Add the ketchup whisk to combine.
3. 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.
4. 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:

• Baked Cream Cheese Wonton Cups
• Potstickers
• Crab Rangoon
• Egg Rolls
• Fried Rice

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.

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’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!