Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (2024)

Sweet and Sour Sauce is a perfect blend of yin yang flavors! It is great to use on various dishes, as it balances the tanginess of the fruit juice and the sweetness of sugar!

If you are craving some other Chinese flavors, go ahead and make some of our favorite dishes like the Hunan beef, Szechuan chicken, and Moo Goo Gai Pan along with this dip.

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (1)

Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sweet and Sour Sauce is a versatile dip reminiscent of Chinese takeout! It has a fruity acidic base that is in perfect harmony with sugar. It is so versatile that you can use it in a wide array of dishes, such as chicken, pork, shrimp, or fish. You name it!

Learn how you can make this right in your kitchen for a healthier homemade version of those that are commercially available. Also, it will be much cheaper and healthier than the store-bought version.

Did you know that it only takes about 5 minutes to make this? You only need a few ingredients and then utilize this dish in a ton of other recipes. This is how efficient this recipe is!

What is sweet and sour sauce?

This is an Asian inspired dish, that is commonly used in many Asian dishes. It is made with pineapple and orange juice sweetened with sugar, with tanginess enhanced by adding in vinegar. The soy sauce adds depth to it, while the ketchup adds that hint of Western flavor.

You can also add some spices to this recipe to make it more savory.

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (3)

How to make the sweet and sour sauce?

This easy recipe requires a few simple steps described below. Also, feel free to watch the short video tutorial attached.

  1. Combine the following in a saucepan: pineapple juice, orange juice, soy sauce, light brown sugar, white sugar, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and garlic powder.
  2. Then, let the mixture of ingredients simmer over medium heat.
  3. To thicken, add a slurry by combining water and cornstarch into the mixture. Stir well.
  4. Next, let the mixture lightly boil. Have a taste and check if anything needs adjusting according to your liking.
  5. Once the desired consistency and taste have been achieved, let it cool and then, serve.

How to make the sweet and sour sauce for chicken?

Just use the same recipe, and incorporate the chicken with it. It tastes exactly the same!

Also, to make it for egg rolls, follow the same steps. It is a very versatile dip and can be used just about anything fried. Egg rolls go really well with this sauce.

How to make McDonald’s sweet and sour sauce?

To make a homemade version for this, use apricot and peach preserves in place of the pineapple and orange juices.Instead of sugar, use light corn syrup. And, instead of ketchup, use yellow mustard.

Basically, follow the same procedure but with these slight changes. The expected mixture will be a bit stiff and blending might help.

How to make it without cornstarch?

Simply boil it for a longer period of time, without the cover. Simply let it thicken as the sugar caramelizes.

Or, use flour! It can have the same thickening effect as cornstarch.

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (4)

How many calories are in it?

A cup contains up to 230 calories.

How to make a healthier sweet and sour sauce?

Just by making it at home and not relying on the store-bought version makes this healthier already. It has no preservatives and you know what goes into your dip, not some chemical compound you cannot even pronounce.

But for this recipe, you can substitute fresh garlic instead of powder. Also, if you choose to put in the red food coloring, choose the all-natural kind – the one made from beets.

How to store it?

Once it has completely cooled, you can transfer this to an airtight container and refrigerate it. Use this up within two to three weeks.

Can you freeze it?

Yes! It freezes well and can stay good for up to 3 months. When you reheat it, it might need some adjusting with the vinegar and sugar so taste it first and see what needs to be added.

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (5)

Recipe Tips

  • When using the cornstarch slurry, be sure to use the pineapple juice in the can. Freshly squeezed pineapple juice has components that may degrade the cornstarch.
  • Also, you can add some chili peppers for a spicier kick.
  • When freezing, it is best to keep it in smaller portions so that when you reheat, you will only thaw the ones you need and not the entire batch.
  • Also, you can make it red in color. The addition of ketchup turns it red, but if desired, add in a few drops of red food coloring. In addition, for a spicier kick, add some sriracha or tabasco, it will be red but spicy!

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

  • Prep Time5 MIN
  • Cook Time10 MIN
  • Servings 8 servings of about 1/4 cup

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1-2 drops red gel food coloring optional

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Instructions

  • Add all the ingredients, except food coloring to a medium saucepan and whisk to combine until the cornstarch is dissolved.

  • Place it on the stove over medium heat.

  • Stir or whisk well until it comes to a light boil.

  • Keep stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust for sugar and tanginess. For a more pronounced red color, add a few drops of red gel food coloring.

  • Remove the sauce from heat when it thickened and it coats the back of a spoon.

  • Let the sauce cool before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (6)
Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video] (2024)

FAQs

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe [video]? ›

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

What is traditional sweet and sour sauce made of? ›

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

How does Jamie Oliver make sweet and sour sauce? ›

To make a sauce, drain the juice from 1 x 227g tin of pineapple chunks into a separate bowl, mix with 2 heaped teaspoons of cornflour, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons low-salt soy sauce and 4 tablespoons of water, then put aside.

What is in Uncle Ben's sweet and sour sauce? ›

Water, Tomatoes, Sugar, Onion (9.9%), Carrot, Vinegar, Pineapple (3.5%), Green Pepper (3.3%), Modified Maize Starch, Red Pepper (1.9%), Bamboo Shoots, Salt, Colour (Paprika Extract), Spices.

Why is Chinese sweet and sour sauce red? ›

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.

What is the actual Flavour of sweet and sour sauce? ›

At it's most basic, sweet and sour sauce is sugar for the sweet and vinegar for the sour. It's almost always red, and it's usually fruity.

Is sweet and sour sauce actually Chinese? ›

Some authors say that the original sweet and sour sauce (traditional Chinese: 糖醋醬; simplified Chinese: 糖醋酱; pinyin: tángcùjiàng) came from the Chinese province of Henan, but the sauce in this area is a light vinegar and sugar mixture not resembling what most people, including the Chinese, would call sweet and sour.

What ethnicity is sweet and sour sauce? ›

While originating from China in the 1700s, sweet and sour sauce developed into the popular sauce it is today in America during the late 19th century.

Why is sweet and sour sauce called duck sauce? ›

It is speculated that the name "duck sauce" came about because its ancestor, tianmian sauce, was first served with Peking duck in China. When the Chinese emigrated to the U.S., they created Chinese dishes that would appeal more to the American palate, and developed a sweeter version of the sauce used in China.

Can you buy Chinese sweet and sour sauce? ›

Introducing the Cantonese Sweet & Sour Sauce, another Stir-Fry Sauce in the NEW range. This traditional Chinese Sauce is bound to be a winner in your fakeaway dinner, simply add to the wok with meat, batters and/or vegetables and you're good to go.

What is in Heinz sweet and sour sauce? ›

INGREDIENTS: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR, WATER, PINEAPPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, SOYBEAN OIL, POTASSIUM SORBATE & SODIUM BENZOATE AS PRESERVATIVES, DRIED GREEN BELL PEPPERS, DRIED RED BELL PEPPERS, SPICES, NATURAL EXTRACTIVES OF PAPRIKA.

Is McDonald's sweet and sour sauce different? ›

While the sauce, a mainstay of American Chinese restaurants, usually has a tomato-y element, the appeal of the McDonald's version lies in its simpler taste and its use of apricot and peach purée. But it's the texture that makes the sweet-and-sour a work of art.

Is Chinese sweet and sour sauce healthy? ›

Sweet and sour sauce is not a good source of vitamins and minerals. It does however have 3 milligrams of vitamin C. This makes up 5% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. Sweet and sour sauce is a high-sodium food and provides 7% of the total recommended daily intake.

Is there red 40 in sweet and sour sauce? ›

Ingredients: Water, high fructose corn syrup, distilled white vinegar, sugar, tomato paste, modified corn starch, pineapple juice concentrate, salt, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Red 40, citric acid, FD&C Yellow 6, xanthan gum, natural flavor, sodium benzoate added as a preservative.

Is tahini the same as soy sauce? ›

Tamari and tahini have many more differences than they do similarities. Whereas Tamari comes completely from soybeans, tahini is made purely from sesame seeds. Unlike Tamari, tahini involves no fermentation. Instead, it is produced by grinding sesame seeds into a spreadable paste.

What is a sweet and sour sauce? ›

: seasoned with a sauce containing sugar and vinegar or lemon juice.

What is the main ingredient in McDonald's sweet and sour sauce? ›

Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Apricot Puree Concentrate And/or Peach Puree Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, Contains 2% Or Less: Soy Sauce (water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sherry Wine Powder, Dextrose, Soybean Oil, Xanthan Gum, Spices, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Natural ...

What is sweet and sour chicken made of Chinese food? ›

Sweet and sour chicken, one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes, is made of puffy, golden brown pieces of fried chicken nuggets with pineapple chunks, onion, bell pepper, carrot, and a side of iconic red, sweet and sour sauce.

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