My Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe is a perfect blend of tangy vinegar, sweet sugar, and a hint of savory! Most often I use it to make my favorite Chinese-American dishes: sweet and sour chicken! Slather this sauce all over the chicken, pork, or rice and vegetables to make a lip-smacking dish. With few pantry staples, I can whip the delicious sauce in no time — and trust me, once you try it, you’ll never go back to store-bought!
Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
Whenever possible, I enjoy making basic sauces or dips at home using simple and readily available ingredients. I learned how to make sweet and sour sauce from scratch that is easy to prepare and takes about 15 minutes. This tangy sauce is such an essential part of sweet and sour chicken and my homemade version hits the perfect balance of flavors. Pour it over chicken mixed with white rice, bell peppers, and fresh pineapple chunks. YUM! It’s the perfect meal.
Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup 6 ounces pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red peppers red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- Serve with Sweet and Sour Chicken! (Click for Recipe)
Instructions
- Mix together pineapple juice, water, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, pepper flakes, salt and soy sauce in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.¾ cup 6 ounces pineapple juice, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red peppers, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Set heat to low and simmer until the sauce reduces to 1¼ cups, approximately 6-8 minutes.
- Stir together cornstarch and water, whisk it into the sauce and cook 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened. Transfer sauce to a heatproof dish.1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon cold water
- If not using immediately, allow the sauce to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, in an airtight container, until ready to use.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce Step by Step
Combine ingredients and cook: Set a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat and add ¾ cup of (6 ounces) pineapple juice, 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup of white (or rice vinegar), ½ cup of granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons of ketchup, 1/8 teaspoon of crushed red peppers, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
Set heat to low and simmer until the sauce reduces to 1¼ cups, approximately 6-8 minutes.
Add cornstarch slurry: Stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water together, then whisk into the sauce. Cook for 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened.
Once done transfer the sauce to a heatproof dish or if making any chicken or pork dish, go ahead and mix with them.
Let it cool and store: If not using immediately, allow the sauce to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, in an airtight container, until ready to use.
How to Store
If you are storing the sauce straight after cooking, let it cool to room temperature first. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Reheating completely depends on how you want to serve it. Microwave in 30-second intervals until it reaches desrired temperature.
Serving Suggestions
Apart from sweet and sour chicken, I make Sweet and Sour Pork too with this amazing sauce! Dip some Egg Rolls and Shrimp Summer Rolls in it and enjoy the medley of flavors! Chicken Fried Rice and any grilled seafood will also pair perfectly with it.
