Easy Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce

A quick and easy recipe for a homemade Chinese sweet and sour sauce recipe that tastes just like the ones at your Chinese takeout restaurants and is made without ketchup, pineapple, or food coloring.

A small bowl of Chinese sweet and sour sauce with a side of fried wontons

Table of Contents

What is Sweet and Sour Sauce?
Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients
How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce
Joyce's Tips
How to Use Sweet and Sour Sauce
How to Store Sweet and Sour Sauce
FAQs
More Takeout Recipes You May Like
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Some More Sauces to Try

What is Sweet and Sour Sauce?

The 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.

A small spoonful of Chinese sweet and sour sauce

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!

Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients

Tomato Paste - I like to use tomato paste instead of ketchup because I find it has a lot more flavor. Tomato paste has a lot more umami flavor as well.
Sugar - I use cane sugar for this recipe, but you definitely can substitute it with honey or brown sugar. If you use brown sugar, the sauce may not be a vibrant red color.
White Vinegar - for this sauce, I like to use white vinegar because it's easy to find, and it provides a tartness without any additional flavors. In a pinch, you can also substitute it with rice vinegar.
Soy Sauce - To give the sauce the balance of sweet and sour, I use soy sauce as the savoriness to pull the flavors together. It also adds a bit of umami as well.
Oil - Use neutral oils without strong flavors. I like to use avocado oil in most of my cooking. We use the oil to toast the tomato paste to bring out the flavors
Garlic Clove (optional) - I like to add a smashed piece of garlic into the sauce to give it a bit of flavor. It's a subtle flavor since it doesn't simmer in the sauce for too long.
Corn Starch - this is used to thicken the sauce.
Chili Flakes/Cayenne/Sriracha (optional) - If you like to make a spicy sweet and sour sauce, you can add chili flakes, cayenne, or sriracha to it.

How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce

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!

Preparation

In a small bowl, mix the 1½ tablespoons of corn starch with ½ cup of cold water and mix well until it is combined. Then mix in ½ cup of white vinegar, ½ cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and mix well.
Make sure not to mix the oil and tomato paste into this.
(Optional) If you are using garlic 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.

Making the Sweet and Sour Sauce

Set a small pot over medium-low heat.
Add in 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic clove (optional), and 4 tablespoons of tomato paste, and cook it for approximately 5 minutes until the oil turns to an orange color and the tomato pastes turn a slightly darker red.

Tomato paste being toasted in oil to bring out the flavor of sweet and sour sauce

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 5 minutes.
**Make sure you keep stirring quickly during this step to prevent clumps in your sauce

Cooking the sauce with a clove of garlic for more flavor.

If you used a garlic clove, fish it out with a spoon and remove it.
If you like the sauce thinner, add an additional 1-3 tablespoons of water to it.
(Optional) Add some Worcestershire sauce to it if you want some additional flavor

Sweet and sour sauce on wooden spoon to show it's thickness and red color.

Joyce's Tips

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 and it will be less sweet than the American version. If you like it sweeter, reduce the vinegar by 1-2 tablespoons.
If you don't want to use sugar, you can substitute it with honey
Although it is not a traditional ingredient, I will occasionally add a touch of Worcestershire sauce for additional flavor. It's an optional ingredient.
If you want to make it a spicy sweet and sour sauce, try adding some chili flakes, sambal oelek, or sriracha to it.
You can freeze this if you plan to make a bigger batch! Defrost it in the fridge and microwave to re-heat it back up! (Thanks for the tip Carol Farquharson!)

How to Use Sweet and Sour Sauce

Appetizers and Snacks

This 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.

Meats and Vegetables

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!

A small white plate with Chinese sweet and sour sauce on it.

How to Store Sweet and Sour Sauce

You can store this sweet and sour sauce in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

FAQs

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.

More Takeout Recipes You May Like

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