Don’t you hate it when you order Chinese takeout, and they don’t give you enough sweet and sour sauce? That frustrating moment when your last egg roll has nothing to dip in? Problem solved forever! With this simple recipe, you’ll never run out of this delicious dipping sauce again.
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Why Make Sweet and Sour Sauce at Home?
While sweet and sour chicken and shrimp are staples on virtually every Chinese restaurant menu in America, here’s a surprising fact: you won’t find these bright red dishes in China. This sweet and sour sauce is actually an American creation inspired by authentic Chinese cooking techniques that balance sweet and sour flavors.
But that doesn’t make it any less delicious! This homemade version:
- Takes just 10 minutes to prepare
- Contains no artificial colors or preservatives
- Costs a fraction of store-bought versions
- Can be customized to your taste preferences
- Makes enough for multiple meals
What Makes This Recipe Special
Unlike store-bought versions with high fructose corn syrup and red dye, this homemade sweet and sour sauce relies on simple ingredients that create a perfect balance of flavors. It’s slightly less vibrant in color than the restaurant packets (since we skip the artificial dyes), but the taste is superior in every way.
What is Chinese sweet and sour sauce made of?
Sweet and sour sauce is made with simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry. Here’s a list of what you need:
- White vinegar – Provides the essential “sour” component
- Water – Dilutes the intense flavors to create the perfect balance
- Sugar – Delivers the signature sweetness that balances the acidity
- Salt – Enhances all the other flavors
- MSG (optional) – Adds that restaurant-quality umami flavor
- Tabasco – Contributes a subtle heat that balances the sweetness
- Cornstarch – Thickens the sauce to the perfect consistency
- sauce – Adds depth and complex umami notes
- White Pepper – Provides a mild, aromatic spice
- Ketchup – Creates body and color, and balances the flavors
How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce
It’s easy to make sweet and sour sauce. Here are the recipe steps:
- In a medium saucepan, add white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, MSG, and Tabasco.
- Cook over medium heat until heated through.
- Mix cornstarch with water and add the mixture to the saucepan while stirring constantly.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and a dash of white pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook until it is bubbly and thick.
- Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the ketchup.
Tips for making Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce
Don’t expect your sauce to turn out bright red. The source of the color of Chinese red sauce is a dye—there is just no getting around that fact. Sure, you can use more natural dyes, such as grenadine, but a less vibrant color will not affect the taste.
Be careful while cooking. Control the sauce’s temperature as it simmers. Sugar can burn easily and give you a nasty burn if it gets on your skin. Also, avoid smelling the vinegar fumes, which can cause coughing fits.
What to serve Chinese sweet and sour Sauce with
Sweet and Sour Chicken and Sweet and Sour Shrimp are two classic American-style Chinese take-out dishes that immediately come to mind, but there are many others.
Many people like to dip their food in the sauce. Eggrolls, dumplings, fried wontons, chicken nuggets, and even samosas taste better when dunked in sweet and sour sauce.
For a deliciously crispy and healthy side dish that even your kids will love, try lightly coating broccoli or cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce and then cooking in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store your homemade sweet and sour sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Unlike commercial versions filled with preservatives, this homemade version will stay fresh for up to two weeks when properly stored.
Always give it a good stir before using, as some separation is natural with homemade sauces. If it thickens too much during refrigeration, simply whisk in a small amount of water when reheating.
Chinese Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon MSG
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- dash of white pepper
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, MSG, and Tabasco. Cook over medium heat until heated through.Â
- Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and add the mixture to the saucepan while stirring constantly.Â
- Add Worcestershire sauce and a dash of white pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook until it is bubbly and thick.
- Remove sauce from the stove and add 2 tablespoons of ketchup.
Notes
Pro Tips for Perfect Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Color expectations: Don’t expect a bright red color without food coloring. The natural color will be more of a reddish-brown, but the flavor will be superior.
- Safety first: Be cautious when cooking with sugar mixtures, as they can cause severe burns if they splash on skin. Also, avoid directly inhaling vinegar fumes while cooking.
- Consistency control: For a thicker sauce (ideal for coating chicken or shrimp), add a bit more cornstarch. For a thinner dipping sauce, reduce the cornstarch slightly.
- Flavor balance: Taste as you go! The perfect sweet and sour sauce should have a balance where neither the sweetness nor the tanginess overwhelms the other.
- Quality ingredients: Use a good-quality ketchup that isn’t overly sweet, since you’re adding plenty of sugar to the recipe.
Nutrition
Love Chinese food? Try these easy recipes!
- Chinese Hot Mustard
- Chinese Spare Ribs
- Chinese Sugar Donuts
- Crabmeat Casserole
- Egg Foo Young
- Fried Wonton Strips
- Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Hunan Chicken
- PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Recipe
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
For more great Chinese restaurant recipes check out The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook by Gloria Bley Miller.
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Be sure to check out more easy Chinese food recipes and the best restaurant copycat recipes here on CopyKat!
Picit
This has been my go to sweet and sour sauce!!! So good and you don’t need to change a thing!!!
MICHELLE A RAO
I was wondering if you have ever canned this sauce?
If so what the shelf life would be and also the process and time for pints or quarts tyvm
Stephanie Manley
I wouldn’t do this, I don’t the corn starch base of this, would last the heat needed to can this.
Kay
MSG is super bad for you. What can I replace it with?
Stephanie Manley
I would omit it if you do not want to use it.
Derek
This is a falsehood that’s been perpetuated as truth ever since the first accounts of “chinese restaurant sickness”. MSG has never been shown, in numerous studies, to have any ill effect on health. Indeed, MSG is found in abundance in foods that we consume on a regular basis – tomatoes, parmesan cheese, onions, spinach, cabbage… the list goes on. Even people with self-described sensitivity to MSG reported no ill effects when they weren’t told that they were consuming it. The more you know!
Picit
MSG is not bad for you in moderation!! Look up the history about it. It is very interesting and fueled by the media!!
Jane
I picked up some Chinese appetizers for dinner tonight not realizing that the sauce wasn’t included. Came across this recipe and since I had the ingredients I gave it a try. I needed to pretty much double the cornstarch and ketchup but it was very good! Saved my dinner tonight lol
Winniebear
Thank you, Stephanie! I just figured out how to cook Pagoda Chicken egg rolls in my air fryer and was super disappointed in the sauce I picked up in the grocery store. I always have these ingredients on hand and can whip up this sauce in a jiffy!
Tanisha
Always thought the jarred stuff in the store tasted bad. This was easy to make and good!
Karen H
A FANTASTIC recipe!
Thanks so much.
Margo Haynes
Thank you so very much for this recipe! Delicious!
craig
outstanding…just made it exacly to your recipe and WOW..
Benjamin Ku
For the record, the red color absolutely comes from red food coloring. I was raised in a Chinese restaurant. But the other ingredients are close.
Paula Bucher
I worked in a Chinese restaurant and the red color came from smoked paprika. No ketchup was used, or harmed in this preparation.
hillary
I made this sauce with just the sugar, water, corn starch and ketchup. I did add an extra tablespoon of corn starch and some grenadine for color and flavor. And it turned out amazing!
paintinc56
Tastes like $hit.
Janey
What purpose does the msg offer? what happens if you leave it out?
stephaniemanley
It is a flavor enhancer that you can buy. Some people are allergic to it, you may want to leave it out.
Mr. Po
How it is become red in color? Many Thanks.
Dan Coyle
Many recipes say they use a little red food coloring
stephaniemanley
Well ketchup gets its coloring from tomatoes which some think is preferable to red dye.
Monkeyb00y
Actually it’s the ketchup. The last instruction is to remove from the heat & add 2 tbsp ketchup. I added more but it did turn a nice red color. Perfect 🙂
Sharon Kay Mikesell
My recipe calls for maraschino cherry juice…ABSOLUTELY NO ketchup!! Just store the jarred cherries in the fridge. Or I suppose you can cut them in half & use whatever amount in any entree of your choosing! Sounds pretty good in sweet & sour chicken. At any rate…the color of gorgeous jeweled red is the outcome, it as well as the taste of this sauce REALLY pop! I believe many accomplished/beginning chinese chefs cringe upon hearing about the addition of ketchup!!! Save the ketchup for your fries. Hope this helps…
stephaniemanley
Great suggestion on the cherry liquid. There is a restaurant near me that makes a sauce using the juice from the cherries, I think they call it cherry chicken or something, its delicious.
Rich G
Is the reference to the Imperial Palace (General Tso’s Chicken) the same as the one in Las Vegas?
No, it isn’t that one, and I have even stayed there before too! I was referring to a restaurant in the Houston area that had closed several years ago. ~Stephanie