This is my go-to stir fry sauce recipe and it's so easy to make with soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and my favorite ingredient - gochujang - for a touch of heat. Perfect for the spicy food lover!
Do you enjoy a good stir fry? I'll bet you do. As a spicy food lover, a good stir fry dish can equate to big satisfaction, depending on the recipe, of course.
I've had some stir fry dishes that were much too mild for my personal tastes, with a focus on sweetness over savoriness. I prefer a balance of umami with a touch of sweet, and a nice touch of spicy heat that lingers but does not overpower.
So much of it depends on the stir fry sauce, the component that brings the entire stir fry dish together.
There are a lot of stir fry sauce recipes out there on the interwebs and in cookbooks. So many of them are overly simplified that just don't deliver enough nuance and character that can make a stir fry great.
This is my own Favorite Stir Fry Sauce Recipe, one that I've been using for many years. I use many of the same ingredients other stir fry sauces use, but with different ratios and a focus on the flavors I prefer to emphasize for my own spicy food loving palate.
Plus, I always include fiery gochujang, an addictive Korean chili paste that adds just the right amount of heat and loads of flavor. If you're looking for the stir fry sauce to end all stir fry sauces, this is it, my friends. I think you're going to love it.
Plus, it's easy to customize to your personal flavor and heat preferences.
Let's talk about how we make my favorite stir fry sauce, shall we?
Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
- Gochujang. I love hot gochujang, though you can use milder. Also, try it with other flavorful chili pastes like Chinese Doubanjiang or Korean Ssamjang.
- Hot Paprika. Or use a mix of cayenne and sweet or mild paprika – you can use other spicier chili powders as well
- Sesame Oil.
- Soy Sauce.
- Rice Vinegar.
- Brown Sugar. Or use honey, which I love as well.
- Garlic. Use fresh garlic or garlic powder, though I prefer fresh.
- Ginger. Use fresh ginger or ground ginger, though I prefer fresh.
- Chicken Broth.
- Red Pepper Flakes.
- Corn Starch. Mixed with 1 tablespoon water. This is a nice thickener for your stir fry sauce. It will thicken up slightly in the pan as you cook it, allowing the sauce to stick to all of your chosen meats and vegetables. Each bite will be fantastic and delicious.
How to Make Stir Fry Sauce - the Recipe Method
Whisk the Ingredients. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined.
Use as Desired. Use to make your next stir fry!
This recipe will make you about 3/4 cup of stir fry sauce, enough for an evening's stir fry meal for 4-6 people. Use about 1/2 cup for a single serving and save the rest.
Boom! Done! Your stir fry sauce is ready to make some amazing stir fry! Looks wonderful, doesn't it? Smells delicious, very enticing. And so easy to make, right?
What kind of stir fry are you going to make? Let me know!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Gochujang. Gochujang is a thick Korean chili-bean paste with a pungent in flavor that adds a zingy depth to your dishes. There are a number of brands on the market today, and they range in heat levels from mild to very hot. In fact, some substitutions include Chinese Doubanjiang, Korean Ssamjang, Sriracha, Garlic Chili Sauce, Thai Chili Paste (thinned with soy sauce). Other chili pastes can work as well, though I prefer hot gochujang in my stir fry sauce. So good!
- Heat Factor. Medium. You'll get a nice level of heat from the gochujang if you use a hotter variety. You can easily dial back on the overall heat by using less gochujang or using a milder variety. You can also up your heat factor by including some hot peppers in your chosen stir fry dish. I often use sliced jalapeno peppers for an everyday level heat, or serrano peppers for some extra heat. I love bird's eye peppers or some sliced habanero peppers to really kick it up a notch. Of course you can also use hotter chili powders in your mix. Go for it, my crazy chilihead friends!
- Storing Stir Fry Sauce. Stir fry sauce will last a good week in a sealed container. Store it in the fridge or in a sealed mason jar.
- Stir Fry Recipes. Use this sauce to make quick and easy stir fries any night of the week. Chicken stir fry is hugely popular, but so is shrimp, pork and beef. See my recipe links below, but you can easily just toss your chosen protein in a hot wok with oil along with your favorite stir fry veggies, like bell pepper, sugar snap peas, broccoli, hot peppers and others. Easy and delicious!
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy it. This is the best stir fry sauce recipe you'll ever need! No joke. In fact, let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your Stir Fry Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 1-2 weeks. In fact, to maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate it promptly.
Try Some of These Other Great Sauce Recipe
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Stir Fry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons gochujang use less for milder stir fry sauce
- 1.5 tablespoons hot paprika or use 1/2 tablespoon cayenne + 1/2 tablespoon sweet paprika – you can use other spicier chili powders as well
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or use honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until well combined.
- Use to make your next stir fry!
Solomon Dulka says
This sauce was awesome! I love spice, and I thought it would be hotter, but it was perfect. Since I made a double batch, I added about a Tbsp of peanut butter to the leftovers and it was even better as a peanut sauce! Thanks for this one!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Solomon! Glad you enjoyed it! Perfect way to change it up! I love it!
Karen Grant-Bond says
omg, have been searching for a decent stir fry sauce recipe for years and this one surpassed all my expectations! Will be my default recipe from now on, thank you 🙂
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome to hear, Karen! Nice!
Andi R. says
The best stir fry sauce ever! I had a package of paper thin thin beef steaks that needed to be cooked, and decided to do a stir fry. Went to the store, got my veg, and on a whim picked up a tub of gochujang (never used it before). Absolutely delicious, with the perfect amount of heat. I prefer a light sauce in my stir frys (fries?), and will be adding more veg/rice noodles to the next one, or perhaps a side of rice. This will be my go-to when I want a spicy, flavorful stir fry. Well done!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed it, Andi! I love it! Thanks for sharing this.
Donna Bogdan says
This is very good. I did cut the pepper flakes back to 1 t instead of I T and it was still HOT!!! Will make again without any pepper flakes.
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Donna! Yes, definitely adjust the heat to your personal tastes. Thanks!
Nina says
Delicious recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Nina!
Carol says
This sauce is fantastic. Fresh. Flavorful. Rich. I slurp this by itself, right off the spoon while waiting for my stir fry to cook! So good! Thank you, Chili-Head!
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Nice!! Glad you enjoyed it, Carol!
Vesna says
The perfect sauce for any stir fry and I also use it for fish. I marinate the fish and bake it. Perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Thanks, Vesna! Glad you enjoy it.
Bill says
A question: would the "shelf life" (refrigerated, of course) of the sauce be extended if the chicken stock wasn't added until the time of cooking? Similarly, would omitting the ginger and garlic help extend the shelf life? I do realize omitting those ingredients until cooking time does decrease the convenience factor, but I am wondering if that loss of inconvenience might be compensated for by an increase in shelf life?
Thanks for all you do, Mike (Patty, too!). I love your site and recipes.
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Bill. Thanks. Yes, you can really extend the life of this in the refrigerator by omitting fresh ingredients and broth (or stock), then mixing later. You can also use garlic and ginger powder. Then just keep an eye on it. You can freeze it as well. I appreciate it!
Deborah says
Hi Mike. I am a huge fan. Love so many of your recipes and cook many of them often. But this one seems way too hot even for us spicy food lovers. Are the portions of ingredients accurate? I have reduced some of the spicy ingredients in order to make it a more normal hot dish. Can you check it’s supposed to be tablespoons and not teaspoons?
Mike Hultquist says
Deborah, you can definitely reduce the hotter elements, per the recipe card. Instead of hot paprika, use mild or sweet. Use a milder gochujang, and use only a teaspoon or less (or omit) of the chili flakes. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Kirsten Muir says
Sensational sauce! Sadly I had no gochujang so I used coconut sriracha instead and it was still amazing. I made a prawn stir-fry. Can't wait to make it again, next time with gochujang. Thanks, Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Kristen!
Keith says
Fantastic sauce turned the stir fry up a notch. Great flavour, loving it.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Keith! One of our favorites for sure.
steve says
how long will the stir fry sauce keep good? can you make a big batch and bottle it?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Steve, it's really a mix of condiments so should easily last several weeks or longer refrigerated. You can leave out fresh ingredients or swap them for powders to keep even longer, like garlic. If you bottle it, check the acidity - should be 3.5 or lower pH for home water bath.