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No need for take-out with this quick and easy sweet and sour sauce on hand. Pour it or use it for dipping, either way it’s delicious!

This sauce is made for our sweet and sour chicken, and great for dipping Cream Cheese Wontons and Crispy Chicken Tenders.

Bowl of sweet and sour sauce with a metal spoon


Homemade Sweet and Sour sauce

This homemade sweet and sour sauce is everything you want it to be.

It’s sweet with the perfect hint of savory and is delicious with so many recipes.

Sweet and Sour Sauce is often paired with stir fried chicken and veggies, but it can be used for so many more delicious dishes like our favorite Fried Egg Rolls or Cream Cheese Wontons.

Another great meal is to drench some Meatballs in this sweet and sour sauce and serve over a bed of white rice! It’s worth whipping up and saving for dipping all the things.

Ingredients for sweet and sour sauce recipe

How to Make sweet and sour sauce

It’s so easy! Here’s how to make it:

COMBINE. In a medium pot add the pineapple juice, 2/3 cup water, vinegar, sugars, salt, soy sauce and ketchup. Bring to a low boil.

THICKEN. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the water. Pour this into the boiling mixture and simmer for about 3-5 minutes.

COOK. The sauce is ready when it’s bubbling and thickened.

Serve warm with Rice, Sweet and Sour Chicken or with Fried Egg Rolls.

Pan full of Chinese sweet and sour sauce on veggies

recipe tips

SPICY: Though the sauce is tangy it’s not really spicy. If you love the heat, you can sprinkle in some red chili flakes.

TEXTURE: You can easily adjust how thick or thin you want the sauce to be by the amount of cornstarch you add. For a thicker sauce, increase the amount of cornstarch.

For a thinner sauce, reduce the amount of cornstarch. If you want to use the sauce as a marinade, omit the cornstarch completely.

If you can’t have or don’t have cornstarch you can also use arrowroot or potato starch to thicken the sauce.

Pan full of sweet and sour sauce on chicken

FAQ

Can you make this sauce ahead of time? Make the sauce ahead of time or store any leftovers in an airtight container.

How long does it last? It will last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge or in the freezer for 2-3 months. You may need to add a splash of vinegar to renew the tangy flavor.

What does this sauce go well with? As we mentioned, this sauce goes great with so many dishes. Here are some of our favorite recipes to serve this with:

White bowl full of homemade sweet and sour sauce

For more Asian Dishes:

5 from 11 votes

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
No need for take-out with this quick and easy sweet and sour sauce on hand. Pour it or use it for dipping, either way it's delicious!
Servings: 8
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1/3 cup pineapple juice
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup vinegar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions 

  • In a medium pot add the pineapple juice, water, vinegar, sugars, salt, soy sauce and ketchup. Bring to a low boil.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the water. Pour this into the boiling mixture and simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
  • Sauce will be bubble and thicken when it's ready.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 8g, Calories: 105kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.004g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.004g, Sodium: 513mg, Potassium: 59mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 39IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
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Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!


About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love sweet and sour sauce I run out of it all the time, because I can drink it almost. So I was so happy to find this recipe and can’t wait till I get to the store and get the stuff to make it whick isn’t much that I need to complete the recipe. I’m so excited to make it and see if this will be my favorite I’m sure it will be it sounds like it fore sure.. thank you and god bless

  2. 5 stars
    I’m not always a fan of this sauce, but I was very happy with how this recipe turned out. It is really good and we eat it all the time at Sundays family dinner.

  3. 5 stars
    This was a huge hit with my crew! Such great flavor and texture and I loved being able to control the ingredients. A keeper recipe for sure!

  4. 5 stars
    I like this basic sweet and sour sauce. It’s easy to make and very good. We love Asian food and it’s a plus to be able to make it at home.