Quick and easy stir fry sauce recipe - Rhubarbarians (2024)

Published: Jul 23, 2021 · Modified: Oct 26, 2022 by Trish Bozeman · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

Easy homemade stir fry sauce recipe! It only takes 2 minutes to make this versatile sauce and it’s delicious on stir fried veggies, proteins, noodles, and rice.

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Hi, Rhubarbarians! Sharing an easy, weeknight staple that we use for so many recipes: an all-purpose vegan stir fry sauce recipe!

Asian take-out is a staple in our house. The whole fam, including Rhubarbaby, LOVES veggie chow mein noodles. But, we honestly haven't found a great bottled stir fry sauce that we love. So, we made our own!

Here's an easy, 5-ingredient recipe for vegan stir fry sauce recipe that will make amazing and quick stir fry meals for weeknights.

Why we love this stir fry sauce

The bottled Chinese store bought stir fry sauces are easy, but to us they just taste like salt. They don't satisfy that need for a great veggie stir-fry or noodles.

Our homemade stir fry sauce recipe is quick and easy, but full of umami flavor! The base of the sauce is vegetable stock, so it's not overwhelmingly salty or overpowered by soy sauce. We thicken it with a bit of corn starch so that it coats your stir fry perfectly.

We got our inspiration from Chinese cuisine, but have adapted our recipe using pantry staples found in most American households.

More sauces to try:

• Honey soy stir fry sauce
• Pineapple teriyaki sauce
• Sweet and sour sauce

Here's what you'll need

Ingredients:

• Soy sauce: The Kikkoman less sodium soy sauce is our favorite.
• Sesame oil: We are big fans of the flavor of toasted sesame oil!
• Vegetable stock: The Better than Bouillon vegetable base is one of the pantry staples we just can't live without. It's the best!
• Hoisin sauce: Be sure to choose read the ingredients if you don't eat fish sauce!
• Corn starch: This helps thicken the sauce.

Chinese stir fry sauce is traditionally made with oyster sauce. But this vegan version is just as delicious!

Oyster sauce adds an extra punch of umami that you get in restaurant Chinese dishes. You can still get that same punch by adding bottled vegan oyster sauce (or make your own vegan oyster sauce).

Equipment:

• A small mixing bowl or glass jar: We love making this in a small mason jar with a lid and shaking it all up to mix!
• Measuring spoons and cups
• Small whisk or large fork: How cute are these tiny whisks?

How to make it

If you've got 2 minutes, you can make this sauce! Here's how. (Full instructions are listed in the recipe card below)

• Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, vegetable stock, and corn starch to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
• OR you can combine all of the ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid (like a mason jar) and shake until everything is combined.

Seriously, that's it.

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How to use the sauce in stir fry

This makes a lot of sauce, probably more than you'll need for just one meal. (Full instructions are listed in the recipe card below.

Stir fry your veggies/proteins until almost completely cooked. Add enough sauce to lightly coat your stir fry ingredients and stir to combine. Let the sauce heat and thicken slightly, about 2 minutes and taste. Add more sauce if desired, adding a little at a time until your desired flavor is achieved.

Here are some stir fry dishes to try with this sauce:

• Veggie chow mein
• Crispy tofu
• Stir-fried noodles
• Vegetable stir fry
• Veggie fried rice
• Dipping sauce
• Sauteed veggies like cabbage or bok choy.

Want to use this stir fry sauce as a marinade? Just omit the cornstarch! Pour over your protein of choice and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Recipe tips and substitutions

Here are some tips and substitutions that will help you master this recipe in your kitchen!

• We keep the sauce very simple and versatile, so more flavor will be needed in your stir fry for depth. There's no garlic, ginger, or onion in the sauce and we find that these ingredients are a MUST in stir fry. Be sure to add those when cooking your veggies/proteins.
• Swap out of the veggie stock for what you have. If you like chicken or beef stock, use one of those! We love the Better than Bouillon's no chicken base and the no beef base as well.
• Dissolve the corn starch completely before adding to your stir fry. You don't want clumps of corn starch!
• Let the sauce thicken when cooking. If you cook the sauce in the pan with your stir fry ingredients for a couple of minutes, that corn starch will allow the sauce to thicken and coat your ingredients.
• Gluten free? No problem! Swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
• Need less sodium? Use lower sodium soy sauce!

We think you will love our vegan sweet and sour tofu recipe for your next weeknight dinner!

Making ahead, storing, and freezing

• Making ahead: You can make this stir fry sauce recipe ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Keep it in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
• Storing: Store any unused sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Freezing: You can freeze stir fry sauce! We recommend freezing the sauce in an ice cube tray so that you can use small portions when needed. Pour the sauce into an ice cube tray and freeze. Remove the cubes from the ice cube tray and store in a freezer safe sealed container (like a Ziploc bag) for up to 3 months. When ready to use, add a couple of the frozen cubes directly to your stir fry and let them heat and coat your ingredients. Add more to your taste as needed.

FAQs

More recipes you'll love:

• Veggie pineapple teriyaki stir fry
• Easy vegetable chow mein
• Honey garlic cashew tofu

Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.

Recipe

If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us onInstagramwith #Rhubarbarians

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