Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (2024)

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ByMerissa

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If you’ve wanted to create your own Asian-inspired sauces to go with stir-fries and other delicious dishes, you’ve got to try this Sweet and Sour Sauce without pineapple!

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe Without Pineapple

Asian food has to be one of my favorite types of cuisine. I love the balance that good Asian food has. When I first started learning to make Asian sauces (instead of just pouring them out of a jar), my mom taught me to pay attention to the balance of five basic tastes: savory, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Trying to balance these five tastes equally will ensure you can create delicious sauces every time. Most sweet and sour recipes that try to do this will use pineapple juice or pineapple chunks in their recipe, but this one is much easier and much more frugal!

After experimenting with several variations, I have found a super easy but delicious sweet and sour sauce recipe. It might be worth mentioning that you can create this sweet-and-sour sauce recipe in only 5 minutes! There is no red food coloring in this sauce and the flavor is so much better than store-bought. You are going to love it!

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How to Use Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

This sauce would be perfect as a dipping sauce for chicken, chicken nuggets, shrimp, or homemade egg rolls. You could also use it as a drizzle over your favorite stir fry recipe or a glaze over a ham.

If you use this sauce to top dried chicken pieces over some stir-fried vegetables, you will have a delicious sweet and sour chicken with a flavor rivaling your favorite Chinese restaurants!

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Ingredients in Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

  • Cornstarch. You can use another starch (arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca starch) if you don’t want to use cornstarch.
  • Water.
  • Rice Vinegar. This can be replaced with apple cider vinegar if you don’t have any rice vinegar.
  • Brown Sugar. Can be replaced with honey or maple syrup if you don’t want to use cane sugar. The flavor is a little different but still good!
  • Ketchup. If you don’t want to use ketchup from the store, try homemade ketchup!
  • Soy Sauce. Some substitutions for soy sauce are coconut aminos or tamari sauce. You could also use Homemade Soy Sauce.
  • Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

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Instructions for Making Sweet and Sour Sauce without Pineapple

Mix together cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients to a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil.

Add in the cornstarch slurry (as a thickening agent) and mix thoroughly. Continue cooking for an extra minute or two until the sauce is thick. Remove from heat and enjoy!

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You can also add in 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapples, chopped onions or chopped bell peppers for a chunkier sauce. But all of those ingredients are optional. If you are looking for a simple sauce, you can stick with it as written.

My picky-eating toddler loves this sauce so much I can actually get her to eat a couple of bites of chicken and vegetables if she has this sauce to dip it in. And since I can make it so quickly, with ingredients I generally have on hand, it’s a perfect recipe for hectic weeknights.

Need to print this Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below!

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Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (7)

3.86 from 7 votes

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Sweet and Sour Sauce Without Pineapple

How to make your own sweet and sour sauce without using pineapple in the recipe.

CourseMain Course

CuisineChinese

KeywordSweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

Cook Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 meal

Calories 517 kcal

Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • 1tbspcornstarchor another starch
  • 2tbspwater
  • 2/3cuprice vinegaror cider vinegar
  • 1/2cupbrown sugar
  • 2tbspketchup
  • 2tspsoy sauceor coconut aminos

Instructions

  1. Mix together cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to a small saucepan, and bring to a boil.

  2. Add in cornstarch mixture (as a thickening agent) and mix thoroughly. Continue cooking an extra minute or two, until sauce is thick. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Sweet and Sour Sauce Without Pineapple

Amount Per Serving

Calories 517

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.04g0%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.02g

Sodium 979mg43%

Potassium 260mg7%

Carbohydrates 124g41%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Sugar 113g126%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 154IU3%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 109mg11%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Storing Sweet and Sour Sauce

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If you plan to make homemade sauces, you need some glass bottles. They fit perfectly in your fridge doors and work great for pouring sauces. They even come with the little “dropper” top (that is removable), so you don’t pour out way too much at once!

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More Homemade Sauces

  • Ketchup
  • Homemade BBQ Sauce
  • Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
  • Homemade Hot Sauce
  • Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
  • The Tastiest Gluten Free Stir Fry Sauce
  • Easy Orange Sauce Recipe

Have you ever made your own sweet and sour sauce (without pineapple) recipe? What is your favorite food to dip in sweet and sour sauce?

Did you make this recipe and enjoy it? Leave a star rating on the recipe card and be sure to share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and through Email using the sharing buttons below!

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (10)Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to the 100-acre farm and ministry on theAbout Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.

This recipe for Sweet and Sour Sauce without pineapple was originally published on Little House Living in March 2014. It has been updated as of March 2023.

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (11)

Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's sweet and sour sauce made of? ›

While sweet and sour can be found in diverse forms in China, the American version builds upon the simple mixture of sugar, vinegar, and spices with the addition of fruit juice—most commonly pineapple—and ketchup, giving the sauce both its red hue and uniquely Western flavor.

Why won t my sweet and sour sauce thicken? ›

If your sauce isn't thick enough, you can simmer it longer OR make a cornstarch slurry with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk that until smooth then add small amounts at a time to the sauce until it's thickened to your liking.

How do you get the vinegar taste out of sweet and sour sauce? ›

  1. If you have added too much vinegar to your recipe, don't panic. There are some simple ways to balance the acidity and save your dish. ...
  2. - Add some sugar or honey to the dish. ...
  3. - Add some baking soda to the dish. ...
  4. - Add some dairy products to the dish. ...
  5. - Add some herbs or spices to the dish.
Jul 22, 2021

How long does homemade sweet and sour sauce last? ›

Transfer sauce to a heatproof dish. If not using immediately, allow the sauce to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, in an airtight container, until ready to use. Sweet and Sour Sauce will keep up to two weeks.

Does sweet and sour sauce contain tomato? ›

directions. Drain pineapple, reserving juice from pineapple. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, can of tomatoes, onion, soy sauce, ginger and pineapple; simmer for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and reserved pineapple juice; stir till smooth.

What can you use instead of sweet and sour sauce? ›

As an alternative to sweet and sour chicken, have you tried Cantonese style chicken with lemon sauce. Instead of the regular sweet and sour, this one is made with lemon juice for a distinctive tasty tang.

What can I add instead white vinegar? ›

White vinegar substitute: If you need a different vinegar to substitute for white vinegar, use apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar. You could also swap in lemon or lime juice, depending on your recipe. When you're canning or pickling, there are no comparable substitutes.

What are the ingredients in Ken's sweet and sour sauce? ›

High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, distilled Vinegar, Maltodextrin, Modified Corn Starch, Apple Cider Vinegar, Contains Less Than 2% Of Apricot Concentrate, Salt, Sugar, Mustard Flour, natural Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Garlic*, Onion*, Potassium Sorbate And Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Spice, Paprika Extract (Color), ...

What if my sweet and sour sauce is too liquid? ›

You can heat about a teaspoon of corn starch or the regular flour in some water. Let the heat be on low. Within minutes the starch water solution will thicken. Then, you just pour the thick mixture into your sweet and sour sauce.

How do you make sweet and sour sauce less watery? ›

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

What flavor cancels out vinegar? ›

One of the easiest ways to neutralize an excessive vinegar taste is by adding a sweet element to your soup. Consider tossing in a spoonful of honey, a pinch of sugar, or a splash of maple syrup. These natural sweeteners will help balance out the acidity and bring back a more harmonious taste profile.

What if I add too much vinegar to my sauce? ›

  1. If you have added too much vinegar to your recipe, don't panic. There are some simple ways to balance the acidity and save your dish. ...
  2. - Add some sugar or honey to the dish. ...
  3. - Add some baking soda to the dish. ...
  4. - Add some dairy products to the dish. ...
  5. - Add some herbs or spices to the dish.
Mar 19, 2021

What do you do if you add too much vinegar to a recipe? ›

By adding more stock or increasing the other ingredients you can attempt to balance out the flavours to drown out the overpowering one. However, this is no good if you've only bought what you need. Your other option is to add an opposing flavour. If it's too spicy add something sweet or creamy for example.

What is Chinese takeaway sweet and sour sauce made from? ›

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 main ingredient in Mcdonald's sweet and sour sauce? ›

Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Apricot Puree Concentrate And/or Peach Puree Concentrate, Distilled Vinegar, Contains 2% Or Less: Soy Sauce (water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt), Salt, Modified Food Starch, Sherry Wine Powder, Dextrose, Soybean Oil, Xanthan Gum, Spices, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Natural ...

Is sweet and sour sauce made from ketchup? ›

How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce: In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup ketchup, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar until combined. In a separate cup, whisk 3/4 cup cold water (or pineapple juice) with 4 Tbsp cornstarch until well blended.

Is sweet and sour sauce full of sugar? ›

There are 13.4 grams of carbs in a 2-tablespoon serving of sweet and sour sauce, 7 grams of those carbs come from sugar. The carbohydrates found in sweet and sour sauce are simple carbs, and it has a glycemic index of 70. The carbs are likely coming from ingredients including tomato sauce, ketchup, and added sugar.

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