Do you like Chinese takeout food?
Do you want to eat healthier this year?
Do you want to cook quick dinners that are extra flavorful?
If you’re answer is YES to any of the questions above, you’re at the right place!
You might think stir frying is a daunting task. I totally get you!
It is true that most stir fry recipes tend to be very long and they requires meticulous prep such as chopping herbs, preparing many vegetables, and marinating meat.
To make the stir fry process easier, I’ve come up with the The Stir Fry Formula:
choice of protein / veggies + stir-fry sauce + aromatic ingredients = perfect stir fry
The key here is the stir fry sauce. As long as you make a well-balanced flavorful sauce, you can choose your own protein and veggies, and make a perfect stir fry dish in no time.
7 Best Chinese Stir Fry Sauce Recipes
Below are some of my favorite homemade Chinese stir fry sauces. Unlike store-bought sauces, they do not contain additives or preservatives; their extra fragrant taste comes from incorporating wholesome ingredients and aromatics.
There’s more good news: not only can you use the sauces in stir fry dishes, you can also use them for baked, braised, and steamed dishes as well!
Here I’ve listed sample recipes on how to use the sauces, plus I’ve included examples of vegetables that go well with each one. So you can start building your own stir fry dinner with whatever you have on hand!
Let’s start cooking!
Hoisin Sauce
Try this homemade sauce once and you’ll never want to use store-bought hoisin again. This is a flexible recipe that you can customize based on the ingredients you have in the kitchen.
- Homemade Hoisin Sauce
- Chinese BBQ Char Siu
- Hoisin Roasted Asparagus
- Chicken Lettuce Wrap
- Slow Cooker Spare Ribs in Plum Sauce
Orange Sauce
This versatile orange sauce is not limited to just orange chicken or a quick stir fry; you can even make roasted vegetables with it!
- Homemade Orange Sauce
- Chinese Orange Chicken (Crispy Chicken without Deep Frying)
- Roasted Orange Cauliflower
- Orange Shrimp and Asparagus
General Tso Sauce
Learn the one secret ingredient to make the best General Tso sauce that you will be pouring over everything!
Black Bean Sauce
This is one of the most versatile Chinese sauces that goes well with almost any ingredients, and is also suitable for stir frying, baking, grilling, and steaming.
- Homemade Black Bean Sauce
- Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce (Plus Baked Version)
- Zucchini Stir Fry with Black Bean Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Breast with Black Bean Sauce
- Stir Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
Kung Pao Sauce
Introducing an extra fragrant Kung Pao sauce that lets you cook genuine Sichuan-style food in your own kitchen!
Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
A fabulous and sophisticated vegan stir fry sauce that can be used in any dish that calls for oyster sauce, which can be made in just a few simple steps.
Chili Garlic Sauce
Who doesn’t love chili garlic sauce on everything? Follow these spicy recipes to easily create your favorite fiery Sichuan dishes in under 20 minutes!
- Homemade Chili Garlic Sauce
- Sichuan Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
- Stir Fried Beef with Pepper
- Sichuan Shredded Chicken Stir Fry (Yu Xiang Rou Si
If you give one of the recipes a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Recommended Reading
- How to Make Stir Fry – Introducing the stir fry formula.
- 20 Basic Chinese Ingredients – Once you gathered these ingredients, you will be able to cook 80% of the Chinese stir fry recipes without the need to run to an Asian grocery store.
- Wok vs. Stir Fry Pan – Which is the Right Tool for You? – The post answers all your questions to clear up any stir fry doubts.
- Stir Fry Recipe Collection on Omnivore’s Cookbook – The stir step towards a successful stir fry is by using solid recipes.
Maggie Zhu
Your recipes are extremely easy to make and use ingredients that are easily available.
Delicious when added to our basic stir fry ingredients.
Rachael
Do you have the original chili garlic sauce recipe with the ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and I forgot the last ingredient. Sad you removed it.
Maggie Zhu
It is at the end of this post: https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/sichuan-all-purpose-chili-garlic-sauce/
I updated the recipe, but since so many readers asked, I pasted the original below the new recipe.
Rachael
Wonderful! Thank you. It’s a family favorite. I had it memorized but hadn’t made it for a while.
Yuen Mi
Great list. My favourite have to be the Kung Pao sauce. I usually make mine pretty spicy. Your pictures are beautiful by the way. Makes me wanna go into the kitchen and cook up some Chinese food. 🙂
ramesh chandwani
Need some more veg sauces as well non veg sauces for fish and shrimps and beef