Description
This homemade sweet and sour sauce is tangy, sweet, and irresistibly glossy. Made with simple pantry ingredients like pineapple juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar, it’s perfect for stir-fries, dipping chicken, or drizzling over veggies. Quick to make, customizable, and full of flavor, it’s a family favorite that elevates everyday meals.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ cup pineapple juice (fresh or canned)
- ¼ cup rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot/potato starch)
- 2 tablespoons cold water (for cornstarch slurry)
- Optional: pinch of garlic powder, ginger, or chili flakes
Instructions
- In a saucepan, whisk together pineapple juice, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Adjust sweetness and tang to taste.
- Heat over medium, stirring until sugar dissolves completely.
- In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water to form a slurry. Slowly whisk into sauce.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer 2–3 minutes until thickened and glossy.
- Taste and adjust flavor. Cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Stir constantly to prevent scorching.
- Sauce will thicken more as it cools; avoid over-thickening.
- Store in fridge up to one week, or freeze in portions.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 45
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg