How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 25, 2021 Tested

Are you having trouble finding the perfect sweet and sour sauce at your local grocery store? Sweet and sour sauce is actually quite easy to make, involving ingredients that people often have in the pantry. For some surefire recipes of how to make sweet and sour sauce to pour over rice, dumplings, meat, or veggies, read on.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Traditional Sweet and Sour Sauce

1
Gather all your ingredients nearby. This recipe makes 2 cups of sauce and takes 12 minutes to prepare. Here's what you'll need to make traditional sweet and sour sauce:
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
2
Combine all your ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.

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3
Bring the sauce in the saucepan to a boil and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and serve.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Alternative Sweet and Sour Sauce

1
Gather all your ingredients nearby. This recipe makes 1.5 cups of sauce and takes 12 minutes to make. Here's what you'll need to make alternate sweet and sour sauce:
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
2
Combine all your ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3
Stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil, checking for thickness. Remove from heat once thick and serve.
4
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Could I use flour instead of cornstarch?

Community Answer

Yes, but you may need more flour than what the recipe calls for in cornstarch. The cornstarch is just used to thicken the sauce; flour will also thicken the sauce, just not as well.
Question

Can I use apple juice instead of pineapple?

Community Answer

Yes. Apple juice is less acidic than pineapple juice, so adjust the sweet element to taste. You also may use tomato juice in equal parts with the apple or pineapple juices to provide a nice reddish hue to the sauce.
Question

Couldn't I just use sweet sauce followed by sour sauce?

Community Answer

Technically, yes; however, sweet and sour sauce is a specific type of sauce, just like soy sauce or BBQ sauce. It is named so because it tastes both sweet and sour, but the name doesn't quite apply to everything with the two flavors. You could try, but the result may not taste right.

Warnings

Despite what your friends may tell you, Duck sauce isn't the same as sweet and sour sauce. Not by taste, and by color and texture.

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