5 Best Easy Stir-Fry Sauces (Asian-Inspired Dipping Sauces)

The best easy stir-fry sauces are quick blender or whisk-together mixes that turn a pan of plain vegetables into a real meal. These five — sweet mango, green herb, garlic and ginger, orange and sesame, and hot chili — all carry Asian-inspired flavor and work just as well as dipping sauces or salad dressings.

Here are 5 of my best and easy stir-fry sauces: sweet mango, green herb, garlic and ginger, orange and sesame and hot chili stir fry sauce. I got tired of drizzling everything with plain soy sauce, so I tried 5 different stir-fry sauces for you, all with Asian-inspired flavors, in different colors and ingredient combinations.

What I like most about keeping a few of these on hand is how they rescue a weeknight. The same handful of stir-fried vegetables tastes completely different under a tangy orange-sesame glaze than it does under a bright green herb sauce, and that variety is what keeps me cooking the same fast dinner without getting bored of it.

This Recipe Works If You Need

• A fast weeknight dinner where the vegetables are ready but the flavor is missing.
• A make-ahead sauce you can blend on the weekend and pull from the fridge all week.
• One recipe that doubles as a stir-fry sauce, a dipping sauce, and a salad dressing.
• Variety without five separate shopping trips, since these share a core pantry of soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil.
• A way to use up ripe fruit, like a soft mango or an extra orange, before it turns.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Five sauces, one method. Almost every one comes together in a blender or a jar, so there is no cooking required to get them on the table.
• Ready in minutes. A stir-fry is done in about 15 minutes, and these sauces keep pace instead of holding up dinner.
• Truly versatile. Each one moves easily from hot pan to dipping bowl to dressing without changing a thing.
• Built on pantry staples. Soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch do the heavy lifting across all five.
• A range of flavors. You get sweet, herby, sharp, citrusy and spicy, so there is a sauce for whatever mood the kitchen is in.
• Easy to make gluten-free. Swap soy sauce for tamari and the whole set works for a gluten-free table.

Ingredient Notes

Mango carries the sweet sauce, so ripeness matters more than size. Look for fruit that gives slightly when you press near the stem and smells fragrant at that end; a rock-hard mango will taste flat and starchy no matter how long you blend it. Peel and core it before it goes in, and if it is very fibrous, pushing the blended sauce through a strainer is what gives you that smooth, creamy finish.

Soy sauce or tamari is the backbone of most of these sauces, providing the salt and the savory depth. Tamari is the gluten-free option and tends to be a little rounder and less sharp than regular soy sauce. Because it is already salty, taste before adding any extra salt, especially in the ginger garlic and hot chili sauces where soy is the dominant note.

Fresh ginger brings the warm heat that makes the garlic ginger sauce work. Buy firm pieces with tight, shiny skin and avoid any that look wrinkled or feel soft. The thin skin peels off easily with the edge of a spoon, and grating rather than chopping releases more of its juice so the flavor spreads evenly through the sauce.

Sesame oil is a finishing flavor, not a cooking oil, which is why it shows up in small amounts. Use toasted sesame oil for that deep, nutty aroma, and keep it stored away from light and heat since it turns bitter and rancid faster than neutral oils. A single teaspoon is enough to perfume a whole bowl of sauce.

Cornstarch is what thickens the orange sesame, ginger garlic and hot chili sauces and gives them that glossy cling. It only does its job once heated, so these sauces tighten up in the hot pan rather than in the blender. Whisk it in well to avoid lumps, and add it gradually if you want to control how thick the final glaze gets.

Honey or maple syrup balances the salt and acid across several of the sauces. Use maple syrup if you want to keep them fully plant-based; honey gives a slightly floral note. Either way it is there to round the edges, so start with the smaller amount and add more only if the sauce tastes too sharp.

Tips

• Pulse the herb sauce, don’t puree it. The whole point of the green herb sauce is texture, so a few pulses is enough. You want the mint, parsley and cilantro mixed in but still visible, not turned into a smooth slick.
• Thicken cornstarch sauces in the pan. The orange sesame, ginger garlic and hot chili sauces stay thin until they hit heat. Pour them into the hot stir-fry near the end and you will see them turn glossy and coat the vegetables within a minute or two.
• Add sauce at the end, not the start. The most common stir-fry mistake is pouring sauce over cold pans or raw vegetables, which steams them instead of searing. Cook the vegetables first over high heat, then add the sauce in the last minute.
• Strain the mango sauce for a clean finish. Pouring the blended mango sauce through a strainer removes any fibers and is the difference between a rough puree and the smooth, creamy texture you are after.
• Taste before you salt. With soy sauce or tamari doing the seasoning, these sauces are often salty enough on their own. Always taste first, then adjust the acid or sweetness rather than reaching straight for salt.

Substitutions and Variations

• Make them vegan. Swap honey for maple syrup or agave wherever it appears and every sauce becomes fully plant-based.
• Go gluten-free. Use tamari in place of soy sauce in all five sauces for a gluten-free version with no other changes needed.
• Dial the heat up or down. For the hot chili sauce, use fewer red chilies for a milder version, or lean on the smoked chili flakes and paprika for smoky warmth without extra fire.
• Swap the herbs. The herb sauce is flexible, so if you are out of cilantro or do not love it, lean more on the mint and parsley, or add basil for a different green flavor.

Storage and Make Ahead

All five sauces are made for the fridge. Blend or whisk them, transfer to a clean jar or covered bowl, and keep them chilled until you need them. The mango and herb sauces are best used within a few days while their fresh flavor holds, and the cornstarch-based sauces keep a little longer; just give them a good stir or shake before using, since the ingredients naturally separate as they sit.

Having a jar or two ready is what makes these so useful on a busy night. With a sauce already waiting, dinner is just a matter of cooking some stir-fry vegetables and stirring it in at the end. If you want more ideas for the base, this collection of vegan sauces pairs well with the same approach, and if your cornstarch sauce comes out thinner than you like, here is how to thicken sauces and soups properly.

5 Best Easy Stir-Fry Sauces

Here are 5 of my best and easy stir-fry sauces: sweet mango, green herb, garlic and ginger, orange and sesame and hot chili stir fry sauce. Use them in stir-fries or as dipping sauces or salad dressings. 

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Choose Serving Size 2

Ingredients 

MetricUS (Imperial)

Mango Sweet Stir Fry Sauce

• ⅓ cup passion fruit purified juice
• 1 mango peeled and cored
• 1 clove garlic peeled
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup

Orange Sesame Stir Fry Sauce

• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsps rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsps cornstarch
• 2 tsps brown sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted

Herb Stir Fry Sauce

• ⅓ cup soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• ½ tsp green pepper flakes
• ½ tsp mint finely chopped
• ½ tsp parsley finely chopped
• ½ tsp cilantro finely chopped

Ginger Garlic Stir Fry Sauce

• ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
• ½ vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp honey or agave
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 2- inch ginger peeled and grated or finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic grated or finely minced

Hot Chili Stir Fry Sauce

• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds ground
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 long red chilies stems removed
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 lime juice only
• ½ clementine or orange, juice only
• 2 Tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
• 1 Tbsp smoked chili flakes or paprika
• a pinch sea salt

Instructions

• For the Mango Sweet Stir Fry Sauce:
• Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process on high until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl, pour the sauce through a strainer, cover, and set aside. Use right away or store in the fridge for later.
• For the Orange Sesame Stir Fry Sauce
• In a food processor whisk together orange juice, honey, ketchup, rice vinegar, cornstarch, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, orange zest. Add sesame seeds and serve.
• For the Herb Stir Fry Sauce
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times, so the sauce ingredients are mixed together but the greens are not pureed.
• For the Ginger Garlic Stir Fry Sauce
• In a food processor/blender or a mixing jar, whisk all ingredients together.
• For the Hot Chili Stir Fry Sauce
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Top with smoked chili flakes and some dill. Keep in the fridge.

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