Easy 5 Minute Gluten-free Ginger Stir-fry Sauce

An easy 5-minute savory ginger stir-fry sauce that delivers the classic Chinese restaurant taste with soy, sesame, and fresh ginger. Quick to mix and perfect for finishing any stir-fry meal.

I like the rich, gingery sauce served on many stir-fry dishes at Chinese restaurants. It is savory and a bit sweet, getting its spiciness from ginger (and optional cayenne powder). I wanted to recreate the flavor at home using simple ingredients.

To do this, I stir-fry fresh ginger in oil to release its aroma, then add the other ingredients to create a thick sauce that coats stir-fried vegetables, meats, tofu, or noodles. It is naturally gluten-free when made with gluten-free soy sauce and easy to adjust for sweetness or heat.

What you need to make ginger stir-fry sauce

Be sure to read the ingredient labels to check for gluten-free products, especially with the soy sauce and thickeners.

• Ginger – better with fresh ginger rather than powdered
• Gluten-free soy sauce – gives a characteristic salty, umami flavor
• Tapioca or corn starch – these are the thickeners
• Cooking sherry (optional) – adds a sweetness and depth to the sauce
• Bouillon powder – for a fuller, more rounded flavor
• Sugar – balances the saltiness
• Toasted sesame oil – gives a nutty flavor
• Cayenne pepper powder (optional) – for those who like it hot
• Olive or other cooking oil

Tips for making ginger stir-fry sauce

1. Ginger is the dish’s signature aromatic flavor, so we fry it separately rather than mixing it with the other ingredients to develop the flavor.
2. I keep a close watch as the sauce cooks so it does not overthicken and become a gelatinous blob.
3. Since it thickens over time (even in the refrigerator), I always prepare this sauce on the spot as needed.
4. Although you can pour this over your stir-fry, I suggest re-adding your already stir-fried ingredients to the pan and mixing the sauce through to evenly coat everything.
5. When I make a dish with rice noodles, I reserve half the sauce for the noodles and the other half for the rest of the ingredients. I typically pour half the sauce over the ingredients in a separate bowl, add the noodles to the remaining sauce in the wok, and stir through. Then, I add the separate bowl of sauce and ingredients to the wok and stir them all together.

Serving suggestions

I use this sauce in any stir-fry meal, often just frying up whatever vegetables and meats are in my fridge.

I use this sauce with tofu cubes and vegetables to make a vegetarian (or vegan) meal.

When I am looking for variety, I use this sauce in place of the recipe’s sauce on our vegan tofu pad thai or our peanut satay chicken stir fry.

Our ginger stir-fry sauce recipe

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Ginger Stir Fry Sauce

Yield: 14 Tablespoons

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

A quick and easy recipe for savory ginger stir-fry sauce that delivers classic Chinese restaurant flavors. Perfect for adding to stir-fried vegetables, meats, and fish dishes.

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup gluten free soy sauce
• ½ Tablespoon tapioca or corn starch
• 1½ Tablespoon cooking sherry (optional)
• ¼ cup water
• 1 Tablespoon bouillon powder
• 1½ Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon freshly diced ginger
• 1 teaspoon olive or other cooking oil

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients except the ginger and cooking oil together in a bowl and set aside.
2. In a wok or frypan, quickly stir-fry the ginger in pre-heated cooking oil until aromatic (about 30-60 seconds).
3. Pour the remaining ingredients into the wok and cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously for about a minute until the sauce thickens.
4. Remove from the heat and enjoy over your meal

Notes

* When using for a stir fry, we normally make the sauce as a final step, and add the already stir-fried vegetables and meats to the sauce while still in the wok.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 63Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1827mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g

For this recipe, the nutritional information we calculated at Verywellfit.com and we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

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Will you try this sauce for your next stir-fry meal?

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