No stir-fry is ever complete without a sauce. But making a well-balanced stir-fry sauce is not always easy. Additionally, it takes time.
Making a stir-fry may seem intimidating if you are not much of a cook. All ingredients should be prepared in advance, chopped, and added in the right sequence.
You should sear the meat first, remove it from the pan and start cooking the vegetables.
If you have more than one kind of vegetables, this is a whole other story. You should figure out which ones cook faster and which ones require more time to be cooked. In addition to this, you still have to make some rice.
With all of these on your plate, making a balanced stir-fry may be too much for you. This is when store-bought sauces come in handy. So go ahead and buy a bottle of pre-made stir-fry sauce and check this task off of your stir-fry to-do list.
What are the best store-bought sauces for stir fry? The best sauce for a stir-fry will vary by your key ingredients, especially if you’re including meat. In general, you should opt for sauces made with high-quality ingredients and full, rounded flavors. Most stir-fry sauces include soy; so for a classic taste, be sure soy is included.
Continue reading to learn more about this store-bought stir-fry sauces, what makes them good, and how to use them for the best results. We’ve also included some of our favorites to use based on what you’re eating them with.
Stir Fry Sauces: What to Know
A stir-fry is a quick and easy dish that is equally as delicious.
But a tasty stir-fry is always a combination of veggies, protein (red meat, poultry, seafood, or tofu), and a good sauce to make everything come together nicely. All these served on a bed of rice makes an ideal dinner.
You can make a stir-fry sauce yourself. And it is fairly easy to do if you have some cooking experience.
However, having a bottle of a store-bought stir-fry sauce you can rely on is always good. Not only will you save time and effort but also add a balanced and professional taste to your dish if you choose the right sauce.
But no matter how good the sauce is, it will all make sense if you know how to use it right. Here are a few things you should know about stir-fry sauces:
- Add the sauce only when the rest of the ingredients are done. There is no need to leave the sauce on the heat for too long. Soy sauce, for example, shouldn’t be cooked on high heat for too long.
- Mix it properly. The sauce should coat every piece of meat and vegetable in your stir-fry.
- Aim for a glossy finish. For sauces that are not as thick, let them cook and thicken up. This will result in stir-fried ingredients coated in glossy sauce.
- Taste the sauce before using it. Knowing how the store-bought sauce tastes on its own is the key to using it successfully. Learning how sweet or salty it is will help you achieve an overall balance in your dish.
5 Best Store-Bought Sauces for Stir Fry
There is a range of sauces you can choose from. Most of them work well with all kinds of protein.
But if you are a creature of habit and cook the same stir-fry over and over, here are some options that are especially good for beef, chicken, noodles, pork, and vegetable stir-fries:
| Rank | Product | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kikkoman Classic Stir Fry Sauce | Beef |
| 2. | Lee Kum Kee Mandarin Orange Chicken Sauce | Chicken |
| 3. | Otajoy Yakisoba for Stir-Fried Noodles Sauce | Noodles |
| 4. | Minor’s General Tso Sauce | Pork |
| 5. | Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce | Veggies |
So read on for more information and hey – if you want to come on over and let us sample your stir fry creations, we won’t say no!
1. Kikkoman Classic Stir Fry Sauce
Best Sauce for Stir Fry Beef
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If you are looking for a classic sauce for your very classic beef stir-fry, look no further. The Kikkoman Classic stir fry sauce is one of the best options you can go for.
Kikkoman makes some of the best stir-fry sauces you can buy. But if you want a balanced flavor with no added ingredients and twists, choosing the classic is certainly the right thing to do.
The ingredients of the Kikkoman Classic sauce include naturally brewed soy sauce, sherry, garlic, Asian seasonings, and oyster sauce. (The last is a commonly used sauce for beef stir-fries on its own. )
Here is what makes the Kikkoman Classic Stir Fry sauce worth a purchase:
- It comes pre-thickened. Thus, if you are worried about not being able to achieve the perfect sauce consistency for your stir-fry, this sauce will make your job much easier.
- It is a perfectly balanced sauce. You don’t need to worry about adding other ingredients to make your dish complete.
- It contains only 20 calories per serving, which is less compared to other sauces.
This sauce will elevate your Asian-style dinners like nothing else. It pairs well with not only beef but also chicken, seafood, and vegetables.
The flavor of this sauce is so versatile that it can even complement your non-Asian dinners, such as meatloaf or an American-style stew.
2. Lee Kum Kee Panda Mandarin Orange Chicken Sauce
Best Sauce for Stir Fry Chicken
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Who doesn’t like a chicken stir-fry? But it’s only good when you have the right sauce to top it.
Sometimes you want more than just soy sauce. And here is when sauces that come in packs turn out to be really helpful.
This orange chicken sauce by Lee Kum Kee will elevate your chicken stir-fry from boring to restaurant-quality amazing.
Made with orange juice concentrate, this sauce will make your dish taste like you have spent hours developing the flavors and thickening the sauce.
This sauce is one of the best store-bought sauces for stir-fry chicken. You’ll definitely enjoy any orange chicken made with Lee Kum Kee’s sauce.
Here are some of our favorite things about it:
- It is free of preservatives.
- Corn syrup used in this sauce is low-fructose.
- It doesn’t contain flavor enhancers commonly used in Chinese food products.
Coming in packs, this sauce is extremely easy to use. One pack of this sauce is good for 4 to 6 servings of stir-fry chicken.
3. Otajoy Yakisoba for Stir-Fried Noodles Sauce
Best Sauce for Stir Fry Noodles
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Yakisoba is a popular Japanese sauce. If you like stir-fried noodles, you will certainly enjoy them with this sauce.
Otajoy’s Yakisoba sauce is made of 8 fruits and vegetables. Only imagine the complexity of flavor of this sauce and how much depth it will add to the noodles.
The ingredients in this sauce include soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, apple puree, raisin juice, date juice, carrot puree, onion puree, peach puree, garlic puree, etc.
You can make Yakisoba sauce yourself. But why spend time and effort if you can buy the Otajoy Yakisoba sauce that is ready-made and already so good?
Here are some other reasons to try it:
- This sauce doesn’t contain artificial colors and flavors.
- It is free of preservatives.
- Whether you add meats or vegetables to your noodles, this sauce will work well with any ingredient.
4. Minor’s General Tso Sauce
Best Sauce for Stir Fry Pork
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If you like your stir-fried pork, you might as well like some bold flavors to go with it.
General Tso sauce is one of the most versatile stir-fry sauces. It will go well with not only pork but also chicken and beef.
Thus, if you are someone that likes stir-frying with different proteins, having a bottle of General Tso sauce in your fridge is a great way of saving time while cooking.
Here is what makes Minor’s General Tso Sauce so good:
- It is pre-thickened and you don’t need to worry about cooking the sauce until it reaches the perfect consistency.
- It is convenient to store due to the well-designed bottle.
- This sauce is very versatile. You can use it not only in stir-fries but also stews, dips, salads, wraps, etc.
Minor’s General Tso Sauce is one of the best on the market. It has a unique flavor with both sweet and spicy accents. The ingredients include soy sauce, red wine vinegar, ginger, molasses, and crushed hot peppers.
5. Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
Best Sauce for Stir Fry Vegetables
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What can be better than the good old teriyaki sauce? But making it yourself may be complicated if you are doing it for the first time. Thus, buying a bottle of a high-quality teriyaki sauce is a wiser choice.
This sauce is made of soy sauce, sugar, ginger puree, garlic, onions, sesame seeds, and a few other ingredients.
The sesame seeds in the sauce may become your favorite thing about it. They give this condiment that little something extra, taking your quick veggie dinner to another level.
If you are not in the mood for a homemade teriyaki sauce that you need to simmer and bring to the perfect consistency, then this store-bought one is your best bet.
Here is why you should consider buying this sauce for your vegetable stir-fries:
- It is made with high-quality ingredients.
- There are no preservatives in this product.
- Aside from stir-fries, you can use this sauce for other cooking purposes. It can be used in baking and grilling as well as work perfectly for marinades.
If you decide to add poultry, tofu, or fish to your vegetable stir-fry, teriyaki sauce will still compliment your dish nicely.
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