This Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe goes along with one of my favorite Chinese-American dishes: sweet and sour chicken! This homemade sweet and sour sauce is so tangy and tasty. I love slathering this sauce all over chicken, pork, or rice and vegetables. You can’t go wrong!

Sweet and Sour Sauce being poured over sweet and sour chicken

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Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe

Sweet and Sour Sauce is an important component to sweet and sour chicken, and this homemade version is the perfect mix of flavors!

This Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe is filled with awesome ingredients that create the perfect balance of sweet and sour. This sweet and sour chicken sauce tastes SO good on crispy chicken or mixed with white rice and veggies.

I’m glad I learned how to make sweet and sour sauce at home. It’s surprisingly easy to prepare and it will only take about 15 minutes.

It’s ready in no time to go along with the chicken, so you can have homemade Chinese instead of having to order takeout. Pour it over chicken mixed with white rice, bell peppers, and fresh pineapple chunks. YUM! It’s the perfect meal.

Make your own homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce to go along with your Sweet and Sour Chicken‎. It’s easy, tangy, and delicious!

A bowl of sweet and sour chicken next to a cutting board with chopped pineapple and peppers
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Homemade sweet and sour sauce in a glass jar

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

Along with my homemade sweet and sour chicken recipe, I made this homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe. It’s the perfect mix of flavors and it tastes so amazing poured over the chicken.

This sauce would work with just rice and vegetables too, or if you prefer pork, why not try sweet and sour pork with this sauce?

Ingredients:

  • Pineapple Juice
  • White Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Ketchup
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Kosher Salt
  • Soy Sauce
  • Cornstarch
  • Water

This mix of ingredients creates the best sweet and sour chicken sauce. Sweet, sour, tangy…I guess that’s why they call it sweet and sour!

Sweet and sour chicken sauce

How to Make Sweet and Sour Sauce

Once you learn how to make sweet and sour sauce, you’ll be making this recipe all the time! I love this easy sweet and sour sauce recipe to pour over my homemade sweet and sour chicken.

  1. Combine all ingredients (except cornstarch) into a saucepan and put on medium-high heat
  2. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low
  3. Let sauce simmer for about 6-8 minutes
  4. Stir cornstarch and water together, then whisk into the sauce
  5. Cook sauce another minute (until it thickens)

How long will homemade sweet and sour sauce keep in the fridge?

This sweet and sour sauce recipe should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you are storing the sauce straight after cooking, let it cool to room temperature first.

how to make sweet and sour sauce

Make this homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe for sweet and sour chicken, sweet and sour pork, or just as a tasty sauce for your rice and vegetables. It’s easy to make and so delicious!

The flavor mixes perfectly with fresh pineapple chunks, bell peppers, and chicken. You’re going to LOVE this recipe. Try it on Sweet and Sour Pork too!

If you like this recipe, try these other homemade sauces and dressings:

If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.

Recipe Card

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

4.42 from 12 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Total: 13 minutes
Servings: 10
Author: Becky Hardin
jar of sweet and sour sauce
This Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe goes along with one of my favorite Chinese-American dishes: sweet and sour chicken! This homemade sweet and sour sauce is so tangy and tasty. I love slathering this sauce all over chicken, pork, or rice and vegetables. You can’t go wrong!
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Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup 6 ounces pineapple juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup white or rice vinegar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red peppers red pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • Serve with Sweet and Sour Chicken! (Click for Recipe)

Instructions 

  • Mix together pineapple juice, water, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, pepper flakes, salt and soy sauce in a medium saucepan. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
  • Set heat to low and simmer until the sauce reduces to 1¼ cups, approximately 6-8 minutes.
  • Stir together cornstarch and water, whisk it into the sauce and cook 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened. Transfer sauce to a heatproof dish.
  • If not using immediately, allow the sauce to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, in an airtight container, until ready to use.
  • Sweet and Sour Sauce will keep up to two weeks.

Video

Serving: 2tablespoonsCalories: 59kcalCarbohydrates: 14gSodium: 301mgPotassium: 44mgSugar: 12gVitamin A: 25IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

4.42 from 12 votes (12 ratings without comment)
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