Easy homemade sweet and sour sauce

I’ve actually shared my easy homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe here on the blog before, years and years ago (5 years, in fact!!). But, I do think it’s worth me resharing old recipes once in a while – I bet 99% of you weren’t around to see the original when I first posted it, and unless you’ve spent hours delving into this site’s history (…please don’t, it’s not very pretty), you may never have found it. Plus, I’m a bit sleep deprived at the moment and I only have about 3 minutes to think about food at any one time, so I’ve been revisiting a few old favourites that I know for sure will turn out well.

This easy homemade sweet and sour sauce is definitely a foolproof recipe, and it tastes even better than the shop-bought stuff. Mix together a few cupboard staples, pour the mixture over your chosen combination of veggies, and let it cook down until you’re happy with the consistency. That’s all there is to it – it really couldn’t be easier. I like to cook mine until it’s fairly thick and sticky, but you can leave it a bit saucier if you prefer.

I served my homemade sweet and sour sauce simply with vegetables, but you could add some extra protein if you like. I wanted to add some tofu, but they didn’t have any in the supermarket, so I had to stick to just veggies. That’s the last time I try shopping somewhere new (although I did find a tin of bamboo shoots, which meant they redeemed themselves slightly…).

I added some soy beans (edamame) for a bit of protein instead – I love those things, they’re so yummy and such an easy way to inject a bit of protein into a meal.

Serve over rice, and your homemade Chinese-style dinner is sorted.

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4.75 from 4 votes

Easy homemade sweet and sour sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

For the stir fried vegetables:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 bell peppers, diced (I used red, yellow and green)
• 3 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 150 g (~ 1 cup) frozen edamame (soy beans)
• 225 g tin bamboo shoots, drained (120g, or ~ 1 cup, when drained) (optional)
• 185 g (~ 1 cup) pineapple chunks (I used tinned)

For the homemade sweet and sour sauce:

• 125 ml (~ 1/2 cup) tomato ketchup
• 125 ml (~ 1/2 cup) pineapple juice (I used the juice from a tin of pineapple chunks)
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey (or agave nectar)

Instructions

• Heat a dash of oil in a large frying pan or wok, and add all the chopped vegetables and pineapple. Stir fry for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
• In a mixing bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients, and mix well. Pour over the vegetables, and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has thickened to your liking - around 10-20 minutes.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/3 of the recipe, not including rice.

Why not start your Chinese-inspired feast with some nutty tofu lettuce wraps with peanut sauce?