Make this ridiculously easy and flavorful stir fry sauce in your blender in minutes, no cornstarch needed. Perfect for quick weeknight meals!
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Not counting water, this stir fry sauce only uses seven simple ingredients, and it is packed with flavor. It makes a great marinade for tofu or tempeh, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
- ginger and garlic - I love this sauce as-is, but you can up the garlic and ginger, if you like. I suggest starting with the sauce as written, then adding garlic and ginger, to taste, after you blend. Just blend, taste/adjust, blend, repeat until you hit the garlic and ginger levels you're after.
- toasted sesame oil - You can feel free to omit the sesame oil, for an oil-free stir fry sauce. I really like the depth of flavor that touch of sesame adds, but if you don't do oil, omit away!
- low-sodium soy sauce - Any low-sodium soy sauce-adjacent sauce will work, like shoyu or tamari. For a gluten-free stir fry sauce, use gluten-free tamari and gluten-free hoisin sauce (see below for more about hoisin sauce).
- seasoned rice vinegar - This is a must for this recipe! Seasoned rice vinegar has a very specific flavor that makes this sauce taste super delicious!
- hoisin sauce - Hoisin sauce is the cornerstone of this stir fry sauce recipe. If you haven't had it before, it's a thick, salty-sweet mixture of fermented soybeans, garlic, ginger, sesame, chilis, and sugar. It gives this sauce such a lovely flavor! I haven't run across any non-vegan hoisin sauces, so you're likely good to grab whatever jar you find for this recipe. Some hoisin sauces do contain gluten, so make sure yours is gluten-free, if needed.
- arrowroot powder - Instead of cornstarch, this recipe uses arrowroot to thicken it up as it cooks. You can omit the thickener, if needed, or use potato starch or tapioca starch instead. The flavor is still lovely without the thickener; you just end up with a thinner sauce.
How to make stir fry sauce without cornstarch
This sauce truly could not be easier to make. Simply combine all of the sauce ingredients in your blender, and puree until smooth, and you're ready to use!
Helpful tips
- You can adjust the flavor after making this sauce. Just blend after each addition.
- When using this sauce, I like to add about half of it at the beginning of the stir fry to add flavor, then add half at the end. Arrowroot can break down when under high heat for too long, so adding it towards the end of cooking gives you that nice, thick stir fry sauce, no cornstarch needed.
Serving and storage directions
Use this recipe any time you need stir fry sauce without cornstarch!
Because arrowroot is more delicate than cornstarch, I recommend using about half of the sauce at the beginning of your stir fry to add flavor. Reserve the rest.
Then, during the last three to five minutes of cooking, add the remaining sauce. That will give the sauce time to thicken without allowing the arrowroot to break down.
You can make this sauce up to two days ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just give it a shake before using, because the solids will separate out as it sits.
It will keep for a week or more in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
In this recipe, we are using arrowroot as the thickener. You can also use potato starch or tapioca starch in this recipe, if you prefer.
Arrowroot powder is a gluten-free, corn-free starch that comes from the root of the arrowroot plant. You can use it one-to-one in place of cornstarch, and it thickens like a dream.
Arrowroot powder is a bit more delicate than cornstarch. It works best when you add it toward the end of cooking, which is why it's important to reserve about half of the marinade for the end of this recipe.
If you're adding arrowroot to a hot pan, you want to dissolve it in water, just like you would cornstarch. In this recipe, though, we are making the sauce in the blender at room temperature, so no need to make a slurry.
You can! Just make sure you choose a soy sauce alternative that's gluten-free and a gluten-free hoisin sauce.
More stir fry recipes
📖 Recipe
Stir Fry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2" piece fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil - optional
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
- ⅔ cup hoisin sauce
- 4 teaspoons arrowroot - or 2 potato starch or tapioca starch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in your blender, and puree until smooth.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!