This is my go-to simple sweet and sour sauce. Perfect on our sweet and sour meatball sliders. We also use this sauce on our appetizer meatballs and chicken with rice. And stir-fried shrimp with rice. Well, any time you need sweet and sour sauce, this is the perfect homemade solution!
Great On Everything
This sweet and sour sauce is also a favorite for dipping our homemade chicken nuggets. Or store-bought nuggets for that matter! If no one is looking I might sneak in a few pinches of red pepper flake to counter the sweetness just a bit. The sauce is also good drizzled over grilled or roasted shrimp.
If you aren’t a fan of cornstarch as a thickener, just substitute tapioca powder.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 8 ounces water divided
- 6 ounces pineapple juice
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Dried red pepper flake to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Place corn starch and 2 ounces of water into a small bowl and whisk until combined completely.
- Place remaining ingredients (don’t forget to add the remaining 6 ounces of water) into a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk to combine.
- Bring sauce to a slow boil and let boil for 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly whisk in the corn starch mixture. Be careful because the mixture will tend to rise (and almost double in volume), so don’t add the corn starch too quickly.
- Continue whisking, cooking 5 minutes, until thickened.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.