SEVEN easy stir fry sauce recipes you can make ahead and freeze, plus instructions on how to make freezer stir fry packs. So easy for weeknight dinners!
I am so happy to finally share this post with you, because it has been a long time in the making.
I like stir fries. You like stir fries. And while teriyaki is great, sometimes it’s fun to mix things up every now and again, right?
So let’s call today stir fry sauce-palooza, because I am sharing SEVEN simple and easy stir fry sauce recipes with you. All you have to do is shake the ingredients together and then you can either freeze them or use them right away. How great is that?!
Let’s get started!
The Stir Fry Formula
The recipes in this post were tested using the following ‘stir fry formula’:
- 2 large chicken breasts (cubed) + 6 cups veggies + 1 cup uncooked rice (2 cups cooked).
You are welcome to increase the amount of meat in the recipe, but I wouldn’t alter the rice without increasing the sauce. The sauce: rice ratio is pretty important
Following this stir fry formula, you are going to get a serving of healthy protein, 3 servings of veggies, and one serving of grains. And a super delicious dinner!
Cooking your stir fry
- First, cook your veggies over medium-high heat in a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Cook for 5 minutes, until hard veggies like carrots or broccoli are softened. Add tender veggies like bok choy or bean sprouts during the last minute of cooking, to just soften.
- Remove the veggies from the pan (transfer to a large clean bowl)
- Add the meat (plus additional oil if there is none left in the pan). Cook for 5-8 minutes, until meat is cooked through. This depends on the thickeness of your meat. Cubed chicken breast took me 7 minutes to cook through
- Add the sauce to the pan with the meat, heat through (or until thickened), then add back the veggies
- Serve over rice
Equipment
- I cook my stir fries in my very basic 12 inch non stick pan
, but you can also use a wok . - For stir fry sauces, I used these 250 mL wide mouth mason jars
. They fit perfectly on the door of my freezer! - I also love my Oxo Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker
for shaking up stir fry sauces (for immediate use). - Cooking perfect rice is SO EASY in a rice cooker
. We use ours for quinoa and barley as well.
7 Easy Stir Fry Sauces
Coconut Sweet Chili Stir Fry Sauce
This is one of my absolute favorite stir fry sauces in this post. The sauce is creamy, slightly sweet from the sweet chili sauce, savory from the soy sauce, spicy from the red pepper flakes, and the lime balances all the flavors out.
Serving suggestions:
- vegetables: cauliflower, green beans
- protein: chicken, shrimp
- garnish: cashews, cilantro
- 200mL/ ½ can of full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- Shake together all ingredients.
- Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Makes 1 cup.
- Add to a large frying pan or wok with the cooked meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Add the veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
Red pepper flakes may be reduced/omitted for a less spicy version. 3.5.3208
Maple Ginger Stir Fry Sauce
This stir fry sauce probably looks familiar if you’ve made this Maple Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry. Turns out it also freezes well! This sauce is a delicious blend of sweet and savory, with a bit of a kick, and with ginger and sesame notes. Maple syrup is an unusual but delicious way to change up your stir fry game!
Serving suggestions:
- vegetables: squash (butternut, delicata), kale
- protein: chicken, ground pork, tofu
- garnish: cashews
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons ginger, grated finely
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- Shake together all ingredients.
- Use immediately or store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Makes roughly ¾ cup.
- Add to a large frying pan or wok with the cooked meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
Thai Lime & Basil Stir Fry Sauce
This stir fry sauce is from this Lime Beef and Basil Stir Fry post. This sauce combines the best flavors of Thailand: fish sauce, lime juice, Thai chiles, and Thai basil. Soy sauce and brown sugar balance the flavors out. A note about this recipe: you NEED the basil leaves, but can’t add them to the sauce if you are freezing it. So don’t forget to pick up some fresh Thai basil (or any basil) if you are making this with your frozen stir fry sauce.
Serving suggestions:
- veggies: peas (snow or sugar snap), broccoli
- protein: beef (steak, ground beef), chicken
- garnish: BASIL, crushed peanuts
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- juice of 2 limes (3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup of basil leaves
- Shake together the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and cornstarch.
- Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Add the sauce to the pan with the cooked meat and heat for 1-2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the veggies and basil, and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
Thai chiles may be omitted for a non-spicy version. 3.5.3208
Lemon Sesame Stir Fry Sauce
This lemon sesame stir fry sauce is a mellow sauce with light lemon and sesame flavors, balanced out with savory soy sauce and sweet brown sugar.
Serving suggestions:
- veggies: asparagus, broccoli
- protein: chicken, tofu
- garnishes: sesame seeds, green onions
- ½ cup chicken stock
- Juice of 1 lemon (2.5 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- Shake together all ingredients.
- Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Makes approximately 200mL
- Add to a large frying pan or wok with the cooked meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
Hoisin-Peanut Stir Fry Sauce
This sauce makes my heart flutter. It packs a HUGE punch of flavor, thanks to two umami bombs: hoisin sauce and peanut butter. Lime juice balances it all out, and the red pepper flakes add a bit of heat.
Serving suggestions:
- protein: chicken, shrimp
- veggies: bell peppers, carrots
- garnish: peanuts, cilantro
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Stir together all ingredients.
- Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Makes just over ½ cup.
- Add to a large frying pan or wok with the cooked meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
- Add the veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
5 Spice Mango Stir Fry Sauce
This 5 spice mango stir fry sauce is probably the most unusual recipe in the bunch. It uses pureed mango as a base, flavored with some sesame oil, lime juice and Chinese 5 spice. The mango/5 spice combination is unusual and pretty wonderful. This sauce is on the mellower side. It’s mildly sweet, with a bit of heat from the red pepper flakes, and lingering flavors of the five spice. It would also make an amazing dipping sauce!
Serving suggestions:
- protein: chicken, ground pork
- veggies: bell peppers, cabbage, bean sprouts
- garnish: cashews, cilantro, basil
- 1 cup mango cubes
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-Spice
- Using a blender or immersion blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Makes just under 1 cup.
- Add to a large frying pan or wok with the cooked meat. Cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
- Add the veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
Feel free to reduce/omit the red pepper flakes to reduce the spiciness. 3.5.3208
Honey Sriracha Stir Fry Sauce
This honey sriracha stir fry sauce is more of a traditional-flavored stir fry sauce. It gets some sweetness from honey, savory from soy sauce, spicy from the sriracha, and notes of ginger and garlic.
Serving suggestions:
- protein: chicken, tofu
- veggies: bok choy, carrots
- garnish: sesame seeds, cashews, green onions
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-3 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Shake together all sauce ingredients.
- Use immediately or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Makes just under ½ cup.
- Add to a large frying pan or wok with the cooked meat. Cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Add the veggies and toss to coat.
- Serve over rice.
How to make freezer stir fry packs
While it’s great to be able to make your stir fry sauce ahead of time, it’s even better to prep your vegetables and protein, and portion them out ahead. That is going to cut down a 30 minute meal to a 15 minute meal. In fact, without having to chop veggies or chicken, or prepare your sauce, you’re probably going to have your entire stir fry cooked and ready before your rice is ready! #winning
Here’s how I make my stir fry packs (with chicken):
- shake together your sauce in a 250mL jar, label the lid, then freeze.
- cut up your 6 cups of veggies, place in a large freezer bag or storage container.
- chop up your chicken, portion in a small freezer bag. Clip the protein bag to the veggie bag, and label them so they don’t get lost!
- the night before you are going to cook your stir fry, take the sauce, veggies and protein out of the freezer, and place in the fridge to thaw.
Voila! You’ve just cut half your prep work out and have yourself a really, really, ridiculously easy (and tasty) weeknight dinner!
BONUS TIP: cook your rice ahead of time….it can keep in the fridge for about 3 days. I don’t recommend storing it much longer than that as the quality goes down the drain and you run into food safety issues.