Chinese Garlic Sauce
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This Chinese garlic sauce is lightly sweet and so flavorful. It’s amazing as a stir-fry sauce or it can be used as a dipping sauce.
We love to make vegetable stir-fry with this sauce but it is amazing with beef and chicken. It can also serve as a dipping sauce for eggrolls!
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Chinese Garlic Sauce
One of the reasons we often order Chinese takeout is it’s just so darn flavorful.
The variety of sauces, spices, and heat levels are completely satisfying because there’s something to fit every mood.
While today’s Chinese garlic sauce is nothing short of flavorful, it is low on the heat. Feel free to add more chilis if you want it spicier.
Toss the sauce with your choice of vegetables and meat for a hearty stir-fry that can be served with rice.
The sauce is also great as a dip for fried dumplings!
If you enjoy this sauce, you should also try my honey garlic sauce, orange ginger sauce and homemade hoisin sauce.
Chinese Garlic Sauce Ingredients:
To make this Chinese garlic sauce recipe, you will need:
- Cooking oil: Use either vegetable or canola oil
- Garlic: Finely minced for the best texture
- Ginger: Makes the sauce taste brighter
- Green chilis: The recipe calls for 1 but feel free to add more if you like spicy food
- Soy Sauce: Or make it gluten-free by using tamari
- Chicken broth: Make it vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable broth
- Vinegar: Adds a light sourness that tastes damn good
- Brown sugar: Sweet, spicy, and sour – is your mouth watering yet?
- Sesame oil: Because sesame oil is incredible in Asian cuisine
- Crushed red pepper flakes: For even more spice
- Cornstarch slurry: Thickens the sauce so it’s not so watery
How to Make Chinese Garlic Sauce:
To make this flavorful sauce, simply…
- Cook the garlic, ginger, and chili. Cook just until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- Stir in remaining ingredients. Add everything but the cornstarch slurry. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 minute.
- Add cornstarch slurry. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continue to cook until thickened.
- Serve right away or cool before storing for later use.
Chinese Garlic Sauce Variations:
There are quite a few ways you can doctor up this recipe.
- Add 1-2 more tablespoons of minced garlic: For all you garlic lovers.
- Add another chili pepper: This will make the sauce extra hot.
- Add Sriracha sauce: This will add more spice and flavor.
How to Store Chinese Garlic Sauce:
Refrigerate – Allow the sauce to cool for 1 hour then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
If you are looking for more Chinese inspired sauce recipe we’ve got you covered!
Chinese Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh green chiles
- ⅔ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and chilis. Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- Stir in the soy sauce, chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir the water and cornstarch together until fully dissolved and pour it into the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.
Make ahead tip
- Allow the sauce to cool for 1 hour then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat the sauce by warming it over low heat.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
A million dollar recipe. This was easy and so delicious! I am committing this to memory and making it a regular item. This would be good on anything. I had a container of leftover chicken, and other containers of all kinds of leftover vegetables. This sauce made all that stuff disappear! No probem getting anyone to eat the vegetables. Really, very yummy.
My sister will lover it. I’ll make a jar for her to take home. I had purchased a tube of minced garlic and one of ginger on a whim at the market . Thee made the prep for this recipe very fast and easy.
nice sauce. I hit it up with twice the garlic, and a touch of both chili- garlic paste and anchovy sauce for a bit more depth, though I used much less red pepper. a teaspoon was plenty. only used about half of the sauce, gonna add a bit more sugar and broil up some chicken wings with the stuff. oh
yum.
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I made this with extra garlic and instead of red flakes and peppers, I used 1.5 Tablespoon Trader Joe’s Crunchy Chili Onions. It has just a touch of heat which is good for me. But the sauce was fantastic in Garlic chicken (w/ peppers, onion and yellow squash) – twice – two nights in a row. And now just before I freeze it I am going to make Garlic beef and vegetables (broccoli, squash, onion, carrot). Can’t wait! Thanks so much for the brilliant recipe.