Healthy Stir Fry Sauce (Low-Calorie!)

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Having this healthy stir fry sauce on hand is a great way to level up a quick meal and cut down on time in the kitchen! Easily pour the flavorful sauce over your favorite veggies and protein for a tasty stir fry, or serve as a dipping sauce. Ready in just 15 minutes, you will love the versatility and deliciousness of this low calorie stir fry sauce recipe!

I love making an easy stir fry recipe for dinner on busy weeknights. It is super fast and flavorful, while also being filling and nourishing. The problem is, there aren’t very many good stir fry sauces at the store. Most of them are loaded with processed sugar, GMO ingredients, and preservatives.

Which is why I decided to create a healthy recipe for stir fry sauce that whips together quickly with only a few simple ingredients. And I’m excited to share it with all of you! 

The whole family will love this simple sauce! Not only is it an easy stir fry sauce recipe to save you time,  it’s also a great way to get kids to eat their veggies – win win!

It pairs well with many dishes whether you are using it for stir fries or something entirely different. Make this a gluten free or vegan stir fry sauce with only a few easy swaps!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why You’ll Love This Low Calorie Stir Fry Sauce

• Easy To Make: With only 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking time, you will have a delicious stir fry sauce to enjoy with so many meals and sides!
• Great Flavor: Thanks to the fragrant garlic and ginger, combined with the miso, soy sauce, and sesame oil, this easy stir-fry sauce recipe is boasting with flavor.
• Versatile: Enjoy this healthy homemade stir fry sauce recipe in so many different ways. It will add so much flavor when served with fresh vegetables, mixed with healthy chicken stir fry (or other stir-fried meat), or tossed with a tofu veggie combo. This is an all-purpose sauce!
• Healthier: Compared to most store-bought sauces, this light stir fry sauce is much healthier! It is made with simple ingredients and contains no added sugar or preservatives. It can be made organic and non-gmo as long as you purchase those ingredients!

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🥘 Ingredients

This healthy stir fry sauce recipe comes together with simple ingredients found at any grocery store! Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for nutritional information and full recipe measurements.

• Vegetable Broth: Veggie broth serves as the base for this quick low calorie stir fry sauce.
• Soy Sauce & Miso Paste: Both of these will add so much flavor and a salty, savory touch.
• Garlic & Ginger: Mince fresh ginger and 3 cloves of garlic for bold flavors in the healthy Asian sauce. You can make it extra garlicky with some garlic powder, too.
• Green Chili: Finely diced green chili gives this sauce a touch of heat.
• Sesame Oil: For an alternative flavor, try toasted sesame oil.
• Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is a classic ingredient in many stir fry sauce recipes. It is usually made from salted anchovies, krill, or other fish. See below for a plant based substitution!
• Arrowroot Powder: Combine arrowroot with water to form a slurry which will thicken this simple stir fry sauce.

🍲 Ingredient Substitutions

• Broth: Substitute vegetable broth with vegan chicken broth or regular chicken stock, if preferred.
• Soy Sauce: Substitute soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari.
• Fish Sauce: You can use a vegan fish sauce, tamari, or oyster sauce.
• Arrowroot: As an alternative to arrowroot, try other thickeners like corn starch or tapioca starch.

🔪 How To Make This Healthy Stir Fry Sauce

Think making your own stir fry sauce requires too much work? Think again! Making this low calorie Asian sauce is extremely doable, with only a few simple steps and a couple of minutes required. Here is how to make this easy recipe for healthy stir fry sauce:

Combine Ingredients: Combine the ingredients starting from vegetable broth through to the fish sauce in a pot and whisk until smooth.

Boil, Then Simmer: Heat over a medium-high heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add Slurry: Mix the arrowroot powder with 1 tbsp water in a small bowl to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the sauce while constantly whisking to make sure there are no lumps. Continue to stir while cooking until desired thickness has been achieved.

Store Or Serve: Remove from the heat and either store in a glass jar to be used at a later date or pour over stir fry vegetables and serve immediately.

💭 Expert Tips

• Double Batch: This healthy stir fry recipe makes approximately 1 cup of sauce which will serve approximately 4 people when mixed through stir fry vegetables. If you want more for an easy meal prep sauce, double the recipe. You can make the perfect amount for your family!
• Thicken: Simmering the sauce for 5 minutes helps to reduce the sauce and intensify the flavors. If the cooked stir fry vegetables have extra liquid, before adding the sauce, the sauce will become a little thin. You may need to add additional arrowroot to thicken to suit your tastes.
• Save Time & Dishes: Add the sauce directly to a stir fry, no need to preheat the sauce before adding, even if used straight from the fridge.
• Avoid Lumps: Continuously whisking when adding the arrowroot slurry helps to prevent lumps forming in the sauce.
• To Make Stir Fry: So you have your yummy homemade sauce, but now what? Grab a large skillet, olive oil, and your choice of vegetables or protein! Saute the fresh ingredients and add into this stir fry healthy sauce. Evenly coat the veggies and serve fresh and warm.

📖 Variations 

• Add Sweetness: This is a sugar free Asian sauce. If you prefer to have sweetness in your veggie stir fry sauce, add some maple syrup or brown sugar. This will also help thicken the sauce. To keep this a low sugar Asian sauce, be sure to add only a small amount.
• Add Spice: Spice up this healthy Chinese sauce with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or your favorite hot sauce.
• Peanut Sauce: Use peanut butter in this healthy vegetable stir fry sauce for a boost of peanut-y flavor that pairs well with many Asian dishes.
• Honey Garlic: Add in a touch of honey (or vegan honey) and extra garlic to make the best honey garlic chicken stir fry or veggie stir fry!
• Tangy Flavor: For extra tangy flavors, use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar in this easy healthy stir fry sauce. 

🍽 Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to serve this heart healthy stir fry sauce is mixed with veggies or rice noodles! Some of the best vegetables for a veggie stir fry include snap peas, baby corn, bok choy, green onions, bell peppers, snow peas, green beans, and broccoli. But feel free to add the sauce to your own favorite stir fry recipes! Pair with white rice or brown rice for a hearty meal!

Here are a few other ideas on how you can enjoy this low calorie Chinese stir fry sauce:

• Use as a dipping sauce for egg rolls or vegetarian wontons
• Drizzle over this vegetarian egg roll in a bowl
• Use in this frozen vegetable stir fry in place of red curry sauce
• Add the savory sauce to a Thai basil eggplant stir fry
• Use as a marinade for these tofu skewers
• Drizzle over this tofu broccoli with sesame noodles
• Dip these air fryer tofu nuggets into the delicious sauce

🙌 Dietary Adaptations

This simple recipe uses fish sauce and soy sauce, so it is not vegan or gluten-free. To modify the sauce, here are some suggestions:

• Gluten-Free Option: Since soy sauce contains gluten, you can swap that ingredient with a gluten-free option like tamari or coconut aminos. For more of the authentic soy sauce flavor in the gluten free stir fry sauce, use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
• Vegan Option: For a vegan stir-fry sauce, use a vegan fish sauce in place of the regular fish sauce. You can also skip this ingredient altogether. 
• Low-Sodium Option: For a low sodium stir fry sauce, use low-sodium soy sauce and fish sauce, and reduce the miso paste.

🫙 Storage Directions

Storing this healthy Asian stir fry sauce is super easy!

• To Store In The Fridge: Store the low cal stir fry sauce sealed in a mason jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Make sure to completely cool the sauce before covering.
• To Reheat: The next time you are ready to enjoy this sauce, reheat it over the stovetop. Alternatively, add it with your full meal and heat everything together.

❓Recipe FAQs

🥣 More Homemade Sauces To Try!

• Vegan BBQ Sauce
• Vegan Tartar Sauce
• Mustard BBQ Sauce
• Vegan Aioli
• Jalapeno Simple Syrup
• Gluten Free Stir Fry Sauce
• Homemade Alfredo Sauce
• Vegan Bechamel Sauce
• Keto Marinara Sauce

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