This Sweet and Sour Sauce is a homemade version of a Chinese takeout staple! It's sweet, it's sour, it's versatile, and it's delicious. Just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes needed!
1cuppineapple juice(unsweetened or reduce sugar slightly)
½cupbrown sugar(packed)
¼cupketchup
¼cupwhite vinegar
2tablespoonscorn starch
3-4dropsred food coloring(optional)
Instructions
Whisk together all ingredients in a small saucepan (off the heat).
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and reduce heat to medium.
Simmer until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in red food coloring if desired (it just gives it a nice bright color!)
Serve or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Video
Notes
*This recipe yields roughly 1 1/2 cups -- one serving is roughly 2 tablespoonsTips:
Use canned pineapple juice. Fresh pineapple juice is more acidic which can alter the consistency of the sauce.
If you don't have pineapple juice, you can skip it and add a 1/2 cup of water or vegetable broth instead. Be sure to adjust the sweetness and tang as needed!
If your sauce isn't thick enough, you can simmer it longer OR make a cornstarch slurry with 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk that until smooth then add small amounts at a time to the sauce until it's thickened to your liking.
Freshen it up. After a few days in the fridge, the tangy flavor of the vinegar can start to mellow out. To fix this, simply add another splash of vinegar to freshen it up before serving, then taste and re-adjust as necessary.
Storage:This sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.