Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe Without Vinegar
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09/30/2002
As the recipe is written, this is a good sauce. I did do a few things to doctor my version of the sauce which I think gave it more body and flavor. I used the recipe with these substitutions: 1/4 C of brown sugar and 1/2 C of white sugar instead of 3/4 C white sugar, 1/4 C of pineapple juice instead of water, 1/4 C of ketchup instead of the 1 tablespoon (trust me on this!), and I used 2 Tablespoons of flour dissolved into a little water. I added the flour/water mixture to the boiling (on low heat) mix of the other items. I thought these substitutions brought more body, flavor, and color.
05/17/2003
I make this all the time and have passed the recipe around to many. I have followed all the suggestions left by others at different times and no matter what I have done to this recipe, it turns out great! We put chicken in it, or ground beef, or meatballs and serve it over rice. I have added veggies also. You can't go wrong. It is wonderful!
09/23/2002
This was okay but even with my modifications, still needs some work to perfect. Per previous reviews regards the excessiveness of the soy sauce, I reduced the amt to 2 TBLS but next time I'll reduce down to 1. I also added 1 TBLS of honey. Next time, I also reduce the vinegar to 1/8 cup and add 1/4 cup pineapple juice. I'm hoping this might taste closer to the sweet&sour sauces I am accustomed to.
08/06/2002
Great recipe. Kept amt. of soy sauce as written and just added about 1 TBSP of honey. Perfect for chicken tenders! :)
10/19/2002
Thank you Linda! I have been searching hi and low for a s-n-s sauce that tastes much like something you would find in a chinese restaurant. perfect balance of sweet with sour. served this great sauce (that you can make as thick or thin as you like) over stir fried chicken and veggies on thin spaghetti. Tasted really close to Chicken Lo Mein!!!
05/06/2008
a great recipe as listed - almost. Really did need that little tweak of pineapple juice instead of water though 1/4 cup of ketchup instead of the 1 tbsp, and when I divided the white sugar into half white and half brown, it really added the flavour to make it an amazing 5 star! If you need a recipe for company NOW and don't want to risk trying something that may not be perfect, make the changes listed above (as suggested by others) and I promise you wont go wrong!
06/05/2003
I made this on a night that I tried to make my Grandmom's fried chicken fingers and ended up messing them up and they looked like the Chinese sweet & sour chiken strips...so I grabbed this in a matter of 2 minutes and turned them into the Chinese sweet & sour chicken. Anyway, I really liked this!! I thought it was fabulous and tasted just like the hot-pink kind from the Chinese take-outs.
04/10/2003
Easy to make. Made this for a large party and had loads of requests for this recipe. I used this for store bought meatball cocktails.
09/13/2013
It always amazes me, when I see hundreds of reviews, that have been "tweeked" "added to" "subtracted from" and/or "substituted with". This is not a review people, it is using the information you were given, and then sharing your own recipe. I gave this recipe 5 STARS, mainly because I cook/stir fry a lot of Asian recipes, couldn't find my recipe for the sauce I use in my sweet and sour chicken, and needed a quick replacement. This recipe was delicious, just the way it was offered. Just Sayin'
02/11/2004
OK, based on alllllll the other reviews, here's what I did: replaced cider for the white vinegar, used 1/2 c. brown sugar & 1/4 c. white, less than 1/8 c. soy sauce, 1/3 c. water and about 1/2 c. pineapple juice. WONderful! I also added the cornstarch after the other ingredients, dissolved into a few tbsns. of sauce, plus added pineapple and green pepper chunks. The only thing I will do differently next time is to add some carrots! Thanks for all the tips-
04/02/2002
Totemo oisiidesunee! Totemo yasashiidesu! Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!
09/23/2002
This was okay but even with my modifications, still needs some work to perfect. Per previous reviews regards the excessiveness of the soy sauce, I reduced the amt to 2 TBLS but next time I'll reduce down to 1. I also added 1 TBLS of honey. Next time, I also reduce the vinegar to 1/8 cup and add 1/4 cup pineapple juice. I'm hoping this might taste closer to the sweet&sour sauces I am accustomed to.
04/19/2006
Very easy to make with things usually kept in the pantry. Thanks for the post.
07/26/2002
Better than any store sweet and sour sauce-easy to prepare-and simple ingredients always on hand.
07/17/2010
(Maraschino cherry juice is the key!) I found this to be a good basic sweet and sour recipe. However I do not care for the ketchup element as it seriously taints the flavor. After a bit more experimentation, and some internet research I have found that the trick to making perfect sweet and sour sauce is to use maraschino cherry juice.
05/07/2002
Quick and simple recipe! I found that it took a while to thicken. We didn't use quite as much soy sauce and found the sugar added enough sweetness. Really nice to have a recipe using every day ingredients to make something special.
01/22/2002
Fantastic traditional sweet & sour flavor. I decreased soy sauce to 1/8 cup and added 1/4 cup pineapple juice. It's a darker colored sauce than the electric-apricot-colored sauces you buy in the store. Great dip for chicken fingers!
08/20/2002
Wow, this recipe has way to much soy sauce! (I served it with egg rolls) However, if you only put a couple of dashes and then one drop of red food coloring, it looks & taste just like the kind you get from the restaurant.
08/23/2010
a little bit too much on the vinegar side for us...I'd cut back on that next time.
03/20/2010
My husband won't touch the fluorescent red sweet & sour sauces that are so commonly found. I followed this recipe exactly and we both loved it. Next time I might add a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes to turn it into a spicier version. Thanks for this great sauce!
01/26/2003
Very good and simple recipe. I use it for meatballs or chicken wings mostly. I'll never buy sweet n' sour sauce again, when i can make as good as this!!
12/19/2002
This recipe required too many modifications to qualify for 4 or 5 stars, IMHO. In reading the other reviews, I have to agree that it needed less soy sauce, more ketchup, pineapple juice, no water, and half bro and half white sugar. Sorry, I won't be making this again.
12/06/2002
great recipie, pretty simple and flexible. i omitted the soy sauce and replaced it with more ketchup instead. i have also used flour instead of cornstarch as a thickener several times, and it has worked out fine. this sauce works great with chicken or pork, one of my favorites has been with cubed pork, over rice, with some crisply stir-fryed red & green pepper, mushroom, and bean sprouts.
12/22/2002
I really liked this sauce, a nice balance of sweet and sour. I can understand why others were frustrated with measurements, however I think that if start with less sugar/soy sauce/vinegar, you can add more to taste as you go. I kept the same recipe, except reduced the soya sauce to 2 1/2 tbsp since I don't like too much salt in sauces. When tasting the sauce, I thought it was a bit too vinegary, but didn't adjust it and when I added it to the stir fry, it tasted great with everything.
01/27/2011
Wow! Made this for New Years and served with homemade crab ragoon. Much better than anything you can get in a jar. So easy to make too.
02/13/2001
This was so quick and easy to make, with ingredients I had on hand. And it was delicious, I served it as a sauce for meatball appetizers and people loved it!!
07/11/2002
I thought this had too much soy sauce but with a few modifications it was quite good. I used with the breaded chicken strips (recipe from this site).
07/15/2002
Just a good old yummy basic sweet and sour sauce -so much better than store bought -my kids loved it too. Thanks so much!!
10/06/2002
This wasn't bad; but I'd cut the soy sauce in half. I think it was a bit too much.
12/24/2010
This is a great sauce. I did add a little more sugar at the end, I like my sweet and sour sauce more sweet. And I followed a reviewers advice to do flour/water instead of cornstarch. Worked perfectly! And I did the 1/4 cup ketchup. The only thing I didn't do was the pineapple juice cause that is currently chilling in the fridge for my punch tonight! But it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe.
03/02/2001
I love this sweet and sour.....only I use cider vinegar because it has more nutritional value to it. Wonderful stuff!
05/29/2002
This was an amazing recipe! I made it totally last minute to go with meatballs for a party, and people were RAVING!! I will definitely make it again. Didn't have corn starch, so I used a little extra flour and it was still great! Thanks for a great recipe!
01/04/2001
This sauce tastes just like the sauce in Chinese restaraunts! It's amazingly easy and it was a big hit when I served with with spring rolls. Nobody knew it was homemade until I told them!
01/01/2008
This is an excellent sauce for egg rolls. I have made a couple of times now. I use 2/3 cup sugar instead 3/4 cup and 1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch instead 2 tablespoon. Try this: Mix everything till the sugar is dissolved. Than pour in to a ice cube tray and freeze. After they are frozen place in a freezer bag. Place 1 or 2 frozen cubes in a microwave safe bowl and cook for about 90 seconds stirring every 30 seconds until thick.
03/28/2003
I think the recipe calls for too much soy sauce. I was disappointed with this sweet and sour sauce, which I had made for my homemade eggrolls. Unfortunately it was too overbearing.
03/16/2001
Quick & easy
04/29/2001
Awesome recipe! Tastes much better than store-bought sauce... and much better than most restaurants in town. Very easy, quick, and I love that everything in it is a staple in my house!
06/16/2003
I really like the taste, however I do not add the soy sauce. Also, I increase the ketchp to 2 tablespoons (vice 1), and decrease the corn starch to 1 tablespoon (vice 2).
09/23/2001
not a bad sauce when you are in abind
03/26/2001
I really enjoyed this recipe and it was so simple! I only used about 3 tbsp soy sauce...turned out great!
05/23/2002
I used to have this recipe and lost it! Thanks, its great!
10/04/2007
This is a great and easy recipe. I use it all the time with meatballs and always get positive comments on it. I find the original portion too small, though, so I usually quadruple it. It even stores well in the fridge for the next day - don't worry if it looks like jelly, it'll smooth out once you warm it up again.
04/09/2003
Excellent sweet and sour sauce, especially for those who like lots of soy sauce. Just the right combination of sweet and more subtle sour.
12/03/2006
very good! I am trying to get a recipe as good as our fast food chinese here in town, and cannot find one that tastes like it, but this is the next best thing. Update: I made this again tonight, and did a few substitutions: 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup ketchup, and a couple of drops red food coloring. the only reason i did the food coloring was because my kids are used to the bright red sauce at our chinese rest., and they didn't care for the brown color, so after adding the food coloring, the gobbled it up!! Excellent recipe
03/07/2005
I was "taken in" by the 5 star rating. This was awful! If you look at the reviews almost all of them make changes in the original recipe and the changes are varied. Use brown sugar or some brown sugar, use pineapple juice instead of water, use less soy sauce, use more ketchup. My advice would be to not "tinker" with this recipe. Compare several sweet and sour recipes and see if you can find a general consenus. Then try one that seems to agree with several others. This is not a "keeper"!
04/16/2002
Quite good!
05/20/2003
This recipe was pretty good. The soy sauce was a little overpowering to me so next time I will probably cut down on the amount, but it tasted great with chicken.
08/30/2002
I found this very easy and the flavor was perfect. I used it in a stir fry recipe and it was just the right amount of sweet and sour. This will be my sweet and sour sauce from now on.
04/18/2013
I made mine with brown sugar instead of white, and apple cider vinegar instead of white. If I have a can of pineapples, I use the juice instead of water and it comes out delish!
12/10/2012
Needed a quick sauce to go with meatballs in the slow cooker, and I happened to have all of the ingredients for this one so I gave it a whirl... very glad I did! The house smelled amazing the whole time they were cooking and it tasted just like, well, sweet and sour sauce! Thanks for sharing this recipe :D
10/30/2001
Wow! This is the closest to restaurant-style Chinese sweet and sour you can get. I pour it over everything - rice, pork, beef, chicken, the whole shebang. Don't miss this one!
11/07/2001
I added about 1/4 cup of pineapple juice to this recipe and the result was fantastic! Easy to make too.
02/06/2007
I followed the advice of other reviewers, and used 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup ketchup. I also used the juice from one can of pineapple chunks. Once thickened, I added the pineapple chunks and chicken seitan from this site, and WOW! I can honestly say that this is one of the BEST recipes I have tried from this site (and I have tried a lot).
03/27/2003
Well, I guess it would be ok if there were not so many modifications. I had to change almost everything, amt of soya sauce, sugar, ketchup... I used brown sugar instead. The color wasnt that great either. With sweet and sour, you kind of expect red. I used it for meat balls. They were good, but like I said, this recipe was just kind of a guide line, everything was changed. Sorry Linda
02/23/2003
I use this recipe all the time. My husband loves it and my children don't complain when we have stir fry. It is very easy to make and I am sure we will never buy sweet and sour sauce again.
01/09/2002
I thought this was good, but the soy sauce was overpowering. Next time, I will add some pineapple juice to sweeten it up just a bit.
09/01/2009
A nice easy recipe with ingredients you always have on hand. I wisked in 2 tablespoons of apricot jam into the hot, thickened sauce for some texture.
11/21/2001
Wonderful! This sweet and sour sauce is very good. Taste better than any store bought I have ever tried and I have tried them all. I thank you for taking the time to post your Sweet and Sour sauce, it is very appreciated! 2 out of 3 kids liked it. Hey, can't win'em all. LOL Thank you!
01/17/2015
Truly delicious! I used apple cider vinegar instead of white. Delish!
01/23/2011
I thought this had the perfect sweet to sour mix (although I used rice wine vinegar). I used about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and the consistancy was exactly what I needed for dipping my lumpia in :) Thank you for this great recipe, I won't be buying those jars of red goopy stuff that just never has tasted right.
01/07/2002
This was very simple and tasty! I whipped it up quickly as I had everything on-hand at home and it added just the right touch to our meal. Thx!
10/15/2013
Quick, Easy, and Good! 5 stars all the way. Made exactly as written.
01/30/2011
Excellent! Did brown/white sugar mix and extra catsup ... SUPER YUMMY with our okay spring rolls.
11/10/2001
I made this for dinenr last night and served it over vegetarian meatballs and white rice. It was quick ,e4asy, and very tasty. The ocnsistency came out just right, and it was sweet but stil ltangy at the same time. I used cider vinegar, but then added some regular vinegar to tone down the sweetness a little. This was very good. I'm keeping this recipe!
10/08/2003
very easy and good taste for a fast dinner night. Will use again!
06/01/2002
This recipe was different,that's for sure. Had a different taste,and my grandmother said it had too much vinegar.other wise it was ok
10/21/2007
Excellent!! I'm very fussy about my sweet and sour sauce, and this one is great. This has become a favorite for when we chicken and steaks "bites" - thank for sharing!
01/10/2002
This was basically very good and easy. I had everything on hand to make it. However, I too, thought the soy sauce was just a little overpowering, so next time I'll cut back a little on that. I also added some pineapple juice, and it tasted great. I'll make this again.
03/18/2007
This recipe was picked because I had all of the ingredients in the pantry, it had a relatively high number of previous raters giving it 4s and 5s, and I had about 10 minutes to throw together an "asian sauce" (right about what this sauce sounded like it would require). I did make some of the recommended changes from previous raters - I changed the sugar to 1/2 c, added 1/4 c brown sugar, substituted pineapple juice in place of water, mixed it with the ketchup so the ketchup would dissolve, and threw in some diced pineapple at the end. For the whopping 5 minute prep time and 5ish minute cook time, this sauce was amazingly good. It thickened up nicely and was the perfect complement to the food. Definitely earned all 5 of those stars.
10/10/2001
I was disappointed in this recipe, the soy sauce seemed to overpower the sauce..I substituted pineapple juice for the water and soy sauce and was much happier with the results
02/25/2003
This saved supper!!! With a few modifications. I took advice from the reviews. It is great!
04/25/2011
Wonderful! I only made minor changes to the recipe as suggested by previous reviews --- I used 1/2 cup white sugar plus 1/4 cup brown sugar, increased the ketchup to 1/4 cup, and decreased the soy sauce to 2 Tbs. I mixed all ingredients together and then poured over stir-fried chicken/carrots/onion/green pepper, and simmered for about 5 minutes, then added fresh cubed pineapple. Delicious!
02/19/2012
I used 1/4 brown sugar 1/2 white sugar and 1/4 cup ketchup and 1/2 cup orange juice. Loved the flavor! Very good with our chicken!
07/25/2011
My husband loves this sauce! We no longer buy sweet and sour sauce from the store. Keeps well for a long time in fridge. just need to reheat it before serving since it tends to gel up in the fridge.
04/19/2001
This is the best sweet and sour sauce I have ever had! It is great with vegtable tempura and teriyaki chicken.
01/04/2012
This was very good. It wasn't the pineappley green peppery flavor I am used to getting so it took a couple of bites to not expect that flavor, but once I got past that it was good. My husband liked this too and went back for more sauce. I will use this again. Thanks!
03/08/2011
For a half recipe, I only used one tablespoon of soy sauce per other reviewers suggestions. This was good but not quite what we were looking for. I'll keep looking for the right recipe.
05/01/2010
Decided to make sweet and sour pork for supper while at a friends home and needed a good recipe. This sounded so much like the one I use at home so I chose it. The results were empty platters all around! I learned from our Chinese Chef neighbor when we lived in London to dip pieces of pork from cornstarch to egg wash to cornstarch (not flour) and fry three times before putting it into the sauce and vegetables...makes a big difference in pork! Stays crunchy in the sauce even when reheated.
03/24/2003
I have been making chinese for a while and this recipe was very disappointing. There is way too much soy sauce! I didn't have time to try it again, but you should only need about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, not a whole 1/4 cup. Anyway, I am sure this is a good recipe if you modify it, but I won't be making it again.
03/17/2003
I took the advice from other reviewers and added pineapple juice instead of water, and used half brown sugar/half white. I also added a can of pineapple (cut in chunks) which gave the sauce a really great flavor! The texture was perfect, and it tasted great with chicken and rice.
10/23/2010
Excellent. I had taken chicken drumsticks out for supper but didn't know what I wanted to do with them. I didn't feel like cooking and came across your sauce - it was perfect for our chicken. I made it exactly as posted and it was fantastic. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
01/31/2011
I made this according to the recipe and it was just ok. Has potential, but I will definitely try some of the modifications recommended by other reviewers next time.
06/19/2012
Excellent, excellent, excellent. It was quick and simple to prepare, and I used it as a sauce over fried tofu with sautéed bell peppers and onions. I prepared it as is, and I just added cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper flake to add some heat. I'll definitely make this sauce again. :) A+!
01/07/2012
The whole family loved this. I added a little bit of crushed pineapple. Adding the soy sauce is a nice change from other sauces that are so heavy on the vinegar.
07/26/2010
yummy! (I did make some changes though!) omit white sugar, used 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, increase catsup to 2 TBS, substitute 2/3 cup of water with 2/3 cup of juice from a large can of sliced pineapple....then i added 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/8 tsp white pepper, and 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper. In a little olive oil I sautéed 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 clove chopped garlic, and 1 tsp grated fresh ginger. You could stop there if you were just making the sauce, but I was having sweet n sour meatballs, soooooo....next I threw some pre-made meatballs into the onion/garlic/ginger mix, dumped the sauce over, added some freshly chopped chopped parsley and 5 or 6 rings of the pineapple slices cut into chunks. Excellent recipe NAG_CA!!!! thank you
01/22/2003
Very good sweet and sour sauce. I added the red food coloring for the authentic look. Thanks for the recipe!
01/20/2013
I thought this turned out perfect! I used a little less soy, and twice as much ketchup. I also added a tablespoon of honey. This sweet and sour sauce was delicious :)
12/07/2007
I am a caterer and I needed a Sweet and Sour Sauce for a meatball recipe. I always make this sauce and let it sit for a few hours before I use it. It is tasty, the right consistency and perfect!
08/17/2011
A good basic sauce recipe. I used it as a 'foundation' for the additional ingredients I added to spice it up a bit. I added a half cup diced pineapple, with juice, 1/4 cup diced green pepper, 2 T diced jalapeno peppers, about 2 TBS extra vinegar and 1/2 cup extra water (to offset the sweetness of the pineapple), and freshly ground black pepper to taste. It turned out great and the family loved it! :)
03/18/2013
Very good, but a nutritional dud...a "sometimes food".
12/19/2008
Very good. Life saver!
09/02/2014
This was a very good sauce. It was very different from the sauce served at Chinese restaurants near me. Next time, I think I will try some of the substitutions I see in the ratings of others.
01/23/2008
This is sooooo easy and it is tasty. The only thing I did different to it was I only used 1/2 cup of vinegar and added a teaspoon of orange extract. It gave it that fruity flavor that sweet and sour sauce should have. I found that the 3/4 cup of vinegar was too much and that the vinegar dominated the taste. Otherwise fantastic recipe.
03/18/2003
This was fabulous!!!! I was looking for a sweet and sour sauce recipe and now my search is over!. I only used half of the soya sauce and I added more ketchup (my husband doesn't like soya). Next time I will try it with brown sugar instead of white. I also added some pineapple chunks and some of the juice. I used it to make sweet and sour pork, I can't wait to try it with meatballs. Yummy, can't wait for my lunch leftovers!!!
03/27/2010
I just now made this to go with crab rangoons and it is great. I followed the ingredient list perfectly, but based on the initial flavor, I added one additional tbsp of ketchup, and two more tbsp of vinegar. Thanks for a great recipe.
07/18/2011
Super simple and delicious...my family loved it!!!
01/01/2011
This is super easy and I usually have these things on hand. Other versions have pineapple juice added, which is lovely, but I usually don't have it on hand. I typically use a bit more ketchup than this recipe calls for, and prefer it a bit thicker. But still, a great basic recipe!
03/11/2011
Made exactly as instructed, and it was DELICIOUS!!!!
10/18/2010
v. good -- tangy. Makes quite a bit... if you only need s little for some egg rolls, half it.
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/19670/sweet-and-sour-sauce-i/
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