Discover the bold, fiery flavors that make Szechuan sauce a beloved staple, and why the homemade version is much better than store bought. All you need are 8 ingredients and 8 minutes!
This Szechuan Sauce recipe is one of my favorite condiments to make at home.
You might remember Szechuan sauce from the viral McDonaldโs craze a few years ago, when fans lined up for limited-edition packets inspired by a cartoon episode. This is a similar recipe that has the same sweet and spicy background with a strong smoky finish.
Itโs bold, savory, and slightly spicy โ perfect as a dipping sauce, a sauce for noodles, a quick marinade, or even as a steak topper. And the best part? You can make it in about 8 minutes with ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.
What Makes This Szechuan Sauce So Good
This homemade version uses fresh ingredients and contains zero preservatives. While many store-bought sauces use large amounts of sugar, this one only needs 2 teaspoons, making the overall flavor cleaner and smokier.
If you like spicy Asian condiments, check out this recipe for hot Sichuan chili oil.
Table of contents
What is Szechuan sauce?
Szechuan sauce is a Chinese sauce known for its combination of savory, tangy, sweet, and spicy flavors. Itโs often used as a dipping sauce or finishing sauce for meats, tofu, vegetables, and noodles.
This homemade version is the American-Chinese version, which is milder, using everyday pantry ingredients like soy sauce, sugar, chili garlic sauce, garlic, and vinegar. Itโs not meant to be overpoweringly hot or complexโ just bold enough to make everyday dishes more exciting.
For more Szechuan style recipes, check out my Szechuan chicken dish or this popular Szechuan potatoes with vinegar and chili recipe.
Ingredients
- Soy sauce: I use regular Japanese soy sauce for this recipe because it’s not too salty and is more complex in flavor than other types of soy sauce.
- Sugar: The sugar balances the saltiness and umami of the sauce, making it less aggressive.
- Chili garlic sauce: Chili garlic sauce is a little acidic, pungent, and spicy. It’s widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine as a condiment for soups, dumplings, noodles, and stir fries.
- Ginger and garlic: Ginger and garlic make the base of the sauce with their floral and slightly stringent taste.
- Red pepper flakes: Crushed red pepper flakes bring smokiness and some heat to the sauce. Add more or less until you are happy with the spice level.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used to bind the sauce and give it a gooey texture. Potato starch can also be used.
Storage
- Store in a sauce bottle or other airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Stir well before using, as natural separation may occur.
- Reheat gently in a small pan or microwave on medium.
How to Make Szechuan Sauce
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Whisk. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and transfer them to a pot over medium heat.
- Thicken. Once the sauce has thickened, transfer it to a bowl to let it cool down.
- Serve. Use it either as a dipping sauce or as a sauce for simple dishes, noodles, proteins, and more.
Recipe Tips
- Whisk well before cooking. Always dissolve the cornstarch and sugar before heating to prevent lumps.
- Stir constantly. The sauce thickens quickly, so keep stirring to avoid scorching.
- Adjust spice to taste. If you prefer milder heat, reduce the chili garlic sauce slightly. For more heat, add a little extra.
- Donโt overcook. Once thickened, remove from heat. Overcooking can make the sauce too thick.
A word on Szechuan peppercorns: If you have a peek at the recipe card below, youโll notice that I left the Szechuan peppercorns out of this sauce preparation. That’s because Szechuan peppercorns have a strong, almost numbing effect and can be overwhelming for some people, like myself. If you do enjoy them, feel free to add some to this recipe! I recommend crushing or grinding them first, and please remember that a little Szechuan peppercorn goes a long way!
How to Use it
This Szechuan sauce is very versatile and can be used in many different ways.
- The sweet and peppery heat makes the perfect dipping sauce for nuggets, breaded tofu, French fries, fish sticks, shrimp cocktail, and vegetables sticks.
- The thickness and gooeyness of the sauce is perfect as a topper for proteins. Iโve used it on salmon fillets and tofu steaks. You can also use it in place of a traditional steak sauce with a huge grilled porterhouse or pork chop.
- Szechuan sauce is also delicious when added to stir fries. All you have to do is add a couple of tablespoons to your favorite stir fry sauce to punch up the flavor.
- Lastly, this sauce is really yummy with noodles. Anything from chow mein noodles, stir fried udon noodles, Singapore noodles, even spaghetti!
If you are an Asian food fanatic, check out this 15 popular Asian sauces you can make at home post.
Other delicious and easy Asian sauce you might like to try: General Tso sauce, sweet chili sauce, black bean sauce, Japanese chili oil.
Or, check out this collection of Spicy Asian recipes, for more fiery flavors.
PrintSzechuan Sauce (Sweet and Spicy)
This thick, bold and smokey Szechuan sauce is the perfect Chinese condiment to use as a dipping sauce, in marinades or as a steak sauce!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: makes about 1/2 cup of sauce 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon chinkiang vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and transfer to a small pot. Turn the heat to medium and stir constantly until the sauce thickens.
- Turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl.
- Use immediately, or keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 17
- Sugar: 1.9g
- Sodium: 251mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 3.6g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0.7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Dry sherry works well, as noted in the recipe. It provides acidity and depth similar to vinegar.
Yes. Substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce. All other ingredients can remain the same.
This recipe has a low to medium level of heat. I find that it’s more smoky than spicy.
Unfortunately no since the main flavors come from the chili garlic sauce and chili pepper flakes. For a non-spicy sauce, try this hoisin sauce.
Delicious, not as spicy as I expected but superb and something I think my less spice tolerant family will enjoy.
This sauce is so versatile and so delicious on so many levels! Absolute perfection.
This stuff.. Amazing! I did add a pinch of szechuan powder, love that numbing zing.. I used this as a dipping sauce for beef/fennel-fond potstickers. Nice flavor combo.. definitely a keeper, thanks much!
Thank you, Steven! ๐
I bought a frozen stir fry kit for a quick weekday meal and didn’t like the szechuan sauce it came with, so I whipped up a quick batch of this recipe. It was wonderful! Thank you for saving the day with this tasty little gem of a recipe!