Ditch the takeout or jar & make this Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce instead. Made in your blender in minutes it's the perfect balance of sweet, sour & fruity!
💌 SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and I'll send the link straight to your inbox.
Watch out for more tasty treats coming your way too! Unsubscribe at any time.
Jump to:
Sometimes all you need is a good sauce to get you through the week, whether for drizzling on your rice bowl meals, coating your noodles, or dunking your tofu. Even the most boring meal can be transformed into something amazing with a drizzle of full-flavoured, tangy sauce.
Enter my sweet, sour, and tangy Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce! Compared to most recipes it doesn't contain much added sugar. Most of the sweetness comes from fresh pineapple with just a little bit of added sugar for the perfect sweet-and-sour balance.
It's so fruity and delicious and as a bonus, you get a serving of fruit while slurping your big ol' bowl of noodles or rice for dinner!
How To Make Healthy Sweet & Sour Sauce
Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce is so easy to make! If you have made my Garlic Pineapple Sauce or Vegan Stir Fry Sauce then you will be familiar with my lazy sauce-making method:
- Gather all of your ingredients and throw them in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour into a pan and warm through before using as desired.
That's it. Lazy sauce-making masterclass done!
Serving Suggestions
This sauce is incredibly versatile. It goes well with rice, noodles, grains like quinoa and millet, vegetables, tofu, vegan chicken, and tempeh. Use it as a stir-fry sauce, drizzle it on rice or noodle bowls, serve with grilled food, spread in wraps and sandwiches, or use it as a dipping sauce. Did you know that most store-bought vegetable spring rolls are accidentally vegan? This sauce is perfect with them!
Recipe
Healthy Sweet & Sour Sauce
Author:Ingredients
- ¼ of a large (about 1 heaping cup or 260 grams) pineapple , fresh will make the best sauce. See notes if using canned.
- ⅓ cup (85 ml) tomato ketchup
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons white or cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) water , or juice from the can if you used canned pineapple
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Tamari
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch
- 1 clove garlic
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until completely smooth. It will look really foamy and insipid but the foam disappears when heated and the color brightens up a lot so dont worry.
- Pour the sauce into a pan and warm over medium heat, stirring constantly until hot and thickened to your liking.
NOTES
💌 SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and I'll send the link straight to your inbox.
Watch out for more tasty treats coming your way too! Unsubscribe at any time.
Chris E says
Hi, I try to avoid white refined sugar, can I use unrefined brown sugar instead?
Thanks
Melanie McDonald says
I personally wouldn't use brown sugar for this. I think it would probably change the flavour too much. Unrefined cane/granulated sugar would be much better. It's what I use for most recipes including this one.
Holly Van Dera says
How big is a serving?
Angeline Dupont says
Thank you for this recipe. My daughter and I have been wanting to make some Orange panda copycats cream cheese rangoons and sweet and sour. To save a trip out on this miserable rainy day, could I sub splenda for the sugar? Also, can regular white vinegar be used in place of the rice vinegar? Or I also have red vinegar or lemon juice on hand as well. Thanks again!
Melanie McDonald says
Splenda should be fine. White vinegar might be a bit harsh. I'd reduce it by half, taste, and add more for tang as necessary. If you have apple cider vinegar that can be used at the same amount as rice vinegar.
Chris E says
Hi, can I use refined light brown sugar instead as I try to avoid white sugar where possible?
Thanks 7
Ruth says
Can you sub sugar for maple syrup or agave?
Melanie McDonald says
You could. As it's liquid though I'd omit the water to compensate when blending initially. Only add it if necessary to thin a bit at the end.
Adam says
Thank you so much for this recipe, you're an absolute lifesaver. I'm trying to reduce the amount of sugar I'm eating and was looking for a recipe for my visiting nephew. 3/4 cup sugar in the other recipes, I couldn't get over it! This has been the perfect compromise. My nephew gets what he wanted and I get to feel better about what we're eating.
Ro_jW says
This recipe was delicious! Even with me substituting the cornstarch for wheat flour...essentially you end up using a tad more flour but it is still balanced and delicious! Hard to mess up this recipe.
Violeta says
Could we omit the sugar?
A Virtual Vegan says
It will technically work without it but you won't get the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavour.
Hollie says
Love love love!!! Perfect for our stir fry’s and so much healthier:)
KL says
Great recipe! Next time I’ll use less sugar. Thanks for sharing.
Adele Rumbold says
Absolutely lovely sauce. I have recommended this to family and friends.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks so much Adele!
Rachel says
I made this for dinner this evening and both my boyfriend and I loved it! Really easy to make, and tastes delicious. I'll definitely be using this recipe a lot! I'm so glad I stumbled across your blog!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Rachel. I'm so glad you both enjoyed it. Thanks so much for coming back to leave feedback too. I really appreciate it!
Niket says
I made this recipy a fes times now, and its realy realy delicious! I make more than one recipy at the time, so I always have something in me freezer. It's easy, fun and delicious.
Much love frOM Holland
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you are enjoying it Niket and thank you so much for coming back to leave feedback. I really appreciate it!
Patricia Lamb says
Lovely sauce, and easy to make. Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
You're welcome. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Shari says
Hi. Thank you so much for the recipe. What about frozen pineapple? Do I need to.change the recipe or will it work as is? Again thanks.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm sure defrosted frozen pineapple would be fine. I'd hold off on the water to start though as it tends to be a little wetter. Just add a bit of water at the end if it needs thinning a bit.