Fried Rice Sauce Recipe

This super simple sauce recipe is a weeknight lifesaver, and I bet you already have everything you need to make it.

I always have a jar of this sauce in my fridge because it’s so versatile. It takes less than 5 minutes to make, and it helps me get dinner on the table fast.

You have to try making our easy fried rice with this sauce! It’s also perfect as a quick and delicious sweet soy glaze for other proteins like chicken or tofu.

Key Ingredients

• Soy Sauce: This is the base of our sauce, so you’ll want to use a low-sodium soy sauce or low-sodium tamari. For some extra richness, you can substitute some of the low-sodium soy sauce with a dark soy sauce or mushroom soy sauce (which adds a bit more flavor).
• Brown Sugar: The sugar balances the saltiness of the soy sauce. Brown sugar adds more flavor than regular sugar. Coconut sugar would be great, too! I use a 3:1 ratio of soy sauce to sugar, but when making this sauce, you can always adjust with more sugar to make it sweeter.
• Rice Vinegar: Unseasoned rice vinegar makes the sauce pop. It usually has a green top.
• Sesame Oil: You’ll want to add toasted sesame oil to this sauce. I usually add extra sesame oil when making my fried rice recipe.
• Mirin: This is optional, but it really pulls the sauce together. It’s sweet and fragrant. I also use it when making teriyaki sauce.
• More Optional Ingredients: This is why I love making homemade sauces, you can always make them your own! This sauce is lovely with the ingredients above, but for more flavor, consider a little Chinese 5 spice or chili paste (like sambal oelek or gochujang) to add some heat.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

My Tips for Making and Using Your Sauce

Tip 1: Adjust to your taste. Feel free to adjust to your taste. You can add more sugar or any of the optional ingredients for extra flavor. Remember, the sauce needs to taste strong on its own to season all the rice and vegetables properly. If the sauce seems overpowering, you’re on the right track.

Tip 2: A quick guide to making fried rice. For my favorite recipe, see our homemade fried rice, but here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need to do:

1. Cook proteins such as beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp in a large skillet or wok with some vegetable oil until barely cooked through. Then, remove it and set it aside.
2. Sauté hearty vegetables like onions, mushrooms, and carrots in a large saucepan or wok for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Stir in aromatics like minced garlic, ginger, or the white parts of green onions, along with quick-cooking veggies like zucchini, edamame, or peas. Cook for about 1 minute.
4. Add cold rice. Cook and stir it until it’s heated through and slightly browned.
5. Pour in the sauce, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more as needed.
6. Add eggs (optional) by pushing the rice to one side of the pan. Scramble eggs in the empty space, then break them up and stir them into the rice.
7. Serve topped with sliced green parts of green onions and sesame seeds.

Tip 3: More ways to use your sauce. This sauce also works as a sweet soy for beef, chicken, pork, tofu, and shrimp. Quickly cook your protein in a bit of oil or butter. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce along with an equal amount of water or broth. To thicken it into a perfect glaze, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water. Stir this into the pan and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the protein.

More Homemade Sauces