Sweet and sour sauce is a thick, glossy Chinese takeaway sauce made from tomato ketchup, vinegar, sugar and pineapple juice, thickened with a cornflour slurry. This version makes about 250 ml in around ten minutes, and gives you the bright orange sauce served with chicken balls, with no food colouring in the pan.
One small saucepan, six ingredients you probably already have, and a jar in the fridge for the rest of the week.
Sweet and sour sauce
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 150 ml pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
- Combine the ketchup, pineapple juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Mix the cornflour with the cold water to make a smooth slurry.
- Pour the slurry into the simmering sauce while stirring, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until glossy and thickened.
- Take off the heat once it is a shade looser than you want, since it thickens further as it cools.
Why this recipe works
Takeaway sweet and sour balances four tastes: sweet, sour, salty and a little savoury depth. Most home versions fail because they are only sweet. Pineapple juice does the heavy lifting here, because it brings sugar and acid at the same time, so the sauce tastes rounded rather than flat.
- Ketchup gives colour, body and a savoury tomato base in one ingredient.
- Rice vinegar keeps the sharpness clean. Malt vinegar tastes like chip shop and will take over.
- The cornflour goes in as a slurry at the end, so the sauce stays glossy instead of cloudy.
What is sweet and sour sauce made of?
British Chinese takeaway sweet and sour sauce is made of tomato ketchup, sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice and a little soy sauce, thickened with cornflour. Restaurant versions often add red food colouring for the deep orange shade. Garlic and ginger are optional but lift the whole thing.
Some kitchens swap the ketchup for tomato puree plus extra sugar, and some add a spoon of plum sauce. The four fixed parts are sugar, acid, tomato and starch. Everything else moves.
Takeaway sweet and sour or Cantonese sweet and sour?
They are two different sauces. The takeaway sauce is smooth, bright orange and served in a tub for dipping chicken balls. The Cantonese version is darker, built on rice vinegar and sugar, and gets stir fried through the dish with pineapple chunks, onion and pepper rather than poured over.
| Takeaway sauce | Cantonese sauce | |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Bright orange | Dark red brown |
| Base | Ketchup and pineapple juice | Rice vinegar and sugar |
| Texture | Thick and smooth, for dipping | Thinner, clings to the food |
| Served with | Chicken balls, battered pork | Stir fried pork, prawns, vegetables |
How to get the colour without food colouring
Use plenty of ketchup and reduce the sauce properly. As water cooks off, the tomato concentrates and the colour deepens on its own. A pinch of sweet paprika adds warmth to the shade without changing the taste.
- Simmer for the full three minutes before thickening.
- Add half a teaspoon of sweet paprika if you want more orange.
- Skip beetroot powder. The colour is right but the flavour is earthy.
How to thicken sweet and sour sauce
Mix cornflour with cold water first, then pour the slurry into simmering sauce while stirring. One tablespoon of cornflour to two tablespoons of water thickens roughly 250 ml. Never tip dry cornflour straight into hot liquid, because it seizes into lumps you cannot whisk out.
The sauce keeps thickening for a minute after leaving the heat, so stop while it is a shade looser than you want.
What to serve it with
Anything battered or crisp. The sauce is built to sit against a crunchy coating, which is why it arrives in a separate tub at the takeaway.
- Chicken balls or battered chicken strips
- Crispy pork or prawn balls
- Spring rolls and prawn crackers
- Poured over a pork and pepper stir fry with pineapple chunks
- Egg fried rice on the side to soak up what is left
Storage and freezing
Cooled sauce keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week. It thickens as it chills, so loosen with a spoon of water when you reheat. Freeze in an ice cube tray for up to three months, then warm the cubes gently in a pan.
Do not boil hard on reheating. Cornflour thickened sauces can break and go watery if pushed too far.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a basic sweet and sour sauce?
Simmer ketchup and sugar with vinegar and pineapple juice, then thicken with a cornflour slurry. Four ingredients get you close: ketchup, sugar, vinegar and cornflour. The pineapple juice and soy sauce are what make it taste like the takeaway.
Can I make it without pineapple juice?
Yes. Swap in 150 ml of orange juice, or use water plus an extra tablespoon of sugar and a squeeze of lemon. The sauce will be sharper and less rounded, so taste before you thicken.
Which vinegar is best for sweet and sour sauce?
Rice vinegar. It is mild and slightly sweet, which suits the sauce. White wine vinegar is the closest supermarket swap. Avoid malt and balsamic, because both are too strong and will change the colour.
Why is my sweet and sour sauce cloudy?
The cornflour went in dry, or the sauce boiled hard after thickening. Mix the slurry with cold water first, add it while stirring, then hold the pan at a gentle simmer for no more than two minutes.
Is sweet and sour sauce vegan?
This version is, as long as the soy sauce and ketchup you use are. Check the label on shop bought sauces, because some brands include honey or an anchovy based Worcestershire sauce.
