General Tso's Sauce is a sweet, spicy, and tangy Chinese dip or condiment. The authentic recipe is usually made with sesame oil, ginger, garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth, and other seasoning ingredients. The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make General Tso's Sauce from scratch with easy step-by-step instructions for you to try at home.
I have also shared a detailed video of this recipe to make the cooking process clear and simple. This Homemade General Tso's Sauce is easy to make and delivers one of the best flavors and tastes. And it is served as a dip for appetizers and used as a condiment to make General Tso's Chicken, General Tso's Shrimp, or General Tso's Tofu.
Jump to:
What is General Tso's Sauce?
General Tso's Sauce is an authentic Chinese sauce that is packed with flavors of fresh ingredients and sauces. It is usually sweet, spicy, and tangy in taste and flavor that is widely used for chicken, shrimp, or tofu dishes.
This sauce is unique for its bold and complex flavors similar to many Chinese dishes. It is also a multi-purpose sauce that you use as a dip for appetizers, condiments for most non-vegetarian dishes. You can also use this sauce to stir-fry a quick and delicious meal. And all it takes to prepare the sauce from scratch is under 10 minutes.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this General Tso's Sauce needs a trip to your nearby Asian grocery stores. Some of the ingredients are basic that can be found in regular grocery stores while others need a trip to Asian stores. So let's check out the ingredients below.
- Sesame oil - Delivers a rustic and earthy flavor to your sauce
- Ginger and Garlic - Freshly minced ginger and garlic gives unique aroma and taste. You can also repalce them with powders if the fresh ones are not handy
- Soy and Hoisin Sauce - I have always got a chance to get soy sauce in my regular grocery stores but not the Hoisin sauce. I found it only near by Asian grocery store
- Red Pepper Flakes - I have used flakes and whole dry red chili for the heat here, feel free to adjust the quantity according to your preference
- Shaoxine Wine or Rice Vinegar - Even though authentic recipes call for the wine, I have added only rice vinegar here, as I have small kids who love to this sauce with chicken. But I felt the taste was good even without the wine
- Chicken Broth - It gives a unique and deep flavor to the sauce. But feel free to use veg stock for a vegan friendly sauce
How to make General Tso's Sauce?
The recipe I have shared here delivers the authentic taste and flavor that is similar to the sauce served in most Chinese Restaurants. This sauce is easy to make and all you need is under 10 minutes to make this sauce. Also, you can customize this sauce into vegan friendly.
Following are the high-level instructions to make this sauce but for detailed step-by-step instructions with photo and video, please check out the recipe card below.
- Saute Ginger and Garlic - In a pan with with medium heat, pour sesame oil, and add ginger, garlic and dry red chili. Saute until they turns aromatic
- Caramelize the Sugar - Now add the white and brown sugar and mix well until it caramelizes
- Add in the Sauces - Pour in the hoisin, soy sauce, chili flakes, rice vinegar and give a good mix
- Pour in the Chicken Broth - Add the chicken broth and mix well
- Boil for few minutes - Boil the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes
- Add in the cornstarch slurry - Now dilute 1 tsp of orn starch in 3 tsp of water and add the slurry to the sauce mixture. Give it a good until it thickens
- Remove and Serve or Store - Remove the sauce immediately from heat, and serve as adip for your appetizers or use as a condiment in Tso's Chicken, Seafood or other similar recipes
Tips
- Flavor and Taste- Adding chili flakes, white and brown sugar gives the sweet and spicy flavor to your sauce and I recommend to add the same for similar results
- Hoisin and Soy sauce - These two sauces used here gives the saltiness and sweetness to the sauce. But you can also swap hoisin sauce with chili bean sauce if it is not handy
- Shaoxing Wine - Even though the authentic recipe calls for this wine, I have used only rice vinegar which gave a nice tangy flavor to my sauce. So feel free to use the same if this Chinese wine is not handy to you
- Vegan Sauce - For vegan friendly version of this sauce, I would recommend using vegetable stock and vegan soy sauce to make this sauce
- Serving - This easy home General Tso's Sauce tastes great as a dip for appetizers or as a condiment for your chicken, seafood, veg or tofu dishes
Storage Suggestions
This sauce stays good for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator in a closed airtight container. Always make sure to heat the portion you would like to use and then mix or stir fry them with your favorite proteins or veggies.
Serving Suggestions
This General Tso's Sauce tastes great as a dipping sauce for most appetizers like popcorn chicken, samosas, and more. And it also can be used as a condiment for most chicken, seafood, veg, and tofu recipes.
Related Recipes
You could also find similar Sauce recipes below and more at Dips & Condiments.
- Stir Fry Sauce
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Kung Pao Sauce
- Orange Sauce
- Szechuan Sauce
- Garlic Butter Sauce
- Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- Pasta Sauce
- Samosa Dipping Sauce
- Tamarind Sauce
More Tso's Recipes and Chinese Recipes.
General Tso's Sauce Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of this General Tso's Sauce below that I hope will help you to make a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce at home. For a quick reference, you could also find this recipe in story format.
📖 Recipe
General Tso's Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Ginger, minced
- 2 tsp Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp White Sugar
- 2 tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 4 Dry Red Chili
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce, low sodium
- 2 tsp Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Cornstarch , 1 tsp cornstarch diluted in 3 tsp water
Instructions
To Make General Tso Sauce
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil, and add ginger, garlic, and dry red chili. Saute until they turn aromatic
- Add white and brown sugar and mix well until it caramelizes
- Now add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red pepper flakes, rice vinegar and mix well
- Pour in the chicken broth and give a quick mix. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 to 2 minutes
- Now add corn starch slurry and mix well until the sauce thicken. Once it thickens remove it from heat. Now the homemade General Tso Sauce is ready for you to taste and enjoy
To Serve
- Serve this Homemade General Tso Sauce as a dip for an appetizer or as a condiment for chicken, seafood, or veg recipes
Video
Notes
- Flavor and Taste- Adding chili flakes, white and brown sugar gives the sweet and spicy flavor to your sauce and I recommend adding the same for similar results
- Hoisin and Soy sauce - These two sauces used here give saltiness and sweetness to the sauce. But you can also swap hoisin sauce with chili bean sauce if it is not handy
- Shaoxing Wine - Even though the authentic recipe calls for this wine, I have used only rice vinegar which gave a nice tangy flavor to my sauce. So feel free to use the same if this Chinese wine is not handy for you
- Vegan Sauce - For a vegan-friendly version of this sauce, I would recommend using vegetable stock and vegan soy sauce to make this sauce
- Serving - This easy home General Tso Sauce tastes great as a dip for appetizers or as a condiment for your chicken, seafood, veg, or tofu dishes
Nutrition
FAQ
General Tso's Sauce is an authentic Chinese sauce that is packed with flavors of fresh ingredients and sauces. It is usually sweet, spicy, and tangy in taste and flavor that is widely used for chicken, shrimp, or tofu dishes.
It is usually sweet, spicy, and tangy in its taste and flavor. You will also feel the earth and rustic taste of sesame oil and saltiness from the hoisin and soy sauce. Not to mention the heat from the red chili flakes. Yes, it is a combination of deep, strong, and complex flavors.
No the recipe I have shared uses chicken broth which is not vegan friendly but for a vegan version, you can use veg broth and vegan soy sauce to achieve a similar taste and flavor
You can substitute it with bean paste, soy peanut butter, or garlic teriyaki sauce which delivers a similar taste as hoisin sauce.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you on how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
Leave a Review