Chinese Garlic Sauce
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Chinese garlic sauce is the savory, garlicky brown sauce behind takeout favorites like chicken with garlic sauce and eggplant in garlic sauce. It's built on a generous amount of garlic — often a whole head — plus soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and chili-garlic sauce or doubanjiang for gentle heat, rounded out with stock and a little sesame oil and thickened with a cornstarch slurry into a glossy glaze. The flavor is savory-sweet-spicy and unmistakably garlicky, deeper and less sweet than sweet-and-sour. It descends from Sichuan yuxiang ('fish-fragrant') seasoning, adapted for American-Chinese menus. It takes about 10 minutes. Toss it with stir-fried chicken, shrimp, tofu, eggplant or broccoli, or use it as an all-purpose brown stir-fry sauce. Make a batch and keep it in the fridge.
Why you'll love this chinese garlic sauce
- The deep, savory-garlicky brown sauce from takeout — fresher and not gloopy.
- Ready in 10 minutes and works on chicken, shrimp, tofu, eggplant or broccoli.
- Adjustable heat — make it mild or fiery with the chili-garlic sauce.
- A whole-head-of-garlic flavor you can't get from a jar.
Ingredients
Chinese garlic sauce
- 8–10 cloves garlic, minced (yes, that much)
- 3 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp rice vinegarsubstitutes →
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, for colorsubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce or doubanjiang, to tastesubstitutes →
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oilsubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
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Equipment
- Small saucepan — All you need to build and thicken the sauce.(shop →)
Instructions
Stir the light soy, rice vinegar, sugar, dark soy, chili-garlic sauce, stock and sesame oil together. Mix the cornstarch and cold water into a separate slurry.
Heat the neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and just starting to color — don't let it brown or it turns bitter.
💡 The garlic is the star — cook it just until fragrant. Burnt garlic makes the whole sauce bitter.
Pour in the soy mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer about a minute, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Taste and balance: savory and deeply garlicky, lightly sweet, with as much heat as you like. Use right away, or cool and store.
Tips & notes
- How to use it: toss with stir-fried chicken, shrimp, tofu, eggplant, broccoli or green beans; or use as an all-purpose brown stir-fry sauce.
- Don't skimp on the garlic — a near-whole head is what makes it taste like the takeout version. Mince it fresh, not from a jar.
- Control the heat with the chili-garlic sauce or doubanjiang: a teaspoon for mild, a heaping tablespoon for fiery.
- Storage: keep in a sealed jar in the fridge up to a week. It thickens cold; reheat with a splash of water to loosen.
- Make it vegan with vegetable stock and a doubanjiang that's free of animal ingredients — it's perfect on eggplant and tofu.
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Chinese Garlic Sauce
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 10 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Beginner
Ingredients
- 8–10 cloves garlic, minced (yes, that much)
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, for color
- 1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce or doubanjiang, to taste
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Stir the light soy, rice vinegar, sugar, dark soy, chili-garlic sauce, stock and sesame oil together. Mix the cornstarch and cold water into a separate slurry.
- Heat the neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and just starting to color — don't let it brown or it turns bitter.
- Pour in the soy mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer about a minute, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Taste and balance: savory and deeply garlicky, lightly sweet, with as much heat as you like. Use right away, or cool and store.
Nutrition (est., per serving): 65 cal · 1 g protein · 11 g carbs · 2 g fat
Chinese Garlic Sauce FAQ
What is Chinese garlic sauce made of?
A generous amount of fresh garlic, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar and chili-garlic sauce or doubanjiang for heat, with stock, a little sesame oil and a cornstarch slurry to thicken it into a glossy brown glaze. The defining feature is the sheer quantity of garlic — often most of a head — which gives it that deep, savory takeout flavor.
What's the difference between white and brown garlic sauce?
Brown garlic sauce is soy-sauce-based — savory, sweet, spicy and deeply colored — and is the one on dishes like 'chicken with garlic sauce.' White garlic sauce is lighter, made without dark soy, often with stock, a little cornstarch and sometimes a splash of cream or oil, so it stays pale and mild. Brown is bolder; white is gentler.
Is Chinese garlic sauce spicy?
It has gentle heat from chili-garlic sauce or doubanjiang, but you control it completely. Use a teaspoon for a mild, family-friendly sauce or a heaping tablespoon for a fiery one. The base flavor is savory and garlicky rather than hot, so even the mild version is full of character.
What can I use Chinese garlic sauce on?
Almost anything stir-fried: chicken, shrimp, pork, tofu, eggplant, broccoli, green beans or a mix of vegetables. It's the classic sauce for 'eggplant in garlic sauce' and 'chicken with garlic sauce,' and it doubles as an all-purpose brown stir-fry sauce for a quick weeknight dinner over rice.
How long does homemade Chinese garlic sauce keep?
In a sealed jar in the refrigerator it keeps about a week. It thickens when chilled because of the cornstarch; reheat gently with a splash of water and it loosens back to a glossy, pourable glaze. Because of the fresh garlic, keep it well sealed and refrigerated.
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