General Tso's Sauce

Name: General Tso's Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: about ¾ cup (coats 1.5 lb of protein)
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 3 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp hoisin sauce; ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock; 4–6 dried red chilies (to taste); 4 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced); 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with 2 tbsp cold water)

By The Chowmi Test KitchenUpdated June 6, 2026↓ Jump to Recipe

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Quick answer

General Tso's sauce is the glossy, sweet-savory-spicy glaze that defines General Tso's chicken — and it's worth making on its own, because it works on far more than chicken. It's built on soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and a little hoisin for depth, with garlic, ginger and dried red chilies for aroma and heat, thickened with a cornstarch slurry into a clingy glaze. The balance is the whole point: it should be sweet but cut with tang from the rice vinegar and savory from the soy, not just sugary. It takes about 10 minutes on the stove. Toss it with crispy fried (or air-fried) chicken, tofu, cauliflower or shrimp, drizzle it over a rice bowl, or use it as a stir-fry sauce. Make a double batch and keep it in the fridge — it reheats and re-thickens in seconds.

A small bowl of glossy dark red General Tso's sauce with dried chilies

Why you'll love this general tso's sauce

The famous sweet-savory-spicy glaze, balanced so it's tangy and savory, not just sweet.
Ready in 10 minutes, and works on chicken, tofu, cauliflower, shrimp or a rice bowl.
Make a batch ahead — it keeps in the fridge and re-thickens in seconds.
Far fresher and less gloopy than bottled or takeout sauce.

Ingredients

General Tso's sauce

3 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
2 tbsp rice vinegarsubstitutes →
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp hoisin saucesubstitutes →
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
4–6 dried red chilies, to tastesubstitutes →
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
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 soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, hoisin and stock together. Mix the cornstarch and cold water into a separate slurry.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the dried chilies, garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds until fragrant — don't let the garlic or chilies burn.
Pour in the soy mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for about a minute, until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
💡 Re-stir the slurry just before adding it, and don't over-reduce — pull it off the heat as soon as it's glossy and clingy.
Taste and balance: it should be sweet, tangy and savory at once. Add a splash more vinegar for tang or a pinch of sugar for sweetness. Use right away, or cool and store.

Tips & notes

How to use it: toss it with crispy fried or air-fried chicken, tofu, cauliflower or shrimp; drizzle over a rice or grain bowl; or use it as a quick stir-fry sauce for vegetables.
Balance is everything — General Tso's sauce should be tangy and savory, not just sweet. Taste and adjust the vinegar and sugar.
Control the heat with the dried chilies: more for a real kick, fewer (or seeds removed) for mild. A spoonful of chili oil works too.
Storage: keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week. It thickens when cold; reheat with a splash of water and it loosens right back up.
Make it vegetarian/vegan by using vegetable stock — it's perfect on crispy tofu or roasted cauliflower for a meat-free 'General Tso's'.

Recipe wording too vague?

Paste any fuzzy step (少许, 火候正好, 焯水) and get exact amounts, temps and times.

Recipe

General Tso's Sauce

New recipe

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 5 min
Total: 10 min
Serves: 6
Level: Beginner

Ingredients

General Tso's sauce

3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
4–6 dried red chilies, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Instructions

Stir the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, hoisin and stock together. Mix the cornstarch and cold water into a separate slurry.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the dried chilies, garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds until fragrant — don't let the garlic or chilies burn.
Pour in the soy mixture and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer for about a minute, until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
Taste and balance: it should be sweet, tangy and savory at once. Add a splash more vinegar for tang or a pinch of sugar for sweetness. Use right away, or cool and store.

Nutrition (est., per serving): 70 cal · 1 g protein · 13 g carbs · 2 g fat

General Tso's Sauce FAQ

What is General Tso's sauce made of?

Soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and a little hoisin sauce form the sweet-savory-tangy base, with garlic, ginger and dried red chilies for aroma and heat, and a cornstarch slurry to thicken it into a glossy glaze. The balance of sweet, sour and savory — not just sweetness — is what makes it taste like General Tso's rather than generic sweet-and-sour.

What can I use General Tso's sauce on besides chicken?

Lots of things. It's excellent on crispy tofu, roasted or fried cauliflower, shrimp, pork, or meatballs, and it makes a great glaze for a rice bowl or a quick vegetable stir-fry. Anything crispy that wants a sweet-savory-spicy coating works beautifully — General Tso's tofu and cauliflower are popular vegetarian uses.

How do you make General Tso's sauce less sweet?

Cut the sugar (start with half) and lean on the soy sauce and rice vinegar for savory tang. Homemade sauce should be noticeably less sweet than the takeout version. Taste as you go and add the rice vinegar to brighten it — the tang balances the sweetness so it doesn't taste like syrup.

How long does homemade General Tso's sauce keep?

Stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator, it keeps for about a week. It thickens when chilled because of the cornstarch; just reheat it gently with a splash of water and it loosens back to a glossy, pourable glaze. You can also freeze it in small portions.

What's the difference between General Tso's sauce and orange or sesame sauce?

They share a sweet-savory base but differ in their signature flavors. General Tso's sauce is spicy from dried chilies; orange sauce is bright and tangy from fresh orange juice and zest with no heat; sesame sauce is sweeter and nutty with toasted sesame oil and seeds. Same family, three different directions.