General Tso Sauce Recipe (2024)

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by Mike Hultquist · Sep 20, 2021 · 54 Comments · Jump to Recipe

This General Tso Sauce recipe is easy to make with only 6 ingredients, perfect for General Tso chicken or any other quick and easy stir fry. It's loaded with flavor.

General Tso Sauce Recipe

When you're in the mood for Chinese food, my spicy food loving friends, it's good to have a general tso sauce recipe on hand. It's perfect for when you're like me and need to indulge in some teriyaki madness!

General tso sauce is a sweet and spicy Chinese sauce popular in Chinese American cuisine. It is made with a base of soy sauce and chili sauce with a touch of vinegar and a sweetener, like honey, then thickened with cornstarch.

It is hugely popular with Chinese takeout dishes like general tso chicken or tofu, or other types of stir fry dishes.

You'll find variations, of course, using other preferred ingredients, and recipes can vary from cook to cook and restaurant to restaurant.

My version is very simple with only 6 ingredients. I choose to focus on the soy sauce and chili sauce, making this mildly sweet and more savory, as we prefer.You can easily adapt it to your own palate.

General Tso Sauce Ingredients

Soy Sauce - Use light soy sauce for this, though any soy sauce can work for you. To your preference.
Honey - Or you can use brown sugar.
Rice Vinegar
Chili Sauce - Try my homemade chili garlic sauce. It's great for this.
Chicken Broth - You can use stock, or vegetable broth.
Cornstarch - For thickening.

How to Make General Tso Sauce

Whisk the ingredients. Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, chili sauce, chicken broth, and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Warm the sauce in a pan. Add to a sauce pan or pot and heat 3-5 minutes over medium high heat, or until the sauce thickens.

Enjoy! Use as desired. Easy enough, isn't it?

Boom! Done! Your General Tso sauce is ready to use. How are you going to use yours? What are you making tonight? Try my General Tso Chicken recipe, of course, but it's also great for making any stir fry, like orange chicken.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Cooking general tso sauce. Usually when making recipes like General Tso’s Chicken, the sauce thickens in the pan or wok along with other ingredients.
Other optional ingredients. This is my preferred recipe, though I have seen some with other ingredients you might try, including sesame oil or sesame seeds, garlic and ginger, white wine vinegar, other red chilies or dried chili flakes, green onions. Feel free to experiment and make it your own.
The chili sauce! There are several options available for this recipe. I enjoy using Doubanjiang, which is a Chinese chili bean paste. Gochujang can work, though the flavor is different. Use a simple chili-garlic sauce from the store, or make your own like I like to do. Sambal Oelek is also a potential option.

Recommended Cookbooks

If you love Chinese recipes and cooking, I recommend these books for the American cook. They're loaded with easy Chinese recipes that are full of flavor. I refer to them quite often.

Easy Chinese Cookbook: Restaurant Favorites Make Simple, by Chris Toy (affiliate link, my friends!)
The Essential Wok Cookbook, by Naomi Imatome-Yun (affiliate link, my friends!)

Storage

Let your general tso sauce fully cool to room temperature prior to storing in an airtight container in the fridge. Properly stored, it should keep well for up to a week!

Try Some of My Other Popular Sauce Recipes

Hoisin Sauce
XO Sauce
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Homemade Szechuan Sauce
Bulgogi Sauce
Kung Pao Sauce
Easy Thai Peanut Sauce
Tonkatsu Sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Homemade Sriracha
Yakisoba Sauce

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

General Tso Sauce Recipe

This General Tso sauce recipe is easy to make with only 6 ingredients, perfect for General Tso chicken or any other quick and easy stir fry. It's loaded with flavor.

Save Recipe

Course: Main Course, sauce

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Keyword: chili sauce, soy sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Calories: 69kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings: 4

Tap or hover to scale

5 from 14 votes

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons soy sauce light soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch use 3 teaspoons for a thicker sauce

Instructions

Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, chili sauce, chicken broth, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Add to a sauce pan or pot and heat 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
Use as desired

Notes

Usually when making recipes like General Tso’s Chicken, the sauce thickens in the pan or wok along with other ingredients.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 69kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 814mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 26IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Peggy says
January 31, 2024 at 6:02 pm

Made this sauce for dinner tonight. It was simple to make and come together very quickly. Doubled the recipe. We really enjoyed it. I will be making General Tso chicken a lot more now that I found the perfect sauce recipe.
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  January 31, 2024 at 7:46 pm
  
  Excellent!! Thanks so much, Peggy!
  Reply
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sara says
January 24, 2024 at 6:49 pm

This is so spot on, Mike - thanks for sharing!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  January 24, 2024 at 7:17 pm
  
  Thanks so much, Sara!
  Reply
Sasha Frugone says
January 12, 2024 at 7:09 pm

What kind of chili sauce please?
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  January 13, 2024 at 7:11 am
  
  Use something like my Homemade Chili Sauce Recipe, Sasha: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/chili-sauce/
  Reply
Bee says
October 19, 2023 at 10:27 pm

Interested in Orange Chicken Recipe . ThnQ!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  October 20, 2023 at 6:36 am
  
  Hopefully I can do that one soon, Bee!
  Reply
Kelly J Myers says
September 20, 2023 at 8:40 am

Amazing flavor profiles on this website. Always when I want something new I come here to Chili Pepper Madness!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  September 20, 2023 at 8:50 am
  
  Awesome! Thanks so much, Kelly! Glad you're enjoying the site! =)
  Reply
Lorrie says
June 05, 2023 at 6:14 am

Hi Mike. Do I use Thai sweet chili sauce or do I use a ketchup-based chili sauce like Heinz? I'm so excited to try this.
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  June 05, 2023 at 6:21 am
  
  Lorrie, use the Heinz type. Enjoy!
  Reply
- Sharon says
  September 28, 2023 at 12:38 am
  
  I’m looking forward to making this recipe vegan; it should be quite simple. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
  Reply
  - Mike says
    January 26, 2024 at 1:40 pm
    
    Hey Sharon, how did it go?
    Reply
Yehudis says
April 18, 2023 at 3:38 pm

made some minor changes. this came out delicious!!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  April 18, 2023 at 9:45 pm
  
  Glad you enjoyed it!!
  Reply
Patricia Gnau says
April 04, 2023 at 2:09 pm

I copied a recipe for 3 ingredient sauce. I wasn't completely happy with the flavor. I added crushed garlic and store bought ginger paste. Then I used chili garlic sauce as the recipe suggested. I then added a little honey. Much more to my taste. Now I find your recipe and this is the exact taste I wanted. Better than the local take out. Thank you so much. Now when I want takeout I don't have to remember the recipe, I'll just use yours!
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  April 04, 2023 at 2:37 pm
  
  Great, Patricia! Glad you enjoy my recipe! Yes, much more flavor here. I appreciate your sharing this!
  Reply
Alan Crowder says
March 13, 2023 at 2:37 pm

Hey Mike. Just made the sauce and it’s great. I did add a little more cornstarch and brown sugar cause I like it thicker and sweeter. Thanks for posting buddy. Alan
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  March 13, 2023 at 2:58 pm
  See Also
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  Great, Alan! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!
  Reply
Elaine Smith says
February 22, 2023 at 2:04 am

Hi, how long will this sauce keep in the fridge please.
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  February 22, 2023 at 6:45 am
  
  Elaine, this will last a month or longer in the refrigerator.
  Reply
- Gloria Niles says
  December 29, 2023 at 1:16 am
  
  I will tr by
  Reply
  - Mike H. says
    December 29, 2023 at 5:33 am
    
    Enjoy, Gloria!
    Reply
trisha Hanlon says
February 21, 2023 at 10:33 am

Is the chili sauce in the recipe found in the Oriental food isle?
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  February 21, 2023 at 12:15 pm
  
  Trisha, you can typically find General Tso Sauce in a bottle in the grocery store, yes.
  Reply
  - Mike says
    January 26, 2024 at 1:43 pm
    
    The question was about the chili sauce, not pre-made General Tso's sauce.
    To Trisha: The author posted his own chili sauce recipe elsewhere in the comments: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/chili-sauce/
    Reply
    - Mike Hultquist says
      January 26, 2024 at 1:54 pm
      
      Yes, my bad! Thanks, Mike.
      Reply
Russell grewe says
February 16, 2023 at 4:13 pm

I make a special recipe with Mac and cheese and kabashi and General chow sauce,it was great I used to make it on a buffet in a Chinese restaurant but the Restaurant changed the recipe and it was very spicy and I can't eat spicy so I'm trying to recreate it without so much spice
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  February 16, 2023 at 4:34 pm
  
  I hope this recipe helps, Russell!
  Reply
David says
November 26, 2022 at 11:54 am

Why are there no measurements for the ingredients?
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  November 26, 2022 at 1:40 pm
  
  David, all of the measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post (above the comments). Let me know if you can't find them.
  Reply
  - David says
    November 26, 2022 at 9:25 pm
    
    Wow I have no idea how I missed that. Thank you I found it
    Reply
Janice says
November 11, 2022 at 1:37 pm

I love this recipe it's the healthiest one that I have seen. It's also simple to follow
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  November 11, 2022 at 1:41 pm
  
  Glad you enjoyed it, Janice! Thanks for sharing!!
  Reply
Saundra says
October 27, 2022 at 5:28 pm

terrific recipe, I have made it twice now! thank you
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  October 27, 2022 at 5:33 pm
  
  Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
  Reply
Emily K says
October 13, 2022 at 11:42 am

I prefer not to eat cornstarch. I usually use arrowroot powder to thicken sauces. However, I usually add it to a bit of cold water and add it to an already simmering soup, stew, or other recipe. Can I just add it here in place of cornstarch? Have you ever tried it? Thanks for sharing.
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  October 13, 2022 at 11:52 am
  
  You can surely use arrowroot or other similar thickener, Emily. No problem at all. Enjoy!
  Reply
Linda Sanders says
August 17, 2022 at 8:05 am

Sorry, I just found the amount of the ingredients.
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  August 17, 2022 at 8:11 am
  
  No problem, Linda, enjoy!
  Reply
Linda Sanders says
August 17, 2022 at 8:03 am

I can not find the amounts of each ingredient, did I just miss them?
Reply
- Mike Hultquist says
  August 17, 2022 at 8:05 am
  
  Linda, it's all in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, above the comments.
  Reply
  - Linda Sanders says
    August 17, 2022 at 8:07 am
    
    I just found it. Thank you so much
    Reply
Lacey says
March 02, 2022 at 8:38 pm

I should have read the whole thing. Thanks
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  March 04, 2022 at 7:43 am
  
  No problem, Lacey!
  Reply
Lacey says
March 02, 2022 at 8:36 pm

Any substitution for rice vinegar?
Reply
- Dawn says
  October 27, 2022 at 10:05 am
  
  Try vinegar
  Reply
Jennifer says
January 15, 2022 at 6:58 pm

I was wandering if coconut aminos or braggs liquid aminos can be substituted for the soy sauce... And can you use a chili sauce like Huy Fong?
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  January 18, 2022 at 7:14 am
  
  Yes, Jennifer, liquid aminos are good here. Also, yes on the chili sauce. Sriracha is good, too. Enjoy!
  Reply
Rod Warren says
September 26, 2021 at 12:28 am

Two questions.
What is the shelf life of the sauce if kept in the fridge?
Can I freeze it?
Great website.
Rod from South Africa.
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  September 26, 2021 at 8:15 am
  
  Rod, this should last a couple weeks or longer in the fridge. It may lose freshness, though. You can also freeze it, no problem. Enjoy!
  Reply
Susie says
September 23, 2021 at 6:58 pm

I want to make this but it lists Chili Sauce do you mean like Mae Ploy ??
Thanks Susie
Reply
- Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
  September 24, 2021 at 7:25 am
  
  Susie, May Ploy will work great here. Use a nice sweet chili sauce, or a chili-garlic sauce, or something similar. Enjoy!
  Reply

FAQs

What is General Tso sauce made of? ›

How to Make General Tso's Sauce: The sauce for General Tso's chicken is so simple to make with pantry staple ingredients: rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, sugar, and some corn starch to thicken the sauce. Simply add the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.

Find Out More ›

What does General Tso taste like? ›

General Tso's Chicken is that perfect combination of sweet, savoury, spicy and tangy with crispy Chinese chicken bites. It's a Chinese takeout favourite that just pushes all the right buttons!

Read On ›

What's the difference between hoisin sauce and General Tso sauce? ›

While both are sweet and savory sauces, are very popular, and have some similarities, these two are NOT the same. Each one possesses very distinctive features. General Tso Sauce, leans more towards the savory palette, with an umami flavor from the Hoisin sauce, that is not used in Sweet and Sour Sauce.

Discover More Details ›

How do you make General Tso sauce less spicy? ›

2. Tips For Making Sauce Less Spicy

Add more of the non-spicy ingredients.
Use sour flavors.
Add a sweetener.
Add alcohol.
Add butter or olive oil.
Add coconut milk.
Add yogurt.

Feb 12, 2024

Know More ›

Is Szechuan sauce the same as General Tso? ›

Although the sauces are similar, General Tso's does not call for Szechuan peppercorns either though I see no reason why you couldn't add them anyway. Another difference is that General Tso's chicken is marinated in a light batter and deep fried. Szechuan chicken is only dusted with flour and shallow fried.

Discover More Details ›

Is Kung Pao sauce the same as General Tso? ›

Kung pao chicken and General Tso's chicken are similar in that they are both chicken-based dishes with a hint of chili, but the primary difference is that latter is deep-fried and coated with a syrupy sweet and sour sauce, and the former is coated with a gentle, more balanced sauce.

Read The Full Story ›

Do Chinese people eat General Tso Chicken? ›

You might be surprised to learn that General Tso's chicken, a staple on Chinese-American menus, is almost entirely foreign to people who live in the country from which it supposedly originated. While the dish isn't exactly authentic Chinese food, its namesake was a very real (and very powerful) general.

View Details ›

Why is General Tso's so good? ›

General Tso chicken is a quintessence of sweet-spicy tastes and that taste is called umami. Fried and then stir-fried chicken pieces in a special battering served with chilly-veiled sauce became a real must-try in the US. It seems obvious that the roots of this meal are in China, but this is only half of the truth.

What is better Szechuan chicken or General Tso's? ›

General Tso's chicken is about the most dangerous Chinese dish on the menu—dark meat battered and deep-fried, then cooked with vegetables in a sweet, spicy sauce. Szechuan chicken, made with leaner, white meat and sautéed with vegetables, is a far better choice.

Learn More ›

What is the closest thing to General Tso chicken? ›

Sesame chicken: These two dishes are very similar. The main difference is the oil used in the sauce. Sesame chicken calls for sesame oil, which adds a salty and nutty taste, making it a little less sweet than General Tso.

Explore More ›

Can I use teriyaki instead of hoisin? ›

People may wish to substitute hoisin sauce for many reasons. Examples of alternatives a person can make at home include teriyaki sauce and kidney beans, barbecue sauce and molasses, miso paste, and more.

Get More Info ›

Why is it called General Tso sauce? ›

The dish was retroactively named after Zuo Zongtang (Tso Tsung-t'ang) (1812–1885), a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader from Hunan Province.

Get More Info ›

Is General Tso always spicy? ›

General Tso's chicken is sweet, tangy, and mildly spicy. The chicken thighs are cut into bite size pieces, briefly marinated and fried until crispy and perfectly golden brown. It's one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes and now you can make this at home in 30 minutes!

Read The Full Story ›

What's similar to hoisin sauce? ›

Thai Chili Sauce

But it gives good texture and color substitutes for hoisin, especially since it adds its own flavor as well. Thai chili sauce and oyster sauce together are a particularly good substitute for hoisin sauce, especially when you add a little garlic powder and Chinese five spice to the mix.

Find Out More ›

Is General Tso and sesame chicken the same sauce? ›

The sauces for these two dishes couldn't be more different. Sesame chicken's sauce accentuates the flavor of sesame and is a brown sugar/honey based sauce. General Tso's chicken's sauce is more pungent with hoisin, ginger and rice vinegar. When they do have in common is soy sauce and corn starch.

Find Out More ›

What is General Tso vs orange chicken? ›

What is the difference between orange chicken and General Tso? Orange chicken is crispy fried with a fruity, sweet, and tangy sauce that's caramelized into a glaze. General Tso is stir-fried in a sweet, sour, and spicy umami sauce.

Learn More ›

Is General Tso really spicy? ›

Explore More ›

Is General Tso's Sweet and Sour? ›

"General Tso's chicken has origins in Taiwan, but [those] trace back even further to Hunan," explains culinary creator Peter Som, who adds that both dishes feature the "characteristic balance of sour, savory, and salty" found in Hunan cuisine albeit "with General Tso's leaning more spicy and sweet and sour more on the ...

Keep Reading ›

General Tso Sauce Recipe (2024)

General Tso Sauce Recipe

General Tso Sauce Ingredients

How to Make General Tso Sauce

Recipe Tips & Notes

Recommended Cookbooks

Storage

Try Some of My Other Popular Sauce Recipes

General Tso Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition Information

Reader Interactions

Comments

Leave a Reply

FAQs

What is General Tso sauce made of? ›

Can I use teriyaki instead of hoisin? ›