The Easiest Sweet and Sour Sauce (Two Ingredients Only!)

This sweet and sour sauce is made with only two ingredients. Perfect for tofu balls or meatballs, fried eggplant, or other stir-fries!

I will pat myself on the back because my two-ingredient sweet and sour sauce is a ground-breaking food hack. It is so incredibly easy to make, scoring very sweet and low on the effort scale. My two-ingredient sweet and sour sauce is also versatile. It can be used as a dipping sauce (think nuggets or wings) or in stir-fries (think sweet and sour fried eggplant, tofu etc!)

EFFORT SCALE RATING: EXTREMELY LOW EFFORT. This sauce scores a 0.3 on the effort scale. There is no washing or cutting involved. All you need to do is combine two condiments together to make sweet and sour sauce!

Ingredients you need to make the easiest two-ingredient sweet and sour sauce

1. Ketchup, a staple in Cantonese style sweet and sour sauce.
2. Pomegranate molasses. The secret ingredient! Tart, sticky, and slightly sweet, pomegranate molasses is made from reduced pomegranate juice and sometimes sugar. You can find pomegranate molasses at Mediterranean or Middle Eastern grocery stores. For this recipe, I use a pomegranate molasses which is sweetened (look at the ingredients on the back to check if it has added sugar). You can use unsweetened pomegranate molasses also, but the results may be much more sour than sweet.

Why this recipe works

As suggested by its name, there are two essential elements to all kinds of sweet and sour sauce. However, there are many different styles of sweet and sour sauce!

For instance, one style of sweet and sour sauce is made from dark vinegar and sugar only. This traditional Chinese sweet and sour sauce is used in dishes such as sweet and sour ribs (糖醋排骨).

 On the other hand, Cantonese style sweet and sour sauce has a red hue and usually includes ketchup. This is also the kind of sweet and sour sauce most often used in Canadian-Chinese, American-Chinese, or other “westernized” Chinese cuisine. Cantonese style sweet and sour sauce is most often made with sugar, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce (sometimes also Worcestershire sauce).

Other kinds of sweet and sour sauce, such as the sauce used for Gu Lao Rou (咕噜肉), incorporates tart fruits such as pineapple, plums, and hawthorn. (Further reading.)

With pomegranate molasses, you get the sweet and sour element all in one. It essentially replaces the sugar and vinegar. Pomegranate molasses is also thick and sticky enough that the sweet and sour sauce does not need to be thickened further (with cornstarch, for instance). Plus, the fruitiness of the pomegranate molasses gives an additional depth and continues the tradition of using fruit for sweet and sour sauce.

How can I use two ingredient sweet and sour sauce?

In general, sweet and sour sauce will be really good with greasy or fried things. Acid cuts fat, making them a well-known pairing. Sweet and sour sauce is sticky, so it will adhere to things that are crispy or with a crust. You can use two ingredient sweet and sour sauce as a dip or as a coating for foods that are air fried, pan fried, or crusted. Here are some suggestions:

• Tempeh
• Tofu chunks
• Eggplant
• Tofu balls
• Meat balls
• Nuggets

How to make the easiest two ingredient sweet and sour sauce

If you are using two ingredient sweet and sour sauce as a topping or a coating, simply combine ketchup and pomegranate molasses in a bowl.

If you are using two ingredient sweet and sour sauce in stir-fries, add ketchup and pomegranate molasses to a pan over low-medium heat and toss with your crispy protein or vegetables until well-coated and sauce has slightly reduced.

Adjusting for taste

The starting point for this recipe is equal amounts of ketchup and pomegranate molasses. I encourage you to try it out and adjust to taste by tweaking the ratios. Because I use unsweetened pomegranate molasses, my two-ingredient sweet and sour sauce will be more tart (and less sweet) than sweet and sour sauce from takeout restaurants.

Print Recipe

Two Ingredient Sweet and Sour Sauce

This groundbreaking sweet and sour sauce is made with only two ingredients. A tangy sauce perfect as a dip or tossed in stir-fries

Prep Time1 minute min

Course: Condiment, Sauce

Cuisine: American, Canadian, Chinese, Fusion

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: Easy, Pomegranate molasses, Sauce, Sourdough, Stirfry

Servings: 4 tablespoons

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses see notes

Instructions

• If using as dip, add ketchup and pomegranate molasses to ay bowl and stir to combine.
• If using in stir-fry, add ketchup and pomegranate molasses to a pan with your stir fry. Toss and combine everything over low-medium heat.

Video

@hellenshouse

TWO INGREDIENT sweet and sour sauce! Try this cooking hack – essentially just equal amounts of ketchup and pomegranate molasses to make tasty, not-too-sweet sweet and sour sauce! I love pomegranate molasses, such a versatile ingredient. Full recipes for tofu balls and sweet and sour sauce on my website, which can be found linked in my bio. Link for the sauce 🔗 https://hellenshouse.com/sweet-sour-sauce-two-ingredients/ Link for the balls 🔗 https://hellenshouse.com/vegetable-tofu-balls/ #tofuballs #sweetandsoursauce #sweetandsour #chinesefood #chinesecooking #easyrecipesathome #cookinghack #twoingredientrecipe #pomegranatemolasses

♬ Chill Noons – Kronicle

Notes

If using unsweetened pomegranate molasses, sweet and sour sauce will be more tangy and tart – you can adjust by adding brown sugar. Sweetened pomegranate molasses will produce a slightly sweeter, more balanced sauce.