Sweet Chili Vegan Stir-Fry Sauce

This stir-fry sauce is not your usual boring teriyaki. It's a little spicy, a little sweet, and completely delicious! It's also vegan, so it's perfect for vegan stir-fry dishes. It's quick and easy to make—great for busy weeknight meals that the whole family will enjoy. It stores well in the refrigerator, too, so you can use it over and over again for even more quick dinners.

While sweet chili sauce is one of my favorite sauces, the store-bought versions all seem to be missing something. So I made my own sauce!

To stir-fry vegetables, choose vegetables that will hold up well and don't release a lot of moisture during cooking. Some vegetables that are great for stir-frying include red bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, snow peas or sugar snap peas, broccoli florets, cabbage, green beans, water chestnuts, and baby corn. Cook your vegetables in a large carbon steel wok over medium-high heat for 2-8 minutes, or until they're just tender but still retaining most of their crispness. Be sure to use an oil with a high smoke point, such as peanut oil, canola oil, vegetable (soybean) oil, or grapeseed oil. Avoid frying with extra-virgin olive oil or sesame oil, since these oils have low smoke points. This delicious sauce can be added directly to your stir-fries at the end and warmed up over medium heat. For more detailed instructions, check out my crispy tofu stir-fry or my noodle stir-fry recipe. Or try my peanut sauce recipe for another stir-fry sauce option.

This sauce isn't just for stir-fries, though. It's also delicious with rice noodles, dumplings, cauliflower wings, or my crispy fried tofu recipe!

Sambal oelek is a chili paste that is available in many major grocery stores in the southeast Asian section. Your local Asian grocery store probably carries it as well. You can also buy it online, but it might be a little pricier than in stores. If you can't find it in your area, you can use sriracha, chopped fresh red chili peppers, or crushed red pepper flakes.