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This honey garlic sauce recipe is simple to make and works with anything! Try it on salmon, chicken, stir fries, and more.

Need a simple, homemade sauce to dress up any meal? Try this honey garlic sauce recipe! It comes together with just 8 ingredients in less than 10 minutes, making it an easy sauce for quick meals.
You’ll want to paint a swath of this sticky, flavor-popping sauce on just about anything! It’s great for salmon, chicken, stir fries, and more (one reader used it for meatballs, which sounds delicious). Alex and I first made it for this Honey Garlic Salmon, which was so good we’ve been making the sauce ever since.
Featured reader comments
“Just made this for some salmon. I followed the recipe to a T. Wow! This is my new sauce for everything.” -Rick
Ingredients in honey garlic sauce
This honey garlic sauce has a short ingredient list of mostly pantry ingredients, which magically come together into a sticky, thick glaze. It’s great for stir fries, though we love it best painted on a lovely fillet of salmon. Even our kids love it, which is a big win in our book! Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Soy sauce: We use regular soy sauce for the most full flavor (not low sodium). Substitute tamari for gluten-free.
- Honey: Honey brings a nuanced sweetness. For vegan, substitute maple syrup.
- Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is a vinegar made with fermented rice that’s often used in Asian cuisine; it has a lightly sweet, tangy flavor.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is our preferred cooking oil, but you can substitute with any neutral oil. Sesame oil would work well here.
- Garlic and garlic powder: For a flavor packed sauce, use both fresh garlic (not jarred) and garlic powder.
- Ginger root: Ginger root packs spicy, zingy flavor to this sauce. You can leave it out if it’s not a refrigerator staple for you, but it adds a depth that we think is absolutely worth the purchase.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch gives a shiny, thick body to the sauce (arrowroot powder works as a good substitute).
Pro tip
Use a microplane for easy grating! You can use it for both the garlic and ginger: you don’t even need to peel the ginger!

Using a cornstarch slurry
This honey garlic sauce recipe uses a cornstarch slurry, which is a mix of cornstarch and water (or another room temperature liquid). Here’s why:
- If dry cornstarch is added directly to heated foods, it clumps up. It’s best to add it to sauces and stir fries mixed with a little liquid first.
- Cornstarch must be heated to around 203°F for the thickening to occur. It’s called “starch gelatinization”: the process where the the particles of cornstarch absorb water. You’ll notice that once you add the cornstarch slurry to the warm sauce, it immediately starts to thicken: the starch gelatinization has been activated!

Ways to use honey garlic sauce
How do you plan to use your honey garlic sauce? This recipe is extremely versatile and works with many different types of foods. Here are a few ideas:
- Salmon: Brush it onto honey garlic salmon, grilled salmon, baked salmon, or pan fried salmon before and after cooking.
- Chicken: Use for grilled chicken, chicken thighs, or wings.
- Tofu: Try it with baked tofu or pan fried tofu.
- Stir fries: Try in shrimp stir fry, cauliflower stir fry or tofu stir fry.
- Vegetables: Add it to fried broccoli or sauteed carrots.
Storing leftovers
This recipe is quick to whip up and stores well. Store homemade honey garlic sauce refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, it starts to lose some of the potency in flavor.
Dietary notes
This honey garlic sauce recipe is vegetarian, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free. For vegan, use maple syrup or agave syrup instead of honey.
Frequently asked questions
This versatile sauce typically combines soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, and sometimes rice vinegar or sriracha for a touch of heat.
It’s a beautiful balance of sweet and savory! The honey adds a touch of sweetness that complements the savory notes of soy sauce and the pungent kick of garlic and ginger.
The possibilities are endless! Here are some ideas:
Marinade: Marinate chicken, fish, tofu, or tempeh for a flavorful and sticky glaze.
Dipping sauce: Perfect for dumplings, spring rolls, chicken wings, or anything that needs a delicious dip.
Stir-fry sauce: Toss your stir-fry veggies and protein in honey garlic sauce for a quick and flavorful meal.
Glaze: Brush honey garlic sauce on chicken, salmon, or tofu during the last few minutes of cooking for a sweet and sticky glaze.
Noodle sauce: Toss cooked noodles with honey garlic sauce for a simple and satisfying dish.
Absolutely! This sauce keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, sriracha, or a chopped fresh chili pepper to the sauce while cooking.
Honey Garlic Sauce (8 Minutes!)
This honey garlic sauce recipe is simple to make and works with anything! Try it on salmon, chicken, stir fries, and more.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: ½ cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- ¼ cup regular soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, oil, garlic powder, grated ginger and grated garlic over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and whisk until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
More sauce recipes
Love making homemade sauces? Here are a few sauce recipes to try:
- Go for pomodoro sauce or arrabiata sauce.
- Grab zingy Spanish romesco sauce.
- Make garlic butter sauce, lemon garlic butter sauce, or lemon pepper sauce.
- Opt for fresh chimichurri sauce or our fan-favorite pizza sauce recipe.
Is it possible to freeze this sauce?
We haven’t tried it. I think it would freeze ok!
This sauce was great on salmon tonight. The recipe was delicious.
Just made this for some salmon. I had some meadowfoam honey and followed the recipe to the tee. Wow! This is my new sauce for everything.
Love this! I’ve been looking for a recipe that tastes like something a friend made years ago and this is it!
Perfect over meatballs we had for dinenr tonight!
Let us know if you have any questions!