This easy orange ginger sauce recipe is a delicious balance of tangy and sweet flavors with a hint of spice. It’s oil-free, vegan, and takes less than 30 minutes from prep to table.
After making air fryer vegan orange tofu, I decided that it's time for an everyday ginger orange sauce that you can use with everything from air fryer crispy tofu to roasted sweet potatoes or stir fry, to a dipping sauce for healthy lettuce wraps and veggie rolls.
A pinch of Chinese 5-spice powder gives this sauce a unique flavor that differs from other recipes. Small changes, big flavor!
Table of Contents
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthfully made and tested without olive oil or added sesame oil.
- Make it as spicy as you like with extra red pepper flakes.
- Freezer friendly and meal prep perfect.
📋 Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
Oranges. I recommend fresh oranges for the zest and juice. I used 3 medium oranges for a cup of orange juice. Prepared orange juice is a great substitute, although you'll miss out on the orange zest with extra citrusy flavors.
Ginger. It's a ginger sauce, so fresh ginger root is a main ingredient. Or substitute prepared ginger in the jar.
Soy Sauce. Use tamari or coconut aminos as a soy-free or low-sodium soy sauce substitute for less salt.
Maple syrup. Brown sugar is a traditional orange sauce ingredient, but I like a liquid sweetener because it's easier to blend. Plant-based alternatives include coconut sugar or date sugar. Or make a batch of date paste or dive into your stash in the freezer.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
📖 Recipe Variations
If you aren't wedded to orange flavor, use a citrus juice blend like pineapple-orange (I don't recommend banana). Or flip over to my sweet and sour sauce recipe, which uses pineapple juice.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the cornstarch slurry and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the orange zest, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds on medium heat.
Step 3: Mix in the rest of the ingredients except the slurry. Cook for 5 minutes to mingle the flavors.
Step 4: Whisk in the slurry and simmer the sauce on low heat for 10 minutes.
🔪 Pro Tips
Simmering the sauce reduces it and intensifies the flavors. Wait to adjust the sauce until it has simmered for 10 minutes.
The longer you simmer, the more the sauce reduces. I always start with sauces if I'm making them for the first time. Just push it to the back burner or super low or turn it off and heat when you're ready.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
This delicious sauce is great for dressing up baked tofu strips and is a favorite for topping oil-free chickpea cutlets. And if you want to shake up Buffalo air fryer tofu, it's a game-changer of a sauce.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or 3 months in the freezer.
Chinese 5-spice blend includes anise, fennel, Szechuan pepper (or black or white pepper), cloves, and cinnamon.
Peeling thin-skinned ginger is unnecessary; however, you can easily scrape off the skin with a small spoon or teaspoon. Use a spoon or paring knife to remove thicker-skinned pieces of ginger before grating.
🥣 More Vegan Sauce Recipes
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Orange Ginger Sauce Recipe (Oil-Free)
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons orange zest - see notes
- 2 cloves garlic - 2 teaspoons minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons ginger - grated
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and orange zest. Stir for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to let it scorch.
- Add the orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, 5 spice powder, and chili flakes (if using). Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Give the slurry a quick stir, then add it to the saucepan. Whisk it for a few seconds to ensure there are no lumps. Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes until it is thick.
- Taste and adjust the ingredients.
Notes
- Makes about 1 ¼ cups. Nutrition based on ¼ cup servings.
- 1 used 2 fresh oranges for 1 cup of juice plus 2 teaspoons of orange zest.
- The flavors of the sauce will intensify as the sauce simmers and reduces. For this reason, I recommend waiting to adjust the ingredients until the sauce has simmered.
- Store ginger orange sauce in an airtight container for 5 days. Reheat on the stove or microwave.
- Substitutes for rice vinegar (rice wine vinegar) include apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice.
- Use tamari or coconut aminos as a soy-free soy sauce substitute or low-sodium soy sauce for less salt.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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