Common Ingredients in sweet sour Recipes
We researched the most common ingredients in over a dozen popular sweet sour recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.
The most common ingredients in sweet sour dishes are cornstarch and soy sauce.
Ketchup, oil, brown sugar, pineapple and white sugar are also common ingredients in sweet sour recipes. For herbs and spices, white vinegar and white pepper are popular. Salt is in 40% of sweet sour recipes and pepper, 40%.
- Ingredient Ratios
- Average Weight of Ingredients
- cornstarch - 85%
- soy sauce - 85%
- ketchup - 70%
- oil - 70%
- vegetable oil
- brown sugar - 70%
- white vinegar - 70%
- pineapple - 55%
- pineapple juice
- salt - 40%
- white sugar - 40%
- pepper - 40%
- white pepper
- black pepper
- eggs - 25%
- flour - 25%
- Other Ingredients
- 7 Sweet Sour Recipes (ingredients only)
The average sweet sour recipe has about 12.7 ingredients, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 20.
In terms of directions, sweet sour recipes have about 4.7 steps on average, ranging from 3 to 11 instructions.
Ratios of Common Ingredients in Sweet Sour
For 1 tablespoon soy sauce (16 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below.
Ingredient | Median | Average | % of recipes with soy sauce | Potential subsitutions |
ketchup |
3.5 tablespoon (60 g) |
6.9 tablespoon (117 g) |
83% | |
brown sugar |
0.37 cup (82 g) |
0.52 cup (114 g) |
83% | |
white vinegar |
a quarter cup (60 g) |
0.38 cup (90 g) |
67% | |
pineapple juice |
three quarters of a cup (188 g) |
three quarters of a cup (187 g) |
50% | |
vegetable oil |
0.53 quart (463 g) |
0.27 quart (235 g) |
33% | |
garlic |
2 clove (6 g) |
1.3 clove (4 g) |
33% | |
salt |
0.17 teaspoon (1 g) |
0.08 teaspoon (0 g) |
33% | |
white sugar |
a quarter cup (50 g) |
0.19 cup (38 g) |
33% |
Ingredients by Average Weight in Sweet Sour
We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in sweet sour recipes. This would be: 24% pineapple juice, 21% brown sugar, 17% ketchup, 11% vegetable oil, 8% white vinegar, 7% soy sauce, 4% cornstarch, 3% white sugar, 2% flour, 1% eggs and 1% pineapple.
Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.
cornstarch
![Image of cornstarch](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www.soupersage.com/img/food/cornstarch.jpg)
Cornstarch is the most popular ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 85% of sweet sour recipes contain cornstarch.
Cornstarch is often included in sweet sour dishes in amounts of 2 tablespoons.
In sweet sour recipes that contain cornstarch, it is on average, 3% by weight.
For sweet sour recipes, cornstarch is frequently used with soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, white vinegar and pineapple juice.soy sauce
![Image of soy sauce](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Soy_sauce_2.jpg)
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is soy sauce. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 85% have soy sauce.
Soy sauce is often included in sweet sour dishes in amounts of 1 tablespoon or 2 tablespoons.
In sweet sour recipes that contain soy sauce, it is on average, 5% by weight.
In recipes for sweet sour, soy sauce is often used with brown sugar, ketchup, cornstarch, white vinegar and pineapple juice.ketchup
![Image of ketchup](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www.soupersage.com/img/food/ketchup.jpg)
Ketchup is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 70% of sweet sour recipes contain ketchup.
In sweet sour recipes that contain ketchup, it is on average, 15% by weight.
Soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, white vinegar and vegetable oil are commonly used together with ketchup in sweet sour dishes.oil
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is oil. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 70% have oil.
Variations of oil include:- vegetable oil: 43% of recipes
vegetable oil
![Image of vegetable oil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Olive_oil_from_Oneglia.jpg)
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is vegetable oil. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 40% have vegetable oil.
In sweet sour recipes that contain vegetable oil, it is on average, 17% by weight.
Salt, brown sugar, pineapple, soy sauce and ketchup are commonly used together with vegetable oil in sweet sour dishes.brown sugar
Brown sugar is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 70% of sweet sour recipes contain brown sugar.
Sweet sour dishes often call for brown sugar to be packed.
Brown sugar is often included in sweet sour dishes in amounts of half a cup.
In sweet sour recipes that contain brown sugar, it is on average, 18% by weight.
In recipes for sweet sour, brown sugar is often used with soy sauce, ketchup, cornstarch, white vinegar and vegetable oil.white vinegar
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is white vinegar. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 70% have white vinegar.
In sweet sour recipes that contain white vinegar, it is on average, 7% by weight.
Soy sauce, cornstarch, white sugar, brown sugar and ketchup are commonly used together with white vinegar in sweet sour dishes.pineapple
![Image of pineapple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%88%E0%B4%A4%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95.jpg)
Pineapple is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 55% of sweet sour recipes contain pineapple.
Variations of pineapple include:- pineapple juice: 43% of recipes
pineapple juice
![Image of pineapple juice](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www.soupersage.com/img/food/pineapple-juice.jpg)
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is pineapple juice. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 40% have pineapple juice.
In sweet sour recipes that contain pineapple juice, it is on average, 37% by weight.
For sweet sour recipes, pineapple juice is frequently used with soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, white vinegar and ketchup. However, eggs, flour and chicken breast are almost never used together with pineapple juice in sweet sour dishes.salt
![Image of salt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Table_salt_large_grain_V1.jpg/2560px-Table_salt_large_grain_V1.jpg)
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is salt. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 40% have salt.
In sweet sour recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0% by weight.
In recipes for sweet sour, salt is often used with vegetable oil, brown sugar, pineapple, soy sauce and ketchup.white sugar
![Image of white sugar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/A_Bowl_of_Sugar_2.jpg)
White sugar is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 40% of sweet sour recipes contain white sugar.
In sweet sour recipes that contain white sugar, it is on average, 5% by weight.
White vinegar, cornstarch, chicken breast, flour and oil are commonly used together with white sugar in sweet sour dishes. Conversely, white sugar is not often used with garlic.pepper
![Image of pepper](https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/www.soupersage.com/img/food/cayenne-pepper.jpg)
Pepper is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 40% of sweet sour recipes contain pepper.
Variations of pepper include:- white pepper: 29% of recipes
- black pepper: 14% of recipes
white pepper
Another popular ingredient in sweet sour is white pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for sweet sour, over 25% have white pepper.
Sweet sour dishes often call for white pepper to be ground.
In sweet sour recipes that contain white pepper, it is on average, 0% by weight.
In recipes for sweet sour, white pepper is often used with cornstarch, pineapple, salt, vegetable oil and chicken breast.eggs
![Image of eggs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/White_chicken_egg_square.jpg/600px-White_chicken_egg_square.jpg)
Eggs is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 25% of sweet sour recipes contain eggs.
Eggs is often included in sweet sour dishes in amounts of 1 eggs.
In sweet sour recipes that contain eggs, it is on average, 3% by weight.
For sweet sour recipes, eggs is frequently used with white vinegar, salt, vegetable oil, chicken breast and brown sugar. However, pineapple juice is almost never used together with eggs in sweet sour dishes.flour
![Image of flour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flours.jpg/1280px-Flours.jpg)
Flour is another common ingredient in sweet sour dishes. In fact, over 25% of sweet sour recipes contain flour.
In sweet sour recipes that contain flour, it is on average, 5% by weight.
Chicken breast, white sugar, white vinegar, cornstarch and brown sugar are commonly used together with flour in sweet sour dishes. Conversely, flour is not often used with pineapple juice and garlic.Other sweet sour Ingredients
Other significant ingredients used in sweet sour recipes include:
- chicken breast - 25%
- garlic - 25%
Select Recipes for sweet sour (Ingredients Only)
- - 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
- - ¼ cup cornstarch
- - ¾ cup white sugar
- - ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- - 2 drops orange food color
- - 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
- - 2 ¼ cups self-rising flour
- - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- - ½ teaspoon salt
- - ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- - 1 egg
- - 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
- - 2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- - 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- - 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- - 1 tablespoon ketchup
- - 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- - 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- - 1 tablespoon Shaohsing rice wine
- - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- - 1 large egg white
- - 1 pound chicken thighs, deboned, de-skinned, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- - 1 pinch sea salt
- - 1 pinch ground white pepper
- - 2 1/8 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
- - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- - 2 cloves garlic, minced
- - 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1-inch chunks
- - 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into 1-inch chunks
- - 1/2 cup cubed fresh pineapple
- - 1 scallion, finely sliced into rounds, for garnish, optional
- - Serving suggestion: jasmine rice
- - 1/2 cup ketchup
- - 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- - 1/3 cup white vinegar
- - 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- - 1 cup white sugar (can reduce a 2-3 tablespoons for a less sweeter taste)
- - 3 tablespoons cornstarch (for a thinner sauce reduce to 2 tablespoons, if you want an very thick sauce use 4 tablespoons)
- - 1 cup all-purpose flour
- - 1 cup cornstarch
- - 2 teaspoons baking powder
- - 2 teaspoons baking soda
- - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (garlic lovers add 1 teaspoon)
- - 2 teaspoons sugar
- - 1 -2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional but good to add)
- - oil (for frying)
- - 8 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- - seasoning salt (optional)
- - 1 cup pineapple juice
- - 3 tablespoons vinegar
- - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- - 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- - 1 lb ground beef
- - Worcestershire sauce, to taste
- - 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- - oregano, to taste
- - 1 egg, slightly beaten
- - salt and pepper, to taste
- - 1 clove garlic, minced
- - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- - 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- - 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- - 2 tablespoons vinegar
- - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- - 1 cup ketchup
- - 2 tablespoons soya sauce
- - 1/4 cup ketchup
- - 1/4 cup sugar
- - 1/4 cup vinegar
- - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- - 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- - 3/4 cup pineapple juice (I use pineapple juice) or 3/4 cup water (I use pineapple juice)
- - 2 teaspoons oil
- - 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or substitute apple cider vinegar
- - 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- - 3 tablespoons ketchup
- - 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- - 2 teaspoons cornstarch