Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe (Delicious Chinese Orange Sauce) (2024)

Home condiment

Published by Izzy

on Nov 25, 2021, Updated Nov 19, 2023

4.41 from 5 votes

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Ever wondered how you can make your very own Duck Sauce? It’s much easier than you think! It is a sweet and sour sauce that’s often used as a dip for spring rolls, crispy noodles, egg rolls, or drizzled on top of your favorite dishes. With only 5 simple ingredients, it takes just a few minutes to put this tangy sauce together.

Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe (Delicious Chinese Orange Sauce) (2)

What is Duck Sauce?

It is a bright orange sauce with a sweet and sour flavor. It’s usually served at American Chinese restaurants, along with soy sauce. It’s traditionally made using plums, apricots, pineapples or peaches, which gives it a sweet taste. Vinegar, chili sauce and soy sauce help to make this sauce complex and flavorful.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe (Delicious Chinese Orange Sauce) (3)
  • Apricot Jam: Apricot jam or jelly will give your sauce an authentic taste and distinctive orange color. You can also use peach compote.
  • Sweet Chili Sauce: This adds a bit of heat to the sauce, but not too much. You can DIY this sauce by combining honey and hot sauce.
  • Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is an essential ingredient in Asian cuisine. If it’s unavailable, just use apple cider vinegar.
  • Soy Sauce: Soy sauce gives you that unmistakable umami flavor. Fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce are decent substitutes for those with soy allergies.
  • Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is best for this recipe, but minced garlic can also be utilized.

How to Make Homemade Duck Sauce

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1. Whisk together apricot jam, sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder.

2. Place a strainer over another bowl and pour the mixture onto the strainer.

Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe (Delicious Chinese Orange Sauce) (5)

3. Press the mixture through the strainer using a spoon.

4. Add more sweet chili sauce to the mixture. Taste and adjust the ingredients according to your preference. Use it as a dipping sauce, serve and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

  • You can customize the sweetness and the spicy level of this sauce: One of the advantages of making your own duck sauce is your ability to customize it. You can make it as sweet and as spicy as you like. Play around with the ingredients to find the right ratio for you.
  • Strain the mixture through a strainer for a smooth texture: To get a smooth sauce, it’s best to use a sieve. This is especially true if you used minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
  • Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator: Duck sauce needs to be refrigerated. It’s best to store it in an airtight container to maintain freshness and flavor.
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Why is it Called Duck Sauce?

This bright orange sauce is often served with Peking duck, a traditional Chinese dish. When Chinese immigrants came to the US, they modified the sauce by making it a bit sweeter to appeal more to the American palate.

What Does Duck Sauce Taste Like?

This sauce is sweet, with a fruity undertone. It’s also slightly tangy withumami flavor, thanks to the addition of soy sauce. It is only mildly spicy, but some people like to add more hot sauce for a fiery kick.

Ways to Use Chinese Duck Sauce

This sauce is the perfect dip for many snacks like egg rolls and wontons. You can also use it as a dip for chicken wings, pork chops, shrimp, or other seafood. This sauce is also great as a sweet and spicy glaze.

  • Egg Rolls (Harumaki)
  • Wontons
  • Spring Rolls
  • Chicken Wings
  • Pork Chops
  • Shrimp, Fish & Other Seafood
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Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does it Last?

Your homemade sauce has a shelf life of about three weeks. Be sure to store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

Is Duck Sauce the Same as Sweet and Sour Sauce?

No. Duck sauce is distinguished by its fruity flavor thanks to the inclusion of apricots, plums, peaches or pineapples. While sweet and sour sauce is sweet, it doesn’t have the fruity flavor of duck sauce.

What Kind of Duck Sauce Do Chinese Restaurants Use?

WY Industries Duck Sauce is one of the most widely distributed duck sauces in the US. These are the packets most often seen in Chinese takeout.

What is the Difference Between Duck Sauce and Plum Sauce?

These two sauces use similar ingredients and are often interchangeable.

Where Can I Buy Duck Sauce?

If you prefer to purchase readymade sauce, check the Asian cuisine aisle of your grocery store. It is also sold at popular online retailers such as Walmart and Amazon.

You May Also Like

  • Bulgogi Sauce
  • Unagi Sauce
  • Arby’s Horsey Sauce

Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe (Delicious Chinese Orange Sauce) (8)

4.41 from 5 votes

Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe

By: Izzy

If you’ve ever gotten Chinese takeout, you’ve probably seen packets of a bright orange duck sauce. This Homemade Duck Sauce is a sweet and sour sauce that’s often used as a dip for spring rolls, crispy noodles, egg rolls, or drizzled on top of your favorite dishes.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup apricot jam
  • 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce, low sodium recommended
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  • In a medium mixing bowl, add apricot jam, 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Mix until smooth.

  • Place a strainer over another bowl and pour the mixture onto the strainer.

  • Press the mixture through the strainer using a spoon.

  • Add the rest of sweet chili sauce to the mixture until combined.

  • Taste and adjust the ingredients according to your preference.

  • Use it as a dipping sauce, serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • You can add extra sweet chili sauce if you prefer a spicier sauce.
  • Store the homemade duck sauce in an airtight container and it’ll last 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.

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About Izzy

I'm Izzy, a food lover and photographer. Here you’ll find a collection of simple recipes that are perfect for busy people. My blog aims to help you make and enjoy delicious and healthy food at home.

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Homemade Duck Sauce Recipe (Delicious Chinese Orange Sauce) (2024)

FAQs

How to make duck al orange sauce? ›

Method
  1. Place the oranges, pineapple juice, chilli and sugar in a pan.
  2. Bring to the boil and reduce by a third.
  3. Stir in the corn flour.
  4. Simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture thickens.
  5. Mix in the parsley.
  6. Serve with your cooked duck, garnish with orange segments.

What is orange duck sauce made of? ›

Make sauce: In a small saucepan, combine orange juice, chicken broth, and orange marmalade. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

What is Chinese orange sauce made of? ›

The orange sauce is made from a mixture of the orange juice and zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. This is bubbled up in the wok until slightly thickened. The chicken is then added back in, and tossed in the sauce until fully coated.

Can you buy ready made orange sauce for duck? ›

A delicious ready made orange sauce to go with duck, game, chicken and pork.

What is homemade duck sauce made of? ›

Ingredients. It is made of plums, apricots, pineapples or peaches added to sugar, vinegar, ginger and chili peppers. It is used in more traditional Chinese cuisine in the form of plum sauce.

Why do Chinese restaurants call it duck sauce? ›

Also called plum sauce, it got its name when restaurants in the United States started serving it with Peking Duck, which is actually traditionally served with a similar sauce, hoisin (which also has a confusing name since hoisin means “seafood,” although it's not traditionally served with that).

What is the duck sauce killer? ›

According to the attorney, Hirsch committed suicide by shooting himself. The 51-year-old had been charged with stalking and murdering Zhiwen Yan, 45, a delivery worker, after a series of complaints over duck sauce. The murder has since been referred to as the "duck sauce killer" case.

Is Chinese duck sauce good for you? ›

Duck sauce is made of mostly sugar, so you should consume the condiment in moderation. You will find little protein, vitamins, and minerals, and a high amount of sodium and carbohydrates, in the sauce.

What's the difference between duck sauce and hoisin sauce? ›

They are two different kinds of sauces. Hoisin contains soya sauce, while duck sauce includes a mix of fruits. However, they both taste sweet, and you can use them to substitute for each other. Hoisin sauce is a bit saltier than duck sauce but equally delicious.

What sauce do Chinese restaurants use? ›

Soy sauce (jiàng yóu, 酱油), the most common of Chinese sauces, sounds simple, and for the most part, it is. However, there are many types, each unique to different Asian cuisines (Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.).

What is the mother sauce of Chinese? ›

While Doubanjiang can be considered the "mother sauce" of Sichuan cuisine, there are some prominent flavors in modern Sichuan cooking that are often referenced as sauces but are composed of other ingredients and sauces during cooking. These include: Yuxiang (魚香) Mala (麻辣)

What is the most used sauce in China? ›

Originating in China over 2,000 years ago, soy sauce is a condiment made from fermented soybean paste, water, and salt. As a result of its fermentation process, soy sauce exhibits a unique umami flavor that has made it a staple in the Chinese cuisine.

Is orange sauce the same as duck sauce? ›

I must confess that until I decided to make homemade Orange Sauce, aka Duck Sauce, I'd always assumed it was made with oranges. But it turns out it's called Orange Sauce because of the color of the sauce rather than the ingredients.

How long does homemade duck sauce last in the fridge? ›

Add more rice vinegar if you like your sauce slightly tart. You can also thin it out further with a little bit of hot water if you'd like a thinner consistency. This duck sauce should last in the fridge for several months.

What are the chunks in duck sauce? ›

What is duck sauce made of? No, there are no waterfowl of any kind to be found in duck sauce. Rather, duck sauce is made of plums and apricots (and perhaps other fruit), along with sugar, vinegar, chili, and ginger.

What is duck a L orange served with? ›

What to Serve with Duck a l'Orange. We recommend serving this duck recipe with simple side dishes like a medley of white and wild rice tossed with toasted almonds and oven-roasted green beans. For wine, Gewürztraminer is our favorite, but a semi-sweet German Riesling (Auslese) is good too.

What is bigarade sauce made of? ›

Bigarade sauce combines beef stock, duck drippings, orange and lemon juice, blanched orange peel, and if desired, curaçao. The original French recipe used bitter Seville oranges.

What does duck a l orange taste like? ›

Julia's recipe for l'orange is very orange-y, tart, slightly sweet, but with a rich sauce that is a helluva lot more interesting than orange juice and cornstarch. Eat a taste of the Old School. You'll want a nice, fat duck for duck a l'orange. Or several nice, fat ducks if you are using wild ones.

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