Sauces are one of the most important ingredients to make the recipe flavorful and delicious. We use it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and for holidays. In short, it is one of the essentials and there are so many sauce recipes and each has its distinct flavor.
Let’s find the
Best Sauce Recipes
1. Teriyaki Sauce
The homemade version is far better than the store-bought sauce. Once you make it you won’t ever think about buying it from the store. It is a delicious savory and sweet Japanese sauce.
I love to use it for glaze in grilled foods. You can make this recipe just by using pantry staples. I like to use tamari for this sauce but you can replace it with low sodium soy sauce. It is also used as a marinade for meat and tofu.
You can use it as a dipping sauce for spring rolls and other appetizers too. It is also used as a topping over rice bowls and roasted veggies. I love to use it for salad dressing.
You can use it fresh or store it in the fridge and use it for a couple of weeks. I have realized the older it gets the tastier it gets. The recipe requires 5 minutes of prep time and 5 minutes of cooking time.
The ingredients include tamari, brown sugar, sesame oil, mirin, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and honey. Add cornstarch to make the sauce thicker.
2. Spaghetti Sauce
This is a simple yet flavorful sauce recipe and one of my favorites. Spaghetti is perfect for weeknight dinners and even the pickiest of eaters love it. I love to use spaghetti sauce in slow cooker lasagna and spaghetti pie.
You can even make it ahead of time and I like it even more because of this reason. The recipe requires 10 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cooking time. You require a large pot and meat chopper.
The ingredients include ground beef, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sugar, dried parsley flakes, onion, ground black pepper, tomato sauce and red pepper flakes.
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will be good for 4 days. It freezes well for 6 months.
3. Tzatziki Sauce
This amazing sauce works both with chicken and veggies. It is one of the healthiest and most nutritious sauce recipes. You can either use English or Persian cucumber for this recipe.
I prefer cold Greek yogurt, you can either use a full-fat or fat-free version depending on your preference. You can strain off excess liquid from cucumbers using cheesecloth. It is very effective.
I use the sauce as a dip, topping, and as a spread too. It requires 15 minutes of prep time. The Ingredients include Greek yogurt, English cucumber, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and chopped dill.
You can keep the sauce in a covered container in the fridge for 4 days.
4. Vodka Sauce
This creamy and smooth sauce recipe is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is on my rotation menu as everyone loves it. It has a creamy and peppery flavor.
To make the recipe the equipment required are a large skillet, wooden spoon, knife, liquid measuring cup, colander, cutting board, and a large pot. I prefer rotini pasta when I make this sauce.
It requires 5 minutes of prep time and 22 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients include rotini, shallot, heavy cream, vodka, parmesan cheese, pepper, tomato sauce, heavy cream and salt. You can add chicken or herbs to the sauce for variety.
You can make it even 5 days in advance and keep it in the airtight container in the fridge. It also freezes well for 3 months.
5. Alfredo Sauce
This garlic parmesan-flavored sauce is rich and creamy. I love it with pasta. To avoid the sauce being grainy it is mandatory to use fresh parmesan cheese.
It requires 5 minutes of prep time and 5 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients include parmesan cheese, butter, Italian seasoning, garlic, heavy whipping cream, pepper and salt.
6. Balsamic Glaze
It is one of the most versatile sauce recipes. This is also known as balsamic reduction. This dark-colored glaze has a concentrated flavor. For best results use the top quality balsamic vinegar and I prefer the Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena.
It requires 15 minutes to make the sauce. The ingredients include balsamic vinegar and honey. If you find that the glaze is too thick add water. I love balsamic glaze over arugula salad.
You can keep it in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
7. Salted Caramel Sauce
This is one of my favorite sauce recipes. It’s sweet, buttery and delicious. I love salted caramel sauce with cinnamon rolls and apple pie bars. Once it’s cool the texture becomes chewy.
The recipe requires 5 minutes and 15 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients include sugar, butter, heavy cream and salt.
You can keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will be good for a month. It freezes well for 3 months.
8. Strawberry Sauce
It is one of the easiest sauce recipes. You can use it over pancakes, cheesecakes, or waffles. You can even make it 3 days in advance. Cover it and keep it in the fridge.
I would advise against blending strawberries as you won’t get the desired color. It requires 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cooking time.
The ingredients include strawberries, lemon juice, and granulated sugar.
9. Cranberry Sauce
Homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than store-bought sauce. I have stopped buying it from the store. I like to add orange juice to the recipe as it adds flavor.
Once you make the sauce keep it in the fridge for 2 hours to thicken it, you can also make the sauce a week in advance, and keep it covered in the fridge.
The recipe requires 5 minutes of prep time, 15 minutes of cooking time, and 2 hours of chill time. The ingredients include sugar, cranberry, orange juice, water and light brown sugar.
10. Pizza Sauce
It is a no-cook sauce recipe. This is a vegan sauce recipe. You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. It keeps well in the fridge for 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for 3 months.
It looks similar to spaghetti sauce but it is thicker and more flavorful. It is a quick recipe and requires only 5 minutes of your time. The equipment needed a red spatula, measuring spoons, and a glass batter bowl.
11. Basil Pesto Sauce
Packed with herbs this is one of my favorite sauce recipes. You require a food processor. It is pretty easy to make and tastes amazing. To keep the sauce fresh, cover it in plastic wrap.
You can make different variations to the recipe. The recipe takes 5 minutes to make. The ingredients include toasted pine nuts, sea salt, garlic, black pepper and lemon juice.
12. Marinara Sauce
It is one of my favorite sauce recipes. Everyone in my family loves this sauce. The recipe requires 15 minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cooking time.
The ingredients include parsley, stewed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, onion, oregano, tomato paste, olive oil, white wine, and salt.
13. Tomato Sauce
It is one of the most flavorful sauce recipes. I would always prefer fresh tomatoes for this recipe but if it is not available you can use the canned one. The recipe requires 15 minutes of prep time and 2 hours and 15 minutes of cooking time.
The ingredients include plum tomatoes, basil, garlic, butter, yellow onions, sugar, salt, and olive oil. You can keep it in the fridge for 4 days, it also freezes well for 3 months.
14. Hot Sauce
We use hot sauce quite often and kids and adults both love it. To make the hot sauce smooth I use emulsifiers. You can use a variety of peppers to make hot sauce. Jalapenos, cayenne, and serranos are my choices you can choose others too.
I made red hot sauce using red bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cayenne peppers. On the other hand, I made the green sauce using poblanos, green bell peppers, and green jalapenos.
To add tangy flavor to the sauce I use vinegar. You can either try apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar. The fermented version of hot sauce can last up to 6 months.
It takes 10 minutes of prep time and 5 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients include apple cider vinegar, pepper, salt, water, garlic, and honey.
15. Tartar Sauce
I love tartar sauce with salmon cakes but I was never satisfied with store-bought tartar sauce and then I was introduced to homemade tartar sauce. I never even thought of a store-bought version anymore.
It requires 15 minutes of prep time. The ingredients include mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill pickles, black pepper, dill, and sugar.
16. Ravioli Sauce
You can either use Rotel or fresh tomatoes to make this sauce. You can also add a bit of hot sauce to make it a little spicy. The tools required for this recipe include a skillet, silicone spatula, box cheese grater and pasta strainer.
The recipe requires 15 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes of cooking time. The ingredients include butter, all-purpose flour, garlic, Parmesan cheese, Rotel tomatoes, chicken broth, and tomato paste.
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will be good for 3 days. I won’t recommend to freeze it.
17. Bechamel Sauce
It is also called white sauce and is used as a base to make many recipes like pasta and lasagna. Use all-purpose flour, don’t use whole wheat as it will change the color of the sauce.
Keep whisking it at regular intervals to get the best texture. Once the sauce cools down it becomes thick. The recipe requires 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking time.
The ingredients include butter, flour, pepper, milk, salt, and ground nutmeg. You can make the sauce thinner using milk.
You can make it one day in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can freeze it for 3 months.
