Honey Free Salsa Verde Stir-Fry Sauce

Total time22 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time12 min

4.8

(23)

Bright, tangy, and just a little smoky from the cumin, this salsa verde stir-fry sauce brings serious Latin-inspired flavor to whatever hits your wok. Tomatillos are simmered until tender and olive-drab before getting blended with jalapeño, fresh cilantro, scallion greens, and a squeeze of lime — the result is a sauce that tastes complex but comes together in minutes. A small cornstarch slurry gives it that glossy, clingy consistency you want in a proper stir-fry sauce, so it actually coats your vegetables or protein instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan. The sweetness here comes entirely from maple syrup rather than honey, which makes it a genuinely reliable option for anyone avoiding bee-derived ingredients without sacrificing that subtle sweet-savory balance. Tamari deepens the umami and garlic-infused oil rounds out the aromatics, so no single flavor overpowers the rest. Make a batch on Sunday and keep it in the fridge for up to five days — weeknight dinners just got a whole lot more interesting.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the sauce

8 oz (about 5–6 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 tbsp garlic-infused oil
½ cup scallion greens, thinly sliced (green tops only)
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 tbsp tamari
1 tsp maple syrup
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp fine salt, or to taste

For the slurry

1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Instructions

1
Place the tomatillos in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the tomatillos are fully softened, have turned from bright green to olive-drab, and are just beginning to split.
2
Drain the tomatillos and transfer them to a blender. Add the scallion greens, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, tamari, maple syrup, cumin, and salt. Blend on high until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.

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