During my senior year of high school and the year after (pre-vegan, obviously), I used to eat honey garlic chicken wings from one of two Hong Kong-style cafes near my school almost every weekday. That is not an exaggeration. Thinking back at my dietary choices, I often wonder how I’m still alive. That said, I still love the taste of that style of honey garlic sauce. And it’s actually really easy to veganize once you have your vegan honey aka apple syrup.

Vegan honey made from apple syrup, sugar and a touch of lemon tastes remarkably like the original. It also happens to be less expensive, making it idea to use in sauces such as this which use quite a bit of it.

Video Tutorial for Vegan Honey Garlic Sesame Sauce

Once you have your apple honey, simply combine it with garlic, ginger, a few other seasonings. Use Tamari instead of regular soy sauce if you’re avoiding gluten. Add sesame seeds if you like; raw or toasted, it’s up to you.

Add a cornstarch slurry made with lemon juice to thicken up the sauce and add some tang. If you want to make a orange sesame sauce, simply swap out the lemon juice for fresh squeezed orange juice.

Let the mixture come to a boil and turn off the heat. And that’s it. This sauce should be done in five minutes or less. Your vegan honey garlic sesame sauce is ready to dress up crispy tofu, tempeh or veggies.

Try it with this Baked Crispy Cauliflower or my favourite way to eat cauliflower: Beer-Battered Cauliflower…

Printable recipe for Vegan Honey Garlic Sesame Sauce