Hoisin sauce has quickly become one of my favorite homemade sauces. When I’m running out of dinner ideas, I just combine whatever ingredients I have in the fridge with this homemade hoisin sauce and voilà! I’m enjoying a really delicious meal in no time.
Unlike its store-bought counterpart, which tends to be overly salty, overly sweet, and disappointingly thick, this hoisin sauce recipe tastes sweet, salty, spicy, and downright delicious. Use this umami-rich sauce on chicken, salmon, ribs, tofu, and veggies.
Since perfecting this recipe, we’ve explored countless ways to use it. So far we’ve generously breaded and roasted salmon, tossed it with tofu, and spread it on tender baked ribs (don’t miss these hoisin sticky ribs – link coming soon!). We’re excited to try this with lettuce wraps too; Stay tuned!
Commonly used in Chinese cuisine, hoisin sauce is often used as a condiment or added to stir-fries, marinades, glazes, and dipping sauces. It gives dishes a wonderful richness. It is also particularly well-known for its role in Peking duck, barbecue and as a dip for spring rolls.
Related: Garlic Ginger Skillet
Prepare hoisin sauce at home
Not only is our homemade version better than what you’ll find at most US grocery stores, It’s also quick to make from (mostly) common pantry ingredientsincluding light soy sauce, garlic, ginger, molasses, maple syrup, peanut butter and rice wine vinegar.
If you check our pantry, we usually have most if not all of these ingredients already in stock. In addition to the above ingredients, we add two less common ingredients:
- Gochuyang: Traditional hoisin sauce contains fermented beans. That’s why we added gochujang (a spicy Korean condiment made with rice and fermented soybeans). You can substitute miso paste and, if you want to add some spice, add a squirt or two of hot sauce or chili paste like sambal oelek. I usually find gochujang in the international section of my grocery store. It is also sold online or in Asian markets.
- Chinese five spices: A fragrant combination of star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon. It is often found on the spice aisles of larger grocery stores. It also makes an excellent substitute for cinnamon in your baking recipes.
It only takes about 15 minutes to make hoisin sauce at home. You will need a small saucepan and a spoon or whisk. To prepare it, sauté fresh garlic, ginger, and scallions until tender, then stir in whatever’s left on your ingredient list. The peanut butter melts into the sauce, and the garlic and ginger add a nice scent to the sauce. It tastes intensely aromatic.
We use cornstarch in our recipe, which helps thicken the sauce. You can stick with our recommended amount or add more for a thicker sauce. (As written, the hoisin is slightly thinner than what you might buy in the store.)
And the homemade hoisin sauce is ready for your next meal. It makes weeknight dinners a breeze. Whenever I have something like chicken or tofu in the fridge and don’t know what to do with it, I reach for this sauce. Mix everything you have in the fridge with some sauce and bake. Simply!
We developed this hoisin sauce recipe with Chef Richard Hattaway and I’m so excited to share it with you. This sauce is revolutionizing quick and delicious meals and we can’t wait to share it with you. Try it and share your creations with it in the comments. We like to hear what you think.
Hoisin sauce (better than store bought)
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PREPARATION
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COOK
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IN TOTAL
One taste of this homemade hoisin sauce and you’ll never feel the need to buy it at the store again. Adjust the spice level, salt level, and sweetness to suit your taste. I love the little spiciness the gochujang adds, but you can substitute miso paste for it if you like. Increase the cornstarch for a thicker sauce. I like to keep it on the thinner side so it’ll be juicier when I’m adding it to stir-fries or spreading it over ribs.
Makes 1 cup
you will need
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
2 spring onions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
5 tablespoons (70 grams) light tamari or light soy sauce, plus more to taste
5 tablespoons (85 grams) pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons (28 grams) molasses
1 tablespoon (20 grams) peanut butter, try homemade peanut butter
1 ½ teaspoons gochujang, see notes
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, see notes
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
directions
1Heat sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger and spring onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Set the pot aside to cool.
2Stir in soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, peanut butter, gochujang, rice wine vinegar, and Chinese five spice. Place the pot back on medium-high heat and bring to a slow simmer while stirring. Taste the sauce and adjust with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon soy sauce if needed.
3Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water. Stir the mixture into the sauce. As it simmers, the sauce will thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and let cool.
Adam and Joanne’s tips
- Gochujang and a spare: Traditional hoisin sauce contains fermented beans. We added gochujang (a hot Korean spice made with rice and fermented soybeans). Substitute miso paste and, if you want to add some spice, add a squirt or two of hot sauce or chilli paste like sambal oelek.
- Chinese five spices: A fragrant combination of star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon. It is often found on the spice aisles of larger grocery stores.
- Storage and preparation: Store homemade hoisin sauce in the fridge for up to a month. While it’s sitting, it can come loose. We keep our sauce in an airtight glass jar so we can shake it well before using. The sauce also freezes well – it can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
- Most of the gochujang sold is vegan, but be sure to check the packaging.
- For gluten-free hoisin sauce, make sure all products are labeled gluten-free (especially soy sauce or tamari).
- Nutritional Information: The nutritional information below is an estimate. We used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, take a picture and tag it with the hashtag #inspiredtaste – we love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutritional value per serving
serving size
2 tablespoons
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calories
86
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total fat
2.8g
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Saturated Fatty Acids
0.5g
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cholesterol
0mg
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sodium
290 mg
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carbohydrate
14.8g
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fiber
0.3g
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total sugar
12.3g
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protein
1.3g