Hoisin Sauce (Better Than Store Bought)
- PREP 5min
- COOK 10min
- TOTAL 15min
One taste of this homemade hoisin sauce, and you’ll never feel the need to buy it from the store again. Feel free to adjust the spice level, saltiness, and sweetness to your tastes. I love the little bit of heat the Gochujang adds, but you can substitute for miso paste if you’d prefer. Increase the cornstarch for a thicker sauce. I like to keep it on the thinner side, which makes it more saucy when tossing it into stir-fries or slathering it over ribs.
You Will Need
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
One 1-inch thumb-size piece fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
2 green onions, whites and light green parts only, finely minced
5 tablespoons (65g) light tamari or light soy sauce, plus more to taste
5 tablespoons (65g) pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons (30g) molasses
1 tablespoon (20g) peanut butter, try homemade peanut butter
1 ½ teaspoons Gochujang, see notes
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, see notes
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
Directions
Heat sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Set the saucepan aside to cool.
Stir in soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, peanut butter, Gochujang, rice wine vinegar, and the Chinese Five Spice. Return the saucepan to medium heat, and, while stirring, slowly bring to a simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust with 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of soy sauce if it needs it.
Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water. Whisk the slurry into the sauce. As it simmers, the sauce will thicken. Once thickened, remove from the heat and let cool.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Gochujang and a substitute: Traditional hoisin sauce incorporates fermented beans. We’ve included Gochujang (a spicy Korean condiment with rice and fermented soybeans). Substitute miso paste and, if you’d like to add some spice, add a dash or two of hot sauce or chili paste like sambal oelek.
- Chinese five spice: A fragrant combination of star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. It is commonly found in the spice aisle of larger grocery stores.
- Storing and make ahead: Refrigerate homemade hoisin sauce for up to one month. As it sits, it may separate. We store our sauce in an airtight glass jar, which allows us to shake it to combine before using it. The sauce also freezes well — keep it in the freezer for up to three months.
- Most of the Gochujang sold is vegan, but ensure that you check the packaging.
- For gluten-free hoisin sauce, ensure all products are labeled gluten free (especially the soy sauce or tamari).
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.