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Rich, sweet, and salty, hoisin sauce is the perfect foundation for all of your Asian-inspired dishes. This homemade variation packs so much delicious flavor, you won’t want store-bought again!
Hoisin sauce is the mouthwatering secret ingredient for an array of Asian dishes. My glazed salmon, General Tso’s chicken, and seared ahi tuna are just a few that utilize this super flavorful ingredient!
Easy Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipe
Everyone knows and loves soy sauce, but today I’m here to tell you about its awesome cousin- hoisin sauce. Both soy and hoisin sauces are made with a soybean base, but I’m going to give you the lowdown on why you need to incorporate this underrated sauce into your cooking. Hoisin sauce is packed with all the flavors you love- garlic, pepper, and sriracha. However, it has a few other ingredients that give it its distinct flavor and texture. Peanut butter, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to name a few! These flavors are all amazing on their own. But combine them all together, and you have a delicious and complex result! It hits every taste- sweet, tangy, salty, and umami.
The best thing about hoisin sauce is that a little goes a long way. This is a super-concentrated sauce and will last you a long time; considering that most recipes only require a few tablespoons for a tasty flavor boost! The sauce, thick and dark, can be used as a glaze, for stir-fry, and even a dipping sauce! Additionally, it adds the most delicious-looking, caramel color to rice and noodles. Hoisin sauce also works as a great marinade! It infuses meat and seafood with a perfectly fragrant, mouthwatering flavor while also keeping it super tender! Sticky Asian glazed chicken and hoisin shrimp are star examples of this delicious process. It’s time to mix up a few simple ingredients to have this versatile sauce on hand! I know hoisin sauce will become one of your new favorites.
Ingredients Needed for Hoisin Sauce
My favorite part of this recipe is that all of these ingredients were just sitting in my cupboard! They came together to create the most flavorful end result. You’ll love it in your cooking!
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce will give your hoisin a boost of salty goodness. I like to use Kikkoman soy sauce in my cooking! If you want to watch your sodium, you can use light soy sauce here.
- Molasses: This will thicken up your hoisin sauce. We want that perfect glaze-like texture here.
- Sesame Oil: Sesame oil adds a distinct nutty flavor to your hoisin sauce. It is one of the key ingredients for getting a complex, rich flavor. Ottogi is my favorite brand!
- Rice Vinegar: This is where the tang comes in. Rice vinegar adds the perfect hint of sweetness and tanginess. I use Marukan brand rice vinegar in this recipe.
- Peanut Butter: Who knew peanut butter was such a versatile ingredient? This gives your hoisin sauce its amazing thick texture and umami flavor.
- Garlic: I use finely minced garlic in this recipe for a strong, savory flavor.
- Sriracha Sauce: Sriracha adds the perfect hint of spiciness. You can adjust to taste if you want a sauce with more heat!
- Ground Pepper: Add for flavorful, earthy goodness.
- Water: Add water as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Cornstarch: This will help your sauce thicken up nicely.
Making Homemade Hoisin Sauce
This is the perfect quick and easy hoisin sauce recipe. Really, all you have to do is mix all of your ingredients together! You can easily keep it on hand for all of your cooking needs.
- Whisk Ingredients Together: First, in a small saucepan over medium high heat whisk together the soy sauce, molasses, sesame oil rice vinegar, peanut butter, garlic, sriracha, and pepper.
- Add Cornstarch: Next, in a small bowl combine water and cornstarch. Whisk it into the sauce.
- Simmer: Continue to simmer until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Hoisin Sauce Tips and Tricks
Here are a handful of easy tips to help you perfect this tasty sauce! You are going to love how these Cantonese flavors upgrade your dishes.
- Adjusting Consistency: If your sauce is too watery, you can add a bit of cornstarch as needed to thicken it up. Vice versa, a tablespoon of water at a time can help to thin out sauce that has become too thick. Keep in mind that traditionally this sauce is served on the thicker side.
- Using Soybean Paste: Traditionally, soybean paste is used in place of peanut butter. Using this will give your sauce more of a savory, miso-like flavor. It can be found at your local Asian supermarket!
- Sauté Garlic: For a pop of savory, smoky flavor, you can brown your garlic in a skillet before adding it to your mixture.
- Adding More Spice: If you like your sauces hot, you can add an extra dash of sriracha or chili powder until you have reached your desired flavor!
What to Use Hoisin Sauce For
From stir fries to noodle bowls, hoisin sauce will work in nearly every kind of dish for a pop of Cantonese flavor! We have been loving this as a dipping sauce in my house. I love to serve hoisin sauce up with appetizers like wontons, dumplings and spring rolls. It enhances foods that you wouldn’t think were able to taste any better!
Storing Leftover Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin sauce can easily be made and stored for a pop of delicious Asian flavor, whenever! If you are anything like me, you are going to want to put this on everything!
- In the Refrigerator: Hoisin sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. I like to keep mine in an airtight glass jar.
- In the Freezer: Store your hoisin sauce in an airtight container or jar. It will keep for up to 3 months! A little separation may occur once its thaw, so give it a good mix before serving!
More Delicious Homemade Sauces
I love making sauces at home! I know after trying these other homemade recipes, you will too! So many of them utilize pantry staples, so its easy to throw them together! The best part is you can customize each to your own personal tastes. Here are more tried and true sauce recipes your family will go crazy over!
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Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 2 teaspoons sriracha sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat whisk together the soy sauce, molasses, sesame oil rice vinegar, peanut butter, garlic, sriracha, and pepper.
- In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch. Whisk it into the sauce. Continue to simmer until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you so so so much we were short on hoisen sauce and this was perfect for our last minute need!!
I live in a small town. I didn’t have enough hoisin for a recipe I was going to make for a potluck that night. I knew my local grocer was unlikely to carry hoisin and sure enough they didn’t. I stood in the store debating what else to make on short notice and decided to google a recipe for hoisin, barely believing that there was such a thing, but here it was – and much tastier than the store bought kind. I will be making my own in the future.
I make this GF with GF soy sauce (tamari) — so good! Thanks for this easy, great recipe.
What could substitute for the molasses?
Brown sugar or honey!
Made this literally 15 minutes ago and am currently using it on a slow cooker pork with pineapple and snow peas that I’ll later add some thin sliced pepper and onion to.
On its own I can say this tastes really good, and very close to, if not better than store bought. I’ll post a follow up here when it’s done and let you know how my first meal with my first home made hoisin sauce turned out.
This is quick and easy just throw it in the fridge and ready to go
Tastes great
What kind of ground pepper and how much?
I made this and it was primo! I figured out a way to store the leftover sauce: I put it into ice cube trays & froze it. Then I took the cubes and vac-sealed them. They’ve lasted beautifully!!! When I need hoisin sauce I just take out how ever many cubes needed for the recipe and the rest go back into deep freeze!
I’m not big on sirracha. Can I leave it out or will it compromise the flavor?
You can leave it out! The flavor will be similar, just with a little less heat.
Thank you!
Ever since I was diagnosed with a soy allergy I’ve missed hoisin sauce.
I made this with coconut amino instead of soy and it tasted amazing!
Coconut amino is a great substitute!
I just started a GF diet and figured out that hoisin sauce has wheat flour in it (probably from the soy sauce). I made this so fast with tamari (essentially GF soy sauce) and it was delicious! It’s wayyyy better than store bought. Thanks for an easy way for me to still enjoy hoisin sauce.
Didn’t have hoisin sauce and the grocery store was out. So glad that I didn’t scrap my recipe but instead found this substitute. It worked perfectly.
Very impressed with the recipe and finished product. Knocks the socks off of store bought! I will definitely always make this from now on!! AND, I’m sure this is going to really kick my pho ga recipe for dinner to perfection tonight! Mahalo nui loa!!