My homemade hoisin sauce is savory, sweet, garlicky, nutty, and packed with umami. It’s delicious as a dipping sauce, marinade or moo shu sauce – and makes a great stand alone stir fry sauce too. And my recipe only takes 5 minutes to make from start to finish!
I stopped buying store bought sauces a few years ago because I always had too many in my fridge that would go to waste due to infrequent use. Instead, I decided to make my own homemade sauces to save on money and fridge space and quickly realized that they tasted so much better! Not only could I make just enough for a meal so there wouldn’t be any left over, I could also tweak the taste to please my palate to a tee. Take this homemade hoisin sauce for example – since I have been making it at home, it’s the only one I enjoy eating.
Traditional hoisin sauce is a mixture of soybeans, garlic, red chili peppers, and sometimes five-spice powder, and vinegar. It’s used in Chinese cooking as a seasoning for stir fries, as a glaze for meats – and as a dipping sauce. My hoisin sauce recipe is a little different and only requires 8 ingredients. There is plenty of depth of flavor present in every bite and the balance between sweet and savory is just right.
Why I like This Recipe
- While most store bought hoisin sauce can come off a little one-note and overly sweet, this homemade version is full of deep savory, nutty, and earthy flavors.
- Only 8 ingredients – all of which are common pantry staples. Ready in just 5 minutes.
- Truly versatile. Use as a marinade, moo shu sauce or a fully composed stir fry sauce.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Soy Sauce: Use regular soy sauce or dark soy sauce to add saltiness and earthiness.
- Miso Paste: Use white miso paste or awase miso paste to add plenty of umami and earthiness.
- Honey: I recommend using something not too floral since the sauce is already super flavorful. I’m using raw organic honey but that’s not necessary. Something like Golden Blossom Honey also works well.
- Salt: Just a pinch to help balance the sweet and salty.
- Peanut Butter: I’m using natural smooth peanut butter but you can use any type of peanut butter for this recipe. Keep in mind that you may need to use less honey if the peanut butter you are using contains sugar.
- Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is great for toning down the sweetness of the sauce while infusing it with a little acidity.
- Water: The water is just to thin out the sauce. If you like a thick sauce, skip the water.
- Fresh Garlic: Hoisin sauce should be a little pungent and that’s what the fresh garlic brings to it. I recommend mincing it as finely as you can.
- Sriracha Sauce: Just a teaspoon but go ahead and add more if you like the sauce to have more heat.
How to Make It
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl until fully blended.
- Transfer the sauce to a jar or other storage container with a lid.
- Use immediately in stir fry, as a flavor booster for noodles or rice dishes, or as a dipping sauce or a glaze for chicken or other protein, or deep fried dishes.
Variations
- Make it sweeter: Add an additional 1 tablespoon of honey.
- Make it spicier: Add 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce instead of the 1 teaspoon listed in the recipe.
- To create a more pungent, savory flavor: You can either add one more garlic clove or 1 to 2 extra teaspoons of miso paste.
Storage
Store unused hoisin sauce in a sauce jar or other storage container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- If separation occurs in the fridge, shake or stir before using.
- When cooking with the sauce, be sure to use a clean spoon for extraction. Using a cooking utensil with food on it can cause bacteria to grow in the jar.
- Likewise, don’t leave the container unrefrigerated for too long.
How to Use It
Hoisin sauce is a versatile ingredient to keep on hand. Once you get comfortable using it, the sky’s the limit. Here are some useful ways it can be used in your kitchen:
- As a glaze or marinade for meats, tofu and seafood.
- Spoon it on moo shu pancakes when making moo shu pork or moo shu tofu.
- A fully composed stir fry sauce. Add it to your meat and veggies in the wok, toss well – and you’re good to go.
- As a dipping sauce for dumplings, potstickers, egg rolls, and spring rolls.
- Add it as a flavor enhancer for noodle soups.
- As a spread or dip for sandwiches.
- As a finishing sauce for vegetables. Air fry some asparagus and drizzle it on. Done.
Other delicious and easy homemade sauces to try:
Tonkatsu Sauce, Sweet and Sour Sauce, General Tso Sauce, Eel Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, Black Bean Sauce, Yakisoba Sauce, Duck Sauce, Tempura Sauce, Dumpling Sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
There isn’t really a plug and play alternative. You could use oyster sauce but my advice is to use it sparingly and taste as you season. If a recipe only calls for a tablespoon or two of hoisin sauce, using soy sauce with a little sugar is also an option.
Yes! Simply swap the honey out for maple syrup instead.
Not it’s not because soy sauce is used. Use gluten-free soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos to make it gluten-free.
Yes, absolutely! Homemade sauces don’t need preservatives and additives to make them last longer and many of them contain less sugar and salt.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and suggestions in the comments section below.
Print
5-Minute Hoisin Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Stirring
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Homemade hoisin sauce has a much more complex flavor than store bought varieties. It’s less sweet and more savory, with a touch of umami. Use it in stir fries, noodle dishes – or as a dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup regular soy sauce or dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste or awase miso paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove, grated
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients. Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and stir until smooth.
- Store it. Transfer the sauce to a jar or other storage container and keep in the fridge. Add a couple of tablespoons to stir fries or use it as a dipping sauce.
Notes
This hoisin sauce will keep for about 2 weeks, refrigerated in a jar or an airtight container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 79
- Sugar: 6.2g
- Sodium: 524.2mg
- Fat: 2.3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12.3g
- Fiber: 1.3g
- Protein: 1.8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Questions and Reviews
As one with a peanut allergy what would you suggest as a substitute for peanut butter in this recipe? I’m looking forward to making this with the coconut sugar substitution. Thanks!
Hi Christine, I would recommend substituting with sunflower seed butter (it’s fairly easy to find in the peanut butter aisle) since it’s the closest to tasting like peanut butter. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
The recipe looks wonderful, but I’m vegan. Which sweetener would you suggest that would you suggest that would be as close in taste to what you envisioned? (Just no stevia please!) Now to find the Mapo Tofu recipe! Thanks!!!
Hi Bob, I would recommend palm sugar (coconut) since it has a little umami and is less sweet than regular sugar. It’s not floral like honey but will make an excellent substitute since it’s commonly used in Asian cooking. Start with 1 1/2 tablespoon, do a taste test and add more if you prefer the sauce to be sweeter 🙂
Ok so I finally got myself some miso paste and made this (And now I have a huge jar of miso paste sitting in my fridge which = life goals achieved!).
O.M.G! So good Caroline! It was everything you described in you post: It had all the flavour of hoisin – ok a little different – but so much more too. I love that this sauce is no where near as intense as store bought stuff (goodbye copious amounts of sugar and salt!) and it went splendidly in a veggie stir-fry last night!
Yay about you liking the hoisin sauce and congratulations on your tub of miso James! Now you won’t be able to live without it hehe!