Sweet and Salty Hoisin Sauce is a common ingredient in almost all Asian recipes. This homemade Hoisin Sauce recipe is a keeper. Make your own Homemade Hoisin Sauce and use it for your Asian Takeaway Fakeaway recipes at home! You'll love this!
Hoisin sauce is a mystery to many of us. It is sweet, savory, spicy and tangy all at once! Just how does it manage to have all these varied flavors at the same time?
And let’s not even get started at how smooth and rich the sauce is! There is no doubt that Hoisin sauce is the complete package of everything, but can we make it in our home’s kitchen? The answer is yes, you can!
My favoruite recipes with Hoisin Sauce are these Sticky Asian Hoisin Chicken Drumsticks.
Besides this Hoisin Sauce is commonly used in popular Asian food recipes like
- General Tso's Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Asian Salmon Lettuce Wraps
- (15-min) Honey Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli
- Szechuan Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Shrimp Udon Stir Fry
Jump to:
- What is Hoisin Sauce
- What do you need to make Hoisin sauce?
- Ingredients
- How to make Easy Hoisin sauce at home?
- Variations of Hoisin sauce
- Is Hoisin sauce Vegan?
- Is Hoisin sauce gluten-free
- How to store Hoisin sauce?
- How to freeze Homemade Hoisin sauce?
- Some tips for making your Hoisin sauce better!
- What can be substituted for Hoisin sauce?
- What is the difference between Soy sauce and Hoisin sauce?
- More Homemade Sauce recipes
- Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipe
What is Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin Sauce is made from fermented soybeans.
Yes, fermented sauce does not sound appetizing but it is magical in Hoisin sauce. The secret lies in all the spices and other condiments that go into it.
Hoisin sauce hails all the way from Asia. It is especially prominent in Chinese and Cantonese cuisine.
People who have tried the famous Cantonese dish of Peking duck know what we are talking about.
But Hoisin is not only a great complement to duck and other meats. You can also use it with vegetables and even tofu!
Noodles and rice are a fair go as well with this delicious all-purpose sauce!
What do you need to make Hoisin sauce?
You can find most of the ingredients you require for making Hoisin sauce at your nearby grocery store.
But this recipe does call for quite a few Asian ingredients, so you might want to pay a visit to your local Asian store as well.
Otherwise you don’t need to worry too much because these ingredients are easily available and very much in everyone’s budget.
Ingredients
1. Dark brown sugar
2. Water
3. Cornstarch
4. Soy sauce
5. Rice vinegar
6. Peanut Butter
7. Sesame oil
8. Ground Black Pepper
9. Sriracha
How to make Easy Hoisin sauce at home?
Many people think that to make Hoisin sauce you need special culinary training, or need to know a lot about Chinese cooking.
But in reality, you need none of these two things.
Even if you are a beginner in cooking and have very limited knowledge about Chinese cuisine, you can still make top-grade Hoisin sauce all by yourself.
It will also take hardly ten minutes of your time! So what are you waiting for? Let us make Easy Homemade Hoisin sauce from scratch right now!
1. Heat Sesame Oil in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients except cornstarch and water to the saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring it to a simmer.
2. Combine Cornstarch and Water to make slurry. Pour this slurry in the simmering sauce. Whisk until combined. Take it off the heat and cool it down completely. Store in a clean and dry airtight container and refrigerate until further use!
Variations of Hoisin sauce
Hoisin sauce is a traditional Chinese sauce but that doesn't mean you cannot add your own twists and variations to it.
I'll give you some interesting variations you can do to your Hoisin sauce!
1. If you like your Hoisin sauce to be extra rich and flavorful, then just add some peanut sauce to it. It will also make your sauce extra thick and creamy.
2. Garlic is a great addition to any sauce, and that includes Hoisin sauce. You can add fresh garlic or dried garlic powder according to your preference.
3. If you like your Hoisin sauce to be on the sweeter side, then just slip in some honey! It is a far better alternative than sugar in both taste and health!
4. Hoisin sauce is already quite thick, but sometimes even that is not enough. So in such a case just add a little cornstarch, to make your sauce really thick and sticky!
Is Hoisin sauce Vegan?
Yes, Hoisin sauce is Vegan!
It contains Fermented Soybean paste in the form of Soy Sauce, which is a plant based product.
All the other ingredients are completely vegan friendly as well! So if vegans are looking for a great Barbeque sauce, then look no further than Hoisin sauce!
Is Hoisin sauce gluten-free
Yes this recipe for Homemade Hoisin Sauce is Gluten Free and Healthy!
Not all Hoisin sauce available in the stores is gluten free. Many of them have wheat based products, which makes them not gluten free.
So just check the ingredient list when you are buying hoisin sauce next time.
How to store Hoisin sauce?
Hoisin sauce can have a long shelf life, but only if you store it properly.
Otherwise it will go bad and stinky really fast. So let's look at everything you need to know about storing Hoisin sauce!
1. Always use a clean and dry airtight glass bottle/jar to store Hoisin sauce. Don't use plastic containers as they can end up affecting the taste of the sauce.
2. Always refrigerate your Hoisin sauce, especially if it's bottle's seal has been broken. Never leave your Hoisin sauce out in the open as the heat will make your sauce go bad really fast.
3. To summarize, use an airtight glass bottle to store your Hoisin sauce. Refrigerate it to preserve it when you're not using the sauce. This way you can expect your Hoisin sauce to last up to three months!
How to freeze Homemade Hoisin sauce?
Yes, you can freeze your Hoisin sauce! All you need to do is pack it inside an airtight container or freezer friendly bag and freeze it.
You can preserve your Hoisin sauce this way for up to 18 months.
When you want to use your Hoisin sauce, just let it thaw at room temperature. Then you can heat it up in your microwave or on your stovetop.
Let the sauce cool again and it's ready to be used!
Some tips for making your Hoisin sauce better!
1. Try to keep your Hoisin sauce balanced. Don’t make it too sweet or spicy. So keep an eye on the proportions of your ingredients!
2. You can try chili pastes like Korean gochujang or Harissa to give your Hoisin sauce more colour and heat!
What can be substituted for Hoisin sauce?
If you don’t have Hoisin sauce at hand then there are plenty of options available which work as a perfect replacement for Hoisin Sauce.
Asian sauces like garlic teriyaki, bean paste and ginger plum are good options.
In Non-Asian options you have substitutes like barbecue, molasses, soy sauce & peanut butter!
What is the difference between Soy sauce and Hoisin sauce?
There is a saying that every Hoisin sauce contains Soy sauce, but the same is not true vice-versa.
Hoisin sauce is not only much thicker than any soy sauce but it also has a more intense flavor along with a distinctive sweetness that Soy sauce just does not have.
More Homemade Sauce recipes
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Peanut Sauce
- Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Honey Mustard Sauce
- Homemade Hot Sauce
- Pineapple Chili Sauce
Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 2 tablespoon Peanut Butter
- 1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon Sesame Oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat sesame oil in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients except Cornstarch and Water. Bring it to a simmer over low heat for 3- min.
- Make a Cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch and water. Add this to the saucepan. Stir to combine. As the sauce thickens, get it out of the heat and cool it down
- Store in a clean and dry airtight container. Refrigerate until further use.
Ask Me Anything