Cho-gochujang (vinegared chilli sauce)

Name: Cho-gochujang (vinegared chilli sauce)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 tbsp gochujang; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 clove garlic, finely grated; 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted; 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Vegetarian

초고추장 · cho-gochujang

Gochujang thinned with vinegar and sweetened, giving a bright, sweet-sour Korean chilli sauce for raw fish, blanched seafood and bibimbap.

Cho-gochujang (vinegared chilli sauce) is a Korean sauce from South Korea, ready in about 5 minutes and made with gochujang and rice vinegar. It serves 5 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 5 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 5 min
Serves: 5
Level: Beginner
Calories: 37

Ingredients

5 servings of 20 ml

3 tbsp (53 g) Gochujang (opens in a new tab)Contains soy, wheat, gluten
2 tbsp (30 g) Rice vinegar (opens in a new tab)
1 tbsp (13 g) Sugar (opens in a new tab)
1 clove (4 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), finely grated
1 tsp (3 g) Sesame seeds (opens in a new tab), toastedContains sesame
1 tsp (5 g) Lemon juice (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Stir the gochujang (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and vinegar together until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth.
- 3 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), sesame seeds (opens in a new tab) and lemon juice (opens in a new tab), if using. It should drip slowly off a spoon; loosen with a little more vinegar if needed.
- 2 min
3
Step 3
Taste and balance the sweet and sour, then leave for 10 minutes so the garlic (opens in a new tab) mellows before serving.
- 1 min

About this dish

Origin: South Korea · Well documentedMore food from South Korea
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Dips & spreads
Cooking method: No-cook
Taste: sweet & spicy, tangy, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet: Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Make-ahead
Cook more with: Gochujang · Rice vinegar · Sugar · Garlic · Sesame seeds

Allergens

Contains: Wheatfrom gochujang
Contains: Glutenfrom gochujang
Contains: Soyfrom gochujang
Contains: Sesamefrom sesame seeds

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

37 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 20 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

Protein 16%
Carbohydrate 61%
Fat 22%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	37 kcal	183 kcal
Protein	1.5 g	7.6 g
Carbohydrate	5.6 g	28.1 g
Net carbohydrate	5 g	24.8 g
Sugars	3.2 g	15.9 g
Added sugars	—	—
Fibre	0.7 g	3.3 g
Fat	0.9 g	4.7 g
Saturated fat	0.2 g	0.8 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	397 mg	1986 mg
Salt equivalent	1 g	5 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 29 mg
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 7 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 0 µg
Vitamin C: 0 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 3 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: lemon juice.
Gochujang: Miso (FDC 172442) as a stand-in fermented soy paste; gochujang is sweeter (rice syrup) and hotter, so carbohydrate is understated.
Rice vinegar: Distilled vinegar (FDC 172237) used as a stand-in for unseasoned rice vinegar.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

A little sprite or plum syrup (maesil-cheong) instead of sugar gives the sweeter, fruitier restaurant style.

Common mistakes

Adding all the vinegar at once and making it too runny to cling to raw fish.

Serve with

With hoe (sliced raw fish) or hoedeopbap.
Dip for blanched squid, octopus or broccoli; stir through bibimbap.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

Onion, garlic, ginger and friends

Aromatics

Garlic, finely grated1 clove · 4 g

Used in step 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Reviews & corrections

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