Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Cantonese · Chinese

Homemade hoisin sauce

Vegetarian

海鮮醬 · hǎixiān jiàng

Fermented yellow soybean paste cooked with dark sugar, soy, rice vinegar, garlic, five-spice and sesame oil into a thick, glossy, sweet-salty sauce. It is a kitchen version of the Cantonese bottled classic.

Homemade hoisin sauce is a Cantonese sauce from China, ready in about 28 minutes and made with yellow soybean paste (huangjiang), brown sugar and molasses. It serves 14 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking

No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
5 min
Cook
8 min
Rest
15 min
Total
28 min
Serves
14
Level
Easy
Calories
42

Ingredients

14 servings (about 18 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Finely grate the garlic (opens in a new tab). In a small saucepan (opens in a new tab), whisk (opens in a new tab) the soybean paste, brown sugar (opens in a new tab), molasses (opens in a new tab), soy sauce (opens in a new tab), rice vinegar (opens in a new tab), garlic, five-spice, chilli flakes (opens in a new tab) (if using) and water until smooth.

    Garlic being minced with a knife
    How it looks · Photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking, and cook for 5–7 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, the raw garlic (opens in a new tab) smell has gone and the sauce is thick and glossy, coating a spoon like warm jam. It spits as it thickens, so keep stirring.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Off the heat, whisk (opens in a new tab) in the sesame oil (opens in a new tab). For a perfectly smooth sauce, blend briefly with a stick blender. Cool completely (it thickens further) and spoon into a clean jar.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Guangdong, China · Commonly attributedHoisin ('seafood sauce', though it contains none) is a Cantonese condiment almost always bought ready-made; commercial versions are made from fermented soybeans, sugar, sweet-potato or wheat starch, vinegar, garlic and chilli. This is a home approximation built on the same fermented soybean base, not a traditional household recipe.Also popular in Hong Kong, Vietnam, United StatesMore food from China
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sweet & savoury, umami, aromatic / warmly spiced, garlicky
Diet
Vegan · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · 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 · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Yellow soybean paste (huangjiang) · Brown sugar · Molasses · Soy sauce · Rice vinegar · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Wheatfrom yellow soybean paste (huangjiang), soy sauce
  • Contains: Glutenfrom yellow soybean paste (huangjiang), soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom yellow soybean paste (huangjiang), soy sauce
  • Contains: Sesamefrom toasted sesame oil

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

42 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 19 g · recipe makes 14

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 66%
  • Fat 23%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy42 kcal226 kcal
Protein1.2 g6.3 g
Carbohydrate7.2 g38.6 g
Net carbohydrate6.8 g36.4 g
Sugars5.4 g29.2 g
Added sugars5 g26.7 g
Fibre0.4 g2.3 g
Fat1.1 g6 g
Saturated fat0.2 g0.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium403 mg2173 mg
Salt equivalent1 g5.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
50 mg
Calcium
12 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
9 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
2 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: red chilli flakes.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): five-spice powder.
  • Yellow soybean paste (huangjiang): Miso (FDC 172442) used as a stand-in; both are salty fermented soybean pastes.
  • 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

  • If your soybean paste is chunky (whole beans), blitz the finished sauce for a smooth, bottled-style texture.
  • Loosen with a little hot water to brush on as a glaze for char siu or roast duck.

Common mistakes

  • Reducing it too far. It sets very thick once cold, so stop when it coats the spoon.
  • Using sweet Japanese miso, which makes a pale, bland sauce.

Serve with

  • Brush on char siu or roast pork as a glaze.
  • Dip for Vietnamese fresh rolls (goi cuon) mixed with peanut butter.
  • Spread on pancakes with duck, cucumber and spring onion; stir into pho at the table.

Food safety

  • Use scrupulously clean jars (wash in hot soapy water, then dry in a 120 °C oven for 15 minutes or boil for 10 minutes) and always serve with a clean, dry spoon.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a clean, covered jar for up to 3 weeks.

Variations

  • Peanut-hoisin dip (Vietnam): Thin with water and stir in peanut butter and chilli for Vietnamese rolls.
  • Store-cupboard hoisin: Common Western shortcut: soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, vinegar, garlic and five-spice whisked together, uncooked. Quick, but further from the original.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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.

The spice and seasoning backbone

Spices, masalas & pastes

Make Chinese five-spice powderUsed in step 1

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

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

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like