Try this homemade hoisin sauce once and you will never want to use a store bought one again. This is a flexible recipe that you can customize based on the ingredients you have on hand.
Why would you ever want to make hoisin sauce at home when you can easily get it from an online store or any Asian market? The answer is that it tastes a hundred times better. The end.
Hoisin sauce is very popular in southern Chinese cooking. As a northerner myself, I seldom use it. If I need to enhance the flavor of a dish with a sauce shortcut (like in this recipe), I’ll use oyster sauce most of the time. However, hoisin sauce does play an important part in making marinades and glazes, such as that for Chinese BBQ.
It never occurred to me that someone might want to make hoisin sauce at home, until a reader mentioned to me that it could be pretty expensive to purchase, depending on where you are. Plus, it doesn’t make sense to buy a big bottle of it when you just need a tablespoon for a special recipe.
When I tried to make a small batch of hoisin sauce last week, I was even more convinced of how great an idea it was. The homemade version uses better quality ingredients, such as honey, natural peanut butter, and fresh garlic. It has a superior flavor compared to the bottled one. I wouldn’t say the homemade version tastes 100% identical to a supermarket-bought hoisin sauce, but it adds a great subtle flavor to the dishes I used it in and I was very satisfied with the taste.
After some research, I found that the only problem with making this sauce is that you need to use another sauce as an ingredient. Most of the recipes online call for hot sauce, sriracha, or miso. Its sounds strange. But the problem is that real hoisin sauce gets its flavor from fermented beans, and it’s quite difficult to create this subtle hint from most of the basic spices found in the average pantry.
In the end, I decided to use the hoisin sauce recipe from Food.com as a base. I divided the base into four parts and experimented with miso, doubanjiang (Chinese spicy fermented bean paste), Thai chili sauce, and gochujang (Korean spicy fermented chili paste) to complete the various trials. In the end, miso paste and doubanjiang created the taste most similar to hoisin sauce. However, all of them yielded satisfying results.
In this recipe, I listed all four options. Depending on what do you have in your pantry, you can easily make a great tasting hoisin sauce in 5 minutes!
More recipes to use your hoisin sauce
- Chinese BBQ Char Siu
- Hoisin Roasted Asparagus
- Chicken Lettuce Wrap
- Slow Cooker Spare Ribs in Plum Sauce
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Homemade Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic , grated
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon miso paste (OR 1/2 teaspoon spicy fermented bean paste, OR 1/2 teaspoon gochujang + 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder, OR 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce + 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Store hoisin sauce in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a month.
Thanks for the recipe! I can finally make my own hoisin sauce for pho now 🙂
Ah, totally forgot I can use the sauce for pho! Thanks for reminding me 😉
Thanks, try it today on the peanut butter version for my popiah sauce. It was great! The kids love it.
I’m so glad to hear you tried my recipe and liked it Tracy! Hope you have a great day 🙂
Easy to make, healthy, and tasty 🙂
Hoisin sauce is by far one of my favorites in Chinese cooking. I have never tried ot make it as I usually use the Dynasty or Lee Kum Kee brands. Most have sweet potato as an ingredient so I was intrigued when yours had peanut butter! Interesting. I will definitely give this a try and see.
I do love Plum, Black Bean sauce a swell. What tickles me is the pungent aspect of these sauces and even though hoisin gives an almost plum or raisin type taste, it contains neither.
By the way Maggie, when I Goggled Hoisin sauce, your post showed up as #4 and you just posted the recipe 4 hours ago. Pretty cool, huh?! Thanks!
Exactly! I never thought about making this sauce at all and always uses Lee Kum Kee. I wrote about this only because a reader asked and I thought it’s worth trying. I didn’t expect the result turned out pretty good, and actually I like the homemade version better! For the peanut butter, make sure you used the natural one, otherwise it will taste too sweet.
It’s interesting that this one gets a good rank on Google! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
I looked for homemade hoisin because Dynasty has wheat-based soy sauce component. I cook for gluten-free person. If anyone knows a gluten-free brand, please post it. Thank you for posting your recipes.
I think the Wok Mei All Natural Hoisin Sauce is gluten free.
I sub Bragg’s Aminos for soy sauce. Equal amounts as soy sauce called for in recipes. I also sub fresh lemon juice for vinegar. Tastes great! Thanks Maggie! ?
Hi Karin, wow, what a great idea for substitutions! I’ll try it out next time. The addition of aminos sounds very interesting.
I’m glad to hear you like the recipe 🙂
You could use Tamari instead of soy sauce and still use Maggie’s recipe.
Please feel free to correct my horrible typos, sorry!
No problem at all, understood every word 😉
This is so interesting, Maggie! I’m so surprised that you put peanut butter in your sauce. This is great though – I really want to try it!
So when you blend in all the spices, it doesn’t really taste like peanut butter but a good savory flavor. Hope you like how it turns out 🙂
What could be subbed for the peanut butter for those with peanut allergies? Tahini?
The best alternative is Chinese sesame paste. You should use the pure sesame paste that is made with 100% sesame (some mixed type has peanuts in it).
Tahini is another option but the flavor will end up a bit more different.
Debbie, I’m going to try 5-Seed Butter to replace the peanut butter — it’s the closest I’ve found to peanut butter.
This is great! I’m out of hoisin but have all of these things!
Maggie you’ve made me wonder why I even bother buying hoisin sauce. This is so easy and i’m sure more delicious than any store bought version!
I don’t buy hoisin sauce because it’s such a waste as I seldom use it, but now I can make it thanks to your recipe!
Wow…. Never thought of making hoisin sauce at home, but I love the idea! I usually buy a jar and only use a tablespoon or two. Such a waste! Now, I can make it when I need it. Awesome!
I have a jar of hoisin sitting in the fridge that must be two years old and full of additives and who knows what – this is brilliant. Really surprised with the peanut butter but I trust you!
Hi Maggie,
I’m really looking forward to trying this (I just bought a jar of Hoisin sauce last night, which seemed huge for what I need). Your timing is perfect.
I wish you the best on your interview and hope everything with your visa goes smoothly.
Thanks Susan! I hope your cooking goes well, and do let me know whether you like the taste of this recipe. Have a great weekend 🙂
Hmm.. I could use almond butter instead of peanut butter, but what to sub for the miso? Is thai chili sauce really a good substitute? It’s so sweet, and miso is salty?
These are sauces I can never have because of my allergies– but they always look so yummy! Thought I would check your recipe for this because I love making Pho and never serve it with the traditional hoisin because of allergies 🙂
Hi Michelle, the Thai chili sauce is not the best substitution, but since you only add a tiny amount to adjust flavor, the sauce won’t taste sweet. Do you rule out miso because of the allergy or you cannot find it at the market?
This is so perfectly timed. Last night I threw out a nearly full jar of Hoisin because it had 48g of sugar per 100g and I just could not bring myself to serve that sugar hit up to my daughters. I have a feeling that your 1 tbsp of honey may be more like it. Pinning and most definitely making this one. Thankyou Maggie
Maggie, your version IS better than the bottled stuff! Also very difficult to find the gluten free brands. I used the miso paste and also added five spice because I love the taste. Next time I may try using slightly less peanut butter.
I’m so glad to hear you like it David! Yes, it’s not easy to find gluten free sauces, so I always recommend my readers to make their own. Hope you’ll like the peanut butter version too! 🙂
I am gluten-intolerant and never even thought of hoisin sauce being a problem. Sure enough, looked at the label on the one in my fridge and it lists wheat in the soy sauce ingredient. I’ll throw that out and make this instead. Thanks, Maggie!
You’re the most welcome Peggy! Yes many manufactured Asian sauces contain wheat, so nope they’re not gluten-free. It’s always safe to make your own because you know exactly what goes into it ? Happy cooking and let me know how the sauce turns out!
Tastes amazing! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
So glad you like the recipe Marjukka! Have a great weekend 🙂
Decided to make Pho for lunch but was out of Hoisin sauce. Found your recipe. Excellent. The leftover sauce almost didn’t make it to the refrig since I was eating it off the spoon. lol Thanks
I’m so glad you like this sauce Diedra! Thanks for taking time and leaving a comment 🙂
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
how long will the sauce last for?
Hi Helen, I never had the chance to test this, because we usually finish it within a week. It contains raw garlic, so I won’t suggest storing this in the fridge for too long time. I’d venture to guess that it should last about 2 weeks to a month. If you decide to make a big batch and are not going to use it often, I suggest you to freeze the rest in ice tray.
If I use granulated garlic would this sauce last indefinitely in the fridge
Hi Maggie, really liked this as it used all “pantry” ingredients. I always have miso paste in the freezer to use. I used almond butter instead of peanut butter. Used the sauce with some soy sauce and mirin to pressure cook some beef short ribs. The sauce held up under “high pressure”
Glad to hear the almond butter worked out. And it’s interesting to hear the sauce does well under high pressure! Thanks so much for sharing this piece of information 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m keeping this recipe and will make it often. I usually prefer homemade things to store bought and this was both easy to make and delicious!
You’re the most welcome Anisa! Me too, I prefer homemade everything, because I know exactly what’s inside of the food.
Have a wonderful week 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Never thought of making my own.
Very surprised to see peanut butter in the online recipes I’m finding.
None of the commercially made ones I’ve looked at use peanut butter.
What’s up with that?
Hi Gord, the commercial hoisin sauce contains fermented wheat flour that give the sauce a consistent sticky texture and umami. It is not a process that home cooks could easily conduct in their own kitchen, so they use all sort of substitute to recreate the same consistency and flavor. I had the same question when I was researching hoisin sauce recipes online and I thought peanut butter sounds strange. However, when I made this sauce, it does taste very similar to hoisin sauce (not the same of course, a bit nuttier). But when you use it in a recipe, it works really well. It gives the sauce the right texture. It tasted way less “peanut butter” after adding other pungent ingredients such as soy sauce.