Easy Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipe
Homemade Hoisin sauce is actually super simple, but the main purpose of this recipe is to show you how I break down the formula and came up with the recipe. Once you understand the “whys” behind the “hows,” you’ll be able to recreate almost any commercial sauce from scratch.
First, let’s see what hoisin sauce is made of. I compared the ingredient list of the 2 most popular brands on the market: Haitian and Lee Kum Kee.
You can see that hoisin sauce is basically built on sugar and fermented soybeans and then layered with garlic, sesame, fermented bean curd, and chilies for extra flavors. The ingredients can be slightly different from one brand to another, but it doesn't matter, as long as you know the main ingredients, you can play around and adjust however you like.
The additives and coloring are just industrial requirements for shelf life and mass production — for home cooking, you really don’t need to worry about them.
Now let’s compare the ingredients between hoisin sauce and soybean paste, which is literally fermented soybeans
The main ingredients are almost the same. The difference is that in hoisin sauce, sugar is listed first. As for the soybean paste, it doesn't include garlic, sesame, chilies, or fermented bean curd. Do you see what’s going on here? Hoisin sauce is essentially a sweeter version of soybean paste with some extra complexity.
I know some of you are probably thinking: “Why bother with seven different ingredients when I can just grab a bottle from the store?” Well, with homemade hoisin sauce, you can adjust the taste based on your preference, such as reducing the sugar amount, increasing the chili spice kick, or the nutty taste. Also, It’s always empowering to know what’s in your sauces and how to make them.
For the real adventurous cooks — if you want to go all the way from scratch, including fermenting your own soybeans, drop a comment below. I’d love to make a full video about it!
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Easy Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipe
Mandy Fu
5 minutes
5 minutes
This recipe makes about 1/2 cup of homemade hoisin sauce. You can equally interchange it with store-bought hoisin sauce during cooking.
It is easy to grab a bottle of hoisin sauce from the store, but the benefit of making your own is that you can adjust the taste based on your preference, such as reducing the sugar amount, increasing the chili spice kick, or adding extra nutty taste.
I noticed that Lee Kum Kee uses red fermented bean curd, but the Haitian brand doesn't, so it is your choice.
If you don't have soybean paste on hand, replace it with Japanese miso paste because it is also a fermented soy product, so it will provide a similar flavor profile. However, miso paste is slightly saltier, so add a little salt to adjust the taste.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp of sugar
- 5 tbsp of soybean paste, if you don’t have it, use miso paste
- 1 tsp of sesame butter
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of fine chili powder
- 1 pieces of red fermented bean curd, optional
- 1/4 tsp of five spice powder
- 3 tbsp of water
- 1 tsp of dark soy sauce
Directions
Combine sugar, soybean paste, sesame butter, garlic powder, chili powder, red fermented bean curd, five spice powder, and water in a saucepan and mix thoroughly.
Use a spatula to crush the individual soybeans in order to get a smooth sauce. If you are process larger batches, let the sauce go through a sieve.
Add dark soy sauce little by little until the color becomes close to commercial hoisin sauce.
Stir the mixture over low heat for a few minutes. Store in a sealed container for 2 months in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer.
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