Homemade Hoisin sauce is sweet, sour, tangy, thick, marvelous sauce widely used in Chinese cooking. It's used as a dip, glaze or sauce. If you've never had it, you've got to try this! Use it on ribs, chicken, shrimp, scallops, and burgers. Toss steaming hot vegetables with a spoonful to give them a lovely glaze and flavor. Think of it like Chinese ketchup.
Homemade Hoisin Sauce
Before I went gluten-free and read labels like a hawk, I used store bought Hoisin sauce for barbecue, slathering it over grilled favorites. When I read the bottle in my fridge, I was shocked. That bottle went directly into the trash and thus began my quest to make a great homemade Hoisin sauce.
Commercial Hoisin
Store brands are often filled with unhealthy, poor quality ingredients like gluten, GMO ingredients, sugar, artificial flavors or colors, caramel coloring, FD&C Red No. 40, and modified corn starch (often wheat-based and likely to be GMO).
Homemade is healthier than commercial brands with all of the terrific flavor you'd expect. Don't let the ingredient list throw you. Pour them all into a jar and shake or use a blender.
Homemade Hoisin Sauce - The Best!
Determined to come up with my own, healthier and gluten-free recipe, I worked like a mad chemist, measuring, mixing and stirring with a counter full of potential ingredients in front of me. And I nailed it. All of the flavor and texture I wanted without any poor quality ingredients. I was so excited to have Hoisin again. Since then I have used it on grilled chicken, shrimp, scallops, and ribs. It's great on ribs!
Hoisin Ingredient Tips
If some of these ingredients are unfamiliar, don't be swayed from trying it. It's fun to try new things and experiment, expanding your tastes and recipes. There are many good things you can do with these ingredients individually to make them a valuable add to your pantry.
- Tamari is wheat-free soy sauce. I buy San-J Tamari lite which is 50% less sodium.
- Tamarind paste or puree has a unique, bright, sour-tart taste, made from the tamarind fruit. It's optional but worth finding. I'm currently using Glory Bee. It's pure and thick with no additives and no seeds. Find it at Whole Foods, ethnic markets and online. Makes a refreshing drink too. It's common in Indian, Thai and Latin-American cuisines. Tamarind paste in blocks is handled differently. The jarred paste is the easiest to work with.
- Chinese Five Spice is a marvelous spice blend of Szechuan pepper or black pepper, cinnamon, clove, fennel, star anise or other warm spices. Blends vary. If you are a cinnamon fan, I bet you'll love Five Spice.
- Fish sauce might smell terrible for the average American palate, but it adds a depth of flavor that tastes fantastic and not fishy. Trust me. I use Red Boat. It's traditionally made, organic, first press “extra virgin” Vietnamese fish sauce.
- Cashew butter gives this sauce it's its rich, creamy, thick consistency. I use Artisana brand. The best price can be found on ThriveMarket.com. If you have never had cashew butter, beware, it is totally addictive. As in just take the jar away from me.
- Tahini (sesame seed butter) works equally as well If you are histamine sensitive or nut allergic.
For what to do with Hoisin try my grilled Hoisin chicken kabobs and these scallops
📖 Recipe
Homemade Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup low sodium Tamari wheat-free soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons raw cashew butter or tahini
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or MCT oil
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce nước mắm
- 1 tablespoon jarred tamarind paste or puree
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated or powdered garlic
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a large measuring cup or bowl. Whisk until smooth. You could even toss all of the ingredients into a blender and whirl to blend. Taste, and if you want it sweeter add a little more honey. Store covered and refrigerated in a jar for 30 days.
Denise says
I envy you for having the talent and the passion to do so many homemades. I don't have the patience, most of the time I buy them. Maybe when I will have more time I will start making them by myself.
Sally Cameron says
Denise, this sauce takes no time to make! Like 5-10 minutes! Just grab all of the ingredients, measure out, shake in a jar and refrigerate. It lasts at least 30 days or more in the fridge. Great to have on hand. Try it! You do have time!
Madonna/aka/Ms. Lemon says
I really miss these foods. I love MooShoo. I would love to find an alternative to soy. I made my own Worcestershire sauce. I was so pleased, now to find a Hoisin sauce.