After some experimenting, I’ve finally cracked the case for the ultimate hoisin sauce!
Hoisin sauce and Chinese food – the two go hand in hand. And if you’re like me there have been too many times when you wanted to make a Chinese dish, scanned the ingredients, and realized you didn’t have any hoisin sauce. And unless you have a Chinese store right around the corner it’s not like you can simply jump in the car and go grab some. Some grocery stores with really well-stocked Asian sections carry it, but most don’t. So you either have to get it at an Asian grocery store (if you have one locally) or order it online (and pay a premium).
That said, making good hoisin sauce isn’t simply a matter of grabbing commonly stocked ingredients from your pantry (unless your pantry is less than common). Most of the ingredients in this you’ll readily have on hand, but are there a few you’ll have to make it a point to stock if you want to be able to make hoisin sauce on a whim. You’ll need Chinese five spice powder and black bean sauce (aka black bean paste or black bean garlic paste – and no, black bean paste is not made out of black beans, it’s made out of fermented soy beans. See my recipe for black bean paste further down. Also, you’ll find a lot of recipes online for hoisin sauce calling for things like peanut butter and molasses – neither of those belong in hoisin sauce.). You simply cannot make proper hoisin sauce without these ingredients. You can find Chinese Five Spice in the spice section of most grocery stores. However, like hoisin sauce, the black bean sauce may be a little more challenging to find. And in both cases, the store-bought stuff just isn’t nearly as good as homemade.
I’m telling you, just like our Best Homemade Teriyaki Sauce, there simply is no comparison.
Fortunately, I’ve got ALL your bases covered!
Below are the homemade versions for everything you’ll need to make THE best hoisin sauce!
Homemade Chinese Five Spice Powder (nothing compares to the flavor of freshly ground spice blends!)
Homemade Black Bean Sauce (this stuff is the BEST!)
Black bean sauce is a key ingredient to the best Chinese food, so you’ll want the ingredients on hand to make that anyway (of course you can also use store-bought black bean sauce as well. But honestly, this black bean sauce is seriously the best stuff!) So now you just combine the Chinese five spice powder with the black bean sauce and a few other ingredients and you’ve got the most amazing hoisin sauce ever!
Hoisin sauce is kind of all-purpose condiment. Here are just a few ways to use it:
- In stir-fries
- In noodles
- Slathered on chicken, pork, ribs, duck or tofu and baked or grilled
- Added to veggies
- Marinades
- Vinaigrettes
- Barbecue sauces
- A general substitute for ketchup
- A new twist for meatloaf
- Slathered on burgers
- For pulled pork or pulled chicken
- Added to soup broths for a great flavor
- The base sauce for Chinese-style pizza
- Added to mayo for a Chinese twist
- As a dipping sauce for Chinese dumplings, eggrolls, wontons, chicken nuggets, etc.
It’s just plain awesome stuff!
Let’s get started!
Get ready, this is pretty labor intensive and time-consuming:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Yep, that’s it, you’re done!
*NOTE: We’re adding a few prunes for sweetness and texture. However, hoisin sauce is not the same thing as plum sauce (I’ll be publishing that recipe in the future!)
Store the hoisin sauce in the fridge in a non-reactive airtight container for at least a week.
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons Chinese black bean sauce (homemade highly recommended for the BEST results, otherwise store-bought).
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 prunes
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder (homemade highly recommended, otherwise store-bought)
- If you prefer a little heat, add some red chilies or sriracha to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Store in the fridge in a non-reactive airtight container. Will keep for at least a week.
I can’t even tell you how excited I am to see this!!!! I love ALL of your condiment recipes (and everything else!), and have made many of them including your teriyaki sauce and black bean sauce – both are A++! Absolutely cannot wait to try this hoisin sauce, thank you, thank you!
Yes! This is the one ingredient I am always lacking when I go to make something! Love this homemade version.
Hooray! I love hoisin sauce, but it’s hard to find one that doesn’t contain fish oil. I can’t wait to make it at home.
Great info – I had no idea what hoisin sauce was, only that it was tasty!
This is great. I use hoisin sauce in my Asian cooking so knowing how to make my own is a huge plus. It is difficult to find ones without MSG sometimes. Great recipe!
Soy sauce has naturally occurring msg in it.
Wow! I can’t believe how easy this is. YUM.
I have never tried making my own hoisin sauce before! I actually have a jar of Chinese Five Spice in my cupboard right now (my house LOVES that stuff!). I think that all I need to pick up to make this is the black bean paste and prunes. Totally going to give this recipe a go soon! 🙂
The only think I don’t have for this recipe is the black bean paste but I think I have the ingredients to make it myself. Great recipe! I’m always finding recipes that need hoisin sauce but I rarely have it in my pantry.
We use hoisin all the time (I used it to flavor a pork butt for pulled pork sandwiches just today!) and are fortunate to have it readily available in our local stores. However, homemade is always best – and I will definitely be giving yours a try, it looks perfect!
I love that this sauce is so versatile. This sounds so easy to make as well.
What a terrific idea! Add this to “things I never realized you could make yourself!” Good job 🙂
I LOVE hoisin sauce but never thought to make it myself. I love that I finally know how 🙂
Awesome! I’ve always wanted to make my own since I need it GF and soy-free!
Making your own is always better than storebought in my opinion!
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve always purchased my hoisin sauce at the store, but I appreciate that now I can make it at home. Looks easy too. I’m excited to try it.
It’s absolutely keeper Kimberly. Bookmarked it and definitely will try it soon. thank you for sharing with us.
Making your own hoisin sauce is GENIUS! I go through the stuff so quickly, and it’s nice to know how to make it with stuff I already have on hand!
I have often wondered went into hoisin sauce, it is the BEST!! now I am thinking I need to start with the black bean paste first!
Just wanted to let you know that I made this over the weekend and WOW, it was awesome! This really is the best hoisin sauce. I made it from scratch using your recipe for black bean paste which I had already made a few days prior. Both of your recipes are A++. Thanks so much for sharing them!
That’s awesome, Candace, I’m so thrilled you liked it and really appreciate feedback, thank you!
Who knew it was that easy! This looks great!
A kitchen staple! This looks perfect!
Wow! Never even thought of making my own version of this! What a fantastic idea!
I love these sauces you’re posting!!! I want to make them all.
I never even thought to make my own – can’t wait to try this!
This stuff is absolutely amazing!! Made it using your black bean sauce recipe (equally amazing) and it’s the best stuff ever! Thanks!
That’s so awesome, Nate, thank you so much for the feedback!
hooray! you did it! been waiting very patiently for this as I knew it would be great! can’t wait to make it…thank you very much!
You sure have, Matt! It only took me, what, two years?! 😉 Thanks so much for your support, Matt.
How about a bulk recipe that can be put up for the larder? That way there’s no need ot think ahead for the ingredient and it’s always to hand. 🙂 Looking forward to the plum sauce recipe as I watch my heavily laden plum trees ripen …..
Hi Lyn, I haven’t tested the pH level of this sauce so I’m not sure how conducive it is for long-term canning. Also, since it contains cornstarch it wouldn’t be ideal for canning anyway, but the cornstarch could be left out and then added upon reheating. I think for now the best way would be to freeze a large amount in small containers, even ziplock bags, and then thaw as needed, bring to a boil and add the cornstarch to thicken it. And YES, we have three Italian plum trees that laden with fruit, too – looking forward to putting those to good use 🙂
Therm Flo is a thickener that is “good for canning as it does not separate when canned”. You can get several different thickeners, in addition to cornstarch, at Amish Community stores. The one I go to is Stringtown Grocery, Kolana, Iowa (near Iowa City).
Thanks for the tip, Carolyn, I’ll have to look into Therm Flo.
What to do if All Soy Products give you much gas. Is there a substitute? OR what do I do?
Leave it out?
Hi Zeak, unfortunately the core ingredient for hoisin sauce is fermented soy beans and there is no substitute for those. However, when you say that soy products cause you gas problems, which kinds of soy products are you referring to? The reason I ask is because fermented soy products (such as soy sauce, miso, tempeh and these fermented black beans) are less likely to cause gas than unfermented soy products like tofu and soy milk.
I am interested in trying to make a sugar free version of hoisin….got any ideas?
You can try substituting honey with just a tiny touch of molasses.
Hi, I’m recently diagnosed prediabetes so, of course I was wondering if the sugar is must. I have always been a big fan og mooshu dishes and they’re usually made with hoisin, then of course, more hoisin on the pancakes. Any ideas?
Hi Richie, you can use an alternative sweetener instead or simply a different sweetener that has a lower glycemic index than sugar. Really you can use any of your choice. Start with a little and you can always add more in at the end when you taste it to see if it needs more. Also, since you’re substituting it for brown sugar you can also add a teaspoon or so of molasses to get back some of that flavor.
Hi Richie, I’m a type 2 diabetic and I use sucralose based sweeteners as they taste the closest to sugar. I live in the UK and use a brand called Splenda. I don’t know if that is available elsewhere in the world.
Can you let me know what content of sodium is in the sauce?
Hi Cheryl, the only sodium in this recipe is however much is in the soy sauce and black bean sauce you’re using and that will vary from brand to brand. This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 3 tablespoons of black bean sauce, so take a look on the back of the bottles you’re using to check for sodium content. Those amounts are going to be divided by however many servings you intend to make out your hoisin sauce.
Wow! I made the black bean sauce as the base to make the housing sause last night and it was amazing! My wife and daughter are insisting that this must be a staple condiment in our diet. Both extremely easy to make. I substituted the plums with dates and it was a hit! Great with homemade spring rolls. Thank you!
That’s wonderful, Amit, I’m so thrilled to hear it was a hit – thank you!
Uh, I live in Seattle, too (since 1979) and have never had a problem finding hoisin at any grocery store. Not that making your own isn’t a great idea, but I really had to wonder about your comment that it is difficult to find.
Anne, that’s because we have a large Asian population here. My comments are directed to my broad readership who span the entire nation and all across the world where, in many areas, hoisin sauce (and authentic Asian products at large) are very difficult to find.
I bet low-glycemic agave syrup would substitute perfectly for the sugar-free version.
Yes, agave syrup will work just fine, Susie.
THE BEST! I’ve tried several recipes and this one is the winner. Fantastic flavor. If anyone is wondering about this recipe, you’ve got to make it. Trust me, you’ll look no further once you’ve tried it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as we do, David, thanks for the feedback!
This recipe is fantastic. I have made this three times with brown sugar splenda blend and it was delicious. Thank you so much for sharing
That’s awesome, Yvette, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Absolutely terrific hoisin sauce, the best I’ve tried! Bookmarking this to make again and again. To anyone wondering, don’t hesitate, just make it.
Awesome, Rob, thanks so much!
Just made it!.. It so delicious thank you:)
Wonderful, Olga, thank you!
Wow, absolutely BRILLIANT recipe!! This is as you claim, the BEST hoisin sauce, period, end of story, save the rebuttal it’ll fall on deaf ears, it’s THAT good!!
I’ve had every commercial hoisin known to man (well, close!) and it occured to me why not make my own? I searched out a recipe, so many I could tell weren’t worth the time with goofy ingredients, but yours had the right stuff, took a chance and it is indeed perfection. There is none better and the commercial stuff is garbage by comparison.
Outstanding recipe, thank you very much for sharing your time and recipes.
Awesome, Kevin!!! I love your glowing review, thanks so much! 🙂
I live in Thailand and always had problems to find this sauce for my Char Sieuw and some other Hongkong pork recipes. Most of the sauces here are not that good anyway. I tried to make it myself and couldn’t get it right. But your recipe absolutely nails it!
100% the right taste, I actually used some local palm sugar and it’s divine!
Fantastic, Kay, thank you so much!
I think I’ve made every one of your Chinese condiment recipes and I love them all. Absolutely A++ on every one of them and this hoisin sauce is no exception. I don’t buy any of them anymore, your recipes have become my go-to’s. Thank you for sharing your talents with us through these awesome recipes.
Thanks so much, Tanner! 🙂
My boyfriend is allergic to wheat so most Chinese sauces are out due to Chinese soy sauce being made with it. I can safely say that this sauce and the black bean paste work perfectly with tamari (Japanese brewed, wheat free soy sauce) without the prunes the sauce reminded me of my mother’s spare ribs
Hi Sam! For sure, tamari is a perfect substitute for anyone with gluten sensitivities.