This authentic black bean sauce recipe holds the grand secret to making some of the best Chinese food on the planet! It will work absolute flavor miracles for your Chinese dishes and most anything you simply want to boost with some flavor and umami!
For those of you who know what Chinese black bean sauce is, you already know the wonders it does for your Asian-inspired dishes. Â You’ll also be happy to know how incredibly quick and easy it is to make yourself (all of 15 minutes). Â PLUS, it tastes even better than store-bought stuff AND you know exactly what’s in it…and what isn’t!
For those of you who have no idea what this stuff is, you’ve now discovered a grand secret to making some of the best Chinese food on the planet!
What is Black Bean Sauce?
Let’s begin with the central ingredient: Â Fermented black beans. Â No, they’re not your typical black beans, aka turtle beans, that you find in dishes like Black Beans & Rice or in South American cuisine. Â (Yes, I have seen several well-intentioned recipes online calling for regular black beans.) Â No, these black beans are actually black soybeans. Â These fermented black soybeans, called douchi in Chinese, are created through a process of boiling the beans, then inoculating them with a special mold spore (commonly aspergillus oryzae) as they dry in the sun. Â Then they’re typically either stored dry or in brine. Â This same mold variety is used in miso and soy sauce which are also both fermented products.
You can find fermented black beans in well-stocked Asian grocery stores or you can buy them online.
Because of their strong flavor, fermented black beans are frequently paired with other strong flavors like, most commonly garlic and also chilies for heat. Â Fermented black beans are most widely used to make Chinese Black Bean Sauce, also referred to as Black Bean Paste and Black Bean & Garlic Sauce. Â Black bean sauce is an important and popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine, particularly Cantonese and Sichuan cooking. Â It’s as common as an everyday condiment as ketchup is here.
Sharp, pungent, salty and spicy with a hint of sweet, black bean sauce contributes a flavor to Chinese food like no other. Â And a little goes a very long way, so use sparingly.
How To Use Black Bean Sauce
Black bean sauce is used any time you want to add a unique and powerful flavor boost to your dishes along with a punch of umami. Some popular ways of using it include:
- Stir-fries
- Fried rice
- Noodles
- Eggs and omelettes
- Chinese long beans or green beans
- Fish, scallops, clams and shrimp
- Chicken, pork, and beef dishes
- Asian eggplant dishes
- Slathered on pork spareribs and then steamed, grilled or roasted
- Steamed vegetables such as bok choy or broccoli
- Asian wraps
- Asian-style coleslaw
I especially love including it in the base for most any stir-fry. Â Just select your protein, throw in some veggies, and add some black bean sauce with your other sauce ingredients.
How to Store Black Bean Sauce
Store the black bean sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. Stored in this way this sauce will keep for at least two weeks. Some separation may occur, just give it a stir before using.
Black Bean Sauce Recipe
Let’s get started!
Making your own Chinese black bean paste takes all of 10 minutes.  As long as you have the fermented black beans, the rest of the ingredients are common staples and easy to find. You can find fermented black beans online.
They come in a large quantity and at a good price. Â They’ll keep for a long time, several months, and you can also freeze them in ziplock bags and they’ll last even longer.
Place the fermented black beans in a small bowl, cover with water and soak for an hour or so. Â Then rinse and drain them.
Mash the beans up with a fork and set them aside.
Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook the garlic and ginger for a minute or two until softened and very fragrant.
Add the green onions and cook for another minute.
Add the mashed fermented black beans and cook for another minute.
Add the remaining ingredients, except for the cornstarch, and bring to a boil. Â Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid has been reduced by half.
Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for another minute or until thickened.
Let the Chinese Black Bean Paste / Chinese Black Bean Sauce cool and then store it in the fridge in an airtight container, preferably a glass jar. Â Will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Enjoy!
For more delicious homemade Asian condiments be sure to try our:
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Eel Sauce (Unagi Sauce)
- Plum SauceÂ
- Kecap Manis
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Char Siu Sauce
- Ginger Sauce
BEST Chinese Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fermented black beans , soaked in water about an hour then rinsed and drained (if you prefer a stronger and saltier flavor, use more beans)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons finely minced ginger
- 2 green onions , finely chopped
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine (can substitute dry sherry)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce or sambal oelek , for heat (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Mash soaked and drained fermented black beans with a fork and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute or two until softened and very fragrant. Add the green onions and cook for another minute. Add the mashed beans and cook for another minute.
- Add all remaining ingredients, except for the cornstarch mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for another minute or until thickened.
- Let the black bean sauce cool and store in an airtight container (preferably glass). Will keep for up to 2 weeks.Makes a little more than a cup.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 4, 2016
james says
“Let the black bean sauce cool and store in an airtight container (preferably glass)
for at least 2 weeks.” Should that be up to two weeks?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi James, sorry for the confusion. Meaning, it will keep for at least 2 weeks.
Greg says
Hands down the best black bean sauce I’ve had. Never buying it again. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m thrilled to hear that, Greg, thank you!
Anonymous says
Hi Kimberly, I am new to yr site I NO LONGER can find the store brought sauce, sense yr recipe is so easy and ingredients easy to find I want to try and make it. Also I found one simular sauce I Liked very much that had pineapple in it could you tell how to add a sweetness to yr bean sauce with the pineapple in it? Looking forward to hear your take on this.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi and welcome! Unlike teriyaki sauce (which I have seen made with pineapple juice), black bean sauce has very little sweetness to it, just a teaspoon of sugar. I suppose if you really want some pineapple flavor in it you could substitute some of the vegetable/chicken broth for pineapple juice.
Nate Lombough says
This stuff is amazing! Made it twice already and it’s just incredible tasting, thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Nate, thanks so much!
Candace Nielson says
I’ve made this black bean sauce twice already and it is THE best I’ve ever had! I’ve been adding it to some favorite Chinese dishes I’ve been making for several years. I hadn’t thought they could be improved on that much until I added this sauce to them – WOW! This will be a regular go-to sauce for me, thanks so much for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Candace, thank you! We love this sauce too and I agree, it really adds an amazing flavor dimension.
Nancy | The Bitter Side of Sweet says
I love sauces like this that are so versatile!
Karyn @ Pint Sized Baker says
This is all new to me. We enjoy a lot of the dishes at our local Chinese restaurant, but don’t do much Chinese cooking at home. My husband is always looking to get more fermented foods into our diet, so I’ll have to pass this recipe on to him. Sounds like it provides some awesome flavor to the dishes.
Colleen (Souffle Bombay) says
Always love when someone shows us how to make something we would typically purchase at home. Awesome!
Nutmeg Nanny says
Ok this is so much easier than I thought it would be! Love how easy it is to make PLUS the fact that you know whats in your food is always an added bonus.
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
I love making things myself and this is just great! I have done the same when making red bean paste for confectioners’ (it is cheaper to do it yourself!)
Adina says
I’ve seen tons of recipes calling for this black bean sauce and was never able to find it around here. Great to have found a recipe for it, I’ve never thought I could make it myself. Now I just have to find the fermented black soy beans.
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says
I don’t cook Asian dishes all that often, but my kids really like them. I am feeling like I should give this a try. I like the idea of making my own black bean sauce!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
I have enjoyed black bean sauce in the past. This recipe looks like it would go great when I am cooking an Asian dish.
Kim Beaulieu says
Bean paste is everything. Love it, and totally dig that you made your own. We love stir fry here, it’s my daughter’s favourite so I make it a couple of times a week.
Rose | The Clean Dish says
Wow! I had no idea this sauce was made with fermented beans! You just totally inspired me to give this recipe a try. I used to LOVE beef & black bean sauce back in the day when I was still a meat eater but I’ll just sub the meat with something else! I’m super excited about this!!