Chinese Hoisin Sauce is a cornerstone of authentic Chinese food. Thick and sweet, Hoisin Sauce is used to glaze meat, as a stock for stews and as a dip for fish dishes. It’s very easy to make yourself and it can keep in the fridge for a couple of days, so you can make more at once. The internet seems to be full of recipes using molasses for sweetening and peanut butter for umami. These are not part of the original Hoisin Sauce. For the genuine recipe, you need fermented black bean paste, easily available in Asian supermarkets. Five-spice powder is also needed.
This is a five-minute-prep sauce you’ll want on hand for weeknight stir-fries, but it also earns its place at the table for a Chinese-inspired dinner party — glazed on ribs, brushed over roast duck, or served alongside spring rolls as a dip. Once you’ve made it from black bean paste instead of the shortcut version, you’ll notice the difference immediately: real umami depth instead of flat sweetness, with a savory, slightly funky backbone that peanut butter simply can’t fake.
What Makes Real Hoisin Sauce
Most Western recipes swap in peanut butter for body and molasses for sweetness. It’s an understandable shortcut, but it changes the sauce completely. Authentic Hoisin Sauce gets its depth from fermented black bean paste (sometimes labeled “black bean garlic sauce” or “toban djan” adjacent products — check the label for black beans as the main ingredient), balanced with soy, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and Chinese five-spice. The result is glossy, salty-sweet, and deeply savory, with none of the peanut-forward flavor you’d expect from the internet version.
How to Make Hoisin Sauce at Home
Measure the black bean paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, five-spice, and water into a blender or a tall jug for a hand blender. Blend until very smooth — you’re looking for a glossy, uniform paste with no visible bean pieces, which usually takes under a minute. If the sauce feels too thick to brush or dip with, thin it with a tablespoon or two of boiled water rather than tap water; boiled water is cleaner and helps the sauce keep longer in the fridge.
What to Do with Hoisin Sauce
For a quick Hoisin Pork, fry strips of pork tenderloin in a wok until browned, then simmer for a few minutes in the sauce. Stir in your veggies, fry for a minute more, and serve over cooked noodles. It also works well brushed onto grilled chicken or salmon in the last few minutes of cooking, since the sugar content means it can burn if it goes on too early.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Hoisin Sauce keep in the fridge?
Stored in a sealed jar, homemade Hoisin Sauce keeps for about a couple of weeks in the fridge. The vinegar and salt content help preserve it, but always check for off smells or mold before using.
Can I make Hoisin Sauce ahead of time?
Yes — in fact it’s worth making a larger batch, since it comes together in one step and keeps well. Having it ready in the fridge makes weeknight stir-fries and glazed dishes much faster.
Can I freeze Hoisin Sauce?
It freezes reasonably well for up to three months in a small airtight container. The texture may separate slightly after thawing, so give it a good stir or a quick blend before using.
What can I use instead of black bean paste?
If you truly can’t find fermented black bean paste, a mild miso paste is a closer substitute than peanut butter, since it delivers similar umami and fermented depth — though the flavor won’t be identical to the traditional version.
What wine pairs well with Hoisin-glazed dishes?
An off-dry Riesling or a fruity Gewürztraminer stands up well to the sweetness and five-spice notes, while a light, chilled Pinot Noir works if the dish is meat-based, like Hoisin-glazed pork or duck.
Learn More
Read more about the origins of this sauce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoisin_sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Chinese black bean paste
- 1 dl brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soya
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar white wine vinegar is also fine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Five-spice
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Measure the ingredients into a blender and blend until very smooth. A hand blender will also do the job.
- If you like, you can thin the Hoisin Sauce with a couple of tablespoons of boiled water. Boiled water is cleaner than tap water. It could extend the shelf life of the sauce if you don’t use it all at once. Keep it in fridge.
Notes
- For a quick Hoisin Pork: Fry strips of pork tenderloin in a wok. Simmer for a few minutes in Hoisin Sauce. Stir in the veggies, fry for a minute and serve with the cooked noodles.
Use boiled water, not tap water, if you thin the sauce — it keeps longer that way. - Check the label on black bean paste; some jars are cut with other beans, so look for one where black beans are the main ingredient.
- Blend just until smooth — over-blending won’t hurt it, but under-blending leaves gritty bits of bean.
- Miso paste is the closest substitute if you can’t find fermented black bean paste; peanut butter changes the flavor entirely and isn’t traditional.
Nutrition
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