What is hoisin sauce? (2024)

Hoisin sauce is most often found in Chinese cuisines and it’s always a staple condiment on every table in Chinese restaurants. But, hoisin sauce’s contrasting sweet and salty flavours make it a great ingredient to try in your own cooking. It has so many applications, perfect for creating that restaurant quality experience at home.

Hoisin sauce is a thick, fragrant sauce commonly used in Cantonese cuisine as a glaze for meat, an addition to stir fry, or as dipping sauce. It is dark-coloured in appearance and sweet and salty in taste.

The origins of hoisin sauce

Little is known about the origins of hoisin sauce other than that it is Cantonese. The name hoisin comes from the Chinese word for seafood and earlier formulations might have had a seafood ingredient to provide the umami flavour. Today, it doesn’t contain any seafood.

What is hoisin sauce made of?

Hoisin sauce tastes salty and tangy. It has a similar flavour profile to barbecue sauce, but with distinctly different flavours.

Our Hoisin Sauce contains yellow bean sauce, soybeans, muscovado sugar, soy sauce, garlic purée and spices. A sweet, savoury and smoky taste featuring mild heat. With salty hints, this intense sauce adds flavour to fragrant dishes.

How to make hoisin sauce

Fancy making your own hoisin sauce to serve with Chinese dishes? Deliciously versatile, it works as a glaze for meat, as a dipping sauce or a sauce for stir-fries.

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, finely crushed
• 2 tsp sesame seed oil
• hot sauce, to taste
• ⅛ tsp black pepper

Method:

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Prefer to use a ready made sauce? Purchase our Chinese Hoisin Sauce for sprucing up those meal times! A classic sauce for stir-fries and the perfect dipping sauce for roasted duck and beef wraps. Try as a marinade for pork ribs. We will donate 10p from every jar sold for our chosen charity; Feeding Britain.

How to use hoisin sauce

Hoisin Sauce is a deliciously versatile sauce and lends itself to a whole host of meals. It can be used as a dip, glaze, marinate or stir in sauce. These are some of our personal favourites –

• Pour straight out of the bottle and use as a dip for any type of spring rolls. We love the sweet, tangy, and spicy flavours that go along with the crunchy vegetables within the spring roll.
• Add to stir fries or egg noodles for a homemade takeaway style dish. Our Special Fried Rice recipe is a filling lunch or tea time meal solution. Or try Hoisin Sauce within a classic stir fry, a super easy recipe which you can make in minutes, you can watch this recipe here.
• Glaze salmon, beef, chicken or roasted vegetables, simply cook and brush over the last few minutes of baking.
• Hoisin Sauce is perfect as a marinade for meat, seafood, and vegetables. Rather than creating your own time consuming marinade simply brush over our Hoisin Sauce, leave it refrigerated for a few hours or overnight, then cook.

Common questions about hoisin sauce

1. Is hoisin sauce vegetarian?Our Hoisin Sauce is vegetarian and vegan friendly
2. Is hoisin sauce vegan? Our Hoisin Sauce is vegetarian and vegan friendly
3. Is hoisin sauce gluten free? Our Hoisin Sauce is not suitable for a gluten free diet.
4. Is hoisin sauce the same as teriyaki sauce? Hoisin Sauce is Chinese and based on fermented soybean paste, whereas teriyaki sauce only has a small component of soy sauce. Hoisin sauce is therefore much thicker and saltier compared to its Japanese counterpart, as teriyaki sauce tends to be sweeter. Plus teriyaki isn’t even really Japanese. It originated in Hawaii!
5. Does hoisin sauce have peanuts? Our Hoisin Sauce does not contain peanuts, if you’re looking for a more peanutty sauce why not try our delicious Peanut Satay Sauce?

Our Chinese Hoisin Sauce

Our Hoisin Sauce is a sweet, savoury and smoky taste featuring mild heat. With salty hints, this intense sauce adds flavour to fragrant dishes. A classic sauce for stir-fries and the perfect dipping sauce for roasted duck and beef wraps. Try as a marinade for pork ribs.

• Suitable for Vegans
• Suitable for Vegetarians
• 220ml

Raising funds for Feeding Britain: We will donate 10p from every jar sold.

Other blogs you might like to read