Hoisin sauce adds rich flavor to stir-fries, marinades, noodle dishes, and so much more. But what exactly is hoisin sauce – and how do you make it at home? Here's what you need to know about the Cantonese sauce, including the best substitutes:
What Is Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce (pronounced hoy-sn) is a Cantonese sauce that's used for a variety of purposes in many types of Asian cuisine, such as stir-fries and marinades. It's also commonly used as a dipping sauce. You might've heard hoisin sauce referred to as "Chinese barbecue sauce," as it has a reddish-brown hue and combines rich umami flavor with sweet elements (similar to American barbecue sauce).
Though regional variations exist, most modern hoisin sauce recipes contain some combination of the following ingredients: fermented soybeans, five-spice powder, garlic, red chili peppers, and sugar.
"Hoisin" comes from the Cantonese word for seafood, though it's not commonly associated with seafood dishes. While it's possible that early variations of the sauce relied on seafood for its umami-rich flavor, it's a vegan-friendly condiment today.
Hoisin and oyster sauces may be frequently confused with one another, but they are certainly not the same thing. Here are just a few of the differences:
The key ingredient in hoisin sauce is fermented soybean paste. Oyster sauce, meanwhile, starts with oyster extract.
Both sauces contain sugar, but hoisin is generally sweeter than oyster sauce.
The consistency of each sauce varies depending on the brand, but hoisin is usually thicker than oyster sauce. It has a glossy, red finish that's similar to American barbecue sauce.
Hoisin Sauce Substitutes
The best substitute for store-bought hoisin sauce is a homemade copycat (more on that in a second). However, if you're short on time, you could try using a garlic-flavored teriyaki instead. It won't taste quite the same, but it'll give you a similar sweet, salty, and garlicky flavor.
Other suitable options include oyster sauce, Chinese brown bean sauce, or American barbecue sauce seasoned to taste with sriracha and five-spice powder.
Looking for the best homemade hoisin sauce recipe on the internet? We've got you covered. This hoisin sauce recipe from Allrecipes community member Jackie.d.c. is easy to tweak depending on what ingredients you already have on hand. For instance, you can substitute black bean paste for peanut butter, brown sugar for honey, and sriracha for Chinese hot sauce.
"It is very good and just what I was looking for since [hoisin sauce] is hard to find in stores in my rural area," raves reviewer Bachus131.
An unopened jar of hoisin sauce will last for years when stored in a cool, dark place (like the pantry or a cabinet). Once opened, seal the container tightly and transfer it to the fridge. It'll stay good there for up to 18 months.
Where to Buy Hoisin Sauce
You'll find hoisin sauce in the Asian food aisle in most grocery stores. Common brands in American stores are Lee Kum Kee, Hokan, and Kikkoman. You can also visit your local Asian grocer or shop online.
How to Use Hoisin Sauce
Now that you know how to make a perfect batch of hoisin sauce, try one of our best recipes that put the fragrant condiment to good use:
Ingredients. The key ingredient of hoisin sauce is fermented soybean paste. Some hoisin sauce ingredients include starches such as sweet potato, wheat and rice, and water, sugar, soybeans, sesame seeds, white distilled vinegar, salt, garlic, red chili peppers, and sometimes preservatives or coloring agents.
The spicy-sweet flavor of hoisin sauce makes it a tasty dipping sauce for your favorite Vietnamese spring rolls. You can serve hoisin sauce for dipping by itself, or mix it with an equal amount of peanut sauce for a more traditional spring roll sauce.
A savoury-sweet sauce made from selected spices and soybean, Hoisin Sauce is a popular condiment used in sauce mix, stir-fries, marinades and grilled dishes. It packs lots of flavours making it a key sauce for mixing table condiment in different Asian dishes, most well-known being Peking Duck.
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 has a very strong salty and slightly sweet flavor. Hoisin sauce does taste a bit like an American-style barbecue sauce, but much saltier, richer, less sweet, and has a flavor all its own. The fermented soybeans add the savory umami element that some other sauces use fish or meat to achieve.
If you're in a bind, soy sauce makes a great substitute for oyster sauce. For one, it's a very popular sauce (arguably one of the most popular sauces in Asian cuisine), so finding it in stores will be easy. Second, it's a vegan option, so if traditional oyster sauce won't work, soy sauce can step in.
You can use Worcestershire sauce as an alternative when you are in dire need of hoisin sauce. However, it's not the best alternative to hoisin sauce as Worcestershire has a thinner consistency and fruitier taste.
Where to Buy Hoisin Sauce. You'll find hoisin sauce in the Asian food aisle in most grocery stores. Common brands in American stores are Lee Kum Kee, Hokan, and Kikkoman.
Once the sauce lid is opened, you should always refrigerate the sauce instead of leaving the sauce out on the kitchen countertop where warm conditions can easily form bacteria. If the sauce is refrigerated, the oyster sauce or hoisin sauce can be kept for up to three to six months.
Unopened hoisin sauce can be stored from the date of purchase in a cool, dark place such as the pantry, for 12-18 months—or by the marked expiry date on the bottle. Once hoisin sauce is opened always refrigerate in an airtight container. It will be usable for up 6 months.
Hoisin sauce is a condiment most often used in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. While many people associate hoisin sauce with Peking duck, you can also use it with Vietnamese rolls or as a dipping sauce for other dishes.
Soy sauce and tamari sauce are also perfect for adding flavor to vegetables and stir-fry dishes. Barbecue sauce is a great substitute for meat dishes. Or, use duck or orange sauce for dipping.
Liu Spellman notes that one of the most well-known dishes utilizing hoisin is Beijing duck (also known as Peking duck), which is paired with savory pancakes and hoisin sauce. Hoisin is also a key ingredient to make the marinade mixture for Char Siu, a dish of roast pork.
Hoisin sauce – hoisin is a thick sauce made with a combination of sugar, miso, soy sauce, garlic and spices. This is my secret ingredient for making a quick and easy stir fry sauce with just 5 ingredients!
One of the main differences between hoisin sauce and oyster sauce is that the latter contains oyster. Hoisin sauce is plant-based, so it can be an oyster sauce substitute for vegetarians if necessary.
As per Wikipedia, Hoisin (海鮮) is actually the Chinese word for “seafood”, however, the sauce does not contain any seafood ingredients, so it's naturally vegan. Why is it called “hoisin” then? Because the sauce was often used as an accompaniment to seafood dishes.
Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark sauce that is slightly sweet and tangy, with a hint of garlic and five-spice flavor. It is commonly used in Chinese cuisine, particularly in dishes like Peking duck and moo shu pork. Contrastingly, soy sauce is a thin, salty sauce made from fermented soybeans, wheat, and salt.
Hoisin sauce has a sweeter flavor profile than its counterpart with a soy base. It also does not contain animal or seafood products and has a thicker consistency. The primary ingredient of oyster sauce is oyster extract, giving it a distinct seafood flavor.
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