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This homemade hoisin sauce is loaded with flavor and has the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and tangy! Hoisin sauce is a must-have in Asian cuisine, perfect for stir-fries, marinades, and glazes. This version is naturally sweetened, vegan, and ready in less than 10 minutes!
I have previously made my own versions of store-bought condiments, such as my char siu sauce, vegan fish sauce, or vegan oyster sauce.
Another sauce I particularly love is the Hoisin sauce. The thing is, most sauces available at the store are loaded with white sugar, preservatives, and colorings. So I decided to make my own version, and let me tell you this: it tastes even better!
What makes my recipe different is that it’s entirely refined sugar-free. Instead of using regular granulated sugar, I went with a combination of maple syrup and one magical ingredient that helps thicken the sauce: dates! That’s right, although it’s quite uncommon, I am using dried dates here. My first tries yielded a sauce that was too thin, and since I didn’t want to use peanut butter to thicken it, I thought that dates might help. It worked!
This sauce is so good that you will want to use it everywhere!
⭐️ Why This Recipe Works
It tastes like the original.
If you are familiar with the store-bought version, my recipe tastes incredibly similar to it! Plus, it has the same thick consistency. I spent lots of time testing different ingredients and ratios, tasting side-by-side with the store-bought version to come up with a taste and texture as close as possible to the original. It’s everything you would expect from hoisin sauce: it’s salty, sweet, and tangy!
My recipe is also refined sugar-free and doesn’t contain any additives!
Quick and easy.
There is nothing complicated about making this sauce. Preparing takes just 10 minutes from start to finish and requires only 7 ingredients + a few spices. The main process consists of adding all of the ingredients to a food processor and processing until smooth. That’s it!
Also, since I only rely on shelf-stable ingredients, you can store the sauce at room temperature for up to 1 month!
The reviews speak for themselves.
Emilia said: “I will NEVER buy hoisin sauce again – trust me. This recipe is AWESOME”.
Tetyana said: “Mmmm. This turned out so good (even with my lemon juice substitute 1 tbsp instead of 2 tbps of vinegar)! I’m gonna throw out the store-bought vegetarian bottles, which are bland in comparison and full of preservatives. Yay!”.
📘 What Is Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin sauce (海鲜酱) is a thick black sauce used in Asian cuisine and, more particularly, Chinese dishes. It is used as a glaze, in stir-fries, or even as a dipping sauce.
This sweet, salty, and slightly tangy sauce could be described as the Chinese version of barbecue sauce.
🧄 Ingredient Notes
This recipe requires ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Here is what you will need:
Soybean paste
The only “special” ingredient you might not already have on hand is soybean paste. Also called Doenjang, this dark and thick paste is prepared from fermented soybeans. As opposed to miso, it doesn’t contain rice and has a more pungent flavor.
It’s a key ingredient in this sauce as it brings saltiness and plenty of umami. If you want to get the true hoisin sauce flavor, do not substitute it.
Where to buy: You can buy Doenjang in almost every Asian store, or you can get Doenjang online.
Maple syrup
Hoisin sauce is meant to be sweet and salty, so it needs a sweetener. Since I wanted to keep this recipe on the healthier side, I went with maple syrup.
Substitute: Instead of maple syrup, you can use agave syrup or coconut nectar (use the light kind). I have tried this recipe with both and got great results (agave yields a slightly thinner consistency).
Dates
In addition to bringing extra sweetness, dates help thicken the sauce. They also add a delicate fruitiness and a hint of caramel flavor, taking the sauce to another level.
Opt for soft dates. Stay away from the dry or hard ones, as they would not blend well.
Note: If using Deglet Nour dates, you will need about 5. If you are using large Medjool dates, 3 will be enough as they are much larger than Deglet Nour.
Soy sauce
For extra umami and saltiness.
Vinegar
For acidity and to create the perfect balance of sweet/salty/tangy. Any white vinegar will work. You can use white rice vinegar or regular white vinegar. Do not use seasoned rice vinegar, as this type of vinegar is generally sweetened.
Garlic
While you could use garlic powder, I highly suggest going with fresh garlic for optimal flavor.
Spices
I use a combination of three spices here: ground anise, cinnamon, and coriander. If you have five-spice powder on hand, feel free to replace all of those spices with 1/4 tsp of five-spice powder.
Toasted sesame oil
A drizzle of toasted sesame oil finishes the sauce by adding a delicious nutty aroma!
🥣 How to Make It
- Combine the ingredients. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender.
Food Processor vs. Blender
I have tried this recipe with both a food processor and a blender, and both work great! The food processor tends to leave tiny bits of dates, which adds some extra texture, while the blender yields a super smooth consistency. The choice is yours!
- Process. Next, turn on your food process or blender and process for 20-30 seconds or until the sauce is smooth and thick.
- Transfer to a clean jar. Finally, transfer the sauce to a clean glass jar. It is now ready to use!
📔 Tips
Adjust the consistency.
You can easily adjust the thickness of the sauce by playing with the amount of maple syrup and dates. If you prefer a thicker consistency, use a bit less maple syrup and a few more dates. On the contrary, if you want a thinner sauce, use fewer dates.
Play with the sweetness.
I have tried to give this sauce the same level of sweetness as the store-bought one, but if you prefer a less sweet taste, you can reduce the amount of maple syrup. Note that this will also affect the saltiness (you might have to reduce the amount of soy sauce, too).
🔥 Variations
- Make it spicy: Add a teaspoon or two of sriracha for a hint of spiciness.
- Make it smoky: Give the sauce a hint of smoke by incorporating 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika or 1/4 teaspoon of liquid smoke.
🍜 Where to Use It
Hoisin sauce is incredibly versatile! Here are a few ways you can use it:
In stir-fries or stews
Stir a tablespoon of hoisin sauce into your veggie or noodle stir-fry toward the end of cooking to season it. It will add saltiness, sweetness, and a hint of tanginess! You can also use it as a seasoning for stews or saucy dishes.
As a dipping sauce
It is the base of the peanut dipping sauce, often served with spring rolls. It can also be served as a dipping sauce with dumplings or egg rolls!
To season noodle soups
Hoisin sauce (called “Tương đen” in Vietnamese) is a key element of Vietnamese Phở and Hủ Tiếu! If you go to any Phở restaurant, you will find bottles of hoisin sauce on the table. People use the sauce to season the broth to their liking.
In marinades or glazes
Dilute a few tablespoons of hoisin sauce with a squeeze of lime, soy sauce, extra sesame oil, chopped ginger, and scallions for a fresh and flavorful marinade! You can then marinate your tofu, tempeh, seitan, or vegan chicken!
❄️ Storing
- To store: Since this recipe only contains shelf-stable ingredients, it will keep for up to 1 month at room temperature or 2 months in the refrigerator!
💬 FAQ
It’s up to you! If you prefer a slightly chunkier sauce, use a food processor. However, if you want a very smooth sauce, use a blender.
You can use light brown miso, but the flavor will be different. Soybean paste works best here.
No, there is no peanut butter used in authentic hoisin sauce.
You can store it at room temperature in a clean glass jar or store it in the refrigerator.
No, this recipe is not authentic, but it tastes very similar to traditional hoisin sauce.
The taste of hoisin sauce varies depending on the brand, but I would say my homemade version tastes 95% similar. It’s not exactly the same flavor, but it’s pretty darn close.
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Easy Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 medjool dates pitted (or 5 small dates)
- 1/3 cup soybean paste (or brown miso)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp white rice vinegar
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/16 tsp ground coriander
- 1/16 tsp ground anise
- 1/16 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp chili paste (sambal oelek or hot sauce, to taste), optional
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender.
- Process. Next, turn on your food process or blender and process for 20-30 seconds or until the sauce is smooth and thick.
- Transfer to a clean jar. Finally, transfer the sauce to a clean glass jar. It is now ready to use!
- Since this recipe only contains shelf-stable ingredients, it will keep for up to 1 month at room temperature or 2 months in the refrigerator!
Notes
Adjust the consistency.
You can easily adjust the thickness of the sauce by playing with the amount of maple syrup and dates. If you prefer a thicker consistency, use a bit less maple syrup and a few more dates. On the contrary, if you want a thinner sauce, use fewer dates.Play with the sweetness.
I have tried to give this sauce the same level of sweetness as the store-bought one, but if you prefer a less sweet taste, you can reduce the amount of maple syrup. Note that this will also affect the saltiness (you might have to reduce the amount of soy sauce, too).Nutrition
Note
This recipe was first released in September 2020 and updated with new process shots and detailed instructions in October 2024. You can find the original photos below.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Didn’t have hoisin sauce, and the grocery store was out. So glad I found your recipe. It worked perfectly, especially with fresh spring rolls. Thank you Thomas!
This sauce is amazing. Scrumptious.
Thanks Eileen!
Hello! I would love to try this recipe! But I think I have a major problem. Really hard to find real Maple Syrup in our area (most of the groceries offers Maple-flavored only, I think it’s not vegan) and Dates are really hard to find here too! Please help. Thank you in advance!
Hello Karla,
You could replace the maple syrup with another liquid sweetener (agave, rice syrup, etc) and omit the dates. It won’t taste exactly the same but it should still work.
Mmmm. This turned out so good (even with my lemon juice substitute 1 tbsp instead o 2 tbps of vinegar)! I’m gonna throw out the store bought vegetarian bottles which are bland in comparison and full of preservatives. Yay!
Oh I’m glad you enjoyed this homemade hoisin sauce 😉 Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Thomas Been loving all your recipes!!! Thank you sooooo much.. Question on the Anise.. is it Ground Anise Seed or Ground Star Anise?
Thank you again
Hi Jorge,
The one I used was ground green anise (the one made from the seeds).
Hello, could ask a couple of question cause I’m not sure for a couple of ingredients
thank you so much!!!
This was soooo good! I used garam masala that I had made the day before in place of the anise, coriander and cinnamon as I did not have anise. I substituted tahini without added oil in place of the sesame oil. This tasted just like hoisin. I will be using it in a recipe tonight. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks Kathi! 🙂 Happy to hear you liked the sauce!
Thanks for this recipe. I really appreciate your ability to recreate this traditional Asian sauces in a lore healthful way. I don’t feel comfortable with the sugar content of most of these sauces, the caramel color added to them all and oftentimes they contain gluten which I am sensitive to. I took your suggestion from the comments to reduce the sweetener if using mellow white miso, because that is what I had on hand. I used date syrup instead of maple to add back that richness and depth that might be lost from using a milder miso. Used 1/4 cup of syrup instead of a 1/2 cup and it turned out fantastic. My only adjustment if I make it next time would be to reduce the toasted sesame oil or add it to taste. It was a bit strong for me in this quantity. I think my Chinese husband will be very impressed we can still have hoisin without the additives, cane sugar and plastic bottle. I used it to make the peanut dipping sauce that typically accompanies Vietnamese summer rolls around here. Was just great. Please keep posting more Diy end healthier Asian sauces that can be made with organic, real Whole Foods.
Thanks so much for your great feedback Haley!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Hello Haley. Since you seem to be an expert, could I ask you a question for a swap since you know so in depth the flavor (I never had hoisin sauce cause i get everything online and rarely in the recipes I recreate and sauces or can be subsistute)
Thank youuuuu
What’s the question? I will try to help.
Ehi! I’m very sorry I didn’t se ethe comment earlier! I totally forgot to check.anyway, I was wondering if you think using red miso(so made only from soy, the more rich salty flavorful one) is okay? Cause I don’t really use normal rice miso, it’s too mild for me and also I saw you commented you added some depth to the milder miso so I was curious if in your opinion the red miso was okay or too much.
Thank you for your reply!
I think Thomas actually recommended red miso if you don’t have the recommended paste which I definitely didn’t. I don’t see why that wouldn’t work.
Just want to update you that I have now tried this recipe with red miso and it still turned out delicious. I actually have some recent health issues requiring me to eliminate all sugars including liquid sweeteners and the sauce was still great without the maple syrup and added 4 dates to increase sweetness and a little water to help it blend. It was not as thick as actual hoisin this way probably too much water but still so good. Hope you give it a try. It is worth it!
Really excited to try this recipe! I’ve been looking for a hoisin recipe without refined sugar. I do have a few questions though! (1) I don’t have a food processor, do you think a blender would do the job? It’s quite large. (2) Can I substitute red miso for brown miso? (3) I don’t have any anise unfortunately. Would I be missing out on much by skipping? Thanks so much!
Really excited to try this as I’ve been looking for a Hoisin recipe that doesn’t use refined sugars! A few questions though. (1) How can I go about this without a food processor? I have a blender but not sure it’ll get the same results. (2) Can I use red miso instead of brown? Should I use less? (3) I don’t have any anise unfortunately. Would it be sacrificing much to skip it? Thanks so much!
This sauce is thick so I doubt a blender will work for this recipe, especially with the dates.
Red miso will work, however, you will have a different flavor compared to Korean soybean paste. I would recommend using just 1/4 cup of red miso.
Regarding the anise, you can omit.
I used my vitamix to make this because I wanted a smooth sauce with no date bits and it worked just fine.
The tofu pictured here looks really good! What’s the coating? Have you posted a recipe for it? I searched tofu, but didn’t find one. Thanks so much. Love your blog.
The tofu here was coated in breadcrumbs 🙂 First dipped in a mix of water and flour and then dipped in breadcrumbs + fried.
So far all the recipes I’ve tried in your blog turned out fantastic. For this one, since I used salted soybeans, it was a bit watery, so I added some cooked rice to make it more pasty. Next time maybe I’ll use 1/4C syrup and 1/4C brown sugar so that I don’t need to use rice. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
this recipe has really upgraded our stir fry and rice noodles. thankyou!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
That sauce is really very good,
Thanks Thomas for another good recipe!
Thanks France! 😉
I can’t wait to try this. How long can it be save in the fridge?
For up to 2 months.
This sauce is delicious. Tried it today with baked mushrooms, amazing!
Thanks for the feedback Debby! 🙂
I will NEVER buy hoisin sauce again – trust me. This recipe is AWESOME! I could eat this sauce by spoon straight from the mixer! Luckily I didn’t, so now I have a lot of sauce to enjoy in different meals… Yay!
So glad to hear you liked the sauce Emilia!
I try to stick to low sodium diet. I love Asian foods but the sauces are loaded with salt. Ugh. Even the so-called low-sodium sauces are extremely high. I do use a “white sweet miso” fairly often to make a nice soup. It has the lowest salt of the misos I’ve seen. Maybe that would work here?
Yes, I think it would work here, the flavor will be slightly different though as Hoisin sauce is usually made with black soybean paste that is stronger than white miso. I would reduce the number of dates or maple syrup since white miso is usually sweeter.
what can be subbed for the soybean paste or miso
I’m afraid you will have to get one or the other.
You can use chickpea miso and chickpea tamari in lieu of the soy ingredients. Works like a charm for those of us who are allergic or have an intolerance.