• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Full of Plants
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dish
    • Soups
    • Sides
    • Salads
    • Desserts
  • Shop
  • About
    • FAQ
  • Resources
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Resources
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Resources
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    By: Thomas Published: 27 Jul, 21 Updated: 6 Oct, 21 2 Comments

    RecipePrintComments
    Homemade Char Siu Sauce
    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    Learn how to make your own Char Siu sauce!

    This Chinese-inspired condiment has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, with garlic and five-spice flavors! It's naturally-sweetened, vegan, and delicious used as a glaze or marinade!

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    WHAT IS CHAR SIU SAUCE?

    Char Siu sauce (叉烧酱), also called Chinese barbecue marinade, is a popular condiment commonly used in Chinese cooking. It is thick, sweet, quite salty, and is flavored with five-spice powder. It is often used to glaze braised or grilled meats, but can also be used as a marinade or to add flavor to noodle dishes, stir-fries, etc.

    The most popular brand of Char Siu sauce is Lee Kum Kee, unfortunately I recently discovered this sauce is not vegan as it contains honey. Let's make our own! It's not only healthier, but also cheaper!

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    HOW TO MAKE CHAR SIU SAUCE

    Preparing the sauce takes just 10 minutes and requires only 7 ingredients!

    First, we blend all the ingredients together: water, agave syrup (to replace the honey in the authentic version), hoisin sauce, soy sauce, five-spice powder, garlic, and cornstarch.

    I tried to make this sauce as close as possible to the Lee Kum Kee one: quite sweet, salty, with notes of garlic and five-spice. If you want it less sweet, use brown rice syrup, or dilute the sauce with water when using it as a marinade for example.

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    Once blended, transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium-heat until the sauce thickens. Let it cool and transfer to a clean jar. The sauce is now ready to use!

    HOW TO USE CHAR SIU SAUCE

    Char siu sauce can be used in many different ways, here are some of my favorites:

    • As a glaze: Brush the sauce over baked tofu, seitan, or burgers!
    • As a marinade: for tempeh, jackfruit, vegan chick'n, and more.
    • In stir-fries: Stir in a tablespoon of the sauce at the end of cooking for a sweet and salty dish.
    • In noodle dishes: Dilute a couple tablespoons of the sauce with a tablespoon of the noodles cooking water. Add some chopped chili and coat the noodles with the sauce!

    This Char Siu sauce is so good! It is garlicky and packed with five-spice powder, giving it hints of cinnamon, anise, and sichuan pepper!

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    Looking for more Asian-inspired condiments? Check out How to Make Saté, Easy Hoisin Sauce, Vegan Oyster Sauce, or this Sweet Chili Sauce!

    Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce
    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    Homemade Char Siu Sauce

    Author: Thomas
    Make your own Char Siu sauce! It's naturally sweetened, vegan, and take just 10 minutes. It's rich, sweet, salty, and garlicky!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Course Condiment
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 1 cup
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ cup water
    • ½ cup agave syrup*
    • 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
    • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon five-spice powder
    • 1 clove of garlic
    • 1 and ½ tablespoon cornstarch

    Instructions
     

    • Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend for 5-10 seconds, or until fully combined.
    • Transfer to a medium sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
    • Once the sauce has thickened, transfer to a clean jar and let it cool completely at room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken a bit more as it cools down.
    • Use as a glaze for tofu, tempeh, seitan, burgers, or stir in noodles, stir-fries, etc! Char siu sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

    Notes

    *You can probably substitute the agave syrup for brown rice syrup, just be aware the sauce won't be as sweet. I do not recommend using maple syrup, which would affect the flavor of the sauce.
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @fullofplants on Instagram and hashtag it #fullofplants
    Sign up to the Full of Plants Newsletter
    Subscribe To Our Newsletter
    Receive new recipes straight to your inbox + a free eBook on Vegan Cheese Making!
    Invalid email address
    Thanks for subscribing!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erin

      December 09, 2021 at 12:47 am

      I made this and it is cloudy and not at all like your photos. What’d I do wrong?!

      Reply
      • Thomas

        December 09, 2021 at 9:06 am

        Cloudy? Did you use the exact ingredients? Did you bring it to a simmer to activate the cornstarch?

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this Recipe




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Thomas, welcome to my blog! Here you will find simple, healthy and tasty plant-based recipes. Experimenting in the kitchen is my passion.

    Learn more about me →

    Please wait...

    Thank you for sign up!

    Most Popular

    • Instant Pot Cauliflower Tikka Masala
    • How To Make Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette)
    • Vegan Aged Camembert Cheese
    • Spicy Vegan Hot Pot

    Footer

    • Quick Dinners
    • Vegan Cheese Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Vegan Desserts

    About

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Blogging Resources

    Join the Community!

    Copyright © 2022 Full of Plants.

    x
    WANT A FREE EBOOK?
    Subscribe to receive your FREE 100-Page eBook "The Art of Vegan Cheese Making" with over 25 recipes!

    We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
    Invalid email address
    Thanks for subscribing! You should receive your eBook soon!
    Close Optin
    We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
    Invalid email address
    Thanks for subscribing!