Homemade Char Siu Sauce
This Chinese-inspired Char Siu sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, with garlic and five-spice flavors! It's naturally sweetened, vegan, and can be used as a glaze or marinade. Made from scratch with only 8 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup agave syrup*
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add the liquid ingredients. Add the agave syrup, water, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce to a high-speed blender.
- Add the dry ingredients. Next, add the salt, five-spice powder, garlic, and cornstarch.
- Blend until smooth. Blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds or until the garlic is fully blended into the liquid.
- Heat until thickened. Once blended, transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens. At first, the sauce will have a light brown color but will darken as it cooks.
- Let cool. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the sauce cool for a few minutes before transferring to a clean jar. The sauce is now ready to use!
- This char siu sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Adjust the sweetness and saltiness. While I tried to balance the saltiness and sweetness as best as possible, you can definitely adjust it to your liking by using more/less agave syrup and salt.
- Do not omit the five-spice powder. It is a key ingredient in char siu sauce. It’s what gives the sauce its specific flavor.
- Adjust the consistency. If you want a thicker sauce, slightly increase the amount of cornstarch.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 tbsp | Calories: 40 kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.8 g | Protein: 0.1 g | Fat: 0.1 g | Fiber: 0.1 g | Sugar: 8.7 g