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Throughout my decade-long career in recipe development and food writing, I’ve cooked with all kinds of global ingredients. But one of my favorites is gochujang. It’s spicy but not too spicy. Sweet but not too sweet. And is thick in texture making it versatile for all kinds of dishes from sauces and glazes to soups and broths.
Use this recipe as a dip for chicken wings, a sauce for meatballs, tossed with roasted veggies, and so much more. Keep this sauce prepped and at the ready for quick dinners throughout the week.
Why You’ll Love This Gochijang Sauce Recipe:
- Spicy
- Slightly sweet
- Thick
- Versatile
- Quick & easy to make
- Vegan-friendly
- Gluten-free
Korean Gochujang Sauce Ingredients
The ingredient list is simple and is made up of pantry ingredients and Asian staples.
- Grapeseed oil (grapeseed oil is a neutral oil and gives this sauce a slight “fried” flavor).
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Gochujang
- Soy sauce (always opt for low-sodium)
- Mirin (a slightly tangy and sweet rice wine which is a key ingredient in teriyaki and ramen)
- Honey
- Black pepper
How to make gochujang sauce
Start to finish, including prep time, this sauce comes together in just 15 minutes.
To get started, mince an onion and grate some garlic and ginger. (Use a microplane to grate your garlic and ginger.) The rest of the prep is just measuring out pantry ingredients—grapeseed oil, gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, honey, and black pepper.
Begin by heating the grapeseed oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently to avoid burning, until onion is softened.
Add in the gochujang and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, and cook until the mixture has thickened and just briefly leaves a trail on the bottom of the pan when a spatula is pulled through.
Let the sauce cool slightly then use as desired, or let cool completely and transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
How to Store Gochujang Sauce
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this sauce should last two weeks. Stored in the freezer, this sauce should last up to one month.
Serving Suggestions for Korean Gochujang Sauce
- bibimbap
- crispy chicken
- pork chops
- spring rolls
- meatballs (use this gochujang sauce instead of the hoisin sauce in these Asian Turkey Meatballs)
- brush it over all types of steak
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Korean Gochujang Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 6 garlic cloves grated (1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ cup gochujang Korean hot pepper paste
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup mirin
- 3 tablespoons honey*
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high, add onion, garlic, and ginger, reduce heat to medium and cook until softened, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in gochujang and cook 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce, mirin, honey, and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened and a spatula leaves a trail just briefly on the bottom of the pan; about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let sauce cool slightly.
- Store sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
I tried it and I am absolutely hooked!!! I put it on everything I can think of eating. Am thankful for your recipe and your sharing it.
Tami R