Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin sauce is a thick, sweet-savory Chinese condiment made from fermented soybean paste, sugar, vinegar, and spices, used as a glaze, dip, and stir-fry seasoning across Chinese and Vietnamese cooking.
How to buy
Check the ingredient list for soybeans or wheat near the top rather than mostly sugar and fillers, and look for a thick, glossy, dark brown consistency. Some brands make a gluten-free version using rice instead of wheat, which is worth checking if that matters for your diet.
How to store
Refrigerate after opening even though its sugar and salt content make it fairly shelf-stable; it holds its best flavor for several months to about a year once opened. Discard it if mold appears or the flavor turns noticeably off.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Sweet, salty, and tangy with a deep umami backbone from fermented soybeans, and a faint five-spice warmth in some brands. It caramelizes beautifully under heat, picking up smoky, charred notes when grilled or roasted.
- Texture
- A thick, glossy, spreadable paste that thins slightly when warmed and clings well to meat and vegetables as a glaze.
- Aroma
- A rich, slightly sweet fermented-soy aroma with a background hint of garlic and five-spice.
How to prepare
- Brushed as a glaze — Painted onto meats before roasting or grilling for a caramelized, glossy finish.
- Mixed into stir-fry sauce — Thinned with water or soy sauce to coat vegetables and proteins in the wok.
- Used as a dipping sauce — Served alongside spring rolls, roast duck, or dumplings.
- Spread on wraps — Used as the base sauce under moo shu pork or Peking duck pancakes.
Classic dishes
Chinese
- Peking duck — Crispy roast duck served with thin pancakes, scallions, and a smear of hoisin sauce.
- Moo shu pork — Shredded pork and vegetables wrapped in thin pancakes spread with hoisin sauce.
- Char siu — Cantonese roast pork glazed with a hoisin-based marinade for its signature sticky, caramelized crust.
- Char siu bao — Steamed or baked buns filled with char siu pork bound in a hoisin-based sauce.
- Hoisin-glazed spare ribs — Ribs roasted with a hoisin and soy glaze that caramelizes into a sticky lacquer.
- San choy bow — Minced meat and vegetables stir-fried with hoisin sauce and served in lettuce cups.
- Hoisin stir-fried vegetables — Mixed vegetables tossed in a hoisin-thinned sauce for a quick, savory side dish.
- Cantonese roast duck — Whole roast duck often finished or served with a hoisin-based dipping sauce.
- Hoisin barbecue chicken wings — Wings glazed in a sticky hoisin barbecue sauce, popular in Chinese-American cooking.
- Hoisin-glazed salmon — A Chinese-American restaurant favorite where salmon is roasted under a sweet hoisin glaze.
- Chinese barbecue pork fried rice — Fried rice studded with hoisin-marinated barbecue pork for a sweet-savory depth.
Vietnamese
- Banh mi with hoisin spread — A Vietnamese baguette sandwich spread with a thin layer of hoisin beneath its pickled vegetables.
- Vietnamese spring roll dipping sauce — A dip built on hoisin and peanut butter served alongside fresh spring rolls.
- Vietnamese pho table condiment — Hoisin sauce squeezed into the broth or used as a dip for the meat alongside sriracha.
- Peanut hoisin dipping sauce for summer rolls — A thick dipping sauce combining hoisin, peanut butter, and chili for fresh summer rolls.