9 Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce + 4 Tips

Diana Barkley (Senior Editor)

Hoisin sauce may have mysterious origins, but it’s been well-loved for a long time now. Its consistency is thick and sticky, a little like BBQ sauce. This popular condiment and ingredient tastes tangy, savory, a little sweet, and distinctly umami in flavor. It’s used in stir-fry dishes, sauces, marinades and more.

But what do you do if you can’t find hoisin sauce in your local grocery store? What if you’re in the middle of cooking your favorite recipe but have just found you’ve run out of one key ingredient — hoisin sauce.

In this article we’ll explore how you can replicate hoisin’s delicious flavors, without needing to actually use a storebought bottle. We’ll even cover some healthier alternatives to consider.

Facts about Hoisin Sauce

Facts about Hoisin Sauce

Fun fact: the name ‘hoisin’ actually comes from the Chinese word meaning seafood. This suggests that perhaps, historically, it contained some type of seafood ingredient.

We think it might have been something like fish sauce, but of course not much is known except that hoisin sauce is a Cantonese creation and used in many Cantonese dishes.

Hoisin sauce is considered an incredibly versatile ingredient, which can be used as a marinade, a glaze, dipping sauce, or delicious ingredient in stir-fries. It’s commonly used in Chinese dishes such as Peking duck, moo shu pork, and BBQ spare ribs.

If hoisin sauce sounds somewhat synonymous with BBQ to you, think again: this popular condiment is vegetarian-friendly and is often used in both vegan and vegetarian dishes. It adds a wonderful savory depth of flavor that would normally require quite a few added ingredients to achieve.

Hoisin sauce is a popular ingredient in so-called ‘fusion’ cuisine, where different cuisines are blended to achieve new dishes. For example, you might find Asian-inspired tacos, gourmet burgers, or even pizzas topped with shredded duck, spring onion, and hoisin sauce.

It’s actually reasonably easy to make at home. Many creative home cooks like to whip up their own versions of hoisin sauce, adjusting the sweetness, spiciness, and other flavor elements to suit their needs.

What Hoisin Sauce Is

Hoisin sauce is mostly made up of fermented soybean paste. Depending on the recipe, your hoisin sauce may also include a starch (such as sweet potato, wheat, or rice starch), water, sesame seeds, sugar, white vinegar, salt, red chili peppers, and garlic.

Some storebought varieties will also include coloring agents of some sort and preservatives to make your sauce last longer.

What Hoisin Sauce Is Good For in Cooking and Baking

This thick, delicious sauce is frequently used as a condiment or to make flavorful marinades. If you enjoy stir fries, it’s also often used to add complex umami, salty, and sweet flavors to these. The thickness of the sauce helps add a glossy sheen on marinated meats, particularly chicken.

As far as baking is concerned, hoisin sauce only really works well for baked meats. Baked chicken coated in hoisin sauce makes for an excellent alternative to regular chicken wings with BBQ sauce. Adding some chopped spring onion and toasted sesame seeds really elevates this simple dish.

Is Hoisin Sauce Healthy?

Depending on the recipe, hoisin sauce may contain larger quantities of unhealthy ingredients such as sugar and salt. In terms of calories, it does contain a relatively hefty 30-40 per tablespoon on average.

Most storebought hoisin sauces contain a large amount of sugar (around 5-7g per tablespoon.) Hoisin also contains between 300-400 mg of sodium per tablespoon, which is unsurprising given its salty taste.

It is low in fat, which is good news for those looking to limit their intake of fats. With that said, hoisin sauce also doesn’t contain much in the way of vitamins and minerals, so it can hardly be described as a health food.

Best Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce

Best Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce

Hoisin sauce is a popular condiment with a lovely complexity of sweet, savory, and umami flavors. Surprisingly, this makes it rather easy to replace, though you’ll need to be a little bit creative and likely mix more than one ingredient together to get the same balance.

Here are some of our favorite mixes that work well as substitutes for hoisin sauce.

Miso Paste and Honey

Miso paste on its own tends to be saltier than hoisin sauce, so use less to start with. Add in some honey to bring the balance of sweet and savory to the mix, and you’ll have a fairly reasonable substitute. This works particularly well for marinades and stir fries, though probably not so great as a dipping sauce alternative.

Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar

Soy sauce mixed with brown sugar makes a great substitute for hoisin sauce, though it’ll be far less thick. The flavors are actually quite similar, and this mixture works well in marinades, sauces, and stir fries.

If you’re planning on using it as a dipping sauce, you’ll want to heat it and add a bit of starch to get a gravy-like consistency. You may also add in extra ingredients such as chili flakes, a bit of ginger, and some toasted sesame seeds.

Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki sauce has a similar sort of savory and sweet balance, but is much thinner than hoisin sauce. Teriyaki sauce is also Japanese, not Chinese, and tends to be a little sweeter.

With that said, it’s a great alternative in marinades, sauces, and anywhere else where you might want to go for a similar flavoring, minus the thick texture of hoisin sauce.

Plum Sauce

Plum sauce is sweeter and fruitier than hoisin sauce, however the texture is similar. This means plum sauce can be a good alternative when it comes to dipping sauces and thick, fragrant coatings for meats and fish.

Plum sauce also looks fairly close to hoisin sauce, and can readily be made at home using plum jam, vinegar, brown sugar, spices, and garlic. Making it this way yourself will give you a similar complexity of sweet and savory flavors.

Black Bean Sauce and Honey

Black bean sauce is made from fermented black beans, which creates a delicious combination of spicy, sweet, and savory flavors that’s not unlike hoisin sauce.

Combine black bean sauce with honey to get a similar sweet and salty balance and complexity found in hoisin sauce. Black bean sauce will certainly add plenty of flavor to your cooking.

Healthiest Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce

Healthiest Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce

Hoisin sauce, as mentioned above, isn’t necessarily the healthiest condiment or ingredient you can use. Therefore, you may wish to swap it for some healthier alternatives.

Here are two we like to use to re-create the same or similar flavors of hoisin sauce in our recipes.

Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce is available to buy without added sugar, though many do contain both sugar and, certainly, salt. Oyster sauce is relatively rich in nutrients, at least as far as condiments are concerned. It also contains antioxidants and iron, and is low in calories.

As far as substituting oyster sauce for hoisin sauce is concerned, oyster sauce has a similar savory intensity and richness, but isn’t as sweet. You could add a bit of honey to make it a little sweeter.

Low-Sodium Soy Sauce and Peanut Butter

A healthy-ish homemade alternative to hoisin sauce is actually peanut butter mixed with low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, molasses, some white vinegar, garlic powder, a pinch of black pepper, and a little bit of hot sauce.

The texture is similar, and nut butters are known for their health benefits (though they are relatively high in fat.)

Toasted Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce

Toasted Substitutes for Hoisin Sauce

Toasted flavors work wonderfully in hoisin sauce alternatives. They make for an almost BBQ-like condiment that’s great with meats and in flavorful dipping sauces.

Here are two of our favorite homemade hoisin sauce substitutes that utilize toasted ingredients for maximum flavor.

Homemade Toasted Sesame “Hoisin” Sauce

One recipe we like combined toasted sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger, shredded spring onions, light soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, peanut butter, gochujang paste, rice wine vinegar, Chinese five spice, and a bit of cornstarch to thicken everything.

The homemade sauce tastes better than storebought hoisin sauce, and the toasted sesame oil adds a beautiful smokeyness that’s hard to beat.

Toasted Almond or Peanut Butter Sauce

Another DIY “hoisin” sauce you can make at home is this one: toasted almond or peanut butter sauce. It utilizes a combination of tamari, or wheat-free soy sauce, honey, toasted almond butter, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, garlic powder (or freshly minced garlic), and some black pepper.

Delicious and definitely healthier than the shopbought variety.

Tips for Substituting Hoisin Sauce

Tips for Substituting Hoisin Sauce

Are you still unsure about which hoisin sauce alternative you should use in your next dish? Then these tips might help you. At the end of the day the best way to find your favorite alternative to hoisin sauce (and anything else) is to experiment and see what you like best.

But some suggestions can help you with what will add the most complementary flavors.

Compare the Nutritional Profiles of the Substitutes

If nutrition and health are your most important factors for choosing a substitute, then you’ll want to check the nutritional profiles on any substitutes you may pick. For example, miso paste on its own is quite healthy, contains few calories, almost no fat, and a good amount of nutrients.

Similarly, nut butters may be high in calories and fat, but are good for heart health.

Toast the Nuts or Seeds if You’re Using Any

Toasting nuts or seeds gives them a better taste, aroma, and texture. It makes nuts and seeds more fragrant, earthy, and almost a little sweet, while also adding a satisfying smoky flavor. If you’re planning to use nuts or seeds in your hoisin-substitute recipes, definitely consider toasting them first.

Add Smoked Spices to Enhance Flavors

Adding smoked spices to your hoisin sauce replacement will give it a kind of BBQ-style quality, which is really delicious. This works particularly well for marinades you’re going to use on meats or fish, though it could be a little overpowering on more subtly-flavored dishes.

Pair it With Honey or Brown Sugar

One of the key reasons hoisin sauce is so popular is that it offers a lovely balance of salty and sweet. If any of our alternative suggestions aren’t sweet enough for your taste, consider adding a little bit of honey or brown sugar.

When using sugar, just make sure you dissolve it in a bit of water before adding it to sauces or marinades, as grainy sugar crystals aren’t particularly nice in finished sauces.

Reasons for Substituting Hoisin Sauce

Reasons for Substituting Hoisin Sauce

There are a few reasons why you might wish to substitute hoisin sauce. Whether it’s the flavor, certain restrictions in your diet, or availability, all of these are valid.

Beyond these, you may also just wish to experiment with the substitutes we’ve listed above, which is always a fun idea.

Dietary Restrictions or Allergies to Ingredients

The most obvious allergen in hoisin sauce is soy, so if you’re allergic to other soya-based products you’ll want to skip it. Some hoisin sauces may also include sesame and/or gluten, probably due to the use of certain starches.

Always check the label to see whether there is any ingredient you need to avoid, be it any of the above, excess salt, or sugar.

Flavor Preferences

Everyone has different tastes. If you just don’t enjoy the taste or texture of hoisin sauce, that’s ok. Perhaps you want to add more sweetness, a smokier flavor, or less salt. Try out one (or all) of our substitutes above and see which works best with the dish of your choice.

Availability in Your Local Area

Try as you might, hoisin sauce might just not be easy to get in your local area. If you’re struggling to get hoisin sauce at short notice, one of the alternatives from this article might be your best choice. If getting a similar flavor is key, go for the closest substitute. Alternatively, choose the flavors that you like best.