Korean Barbecue Sauce Recipe is a flavor game changer. Spiced with Gochujang, this sticky and spicy Korean barbecue sauce is versatile enough to pair with any grilled meat or used to season stir fry, lettuce wraps and soups. Quick, easy and can be made ahead!
Let me introduce you to one of my new favorite sauces. It only takes a few minutes to make and has such a unique flavor profile from the Gochujang that I am sorry I waited until now to start making it. I love Tamari and even though it is not considered interchangeable, I’m regularly substituting it into recipes that traditionally call for soy sauce.
Looking for more Asian-inspired recipes?
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken – sweet,sticky and better than take-out
- Sweet and Soy Chicken – pan seared chicken Heaven!
Fiery Asian Chicken Wings – sticky and smokin’ hot - Pork and Vegetable Ponzu Fried Rice – savory, sweet with a hint of citrus
- Bang Bang Fish Taco Bites – Tempura Batter and Bang Bang Sauce
- Amazing Asian Coleslaw – a potluck Hero
- Honey Pepper Ramen Noodle Salad – a picnic treat
- Easy Fried Rice – Serve with lettuce wraps for a complete meal
- Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken – sticky sweet and spicy without standing in line
- Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken – serve over rice for a taste treat
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef with Broccoli – healthy and better than takeout
Tips and Hints for the best Korean Barbecue Sauce Recipe:
- I always say this, but the best results start with quality ingredients, so use the best you can afford.
- Use fresh, minced garlic. Garlic is an integral component of this sauce recipe and some flavor may be lost if fresh is not used.
Korean Barbecue Sauce adds amazing flavor as a marinade and glaze for ribs, chicken and burgers, or use it as a dipping sauce for egg rolls, fries and veggies.
Tools and Essential Ingredients to make this Korean Barbecue Sauce recipe:
- Gochujang – one of the backbone ingredients of Korean cooking. This red chili paste is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment made from chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soybean powder, barley malt powder, and salt. It gets that hint of sweetness from the starch of the cooked rice.
- Tamari – thicker, complex and more mellow than soy sauce, Tamari is a by-product of miso production. It is the liquid that is extracted from the fermented miso paste. It’s interesting that even though they are so similar, soy sauce is a product of China and Tamari is a product of Japan.
Korean Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup Tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Gochujang paste
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic about 6 cloves
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Stir brown sugar, Tamari, rice wine vinegar, Gochujang paste, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, honey and black pepper together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
- Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the boiling Tamari mixture. Continue to stir the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce thickens, about 3 – 4 minutes.
- Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
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Tasted great but mine did not thicken. I added more cornstarch slurry and it’s still pretty thin.
Great! it works for me.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I made it many times for my family, they love this kind of sauce much much.
Hi Felipa, thank you! Straining out the minced garlic and ginger is a good idea if you want a nice smooth BBQ sauce! Sounds delicious?!
Love this sauce! I am a vegetarian and I use this sauce when making a Korean BBQ sandwich for my family. They all love it including the 7 year old! It’s a little spicy so I go light for the kids. I strain the sauce before using it too.
Hi Dandre – I’m with you…this sauce is really good. We love it so much I’ve been adding it to everything…potato salad, deviled eggs and a french fry sauce with equal parts of this sauce and mayo! Totally delicious!!
I do actually like football, but I’m all about the food on game day too. These ribs sound perfect. I think I could probably drink that sauce/marinade straight!
Hi David, thank you! This is totally our favorite sauce for both grilled and oven cooked meats?. So MUCH flavor!
Wonderful flavours layer upon layer of umami. Has to be a staple for any bbq
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad you like it! Thank you.
So greatly it came out! My son loved it much and asked me to do more. I am so happy! Thank your recipe much!
Hi Angelica, thank you! We love it too. This recipe is great because it keeps in the fridge for several weeks so you can always have some on hand for when you’re craving some spice.?
This is off the hook! Made it and put it on some spare ribs, baked them and wow. I’ll never buy or make another sauce. Thanks!
HI Kristin, thank you very much! You can’t beat the mix of spices in this sauce when you want something a little different than traditional BBQ sauce.?
The taste is very strange and delicious. I really like this.
Barbecue sauce with interesting ingredients are always fun to try! Glad you enjoyed it.
Glad you liked it!
Korean food is always great. Thank you for sharing.
oh. The taste is very strange and delicious. I really like this.
Hi Lauren – I love it that you adjusted the recipe to use what you have on hand! That Hello Fresh meal sounds yummy, especially the pork meatballs, a personal favorite of mine. Thanks for the rating and I’m so happy you liked it?.
This was so delicious! I actually used the sauce to re-create a Hello Fresh meal (Bulgogi pork meatballs with zucchini, carrots, and rice) and it worked out perfectly. The sauce was delicious and it went well with everything. I reduced the amount of Gochujang because my family is wimpy, and I used apple cider vinegar because I didn’t have rice wine vinegar. I’ll definitely be making this again!!
Hi Lisa, You could use Thai chili paste or in a pinch, mix up a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, a tablespoon of soy sauce (to moisten) and a 1/2 teaspoon or so of sugar for sweetness. You could also order online, https://amzn.to/2VdJVHJ . I like to buy it in the tube so it doesn’t dry out. Let me know if these work for you.
This looks so amazing. Yum! Where do you find Gochujang paste? Is there a substitute you can use if that’s not available in my grocery store?
Happy to hear that! Nice idea with the cornstarch for a glaze.. I am going to give that a try. Thanks for the comment and rating!
Turned out excellent! I used more corn starch because I wanted to use as a glaze for spare ribs.
Thank you!