This simple Korean BBQ sauce comes together in minutes and is loaded with BIG bold flavors! It's salty, tangy, lightly sweet and sticky, and full of fresh ginger and garlic. Use it as a marinade, finishing sauce, or dipping sauce. Heck, it's even great on salad! This recipe is vegan, easily made gluten-free, and uses common ingredients you probably already have in the pantry!
Why You'll Love It
No matter how you use this Korean BBQ sauce, it's guaranteed to keep you coming back for more! It's full of umami and has the perfect balance of acidity, saltiness, and sweetness. If you're a fan of other Asian-inspired sauces, I think you'll love it.
Korean BBQ sauce is very versatile and can be used pretty much any way you would use American-style barbecue sauce.
And there's no special equipment needed to whip up a batch of this Asian BBQ sauce! A microplane is useful for grating the ginger and garlic, but otherwise all you need are a knife, whisk, and small sauce pan.
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What is Korean BBQ Sauce made of?
As opposed to American-style BBQ sauce, which is tomato-based, the primary ingredients in Korean-style BBQ sauce are soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar.
Right off the bat, though, you'll notice flavor similarities between the two sauces - there's tang and acidity, umami, saltiness, and a hint of sweetness.
You'll find variation across Korean BBQ sauce recipes, with some using additions like gochujang paste and fruit, such as Asian pear or fruit jams. You'll also see a variety of sweeteners used, mostly honey or brown sugar.
I'm a sucker for easy sauce recipes that are pantry-friendly and quick to prepare. So this one is very streamlined!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- soy sauce - I wanted really bold flavor here and used regular soy sauce. Feel free to use a low-sodium variety, if needed. You can always add more or adjust the saltiness later. Gluten-free tamari is another option, or Shoyu, Japanese-style soy sauce.
- rice vinegar - I prefer plain rice vinegar; if all you have is "seasoned" rice vinegar, which is sweetened, that works fine for this recipe.
- maple syrup - or light brown sugar. A bit of sweetness is crucial to the overall flavor of the sauce so don't skip it!
- gochujang paste (or similar) - Korean gochujang paste is the more authentic option here, but if you don't have any, don't fret! Feel free to use any similar style of chili-garlic sauce. I used sriracha the day I took these photos because I had some in the fridge, and I bet a lot of you do, too. It gives the Korean BBQ sauce an extra bit of tang and spiciness.
- ginger - if all you have is a dry-looking old nub of ginger that's been hanging around on the kitchen counter too long, it's time to head to the grocery store. For the best flavor, you want fresh ginger root that's very fragrant and moist when grated or minced.
- garlic - you'll need 2 or 3 cloves, depending on their size.
- toasted sesame oil - adds a touch of richness plus that unique, toasty and nutty flavor.
- corn starch - this thickens the sauce; if you need a substitute, arrowroot starch works perfectly.
See recipe card below for quantities and the full instructions.
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How to Make Korean BBQ Sauce
- Either in a bowl or directly in a sauce pan, whisk the corn starch in the water until dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. It's a good idea to whisk frequently while the sauce simmers.
Prep Tip!
If you're planning to add Korean BBQ sauce directly to a hot pan with other ingredients, like a stir fry, there's no need to simmer the sauce in advance. Simply whisk everything together in a bowl, and add it to the pan a few minutes for the dish is done.
How to Use Korean BBQ Sauce
Korean barbecue is a cooking method that typically involves grilling various meats over charcoal. But since this is a vegan recipe blog, I'm here to talk about all the ways you can use Korean BBQ sauce in plant-based cooking!
- The bold flavors of Korean BBQ sauce are great with tempeh, tofu, seitan, and soy curls. Pan-sear the proteins then add the sauce directly to the pan to get nice and sticky and thick.
- Slather it on seitan ribs and wings.
- Use it as a finishing sauce for rice and grain bowls, tacos, pizza, and vegetable stir fries. Check out this Korean BBQ Pizza.
- It's also a great marinade for vegetables or any of the proteins mentioned above. Make kabobs for the grill!
- Also dip your favorite appetizers and finger foods in Korean BBQ sauce! Pair it with seitan nuggets, tofu nuggets, french fries, spring rolls, and lettuce wraps.
- For a flavor boost, spread a layer of Korean BBQ sauce on sandwiches and burgers!
Pictured above: Korean BBQ Tempeh
FAQs
Traditional soy sauce is not gluten-free, and gochujang paste typically contains barley malt. So you'll want to replace these with certified gluten-free tamari and another type of spicy sauce, such as sriracha. All of the other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten-free.
Both gochujang (or sriracha) and red pepper flakes give the sauce a mild-to-medium spiciness. For a milder sauce start with less, then taste and adjust.
Store Korean BBQ sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to a month.
Top Tip
Once the sauce has been heated and thickened it's still easy to tweak the flavors. Give it a taste and add a bit more sweetness or acidity if desired.
I hope you enjoy this quick and easy take on Korean BBQ sauce. If you try the recipe be sure to comment below and let us know your favorite ways to use it!
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Recipe
Korean BBQ Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon corn starch
- 2 Tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup maple syrup - or light brown sugar
- 1½ Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon gochujang paste - can sub sriracha or similar chili garlic sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root - a thumb-size piece
- 3 cloves garlic, minced - or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - reduce for less spicy sauce
Instructions
- In a sauce pan, whisk together the corn starch and water until the corn starch is fully dissolved. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stirring frequently, cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust the flavors as desired.
- The sauce may be used now or set aside to cool. Once cool, store the sauce in a jar or other lidded container in the refrigerator and use within 1 week.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
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Andrea says
Simple and delicious! Just what I needed. Thanks!
Kathy kilgore says
Little too much heat. Delicious and different. Will make again. Made double amount for 4 lbs of ribs.
suzi says
I made this and it's soooo good!! Used today with some pan fried tempeh, a bag of baby spinach tossed in the pan to wilt and leftover gf spaghetti noodles. Served up with your sauce, chopped green onions and sesame seeds for a perfect lunch for two!! Double it, people! You'll be glad you did!!
Hann says
Really nice! Made a pork dish and needed a nice glaze to go with it. This was perfect and easy. Great recipe.
Jaco says
Love this sauce, a family favorite! We make it all of the time.
lovelycali says
Made the sauce the other week. I doubled up the amount for all ingredients as I wanted to have extra just in case. I used half of it as a marinade a couple days beforehand and left it the fridge. Then when I went to cook it, right when I turned off the heat, I added the other half of the sauce. It came out super delicious! I also tasted the meat after it was cooked before I added the other half of the sauce and it tastes delicious as well! Thank you for a simple and delicious Korean BBQ sauce recipe!
Katie says
Love how quick this was to make. Used it for sticky cauliflower wings last night. Delicious!