This Korean BBQ sauce comes together in minutes and delivers big, bold flavor. It's salty, tangy, lightly sweet and sticky, with plenty of fresh ginger and garlic. Use it as a marinade, finishing sauce, dip, or Asian-style dressing! It's vegan, easily made gluten-free, and made with pantry staples.
When I'm craving a quick and flavorful sauce for a rice or noodle bowl, a stir fry, or even raw or roasted veggies, this Korean BBQ sauce is my go to.
What's not to love a sauce that packs so much umami and has that irresistible blend of acidity, saltiness, and sweetness? If you're a fan of Asian-inspired sauces, I know you're going love it, too.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- simple and ready in 10 minutes
- made with common ingredients you probably already have on hand
- no fancy steps or equipment
- so flavorful and versatile
What's in Korean BBQ sauce?
Unlike American-style barbecue sauce, which has a tomato-base, the primary ingredients in Korean-style BBQ sauce are soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and rice vinegar.
There are still some similarities in the flavor profiles of the two sauces. Both have tang and acidity, umami, saltiness, and a hint of sweetness.
Korean BBQ sauce recipes differ, with some using gochujang paste and fruit puree (like Asian pear) or fruit jam. You'll also see a variety of sweeteners, typically honey or brown sugar.
I'm a sucker for easy sauce recipes that are pantry-friendly and quick to prepare. So this recipe is definitely streamlined. What this one lacks in authenticity, it makes up for in speed and convenience!
Ingredients and 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 what you have is seasoned rice vinegar, which is sweetened, that's 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 Korean BBQ sauce an extra bit of tang and spiciness.
- Ginger root - 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 the recipe card below for quantities and the full printable recipe.
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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.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the sauce just to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Whisking frequently, cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened.
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 are perfect for tempeh, tofu, seitan, and soy curls. Pan-sear your protein of choice, 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 spring rolls, vermicelli noodle pancakes, seitan nuggets, tofu nuggets, french fries, and lettuce wraps.
- For a flavor boost, spread a layer of Korean BBQ sauce on sandwiches and burgers! I like it with these smoky jackfruit burgers.
Pictured above: Korean BBQ Tempeh
FAQs
Traditional soy sauce is not gluten-free, and gochujang paste typically contains barley malt. So to make the sauce gluten-free you need to replace these with certified gluten-free tamari and a different spicy sauce, like sriracha. All of the other ingredients in the 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 of each, then taste and adjust.
Yes, you can replace the toasted sesame oil with tahini or toasted sesame seeds.
Top Tips
- To simmer or not? If you plan to use the sauce in a stir fry or similar dish, you don't need to heat it first. Simply whisk everything together in a bowl, and add the sauce to the pan during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Adjust the flavors. Even after the sauce has been simmered, it's easy to adjust the flavors. Give it a taste and add more sweetness or acidity if you like.
- Adjust the consistency. Simmer the sauce for just 2-3 minutes for a thinner consistency, or closer to 5 minutes if you want it thicker.
More Easy Sauce Recipes
I hope you enjoy this quick and easy take on Korean BBQ sauce. If you make the recipe be sure to comment below and let us know your favorite ways to use it!
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 cornstarch and water until the starch is dissolved. Add all remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the sauce just to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Whisking frequently, cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Taste and adjust the flavors as desired.
- Use your Korean barbecue sauce now, or set aside to cool. Once completely cool, store the sauce in a lidded jar or other container in the refrigerator for up to 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!