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This Chinese-inspired condiment has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, with garlic and five-spice flavors! It’s naturally sweetened, vegan, and delicious used as a glaze or marinade. Learn how to make your own Char Siu sauce at home!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Quick and super easy. You will need only 15 minutes and simple, readily available ingredients to make your own char siu sauce at home.
- It tastes like the original. Love the store-bought version? This recipe has the same delicious taste and thick texture! Plus, unlike the pre-made version, this recipe is free from refined sugar and added additives, making it a healthier alternative.
- Readers love it. Bansidhe, a reader, said: “★★★★★ Just made this for the Char-Sui ribs I plan for dinner. It’s delicious. Thank You.”
📘 What is Char Siu Sauce
Char Siu sauce (叉烧酱), also called Chinese barbecue marinade, is a popular condiment commonly used in Chinese cooking. It is thick, sweet, salty, and flavored with five-spice powder. It is often used to glaze braised or grilled meats but can also be used as a marinade or to add flavor to noodle dishes, stir-fries, etc.
The most popular brand of Char Siu sauce is Lee Kum Kee. Unfortunately, I recently discovered this sauce is not vegan as it contains honey. Time to make our own. It’s not only healthier but also cheaper!
Note: I tried to make this sauce as close as possible to the Lee Kum Kee one: quite sweet, and salty, with notes of garlic and five-spice. If you want it less sweet, use brown rice syrup, or dilute the sauce with water when using it as a marinade, for example.
🧄 Ingredient Notes
Here are the ingredients you will need to make your own char siu sauce:
- Agave syrup – We will be using agave syrup to replace the honey used in the authentic version. I do not recommend using maple syrup as the flavor would be overpowering. If not vegan, simply use neutral liquid honey. You can probably substitute the agave syrup for brown rice syrup. Just be aware the sauce won’t be as sweet.
- Hoisin sauce – For that sweet, salty, and tangy flavor. Hoisin sauce is a key ingredient in this recipe.
- Soy sauce – Use regular soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos. It adds extra saltiness and umami.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
- Five-spice powder – This Asian spice blend is also essential to get that specific char siu flavor. Five spice powder brings an anise and cinnamon-y flavor to the sauce.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the sauce. If you don’t have cornstarch on hand, tapioca starch or potato starch can be good alternatives. Just be aware the consistency will be slightly different.
🥣 How to Make It
- Blend everything. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Heat until thickened. Once blended, transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens.
- Let cool. Let the sauce cool, and transfer to a clean jar. The sauce is now ready to use!
📔 Tips
- Marinate for at least a few hours. When using this sauce to marinate your plant-based meat of choice, ensure you let it marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight. This will allow the plant-based meat to absorb the rich flavors of the char siu sauce.
- Adjust the sweetness and saltiness. While I tried to balance the saltiness and sweetness as best as possible, you can definitely adjust it to your liking by using more/less agave syrup and salt.
- Do not omit the five-spice powder. It is a key ingredient in char siu sauce. It’s what gives the sauce its specific flavor.
- Adjust the consistency. If you want a thicker sauce, slightly increase the amount of cornstarch.
🍜 How to Use It
Char siu sauce can be used in many different ways. Here are a few ideas:
- As a glaze: Brush the sauce over baked tofu, seitan, burgers, vegan ribs, or your plant-based meat of choice!
- As a marinade: for tempeh, jackfruit, char siu soy curls, vegan chicken, and more.
- In stir-fries: Stir in a tablespoon of the sauce at the end of cooking for a sweet and salty dish.
- In noodle dishes: Dilute a couple of tablespoons of the sauce with a tablespoon of the noodles cooking water. Add some chopped chili and coat the noodles with the sauce! I personally love these Vegan Char Siu Beef Noodles!
❄️ Storing
- To store: This char siu sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing it as it contains cornstarch.
💬 FAQ
The decision is yours! For a sauce with some texture, try using a food processor. But if you prefer a completely smooth sauce, a blender is the way to go.
Definitely! If using honey, try going with one with a mild flavor.
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Homemade Char Siu Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup agave syrup*
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend for 5-10 seconds or until fully combined.
- Transfer to a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisk constantly until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Once the sauce has thickened, transfer it to a clean jar and let it cool completely at room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken a bit more as it cools down.
- Use as a glaze for tofu, tempeh, seitan, burgers, or stir in noodles, stir-fries, etc. Char siu sauce will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Marinate for at least a few hours. When using this sauce to marinate your plant-based meat of choice, ensure you let it marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight. This will allow the plant-based meat to absorb the rich flavors of the char siu sauce.
- Adjust the sweetness and saltiness. While I tried to balance the saltiness and sweetness as best as possible, you can definitely adjust it to your liking by using more/less agave syrup and salt.
- Do not omit the five-spice powder. It is a key ingredient in char siu sauce. It’s what gives the sauce its specific flavor.
- Adjust the consistency. If you want a thicker sauce, slightly increase the amount of cornstarch.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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Leave a Comment
I made this and it is cloudy and not at all like your photos. What’d I do wrong?!
Cloudy? Did you use the exact ingredients? Did you bring it to a simmer to activate the cornstarch?
This sauce seems easy to make. I’ll give it a shot tomorrow. Cheers!
Let me know how it turns out!
Just made this for the Char-Sui ribs I plan for dinner. It’s delicious. My son asked what it was so I suggested he put it on his Cheddar Cheese Sandwich. His eyes opened wide in surprise . “Man , that’s gooood!” he said. So there you have it another albeit non-vegan use for this sauce. Thank You!
Awesome! ^^ Glad you both liked this recipe! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Unbelievably easy and delicious! The texture of the “ribs” is on point. I will definitely be making this again. Thank You