Korean BBQ Sauce

No more hunting for a Korean restaurant to get your Korean BBQ fix. We’re giving you the scoop on the key ingredient that allows you to make it at home.

Korean BBQ Sauce is perfectly sticky and a combination of sweet and spicy that is great for all sorts of uses. It’s good enough to use as a dip for vegetables or spring rolls or as a marinade for just about any type of protein. Toss our Crispy Chicken Wings in it or even cook down with some ground turkey and serve over rice for a delicious Korean Rice Bowl.

What makes it perfectly savory and spicy is the gochujang. It’s a Korean red chili paste that has risen in popularity in the past few years so you should be able to find it in just about any grocery store (or here on Amazon). The red chili paste is made from chili powder, glutinous rice and a few other ingredients that help give it a distinct spicy and sweet flavor.

The amount listed above is enough to make it balanced so it’s sweet with just a bit of heat. If you’re looking for something with a little more kick, try adding more gochujang!

Korean BBQ Sauce

Contributor: Sam Ellis

No more hunting for a Korean restaurant to get your Korean BBQ fix. We’re giving you the scoop on the key ingredient that allows you to make it at home.

• Author: Sam Ellis
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Sauce
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Korean

Print Recipe

Ingredients

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• ¼ cup and 2 Tbsp. water, divided
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. gochujang
• 1 tsp. ginger powder
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

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Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pot, mix together ¼ cup water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, gochujang and ginger powder over medium heat. Stir until incorporated and let simmer for 5 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, add remaining two tablespoons of water and cornstarch and mix together to form a slurry.
3. Bring heat to low and pour cornstarch mixture into the pot and stir. Let simmer for 5 minutes until sauce has thickened.
4. Serve immediately, or cool to room temperature and refrigerate.