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    Home » Recipes » Sauces Dips and Spreads » No-Cook 5 Minute Korean Chili Sauce (Gochujang)

    No-Cook 5 Minute Korean Chili Sauce (Gochujang)

    Published: Jun 9, 2019 · Modified: Jan 13, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads.

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    5 ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need to make this sweet, spicy, and salty Korean chili sauce! It's the perfect condiment that gives a tasty kick to a variety of dishes, Asian or not!

    A spoon scooping out thick red chili sauce from a round silver bowl on a wooden surface

    You've heard of ketchup. And you've probably heard of sriracha.

    But have you heard of gochujang?

    If you've enjoyed many a Korean dish, like bibimbap or japchae, you must be familiar with this chili sauce that takes your taste buds up a notch!

    A silver measuring spoon in a plastic bowl of red chili pepper powder

    Made from just a few ingredients and requiring no cooking, you can make this chili sauce lickety split.

    All it takes it some miso paste, garlic, fine chili powder (not the flakes), rice vinegar, and honey. Mix it together really well with a whisk and add enough water to get it to your desired level of sauciness.

    And much like my Broiled Miso Salmon Filets, this is another great use of miso and shows that this flavorful Asian ingredient can do so much more than just soup!

    Three photos showing how to make Korean chili sauce

    You've got spice from the chili powder, a slight tang from from the rice vinegar, sweetness from the honey, and the flavorful bite that garlic gives. The miso paste gives this Korean chili sauce its saltiness, umami, and body.

    A dark bowl containing noodles and a dollop of red sauce next to a silver bowl of chili sauce, a grey cloth napkin, and chopsticks

    One thing to keep in mind that not all chili powders are the same. Depending on whether it is from Korea, Thailand, Mexico, Spain, etc., they may have different flavors and different levels of spiciness because of the different chili peppers they use! So that being said, I don't know what this sauce would be like if you were to use a chili powder, but you could certainly give it a try. You should be able to find the Korean chili powder in your Asian or Korean food market.

    Closeup of a silver bowl containing thick red chili sauce next to a container of chili pepper powder

    Think out of the box when using this condiment! While it's fabulous on japchae or bimbimbap or other rice and noodles dishes, use it as a dip for postickers, breaded chicken, or veggies. You could even drizzle it on fried eggs!

    And you've heard of sriracha mayo, right? You can even make gochujang mayo and use it as a dip or to give your sandwiches a spicy Korean kick!

    Five ingredients. Five minutes. Spicy, sweet, salty, and delicious. What are you waiting for?

    ~ Lisa.

    No-Cook 5 Minute Korean Chili Sauce (Gochujang)

    5 ingredients and 5 minutes are all you need to make this sweet, spicy, and salty Korean chili sauce! It's the perfect condiment that gives a tasty kick to a variety of dishes, Asian or not!
    4.43 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Sauces
    Cuisine: Korean
    Keyword: chili sauce, gochujang
    Makes: 1 cup
    Calories: 35kcal
    Author: Lisa from A Day in the Kitchen

    Ingredients

    • 3 tbs miso paste
    • 2 tbs honey
    • 2 tbs chili pepper flakes powder
    • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
    • 1 garlic clove, grated
    • 3 tbs water

    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients in a bow and mix well with a whisk.
    • Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.

    Notes

    • When buying chili pepper, make sure you are purchasing the fine powder form and not the chili flakes.
    • If the sauce is too thick, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
    • Adjust the amount of the ingredients according to taste.
    • If doubling or tripling the recipe, blend all the ingredients in a blender!
    • Drizzle on bibimbap, japchae, eggs, fried rice...on anything you might you use with ketchup!!
    • Mix with mayo to make gochujang mayo and use it as a dip or spread it in sandwiches!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 35kcal
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @dayinthekitchen or tag #adayinthekitchen!

    You might also like:

    Korean Steak Lettuce Wraps
    Korean Steak Lettuce Wraps
    Korean Stir-Fried Rice Cakes
    Broiled Miso Salmon Filets

    A grey napkin and wooden chopsticks next to a silver bowl with red chili sauce and a bowl of noodles

    Adapted from Unconventional Cooks Korean Chili Pepper Paste recipe.


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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Cheer

      September 04, 2022 at 2:29 am

      Was looking for something to spice up my plain steamed potatoes, for a little snack before bed. Whenever I would sprinkle plain gochugaru along with other seasonings on potatoes or anything it wouldn't taste as exciting as I imagined.

      This hit the spot! Thank you for teaching me such a simple and quick way to use gochugaru powder! Next time I'll just lessen the miso paste a bit to my taste 🙂

      Reply
      • Cheer

        September 04, 2022 at 2:30 am

        5 stars
        I didn't see the rating part! 5+ stars!!!

        Reply
        • Lisa

          September 04, 2022 at 2:42 pm

          Thanks so much for the comments and 5 star rating! Thanks for trying my recipe and yes, adjust the ingredients so that it tastes right for you!

          Reply
    2. S.K.

      February 06, 2021 at 7:41 am

      5 stars
      oops, forgot to post a rating!

      Reply
    3. S.K.

      February 06, 2021 at 7:40 am

      A few reactions. First, I made this sauce to the word of the recipe (using gochugaru for the pepper flakes, as I assume many others here have) and it was phenomenal. Whatever you may have been looking for in this recipe, the result is nothing short of gustatory euophoria. Second, and relatedly, I'm seeing a few knocks in the comments against the verisimilitude of this recipe. At the outset, I'd caution these commenters against having unrealistic expectations with such simple recipes; they call it "5 minute" sauce for a reason. Also, while I may be a novice in these matters, to me this tasted damn near indistinguishable from the stuff I've had in restaurants situated in the middle of Korean population centers in central and northern NJ (perhaps that's just what they serve to culinary philistines such as I, but that's my experience). Hats off to Lisa for such a delicious and easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        February 06, 2021 at 10:22 am

        Wow. Thank you so much! I was a bit apprehensive when I saw the long write-up, but I truly appreciate you taking the time to post your comments. And I'm also glad that you liked the sauce! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Daniel

      February 01, 2021 at 6:50 am

      Thank you for posting this recipe. I tried this out today, after making it a yesterday in letting it sit in the fridge overnight. To me it did not taste like gochujang, but was tasty. I'll do it again.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        February 01, 2021 at 7:50 am

        I know it is not exactly like how traditional gochujang is made, but in a pinch, it works. Thanks for the comment, Daniel!

        Reply
    5. Cid

      November 12, 2020 at 5:10 am

      5 stars
      Thank you. Very Delicious.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

      Reply
    6. Aaron

      October 17, 2020 at 12:14 pm

      1 star
      Um....what?! There is no such thing as an easy fast gochujang. It’s something that has to be aged and fermented. Just order some off Amazon. This recipe wouldn’t even come close to tasting like gochujang.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        October 19, 2020 at 10:25 am

        Absolutely, the traditional way to make gochujang involves aging and fermenting and is much more involved. I'm just offering one way for people try making it if they want to try it but don't want to go through the longer process, but obviously, everyone is free to try making it how ever they'd like! Thanks for the feedback, Aaron!

        Reply
    7. Lau

      August 12, 2020 at 10:49 am

      I just made this and it tastes really amazing 🙂
      Can't wait to use this sauce as a marinade on fresh salmon steaks cooked in a wood smoker, Yum!

      Reply
    8. Nigel

      July 03, 2020 at 11:43 pm

      Hi There, I made it and used it in kimchi but added too much, what can I add to make it less fierce?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        July 04, 2020 at 9:04 am

        I don't think there is anything you can add to make it less fierce. My first thinking, short of starting again, is to lightly rinse the cabbage to wash off some of the spice and then adjust your kimchi seasonings until you get it to taste how you want.

        Reply
    9. Ala

      June 25, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      Hi, can you please suggest a substitute for miso paste as it is not available in my region. Also, can soy sauce be used as a substitute?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        June 25, 2020 at 9:24 pm

        You could use soy sauce, but the sauce will end up being quite thin. The miso paste not only adds flavor but thickness to the sauce. You could also try tahini which has similar paste-like qualities to miso paste, but not the same flavor. So you may need to add a bit of soy sauce to taste.

        Reply
    10. Rachael

      June 17, 2020 at 10:33 pm

      Hello, Rachael here, may i know how long can i store the sauce in the fridge?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        June 18, 2020 at 9:41 am

        I think you could easily keep this sauce for a week in the refrigerator. Thanks for the question, Rachael.

        Reply
    11. Cathy

      June 27, 2019 at 8:50 am

      5 stars
      I must try this! I think my family would like it. Our daughter-in-law was born in Korea. 🙂
      Also, I'm happy to find a new use for miso, because I like its flavour!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        June 27, 2019 at 2:19 pm

        Thanks, Cathy! I hope you like it and that it passes the test with your daughter-in-law!

        Reply
    12. Marieke

      June 26, 2019 at 10:15 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for this recipe! I am celiac and I have had a hard time finding a GF version in stores, so this is perfect!!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        June 27, 2019 at 6:05 am

        Thanks for the comment, Marieke! I hope you like it!

        Reply

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