This Korean BBQ Sauce is the perfect combination of sweet, savory and spicy and is perfect on pretty much anything.
You guys we need to discuss this sauce.
So versatile, sticky and delicious. It’s the perfect combination of sweet, savory and spicy. Oh and sticky. Did I mention that already?
This sauce is also a cinch to make, taking only a few minutes. In no time, you can slather it on grilled chicken or pork, or use it as a sauce for wok-seared chicken and stir-fried veggies over rice, and it’s excellent as a sauce for braised pork tacos or Korean BBQ beef bowls.
To Make This Korean BBQ Sauce You Will Need:
- dark brown sugar
- low-sodium tamari (or sub in low-sodium soy sauce)
- water
- chili garlic paste (like Sambal Oelek)
- rice wine vinegar
- toasted sesame oil
- black pepper
- fresh ginger root
- garlic (fresh)
- cornstarch
In a 10-inch skillet, add 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar, 3/4 cup of low-sodium tamari, 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1-1/2 tablespoons of chili paste. This adds the back-of-the-throat heat so feel free to dial it up or down to your tastes. However, in a pinch, Thai sweet chili sauce can be substituted.
Next add in 1-1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger and the grated 5 cloves of garlic, or about 1 tablespoon.
Stir to combine.
Give it one final whisk before bringing to a bubble over high heat.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cool water and stir until smooth. When the sauce is bubbling, pour in the cornstarch slurry while whisking.
Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer until the sauce has thickened, then let it cool slightly if storing.
Once cooled, pour the Korean BBQ sauce into a clean jar that has a tight fitting lid. Or add desired amount to hot wok filled with meat and/or veggies, use it as a dip or brush on anything grilled.Truly it’s that easy.
There are endless options with this sauce. I love it in these braised Korean pork tacos or in Korean bbq beef bowls.
It’s sweet and a smidgen spicy and SO delicious.
Enjoy! And if you give this Korean BBQ Sauce recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Korean BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup low-sodium tamari, or sub with low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1½ tablespoons chili paste, like Sambal Oelek
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 5 cloves fresh garlic, or about 1 tablespoon, finely grated or squeezed through a garlic press
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a saucepan combine the brown sugar, tamari, water, chili paste, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, black pepper, ginger and garlic. Heat on high and bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile, combine the cornstarch and water until smooth.
- When the sauce is at a boil, whisk in the cornstarch slurry and reduce the heat to simmer until thick.
- Once thick, let cool slightly before pouring into a clean jar. You could also add immediately to any stir-fry, or let it completely cool and brush on grilled chicken, shrimp skewers or salmon in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Store in an airtight container for two to three weeks.
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Oooohh!! Love the look of this sauce! I would love to use it on thinly sliced beef in lettuce wraps!
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I love a nice sticky bbq sauce with cold green onions. the combo is always so so nommy
Is it bad that I want to just eat the sauce with a spoon? LOVE this!
Was looking for a marinade to make a Korean BBQ burger, so I think this one might be the winner!
Hey, what kind of garlic press do you use? I need a replacement and yours looks pretty cool. Thanks!
I have to make this! It looks fabulous!
this looks delicious! printed and making tonight with salmon!
I can almost taste it! Looks amazing! Pinned!
This looks perfect! And I think I have all the ingredients, yay 🙂
This looks awesome! It looks like it’s gluten free too – just been put on a serious gluten free diet by my doc. Nice to have options 🙂
I love your recipes, and the pictures are perfect. I have to give you a solid tip, for the chili paste, you need to use Korean Chili paste. Gochujang has a flavor like nothing else. It is pretty easy to find. Trust me, once you try it you will be hooked!
Thanks Derrick! I’ll keep it in mind and try to find it for next time! 🙂
I tried making this sauce and it was delicious! I put it on some chicken thighs that I grilled on the stove with a little bit of vegetable oil and it tasted great with it. I served it with macaroni salad, steamed corn, rice, and some crab rangoons I made and it was all wonderful. From my experience with making it with the grilled chicken I would recommend putting the sauce on at the very last moment after the chicken is cooked and then grill it a little and put it on a plate right away. Or just put the sauce on after you grill the chicken. The reason I say this is because the first time I made it I put the sauce on a few minutes before I took the chicken off the pan and I guess the sugar in the sauce ended up burning on the stove and everything turned out kind of sticky and burnt tasting a little so you really don’t want to leave the sauce on the pan for too long. The second and third time I made the chicken with the sauce it turned out much better when I put the sauce on just before I took the chicken off the pan. And it wasn’t burnt at all. I really liked the sauce and it definitely tasted like Korean BBQ chicken which I love! The sauce was easy to make and tasted delicious so I’ll definitely be making this again. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Made this tonight over chicken wings and boneless skinless thighs. Used 1tsp chili garlic sauce and the 6 and 10 y/o loved it. Excellent recipe and delicious sauce. Thank you!
I was wondering if the 3/4 cup dark brown sugar that you use is just loosely leveled for this recipe or if you pack it into the cup? The picture looks like it’s packed in but I just made it loosely shoveled and leveled since I wasn’t sure.
Holy Crap!!! I just made this sauce and it is awesome! I altered it a little with chopped green onions and adjusting the pepper paste for spice. This is seriously one of the best sauces I’ve ever had!!!!!! The best part is that it’s universal. This stuff goes on everything! Amazing Recipe!
So my friends always comment me for how crispy and juicy my fried chicken wings turn out, I think I’ve perfected my technique. However, I’ve only ever made buffalo sauce for the wings and I’ve been wanting to try a different sauce. I think I’ll give this one a try.
T
The sauce looks great i do not have chili paste can I use chili sauce instead and if so how much Thank you
Hi Cynthia! They’re a little different but you could give it a try. Without testing it myself, it’s hard to say. Keep me posted!
Beautiful photographs and so appetizing! I made the recipe and really liked the flavor. I’ve used it on numerous dishes to just drizzle on. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad Neena! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment! <3
I made this using just a korean chili sauce that well resembles ketchup but is way spicy just wow. I also love fresh ginger so i used about 2 and a half Tbsp used this on bbq ribs rubbed with a dry hot and sour soup mix then slow smoked for about 6 hrs died and went to bbq heaven
That’s great Scoot! I love your modifications and those slow smoked ribs sound amazing! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Can I make this in a large batch and hot bath can this is jars?
Hi Troy! Since I know little to nothing about canning/hot bath canning, I’m unsure this is a suitable recipe. Sorry!
if you plan on canning this, it doesn’t appear to have enough acid to hot bath it. You would probably need to pressure can this.
Great tip!
This is now the only sauce I glaze my smoked pork ribs with – crowd favorite, hands down!
Awesome! So happy to hear it, Jason!
Hi!
Thank you very much for this great reipe!
Made this yesterday and l-o-v-e it!
Had no chili paste either, but cut and mashed down a habanero chili with a bit of salt and it was delicious, seriously could not imagine what I could ‘improve’ or would do different next time.
Also nice photos!
Thank you!
: ]
Thank you, Tiki! I really love your idea to use habanero — I’m definitely trying that!
Thanks for the recipe Laurie. I was looking for an alternative to Teriyaki sauce and your Korean BBQ recipe is much better and more balanced with the ginger and garlic flavors. I’m making a batch today !
Cheers !
That’s great, Tim! I’m so glad to hear you like it so much. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and p.s. your last name is pretty sweet too! 😉
Can you substitute Gochujang for the chili paste? If so, I would assume reduce the amount of sugar? Thanks in advance!
Hi Chris! I haven’t tried it but I would think so!
Made this tonight to go over vietnamese noodle bowls with left over chicken and it’s exactly what I was looking for! Really good balance of flavors. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear it, Joan! Thank you for taking the time to make this recipe and leave a review, I really appreciate it!
I made this to put on some chicken wings that my husband fried up tonight and it was perfect! I was looking for something similar to Rooster’s Korean BBQ wing sauce and this came really close. It was amazing and even the kids loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad Caitlin! Thanks for your review!
I made this sauce tonight for a fried chicken sandwich. Chicken thighs soaked in buttermilk then coated in Asian panko bread crumbs. I drizzled them with olive oil and cooked in an air fryer. Toasted bakery rolls, coleslaw on the bottom, chicken, then topped with slightly cooled sauce. I thought the sauce was too salty, hubby says it was just right for the dish.
Hi Mara! Thanks for taking the time to make this recipe and leave a review. By chance did you use regular soy sauce instead of low-sodium? That could have been the reason for the saltiness.
My boyfriend made the sauce tonight and we loved the flavor! However, it didn’t thicken up too much. Is it supposed to be thin or thick? Would prefer a little thicker…
Hi Cary! It shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. It’s hard to say what went wrong and where without being in the kitchen when it was being made. But I would try upping the slurry amounts by half and see if that works out for you. 🙂
Made this sauce. Absolutely loved it!! And just this amount made what I thought was a small jar but when I added just a bit to a large amount of veggies and tofu…just wow! This is now saved in my Favorites and I’ve made a second time after almost 2 weeks or so of using it in every other meal. I had to make tweaks the first time because I did not have dark brown sugar. I used 2/4C black sugar + 1/4C light brown sugar + some maple syrup. I personally love ginger so I added a lot more and berbere spice instead since that’s all I have on hand.
That’s great!
Definitely making this later today. I like the suggestion to use gochujang.
i really need white ppl to stop making ethnic recipes they know nothing about what about this is korean??? there’s no korean pear, gochujang, or even gochugaru?? just call this a chili garlic sauce or whatever it’s not related to Korean cuisine at all
Dear Annoyed… I’m not Asian in any way, but I do adore the cuisine… And in today’s climate, I identify as Asian??!!! I’m kidding of course, though I have been trying for several years to perfect the Asian cuisine, but if this pisses you off so much, why not add hints and tips instead of going all Trump on everyone? This is a family group and if you can make it better, please share. I enjoyed this sauce very much…. Maybe sit down, have a beer and think about how Italians are not screaming out about spaghetti sauce… It’s gravy there and has nothing in it that we all cook… My question to you is, Are you Korean and can you post a better recipe?? Pls hurry cuz I gotta get my wings on!
Not gonna lie, this is the best thing I’ve brushed on wings… We love it here in Ottawa and my neighbors are getting the printed recipe, website highlighted. I made an almost exact recipe a couple of years ago, but girlfriend, this was better!! I hope you are able to edit things because I gave ANNONYMOUS a piece of my mind… That guy needed to be placed! Thank you for your recipe, I’m making it more times that I should 🙂 Be safe, healthy and mentally well.
this is a great combination for samgyupsal! very delicious.
Can this sauce be bottled via water bath processing? If so, what would be its shelf life?
Hi J R. Sorry I haven’t tried it.
I make this recipe x4 when I make it so I can bottle extra. I put it in hot pint jars right off the bubble, cover them, and they typically seal on their own. If they don’t I put them in the fridge up to a month (they don’t last longer than that in my house) I had one for 6 months on the shelf in my pantry and it was perfect. My greatest rule of thumb on canning is my kitchen my rules, so maybe what works for me doesn’t work for you. But give it a whirl! This is probably favorite of Laurie’s recipes!!
Is this the same sauce used in General Tso’s chicken?
Thanks
I found this recipe a few years ago and I’ve never used a different one since. Very easy and tasty. I don’t often have all the same ingredients that it calls for, but it still turns out well. I use regular brown sugar, not dark, and I don’t have chilie paste so I use siracha instead. Also I use powdered ginger and garlic. This is a very forgiving recipe and it tastes amazing. I make Korean beef and rice with it, but tonight, I’m going to try to make vegetarian Korean noodles. Yum!
I love a nice sticky bbq sauce with cold green onions.
Wonderful sauce! I once tried this at cheddars scratch kitchen and then saw your recipe and tried it at home. It was a wonderful experience. Everything was perfectly managed and structured. Thanks for sharing such a valuable recipe.
Chick-fil-A’s sauces are a beloved part of their menu, adding an extra burst of flavor to any meal. The classic Chick-fil-A Sauceis a fan favorite, with its rich, smoky taste perfect for dipping chicken nuggets or spreading on sandwiches. Other popular options include the zesty Polynesian Sauce, the tangy Barbeque Sauce, and the creamy Garden Herb Ranch. Each sauce offers a unique flavor profile, making it easy to find a favorite that complements your meal perfectly.
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So delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe. My family loves your blog!
I recently tried making a homemade BBQ sauce inspired by Korean flavors, and it turned out amazing! I marinated some chicken drumsticks with the sauce and grilled them on my stovetop grill pan. To pair with it, I made a simple coleslaw, garlic bread, and roasted sweet potatoes—it was a huge hit with my family!
One tip from my experience: add the sauce at the very end of cooking. The first time, I slathered it on too early, and it caramelized a bit too much, making the chicken sticky and slightly burnt. But when I applied the sauce right before taking the chicken off the heat, it was perfect—rich, smoky, and just the right amount of sweetness.
I couldn’t help but compare it to the flavors I love at Chick-fil-A. It even made me curious to check out the Chick-fil-A menus with prices to see if they have something similar. I’d love to try their take on BBQ chicken to see how it stacks up. This sauce recipe, though, is definitely a keeper—thank you so much for sharing!
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I’ll surely give it a try! https://wendysmenuonline.com/
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Wow, this Korean BBQ Sauce recipe is a game-changer! I love how versatile it is—perfect for stir-fries, grilled dishes, and even as a dip. The balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors is spot on, and the instructions are so easy to follow. I can’t wait to try this with some of my favorites from the Chick-fil-A Menu. I bet it would be amazing as a dipping sauce or even brushed over grilled chicken! Thanks for sharing such a detailed and delicious recipe—this is definitely going on my list of must-try sauces!