Can I use plum sauce + soy sauce instead of hoisin sauce?

2 tbsp hoisin sauce = 2 tbsp plum sauce + 1 tsp soy sauce. Plum sauce brings the same fruit-sweet, vinegar-sharp body, and the soy sauce supplies the salt and dark colour it lacks. Fruitier and lighter in colour, without hoisin's fermented depth. It works best where hoisin is used as a dip rather than a cooking sauce.

Ingredients · Condiments & sauces

Substitutions

What can I use instead of hoisin sauce?

A thick, sweet, dark sauce built on fermented soybean paste with sugar, vinegar, garlic and five-spice. Most brands are made with wheat flour, so hoisin should not be treated as gluten-free.

What it does in a recipe: Sweetness, salt and spiced depth in a glazing consistency — it lacquers as much as it seasons. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.

Also called: Chinese barbecue sauce

4substitutes

0close matches

Condiments & saucescategory

Quick answer

Miso + honey + soy sauce

2 tbsp hoisin sauce = 1 tbsp red or brown miso + 1 tbsp honey + 1 tsp soy sauce + 1/8 tsp five-spice powder

All substitutes, best first

4 ways to replace hoisin sauce

Miso + honey + soy sauce

Reliable

2 tbsp hoisin sauce = 1 tbsp red or brown miso + 1 tbsp honey + 1 tsp soy sauce + 1/8 tsp five-spice powder

Miso supplies the fermented soybean base that defines hoisin, honey gives the syrupy sweetness and cling, and five-spice supplies the anise note people actually recognise as hoisin.

MethodWarm the mixture briefly so the miso loosens and the five-spice blooms, then let it cool before brushing on meat.

Trade-offSlightly grainier and less glossy than bottled hoisin, and it will scorch faster under a grill because of the honey.

CookingSaucesVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkContains soy from both miso and soy sauce. Barley miso and standard soy sauce both contain gluten; use rice miso and tamari for a gluten-free version, and swap maple syrup for honey to make it vegan.

Oyster sauce + sugar + five-spice

Reliable

2 tbsp hoisin sauce = 2 tbsp oyster sauce + 1 tsp brown sugar + 1/8 tsp five-spice powder

Oyster sauce already has hoisin's viscosity and sweet-salty balance; the added sugar and spice push it toward hoisin's flavour profile.

Trade-offThinner and glossier, with a marine savouriness that hoisin does not have. Good in a stir-fry, less right in a pancake wrap.

CookingSaucesDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkOyster sauce contains shellfish and is not safe for a shellfish allergy, nor is it vegetarian. It also usually contains wheat.

Barbecue sauce + soy sauce + five-spice

In a pinch

2 tbsp hoisin sauce = 2 tbsp smoky barbecue sauce + 1 tsp soy sauce + 1/8 tsp five-spice powder

Barbecue sauce shares hoisin's sugar-vinegar-tomato sweetness and thickness; soy sauce raises the salt and the spice blend redirects the flavour eastward.

Trade-offTomato-forward and smoky in a way hoisin never is. Acceptable in a glaze, wrong in a dipping sauce for duck pancakes.

CookingSaucesVeganVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkSoy sauce brings soy and wheat. Barbecue sauces vary enormously and some contain anchovy via Worcestershire — check the label before serving to a vegetarian.

Plum sauce + soy sauce

In a pinch

2 tbsp hoisin sauce = 2 tbsp plum sauce + 1 tsp soy sauce

Plum sauce brings the same fruit-sweet, vinegar-sharp body, and the soy sauce supplies the salt and dark colour it lacks.

Trade-offFruitier and lighter in colour, without hoisin's fermented depth. It works best where hoisin is used as a dip rather than a cooking sauce.

CookingSaucesRaw / no-cookVeganVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkSoy and usually wheat from the soy sauce. Use tamari if gluten matters, and check the plum sauce for added wheat starch.

Worth knowing

Many hoisin brands also contain sesame, and some Chinese-market versions include peanut. If you are cooking for a nut or sesame allergy, read the specific jar rather than trusting the category.

At a glance

Hoisin sauce in summary

Category	Condiments & sauces
Job in a recipe	Sweetness, salt and spiced depth in a glazing consistency — it lacquers as much as it seasons
Suits	Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free, Egg-free
Swaps available for	Dairy-free Egg-free Nut-free Vegan Vegetarian
Number of substitutes	4

More condiments & sauces

Anchovy paste4 substitutes Capers4 substitutes Dijon mustard4 substitutes Fish sauce4 substitutes Gochujang4 substitutes Harissa4 substitutes

Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.