Doenjang Sauce

Put some funk into your dance moves with this sweet, sticky, mild, umami-packed sauce. Get your groove on with Doenjang Sauce!

Doenjang is a strong, funky, umami-explosion of flavor. It is a fermented soy ingredient from Korea that has become a staple in my household. It is like miso, only on steroids, with a much more pronounced fermented taste. "Funky", for folks really into fermentation, means that the flavors caused by the fermentation are more pronounced. And frankly, that is a good thing!

It is a milder sauce than Gochujang Sauce for those who aren't into a spicy kick.

This sauce is so good and be used in a variety of dishes, Korean or otherwise. It is an excellent sauce for serving over Mung Bean Pancakes or Bibimbap. It would be excellent with Pan Seared Tempeh with Kimchi and Avocado. Try it over a Simple Tofu Scramble. The possibilities are endless.

Also check out our other Korean-inspired sauces such as Yak Gochujang Sauce, Gochujang Sauce, and Korean BBQ Sauce!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Related
• Pairing
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

• Doenjang paste
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Sesame oil
• Date syrup
• Rice vinegar

See recipe card for quantities.

Doenjang paste is a fermented soybean product from Korea that has a much stronger and more complex taste when compared with miso. Both are giving the sauce umami, so you really want to use one or the other. Sempio has a vegan doenjang. You can find it online or possibly at a local Asian Market, I bought mine at my local H Mart.

The ginger gives the sauce a pungent bite.

Sesame oil gives a nutty body to the sauce.

Rice vinegar gives a touch of acidity.

The date syrup gives a bit of sweetness with some depth and complexity.

Do I really need to give a reason for the garlic?!

Instructions

Substitutions

Other sweeteners can be used, I just like the flavor of the date syrup. Even dry ones like coconut sugar would work well.

You could replace the doenjang with miso. The flavor profile will be much more mild, but still tasty. If you use miso, consider using red miso.

Variations

Doenjang Sauce, as given in this recipe, is totally mild on the spiciness scale. To kick it up a notch or twelve, add gochugaru flakes for some Korean heat, or consider hot pepper flakes or cayenne.

Yak Gochujang is a variation of Gochuang Sauce that has ingredients like mushrooms or seitan added and is then fried. It is so good and gives the sauce some heft! You could add the mushrooms or other ingredients to Doenjang Sauce and fry it as well!

Equipment

• A bowl that can hold more than 2 cups
• A silicon spatula
• 1 set of measuring spoons
• 1 measuring cup

Storage

The Doenjang Sauce will stay good in the fridge for a week or longer. It can be frozen for up to a month.

Related

Looking for other Korean inspired recipes like Doenjang Sauce? Try these:

Looking for more sauce recipes? Check these out!

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Doenjang Sauce:

Recipe