Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce

Hoisin (海鲜酱) is a dark Cantonese sauce that’s used for glazing meats, stir-frying, and dipping. It’s not gluten free, but there are now plenty of gluten free hoisin sauces on the market. Below, we’ll explain why the traditional version is not gluten free, and link to the gluten free options. At the bottom of this article, you’ll find gluten free hoisin recipes, if you’d like to try making a simple version at home.

Table of Contents

• Why Isn’t It Gluten Free?
• Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce
• Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipes

Hoisin’s name origin is a bit confusing, because it’s derived from the Chinese words for seafood (海鲜), but it doesn’t actually contain any seafood. Perhaps it did at some point in the past, but nowadays the commercial varieties are always vegan. Another reason it’s called seafood sauce could be due to the idea in Sichuanese cooking of having ‘fish frangrance’. Many things that don’t contain seafood and aren’t even used in seafood dishes are considered to be ‘fish frangrant’ in this style of cooking.

The flavor and look of hoisin is sometimes compared to American barbeque sauce, but it hits slightly different flavor notes. It’s less sweet, saltier, and has a mild spiciness with a rich umami taste. The texture is generally very thick. Hoisin is used in classic Cantonese dishes like char siu pork, moo shu chicken, and bbq spareribs. It’s also used as a dipping sauce for Peking duck and as a condiment for Vietnamese phở.

Why Isn’t It Gluten Free?

Hoisin’s main ingredients are fermented soybeans, garlic, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, spices, wheat flour, and chili. These days, commercial hoisin also includes soy sauce, which contains wheat flour in most cases. Because hoisin is both thickened with wheat flour and contains soy sauce, it’s not gluten free. But thanks to gluten free diets becoming more widespread, there are lots of good gluten free hoisin options. You can also choose to make your own!

Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce

• Wok Mei Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce

• Premier Japan Organic Wheat Free Sauce Hoisin

• San J Sauce Hoisin

• Lee Kum Kee GF Hoisin

• Kikkoman Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce

• Coconut Secret Soy-Free Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce

• Starport Foods Classic Hoisin Sauce - Gluten Free

• Wan Ja Shan Organic GF Hoisin Sauce

• Joyce Chen Hoisin Sauce - Gluten Free, Kosher

Homemade Hoisin Sauce Recipes

• Hoisin from Cooking with Camilla

• Homemade gluten free hoisin from Better Batter

• Homemade hoisin sauce from I Heart Umami

• Homemade hoisin sauce from a Food Centric Life (contains fish)

• Homemade keto hoisin from Noshin and Numnums

• 3 different hoisin sauces from Gluten Free Club