Gochujang Substitute

Gochujang is doing four jobs at once — heat, sweetness, salt and fermented depth — which is why no single ingredient replaces it.

What works is a mix, and which mix depends on whether the dish needs body, heat or both.

The closest mix: miso, chilli and sugar

1 tbsp white miso + 1 tsp gochugaru + 1 tsp sugar + a few drops of soy gives you roughly 1 tbsp of gochujang.

This is the best general substitute because miso supplies the one thing chilli paste alone cannot: fermented soybean depth. That depth is most of what makes gochujang taste like gochujang.

Red miso works and is stronger; use a little less. Doenjang works too and is closer in origin, though saltier and more assertive.

If the dish is mostly about heat

For a marinade or a stir-fry where gochujang is one of six things, sriracha plus a little sugar is a fair approximation and takes no preparation.

It is thinner and sharper — more vinegar, more garlic, less body — so reduce any other liquid in the recipe slightly.

Sambal oelek plus sugar and a pinch of salt is the same idea with a cleaner chilli flavour and no garlic. Neither has the stickiness that makes gochujang coat things.

If the dish is mostly about body

For tteokbokki or a braise, where gochujang is also the thickener, tomato paste plus gochugaru plus sugar holds the sauce together in a way thin chilli sauces do not.

Use 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1.5 tsp gochugaru, 1 tsp sugar, and a splash of soy.

It will taste faintly of tomato. That is noticeable in a simple dish and almost invisible in a loaded one.

Where no substitute works

Ssamjang and dipping sauces, where gochujang is eaten more or less raw and is the whole flavour. A mix tastes like a mix.

Bibimbap sauce, for the same reason — it is a four-ingredient sauce and gochujang is three of them.

If gochujang is the point of the dish, it is worth buying a tub rather than approximating. It keeps six months to a year refrigerated once opened, and a tub lasts a long time at a tablespoon a dish.

Common questions

What is the best gochujang substitute?

One tablespoon of white miso with a teaspoon of gochugaru and a teaspoon of sugar, per tablespoon of gochujang. The miso supplies the fermented soybean depth that chilli sauce alone cannot.

Can I use sriracha instead of gochujang?

In a marinade or stir-fry where it is one of several ingredients, yes, with a little sugar. It is thinner, sharper and more vinegary, so cut other liquid slightly.

Is there a gochujang substitute without soy?

Tomato paste with gochugaru and sugar gets the heat, sweetness and body, and can be made soy-free. It tastes faintly of tomato, which shows in a simple dish.

Can I substitute gochujang in bibimbap sauce?

Not really. The sauce is three or four ingredients and gochujang is the main one, so a substitute tastes like a substitute. Buy a tub for dishes where it is eaten raw.