The Most Popular Korean Sauces

Korean cuisine makes liberal use of sauces, condiments, pastes and marinades, oftentimes with vibrant umami flavours and that iconic spicy kick. As South Korean food and culture become increasingly popular around the world, some of these sauces are gaining quite a reputation.

If you love Korean food, these sauces are great pantry essentials, adding characteristic taste, aroma and colour to your dishes!

Gochujang

Gochujang is the real star of the show when it comes to traditional Korean cuisine. Made from red chilli peppers, fermented soybeans, glutinous rice and salt, the thick paste combines sweet and spicy flavours for a moreish addition to any dish.

While typically in the form of a paste, you can also get sauce versions to use as drizzles and dipping sauces. It is often used in marinades, stews, stir-fry or Korean BBQ.

Ssamjang

Ssamjang is a dipping sauce made from fermented soybean paste and gochujang, along with a few other flavourful ingredients like sesame oil and garlic. It has a rich umami flavour with sweet and spicy layers.

As the name suggests, the sauce is typically eaten with ssam, a dish where meat and other fillings are wrapped up, usually in a lettuce leaf. Ssamjang can be translated as ‘wrap sauce’.

Doenjang

Often compared to Japanese miso paste, doenjang is made from fermented soybeans. It provides a powerful umami taste that is ideal for soups and stews.

While it is similar to miso, it has a stronger, punchier flavour and generally has a thicker texture. Doenjang is brilliant for adding depth and complexity to a dish. It also serves as the soybean base for ssamjang.

Ganjang

Ganjang is Korea’s favourite type of soy sauce. Like other variations, it is made from fermented soybeans, but because of its unique fermentation process, it has a saltier flavour than Chinese soy sauces. This staple sauce is used to add flavour and umami depth to countless Korean dishes.

Guk-ganjang is a particular type of soy sauce that is used for seasoning soups and stews. Jin-gangjang is less salty and slightly sweet, making it better for use in dipping sauces.

Yangnyeom Sauce

Yangnyeom sauce is the much-loved accompaniment to Korean fried chicken. The sweet, sticky, spicy glaze gives chicken dishes that delightful, moreish quality. It is primarily made from gochujang, honey, soy sauce and garlic, although there are often variations on the recipe.

While it’s very popular with chicken (the name of the sauce refers to the dish it's served with), this kind of sauce also works well with grilled meats or tofu.

Chunjang

This is a paste made from fermented black beans that provides a salty, umami, sweet and slightly earthy flavour profile. It is an essential addition to the beloved noodle dish jajangmyeon, which is one of Korea’s favourite comfort foods.

Chunjang sauce can also be used with topokki, rice or as a dipping sauce.

Gireumjang

Along with gochujang, doenjang and ssamjang, gireumjang is a classic dipping sauce enjoyed with Korean BBQ. It is made from toasted sesame oil and salt, providing a nice fragrance to dishes. Some versions will add black pepper and garlic.

While it's a simple, light sauce, gireumjang can add a lot of depth and vibrancy to a dish, making it a brilliant staple to keep in the cupboard.

Buldak Flavour Sauce

Buldak is a super popular Korean dish consisting of spicy barbequed chicken seasoned with gochujang, gochugara, jocheong soy sauce, garlic and ginger. It is also commonly topped with melted cheese.

Recent years have seen an explosion of buldak-flavoured things that take this fire chicken flavour and run with it. Fiery buldak sauce bottles are great for adding a kick to noodles, stir-fries or dipping sauces.

Samyang is particularly renowned for its range of buldak-inspired products, including instant noodles, topokki, dumplings and ready-made sauces.

If you would like to incorporate some of these sauces into your cooking, browse our Korean supermarket that is full of the essentials and some hidden gems, too.