Name: Chinese BBQ Sauce (Char Siu Sauce)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 tbsp Hoisin Sauce; 4 tbsp Brown Sugar; 2 tbsp Ginger And Garlic Paste; 2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine; 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce; 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce; 1 tbsp Fermented Bean Curd (Or Red Food Colouring); 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice; 1 tsp Salt

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Homemade Chinese BBQ Sauce

This char siu sauce is easy to make and comes together in just 5 minutes. The taste is soo good and it’s very versatile too; I’ll show you how I make it below!

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5 from 3 votes

Char siu marinated in Chinese bbq sauce has always been my favourite takeaway meal… EVER! The sauce is sweet, sticky, salty and just finger-licking good.

It’s flavoured with Asian-inspired ingredients like garlic, ginger, Chinese 5 spice and light soy sauce, and trust me, I think this beats any standard BBQ sauce hands down!

This sauce alone is the base to so many delicious dishes, and not only is it great as a dipping sauce, but it’s also perfect for marinades and glazes too.

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

Use it as a marinade for roasted meats or a glaze over crispy chicken
This sauce stays fresh for up to a week
This recipe tastes just like the takeaway!
You don’t need to simmer this sauce, simply mix all the ingredients together

Char Siu Sauce (& How I Use It)

Char Siu sauce (also called Chinese barbecue sauce), is a popular Cantonese sauce used to make char siu (barbecued pork). It tastes sweet, salty, has umami notes and has a little hint of spice from the ginger and garlic.

I usually make this sauce when I’m making char siu pork, and any leftovers of the pork I use to make char siu fried rice or this char siu chow mein. But I also like to use it as a marinade, glaze and as a dipping sauce for spring rolls or sesame prawn toast. Oh, and I can’t forget that I use it to make these tasty Chinese spare ribs too!

Chinese BBQ Sauce Recipe Ingredients

Below are the ingredients I used to make this recipe:

Ginger And Garlic Paste: I like to use ginger and garlic paste, but you can also mince fresh garlic cloves and root ginger yourself. Alternatively, cut the ginger and garlic finely if you want chunks in your sauce.
Hoisin Sauce: There are two types of hoisin sauce that you can get, hoisin sauce and sweet hoisin sauce. I like to use standard hoisin sauce (which is already slightly sweet), if you’re using sweet hoisin sauce, then you may want to omit adding sugar.
Oyster Sauce: A dark brown sauce made from a mixture of oyster extract, sugar, salt, cornstarch and water.
Shaoxing Wine: Adds a delicious flavour, if you don’t have this then you can use dry sherry or mirin.
Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar is best to aid a tasty caramelised flavour and appearance. You can use light-brown sugar or honey as an alternative.
Light Soy Sauce: Light soy sauce is best to use but you can also use dark soy sauce too.
Fermented Bean Curd or Red Food Colouring: To get that pink colour (when making char siu) Chinese takeaway shops use red food colouring, but more traditional recipes use fermented bean curd. If you don’t have fermented bean curd, then you can use red food colouring.
Chinese 5 Spice: Adding this is a must! It gives the char siu sauce its distinctive flavour. Check out my post on the best Chinese 5 Spice Alternatives.
Salt: Add salt to suit your personal preference; I add a teaspoon.

How To Make Char Siu Sauce (Chinese BBQ Sauce)

Here’s a summary of how I make Chinese takeaway bbq sauce. You can get the full recipe instructions on the recipe card below:

Step One:

I pour all the Chinese barbecue sauce ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix it thoroughly until the brown sugar has dissolved into the mixture. Just like that, the sauce is ready to use as a marinade or glaze.

Step Two:

Optional: I like to simmer the sauce in a pan over a low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Once the sauce has thickened, I remove it from the heat and allow the mixture to cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. This cooked sauce can be used as a dipping sauce or to coat meats.

My Top Tips

If you plan on using this sauce as a dipping sauce, then I recommend you cook the sauce by simmering it in a pan over a low to medium heat for a few minutes. This helps to cook the raw ginger and garlic added to the sauce ingredients. Plus, cooking the sauce helps to intensify the flavour.

Creating the perfect balance of sweet and savoury is key when making Chinese bbq sauce, once you mix the ingredients together, have a taste and add more sugar or savoury sauces to get the perfect balance for you. I like it how it is, but you may want to add more or less of a particular ingredient.

Traditional char siu sauce has a deep red colour due to the use of red fermented bean curd. If you want to achieve a bright red colour, add red food colouring (red food colouring does not affect the taste). I use a combination of fermented bean curd and red food colouring when I want a vibrant red colour when making char siu.

Recipe Variations

If you prefer a spicier char siu sauce, add a dash of chili flakes, sriracha sauce, or even a minced chilli pepper to add heat.

If you don’t have shaoxing wine, sherry or similar alternatives, you can use orange juice or peach juice instead, they also are alcohol-free alternatives.

Instead of fermented bean curd you can use red food colouring, a further option is to use red yeast powder.

How To Store & Freeze Chinese BBQ Sauce

I store the sauce in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to one week. If you want to keep the sauce for later, then you can freeze it.

To freeze, keep the sauce in a freezer-safe and airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply defrost in the fridge when you’re ready to use it.

How To Serve

When I’m making this recipe as a dipping sauce, alongside spring rolls, I like to make crispy panko chicken or this salt and chilli chicken to go with it.

You can also serve this dish with battered Prawn Balls, Chinese pork balls or Chinese Chicken Balls – YUM!! I think it’s a nice change from serving it with the usual sweet and sour sauce.

Last but certainly not least, I like to dip salt and pepper chips into this sauce, I tried this once and I’ve never gone back, the flavour combo is so good.

More Sauce Recipes

Below are more tasty sauce recipes that I think you’ll like. They’re all good but I particularly recommend the katsu curry sauce: