This easy Korean BBQ Sauce is packed with sweet, savory, smoky, and slightly spicy flavor. Made with simple pantry ingredients in less than 10 minutes, this homemade sauce is perfect as a marinade, glaze, or dipping sauce for chicken, beef, pork, and vegetables.
We love keeping a batch in the fridge for easy weeknight dinners because it adds bold Korean-inspired flavor without needing specialty ingredients.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
We started making this Homemade Sauce because store-bought versions can be expensive and often contain extra preservatives. This version is easy to customize, uses simple ingredients, and tastes amazing on grilled meats and quick weeknight dinners.
- Ready in about 10 minutes
- Made with pantry staple ingredients
- Easy to adjust the spice level
- Great for meal prep and marinades
- Delicious on chicken, beef, pork, and vegetables
- Better flavor than many store-bought sauces
- Family-friendly with customizable heat
We love making Homemade Seasoning Blends for Grilling and Sauce so we can easily control the ingredients. We love having this BBQ Sauce stocked in a fridge with Peach BBQ Sauce, Honey BBQ Sauce, Alabama White BBQ Sauce and Kansas City BBQ Sauce.
What is Korean BBQ Sauce?
This Korean Sauce is also known as Korean cuisine as bulgogi sauce when used for marinating beef. The flavorful blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and sugar is the perfect addition to any meats.
It’s a staple in Korean grilling culture at Korean BBQ Restaurant, giving meats that crave-worthy umami flavor. It is a versatile sauce that my entire family loves. Skip the store bought sauce and make it at home with simple pantry ingredient.
Ingredients
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce – If you prefer a gluten-free variation, make with coconut aminos to add to your dish. You can also use Tamari
- Light Brown Sugar – This adds the perfect amount of sweetness
- Minced Cloves Garlic – You can also use garlic powder
- Rice Wine Vinegar – Substitute with Rice Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
- Toasted Sesame Oil – Adds a touch of nutty warm flavors
- Sriracha Sauce and Red Pepper Flakes – Add a hint of spice to the sauce
- Grated Fresh Ginger – We think fresh ginger taste best
- Cornstarch Slurry – Combine cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce
Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
How to Make Korean BBQ Sauce
Step 1 – In a medium saucepan, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes. Heat over medium heat and bring to a low boil.
Step 2 – In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the cold water.
Step 3 – Whisk this mixture into the boiling soy sauce mixture. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened (approximately 5-6 minutes), stirring often.
Step 4 – Remove from heat, allow to cool and then the sauce is ready to serve and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Simmer the sauce slowly so the sugar does not burn
- Stir frequently while thickening
- Allow the sauce to cool before storing
- Add extra water if the sauce thickens too much
- Double the recipe for meal prep and grilling season
How to Use
We love using this sweet and spicy Korean sauce in many ways.
- Marinade – Use this BBQ Sauce to enhance the flavor for your Grilled Short Ribs or Steakhouse Pork Chops .
- Glaze – Once you have finished grilling Grilled Chicken Drumsticks, Grilled Chicken Wings or Grilled BBQ Chicken Breast brush this sauce over the top with fresh green onions.
- Dipping Sauce – My kids love to dip their Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders and Grilled French Fries into this sauce!
How to Store
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze the sauce in smaller portions for easy meal prep. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
The biggest difference between the two sauces is the flavor profile. Regular American made BBQ Sauce tends to have a tangy, sweet and tomato base flavor. Korean BBQ Sauce is made with a hint of sweetness and spiciness combination.
Take your regular BBQ Sauce to a whole new level of flavor by adding in soy sauce, gochujang which is a chili paste, and rice vinegar.
This sauce has mild heat from the sriracha and red pepper flakes, but you can easily adjust the spice level.
More Easy Homemade Sauce Recipes
This easy sauce is one of our favorite homemade sauces because it is quick, flavorful, and works with so many meals. We love keeping a batch in the fridge for easy dinners and grilling recipes.
If you make this recipe, leave a comment and star rating below. We love hearing how you used the sauce and any fun variations you tried.
Korean BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Soy Sauce
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 3 cloves Garlic minced (or 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic)
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Grated Fresh Ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Cold Water
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Instructions
- In a saucepan, stir together 1 cup soy sauce, ¾ cup light brown sugar, 3 minced garlic cloves or 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.
- Heat over medium heat and bring to a low boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water.
- Whisk this mixture into the boiling soy sauce mixture.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened (approximately 5-6 minutes), stirring often.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool and then the sauce is ready to serve and enjoy!
Loved how delicious this sauce is! The best part is I had all the ingredients!