This Korean BBQ Sauce is made with simple ingredients, ready in less than 10 minutes and packed with flavor! Use it as a marinade or glaze to add sweet, smoky, and salty flavors to your favorite grilled meats.

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My entire family loves this Homemade Korean Sauce! The combination of the salty, tangy, savory and lightly flavors makes this sticky delicious perfect for a marinade, drizzled over Blackstone Chicken Stir Fry, lettuce wraps or as a dipping sauce.
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 and Kansas City BBQ Sauce.
What's in this post: Korean 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!
Recipe Tips
- Spicy Level – Taste test the BBQ sauce and add in more red pepper flakes and Sriracha sauce based on the spiciness level that you prefer.
- Sauce Consistency – This sauce will be thick and will thicken as it cools. If you want the sauce to be thinner, slowly add in more water until the sauce is the consistency that you prefer.
How to Use Korean BBQ Sauce
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!

Frequently Asked Questions
The biggest difference between regular BBQ Sauce and Korean BBQ Sauce 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.
Refrigerate in an airtight glass container and the Korean BBQ sauce should keep for up to 2 weeks.

More Easy Homemade Sauce Recipes
Best Grilled Sides
Yum Yum Sauce
Grilled Pork
Sauces for Pork Chops
Homemade Seasoning Blends for Grilling
Smash Burger Sauce
If you make Korean BBQ Sauce Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review. We love to hear from you.

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
Instructions
- 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.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the 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!