Gluten-Free Gochujang Substitute (Korean Chili Paste)
An easy, homemade gochujang recipe (Korean chili paste) that is healthy, delicious, and the perfect complement to so many dishes! If you’re gluten-free, this authentic gochujang substitute is for you!
Ingredients
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup gochugaru (Korean pepper powder)
- 1/3 cup doenjang paste (fermented Korean soybean paste, look for a gluten free version)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or date syrup
- 2 tbsp rice wine (sake also works)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp rice flour for thickening
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add additional water or rice flour as needed to achieve desired texture. It should be in between a sauce and paste.
Notes
Expert Tips
- If you’d like to, you can play around with the ingredient ratios to achieve the heat level and flavor you like, but remember that this paste is usually used as a base to create sauces by adding even more ingredients!
- The reason good gochujang substitutes are hard to find is that nothing really compares to its sort of “funky flavor.” You can always attempt to use sriracha sauce, Thai chili paste, harissa paste, or cayenne pepper, but none really quite compare to the depth of flavor in gochujang! In a pinch, your best option is sriracha.