Gluten Free Korean BBQ Sauce
Bold, smoky, and deeply savory, this Korean BBQ sauce hits every note you want — sweet from brown sugar and honey, tangy from rice vinegar, and fiery from gochujang — all balanced by the nutty finish of sesame oil. The secret to getting that glossy, restaurant-style consistency is the cornstarch slurry whisked in at the end, which thickens the sauce beautifully without any flour or wheat-based thickeners. That's where tamari earns its place here too: it delivers the same rich, umami depth as traditional soy sauce while keeping things completely wheat-free, which is a common sticking point with store-bought Korean-style sauces. Fresh minced garlic and grated ginger give it a brightness that bottled versions just can't match. The whole thing comes together in under 15 minutes on the stovetop, and one batch makes enough to serve eight — so it's perfect for a weekend cookout, meal prep, or keeping a jar in the fridge all week. Drizzle it over grilled meats, toss it with roasted vegetables, or use it as a dipping sauce and watch it disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- ½ cup tamari
- 3 tbsp gochujang
- 3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- ¼ cup water
For the slurry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
For serving
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small saucepan, whisk together the tamari, gochujang, brown sugar, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, and 1/4 cup water until the gochujang and sugar are fully dissolved.
- 2
Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the sauce is fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Watch closely once it begins to bubble, as the sugars can scorch quickly.
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