Gochujang: which one to pick?

Korean chilli paste — pronounced go-choo-jang. Sweeter and milder than sambal, and the base under bibimbap, tteokbokki and Korean marinades.

  • 19 varieties
  • from €0,88 per 100 g
  • 5× halal · 11× vegan
See all 19 gochujang →

What is gochujang?

Gochujang is a fermented paste of red chilli powder, rice or wheat, fermented soybeans and salt. It is thick enough to spoon, and tastes sweet-salty-savoury rather than sharp.

In Korean cooking it is a base paste, the way tomato purée is here: rarely eaten straight, almost always the base of a marinade, stew or dipping sauce. Months of maturing give it its savoury depth. The sweetness comes from somewhere else — nearly every jar is sweetened as well, usually with a rice or corn syrup that sits high in the ingredients list.

Pronunciation · go-choo-jang · Korean · 고추장 · literally “chilli pepper paste”

Is gochujang hot?

Somewhat — but less than you would think, and differently from sambal.

Gochujang is lightly hot with a clear sweet, savoury undertone. Only a small part of the jar is chilli — the rest is rice or wheat, soybean and something sweet — so spoon for spoon it is milder than sambal oelek. Where sambal stings, gochujang fills.

  • Soy sauce
  • Gochujang
  • Sriracha
  • Gochugaru
  • Sambal oelek

Indicative — heat depends on the recipe, above all on how much chilli powder is in the jar. For 8 of our 19 jars we have a level recorded: 7× medium and 1× mild. Where we have nothing recorded, we do not guess.

How do you use gochujang?

Four ways to put the jar to work.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap

A spoonful over rice with vegetables and egg. Mix only at the table, so each layer stays recognisable.

Plain paste

Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki

Rice cakes in a thick, sweet-hot sauce. Sugar and stock turn the paste into a sauce.

Paste or ready-made sauce

Marinade

Marinade

With soy sauce, garlic, pear and sesame oil into a glaze for chicken, pork or aubergine.

Plain paste

Dipping sauce

Dipping sauce

Let down with vinegar and sugar it becomes chogochujang — fresh and thin, for raw vegetables and seafood.

Chogochujang

Which gochujang suits you?

The four questions customers ask us most.

  • Halal certified 5
  • Vegan 11
  • Mildest 1

Our picks

See all 19 →

What is it made from?

Gochujang ferments a grain for its sweetness and depth. Which grain that is shapes the taste — and decides whether there is wheat in the jar.

Brown rice 현미 6 Rice with the bran left on, so the grain itself stays in the taste — rounder and nuttier than a wheat blend. No wheat in the recipe, though the packaging still warns it may contain traces.
Daesang O'Food Red Pepper Paste Gochujang 1kg 1000 g · €8,75 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 200g 200 g · €2,40 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Korean Red Pepper Paste 500g 500 g · €5,40 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste Less Spicy 500g 500 g · €4,65 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 170g 170 g · €2,25 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 500g 500 g · €5,40
Glutinous rice & wheat 찹쌀 + 밀 3 The blend most Korean households reach for. Glutinous rice for body, wheat for the fermentation.
CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 500g 500 g · €4,95 CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 200g 200 g · €2,75 CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 1kg 1000 g · €8,90 Sold out
Other grains 그 외 2 Fermented on rice, or on a wheat-and-rice blend.
CJ Bibigo Gochujang Red Pepper Paste Tube 290g 290 g · €4,55 CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste Tube 290g 290 g · €5,40

Gochujang, chogochujang or a ready-made sauce?

Search engines mix them up; the kitchen does not.

Gochujang 고추장 11 The plain paste — for stews, marinades and cooking.
CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 500g 500 g · €4,95 Daesang O'Food Red Pepper Paste Gochujang 1kg 1000 g · €8,75 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 200g 200 g · €2,40 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Korean Red Pepper Paste 500g 500 g · €5,40 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste Less Spicy 500g 500 g · €4,65 CJ Bibigo Gochujang Red Pepper Paste Tube 290g 290 g · €4,55 CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste Tube 290g 290 g · €5,40 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 170g 170 g · €2,25 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 500g 500 g · €5,40 CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 200g 200 g · €2,75 CJ Haechandeul Gochujang Red Pepper Paste 1kg 1000 g · €8,90 Sold out
Chogochujang 초고추장 2 Let down with vinegar and sugar. A dipping sauce, not a cooking base.
CJ Haechandeul Cho Gochujang Spicy Dipping Sauce 300g 300 g · €4,20 CJ Haechandeul Cho Gochujang Vinegared Red Pepper Sauce 170g 170 g · €2,15
Ready-made sauce 5 Already seasoned for one dish: bibimbap, tteokbokki, bulgogi.
Daesang O'Food Gochujang Tteokbokki Sauce 120g 120 g · €1,80 Daesang O'Food Beef Gochujang Stir-Fry Paste 3 Tubes 180g 180 g · €6,35 Daesang O'Food Gochujang Sauce Halal 300g 300 g · €4,60 Daesang O'Food Bibimbap Sauce 300g 300 g · €3,65 VIVID Gochujang Hot Sauce 260g 260 g · €6,95

Which size do you need?

A level tablespoon is enough for two people, so a jar goes further than it looks. The list below shows how many dishes each size works out to.

  • 170 g 1 product about 9 dishes
  • 200 g 2 products about 11 dishes
  • 290 g 2 products about 16 dishes
  • 500 g 4 products about 27 dishes
  • 1 kg 2 products about 55 dishes

What a jar really costs is the price per 100 g rather than the number on the front, and a sale can change that order at any time.

Storing it

Unopened

Cool, dry and out of direct sunlight, until the date on the packaging.

After opening

In the fridge with the lid closed, and follow the storage advice on the packaging. The colour slowly darkens over time — that is the paste carrying on maturing.

Keeping it clean

Always use a clean, dry spoon and close the jar properly. That lowers the risk of contamination and mould.

Frequently asked questions

Is gochujang the same as sambal?

No. Sambal is fresh or fermented chilli with salt and is mostly sharp. Gochujang is a matured paste with rice and soybeans: thicker, sweeter and more savoury, and considerably less hot.

Can you replace gochujang with sriracha?

For colour yes, for flavour no. Sriracha is thin, sour and garlicky. If you are stuck, mix miso with chilli powder and a little sugar — that comes closer.

Is gochujang vegan?

Usually. Ready-made sauces can contain fish or meat, so there it pays to read the ingredients. We keep a record per jar of what the label says; the packaging itself is the final word.

Which gochujang is halal?

The jars with a certificate from a recognised body. We keep a record of which ones those are; the certificate on the packaging is the final word.

How long does an opened jar keep?

Follow the storage advice and the date on the packaging — that is the maker's instruction, not ours. Keep it cold, keep it closed, always use a clean, dry spoon, and throw the jar away if you see mould or notice an off smell, a swollen lid or any other sign of spoilage.

How much do you use per dish?

Reckon on a level tablespoon for two people in a stew or marinade. Gochujang is salty — taste before you add more soy sauce.

Is gochujang gluten-free?

No — that is not something we can say. Many gochujang recipes use wheat, and jars made on rice instead can still carry a wheat warning on the packaging. In the EU “gluten-free” is a claim with a legal threshold (20 mg/kg in the food as sold) and a measurement behind it, under Regulation 828/2014, and we do not have that measurement. So if you must eat gluten-free, do not rely on this page: always read the label on the packaging. Allergens are listed on every product page.

Ready to choose?

Every variety in one place, with price, size and stock.

To all gochujang →

Allergens and storage advice come from the label on the packaging. Recipes can change — if you have an allergy, always read the label on the product you have at home. The photos under “How do you use gochujang?” are serving suggestions.