This 5-minute Korean Pancake Sauce combines savory soy sauce, tangy rice vinegar, and spicy gochujang for the perfect dipping sauce for crispy seafood pancakes. A restaurant-quality sauce that makes any Korean Pancake sing.
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Ready in 5 minutes.
- Keeps for weeks in the fridge.
- Adjustable heat level.
- Perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and umami.
If you need more tasty Asian dipping sauces in your life, check out Potsticker Sauce and Ginger Scallion Sauce and Hibachi Yum Yum Sauce.
Ingredients and Smart Substitutions:
Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:
- Soy sauce - light soy is best.
- Rice vinegar - sub rest lime juice for a citrusy note.
- Gochujang - substitute with chili crisp or sriracha to taste.
- Sesame oil - adds super savory flavor. Don't skip it!
Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Pro Tips
- Warming the sauce enhances flavors before serving.
- Add water to thin, if needed.
- Double recipe for dipping/drizzling over all your favorite rice dishes and veggies.
- Store in glass jar with tight-fitting lid.
Can I make this ahead?
You sure can. This sauce lasts up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Just taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
How spicy is this pancake dipping sauce?
It's on the medium side of mild. Adjust the gochujang (or chili crisp) to suit your taste. If the sauce gets too spicy, add a squeeze of lime juice or more rice wine vinegar, or another pinch of sugar.
I don't have gochujang - now what?
I often make this sauce using chili crisp, but you can also substitute sriracha. For a sweeter sauce, use sweet chili glaze.
Step by step instructions:
Combine sauce ingredients. Heat the sauce in the the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Stir to dissolve sugar and gochujang. Taste and add a bit of water, if needed, to thin the sauce and balance the flavors. Top with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds.
Serve with crispy Korean Seafood Pancakes.
Korean Pancake Sauce
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
Ingredients
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons gochujang chili paste
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of sesame seeds, optional
Water, as needed to balance flavors
Instructions
Combine soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and gochujang in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30-45 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir to ensure sugar and gochujang are dissolved and combined. Taste and add a bit of water, if needed, to thin and balance flavor. Top with a pinch of toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Notes
Storage: Sauce can be kept in an airtight container for 3 weeks refrigerated.
This pancake sauce recipe is easy to double or triple for all your dipping needs.
Serve warm or room temperature.
- Prep Time: 5
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: Korean, Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼
- Calories: 24
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 380.5 mg
- Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.8 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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