You’ll find yourself craving this easy gochujang-style Korean chili paste over and over again. It’s at once spicy, sweet, salty, and bursting with umami!

a jar of gochujang-style paste topped with a sprinkling of chili flakes with a spoon in it

Before we begin… what in the world is gochujang?

Ah, gochujang. With Korean cuisine all the rage these days, I’m sure you have heard of this spicy chili paste. If not, here is an explanation, courtesy of Bon Appetit:

“Gochujang, a fundamental ingredient in Korean cooking, is a thick and spicy-sweet crimson paste made from red chile pepper flakes, glutinous rice (also known as sticky rice), fermented soybeans, and salt. Traditionally, it’s fermented over years in an earthenware pot kept outdoors, during which time the starches in the glutinous rice are converted to sugars, giving the condiment its underlying sweetness. The chile peppers provide a healthy amount of lingering heat, while the fermented soybeans act as the miso-like ingredient that anchors gochujang’s “umami” flavor.”

Since first enjoying a dish made with gochujang at Pure Kitchen, I have been wanting to make my own gochujang-style Korean chili paste at home, though not one that is fermented over a period of several years. Nah, my love of gochujang runs too deep to wait that long for its salty-spicy-sweet-umami deliciousness.

I consulted the internet for recipe inspiration here, and actually worked off of this recipe to create my own inspired version. I simplified the recipe by using regular chili flakes instead of Korean chili flakes, and added tomato paste for volume, texture, and red colour.

an overhead shot of the gochujang style paste, an inspired version that is quicker and easier than traditional gochujang.

To be fair, my recipe is not a true gochujang, given the untraditional ingredients and method, but for me and my small group of taste testers, it hits in all the right places and is supremely addictive!

how to make this gochujang-style Korean chili paste:

Add rice vinegar, chickpea miso, maple syrup, tomato paste, tamari, garlic, chili flakes, garlic, and water to an upright blender and blend until smooth! That’s all there is to it. 🙂

an overhead shot of all of the ingredients--rice vinegar, chickpea miso, maple syrup, tomato paste, tamari, garlic, water, garlic, and chili paste-- in the jar of a blender before blending.

Stay tuned for my next recipe, which integrates this crispy tofu with this gochujang-style Korean chili paste!

If you make this recipe, leave a comment and rating below to let everyone know how you liked it, and share a photo to Instagram with @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen, too!

Enjoy!