Don’t confuse hoisin sauce with fish sauce or oyster sauce.
Most hoisin sauce is vegan, while fish sauce is of course not vegan.
Here’s what to look for when buying hoisin sauce.
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Hoisin Sauce Ingredients
Hoisin sauce is typically made with soybeans and a collection of spices.
This may include:
- Chili – Always plant-based.
- Salt – Always vegan.
- Garlic – Always vegan.
- Vinegar – Always vegan.
- Xanthan Gum – Made by fermenting glucose and sucrose (sugars), vegan-friendly.
- Artificial colors (sometimes) – Controversial among some vegans, more on this below.
- Caramel color – Made by heating some sort of simple sugar (caramel color is usually vegan).
I’ve yet to come across a hoisin sauce with a clear animal product in it, but let me know if you have.
You might notice that some hoisin sauces are labelled “vegetarian” while some aren’t, particularly in Asian countries.
It has to do with garlic and onion not being suitable for strict vegetarian Buddhists. Don’t be concerned by it, you can get either kind as a vegan and be fine.
While you should double-check the ingredients list of any particular hoisin sauces you buy, it’s rare to find any that have animal products in them.
Artificial Colors in Hoisin Sauces
The only potential issue is that some hoisin sauces contain artificial colors like Red #40, Yellow #5, etc.
Many vegans don’t eat artificial colors because of animal testing that surrounds them.
Keep an eye out for them on the ingredients label if you’d like to avoid them.
Vegan Hoisin Sauce Brands
Here’s a quick look at potential non-vegan ingredients in some of the most popular brands.
| Brand | Potential Non-Vegan Ingredient(s) |
|---|---|
| Wok Mei All Natural Hoisin Sauce | Caramel Color |
| Kikkoman Hoisin Sauce | Caramel Color |
| Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce | Caramel Color, Red 40 |
As I said before, caramel color is almost always vegan, it’s just not a 100% sure type of thing. If you’re really concerned, contact customer service for whatever brand you’re interested in.
Otherwise, it just depends on whether or not you want to avoid artificial colors. The more “natural” and authentic recipes don’t usually contain them.
Not all packaged hoisin sauce is vegan. Some contain Yellow 5 and Red 40, both potentially cancer causing and both derived from animals. Check the ingredients before purchasing and using the sauce. If you are vegan, and if hoisin sauce is used in food you are ordering, ask the staff if the sauce contains food coloring. If the staff is too lazy to check, does not know, or are guessing, consider it to have food coloring and do not let theme add ito to your meal. If they cannot tell you all the ingredients in that hoisin sauce, chances are that sauce is not vegan. Stay awake.
Neither Yellow 5 or Red 40 are derived from animals, they are both made of synthetic materials (hence it’s an “artificial color”, and not a “natural” one).