This fermented staple ingredient adds spiciness, color, and sweetness to many Korean dishes. It’s sometimes labeled as “red pepper paste” in English on the package. Most people buy it in a Korean grocery store, but in Korea it was traditionally homemade (my recipe is here). Homemade gochujang has a rich complex flavor that’s much deeper than store-bought.

Keep in the fridge after opening and use within 3 months. The top of the paste may become darker or dry out, but it’s still edible.

gochuchang

gochujang

gochujang

gochujang

hot pepper paste

Recipes that use hot pepper paste (gochujang):

146 Comments:

  1. Laurennn London joined 2/17 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi, I’ve just bought some red pepper paste but it tastes awful, it says brown rice red pepper paste on the package, did I buy the right gochujang or does the others taste the same?

  2. aearthr Singapore joined 1/10 & has 5 comments

    Hi Maangchi! It’s been a while since I posted here. Recently saw there is a vinegared hot pepper paste in bottle form. Is there any difference with the usual one? Can this vinegared version used for bibimbap too? Thanks in advance!


    See full size image

  3. zana joined 8/15 & has 1 comment

    i just want to know that chili paste mean gochujang sauce in bibimbap right ? it is same ? tqvm

  4. Belizecook Belize joined 9/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi presently in Japan, and want to know what i should ask for if i want to buy hot pepper paste…help please//

  5. Aritosa NORWAY joined 6/14 & has 1 comment

    Hello Maangchi! I must say I love your recipes very much^^ I would like to make ddeokbokki but the Asian store in my city only has one type of gochujang, which contains sprite. Is it possible to find gochjang (online) without the ingredient sprite? Also, how do you store gochujang?

    Thanks, and please keep up the lovely videos :)

  6. TheCurlyLady Big apple joined 2/14 & has 1 comment

    Hi I wanted to know if there is any option to get the hot pepper paste -not hot at all?
    I love hot pepper but my man doesn’t .. He can not even tolerate even black pepper .
    I need help!
    And thank you for doing such a great job for all of us :)

  7. Krynauw Otto Pretoria, South Africa joined 9/13 & has 54 comments

    I love the smell of gochujang!!!

  8. danialaswad24 Malaysia joined 10/13 & has 1 comment

    do Red Chili Paste are available in Malaysia ???

  9. Ro Sri lanka joined 6/13 & has 1 comment

    Hi, I’m from Sri Lanka.. someone please let me know is there any way for me to buy these korean food ingredients in Sri Lanka?

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      Hi,
      I found 2 Korean grocery stores in Sri Lanka through Korean website, but I found only their phone numbers. Please call the stores to ask the address please.
      1. K mart: 2507202
      2. IL-Mi Super (일미슈퍼): 5766434

  10. Rempuii Lunglei joined 4/13 & has 1 comment

    hiya,
    i would really like to try making korean dishes..but i dont know where i can find the ingredients like the hot pepper paste here in India..i checked out the list of grocery stores in India,but they’re all located in New Delhi..Do you know where i can find the above in Bangalore??…would really appreciate it!!

  11. twerpy cleveland, oh joined 11/11 & has 2 comments

    Hi!

    I recently found out that I am allergic to wheat, and my soybean paste and gochujang all have wheat flour in them :((. Do you know of any paste brands that don’t use wheat flour?

    I love all your recipes, and want to be able to continue to eat delicious Korean food!

    Thanks in advance!!!

  12. manda indonesia joined 10/12 & has 1 comment

    Hi..

    can i use this red pepper paste to make kimchi?
    thx

  13. twolonew USA joined 2/12 & has 2 comments

    Hi Maangchi, Which brand is your favorite or would you recommend? Thank you!

    • Maangchi New York City joined 8/08 & has 12,045 comments

      I don’t have any particular brand that I prefer for hot pepper paste. All brands sold at a Korean grocery store are good. During my Gapshida trip, me and my meetup organizers went to a local grocery store to buy gochujang. No matter which brand I used, in any country, all the dishes turned out great.

  14. Hisoka Malaysia joined 11/11 & has 2 comments

    gosh, if in this case the one that i have is inedible!
    my cousin’s ex-housemate was a Korean gal and she left a box of gochujang in the refrigerato. my cousin dunno how to use and she gives it to me, but when i open, it’s black color!!!

  15. Is there any way I can make my own gochujang?

  16. katytan philippines joined 11/11 & has 1 comment

    i had a tub of expired gochujang but it wasnt opened yet, expiration date was aug 19, 2011, can i still use it or should i throw it away…i really like to make the ddeobokki and it need this paste and there is no store here that i can buy the gochujang. What is the color of unexpired gochujang, is it same with hoisin sauce and it seems like it taste the same???

  17. coco Ohio joined 11/11 & has 1 comment

    Hi Maangchi,
    I went to a korean restaurant recently and I ordered bibimbap. They served this with hot sauce and I loved it. I know the hot sauce was made with hot pepper paste, but I’m pretty sure there was something else in it too. Could you please give me the recipe for this korean hot sauce.
    Thanks,
    CoCo:)

  18. Pesandy Texas joined 9/11 & has 2 comments

    Thank you so much for posting these pictures.
    I was looking for the hot pepper paste in the Asian Market by my house, and I used these pictures as a reference, but I couldn’t find it. Then I realized they sold it in a small bottle (similar to ketchup), and in fine print it said Hot Pepper Paste. So if you guys can’t find i right away, or the workers don’t know where or what it is, don’t give up hope!

    I don’t know how all stores shelf their products but our store had the hot pepper paste next to the soy sauces.

  19. JamieF New Zealand joined 1/11 & has 120 comments

    When I was in Korea I visited Seoil farms – they make all their own gochujang and doenjang in huge onggi in the traditional way. They store it for years and sell it in miniature onggi for the public (I bought some to take home to NZ). The taste is incredible – it has a depth of flavor you just can’t find in store bought gochujang – it was almost a fruity flavor. If you visit Korea I definitely recommend trying it.

  20. trisha singapore joined 8/11 & has 1 comment

    the one i bought taste like ketchup. is it suppose to be be that way?! i was a little disappointed =(

  21. fairygothmom Glen Cove, NY joined 1/11 & has 8 comments

    I bought the one in the first picture but it tasted like ketchup and wasn’t spicy at all for me. So how do the others rate in terms of heat and flavor? Yes, I could buy each to try until I find one I like, but my family’s finances are a bit tight for that.

  22. Does the pepper paste, black bean paste, and soy paste ever expire in the fridge?

  23. shaoen01 joined 6/10 & has 11 comments

    Is it possible to just use the Korean chilli powder instead of Chilli paste in some of your dishes? Would it still taste as good?

  24. Hi! Is it possible for you to post up the translated list of ingredients in the Gochujang? I found it & wanted to buy it at the local korean grocery mart but the ingredient list was in korean. Was wondering if gochujang contains alchohol or any ingredients of animal origin?

    • Epicurean Adventure Minneapolis, MN joined 8/10 & has 30 comments

      Gochujang is vegan (No animal products) and alcohol free.
      The grocery store I go to has English ingredient labels stuck onto all the packages, so I can tell you what’s in it:

      Wheat flour
      Corn Syrup
      Red Pepper Powder
      Salt
      Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
      Glutinous (sweet) rice
      Sugar
      Rice Flour

      If you’re worried about MSG, you can probably try to look online for gochujang that doesn’t have it and order it, but it’s hard to find in stores.

      • mina denmark joined 7/09 & has 16 comments

        unfortunately, i found out today that not all gochujang brands are vegan. my mother gave me one specially packaged for korean air and i noticed the ingredients were in english and included dried pollack extract and mixed seafood extract powder. so if you are a strict vegan, ask someone to be sure.

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