• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to footer-bottom navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kimchimari

Authentic Korean recipes even YOU can cook!

Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
POPULAR: our 10 takeout favorites
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube

Authentic Korean Recipes Anyone Can Cook

  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Alphabet
    • Latest on the Blog
  • Ingredients
    • Korean Ingredient Glossary
    • Pantry Essentials
    • Pantry – Beyond Essentials
    • Korean Ingredients in Depth
  • How To
    • Cooking Basics + Tips
    • Buy + Use
    • Meal Plan
    • Make from scratch
    • Korean Veg Garden
  • Travel
  • Videos
    • Video Recipes
    • Web Stories
  • About
    • About Me
    • Press Interviews and Mentions
  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Shop
  • Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
Home Condiments and Sauces

How to make Gochujang at home!

df vg
Posted:2/13/2016220 Comments
Recipe Print
My Homemade Gochujang 2017!
Korean Gochujang in glazed clay vessel (hangari/onggi)
Korean Gochujang in glazed clay vessel (hangari/onggi) – After 2 days –

If you asked me 5 years ago, whether I make my own Gochujang, my response would have been something like – “No…..I don’t do that…that’s too much work.. oh, only our mothers did that.”

But here we are, in my 6th year of blogging; I have already attended two Gochujang making classes (in Korea last February) so that I could make it at home this year. During my recent stay in Korea, I got to taste some great homemade gochujang and deonjang and I realized store bought gochujang and homemade gochujang is just not the same. In addition, I have also discovered that not all gochujang sold at stores are the same.

KNOW what’s in your Gochujang!

Did you know that often a not-so-good gochujang has corn syrup, starch syrup and even hydrolyzed vegetable protein as part of their ingredients??? A respectable gochujang should only have chili pepper powder (gochukaru), fermented soy bean powder (mejukaru), sweet rice/rice/brown rice/barley/wheat flour, rice syrup, malt barley syrup or powder and salt.

And even if it has corn syrup, at least don’t buy one that has corn syrup as it’s first ingredient. I mean..imagine.. how much corn syrup that is!! Sometimes some alcohol is added to stop the fermentation process but that’s it. So please select your gochujang carefully.

In Korea, there are many great quality gochujang in the market but sadly almost none of them are sold in the US… or outside of Korea.

You can make Gochujang only at certain times of the year!

Gochujang is typically made in the colder winter months between the end of November to February in Korea. It is because the 4~6 month fermentation needs to occur in FULL SUN but BEFORE the very hot and rainy summer starts in Korea. For California, I thought February would be a great time since by then hopefully rain is getting lighter and there are more sunny days. So when I was getting ready to move back to the US in 2014, I bought and shipped Korean gochukaru (고추가루 red chili powder), mejukaru (메주가루 fermented soybean powder) and cheonilyeom (천일염 solar sea salt) via sea with our moving stuff so I could make it in CA. And most importantly, I also purchased a Korean hangari/onggi vessel where I could ferment the gochujang in. This particular vessel was made by one of the few remaining Korean artisans who is deemed by the government to be part of Korean’s national heritage.

Korean Glazed Onggi or Hangari pot for fermentation of gochujang
Korean Glazed Onggi or Hangari pot for fermentation of gochujang

I had hoped to make it last Spring but because our shipment got stuck at sea for 3 months – due to some labor strike at the LA ports – when we got everything it was already too warm.

BTW, My husband just shook his head when I told him I had shipped these things last year so I could make gochujang this year, he said “you are just a little crazy.. ;)” HAHA…AM I?? Maybe.. I mean, I guess I have to be a little crazy about Korean food and about blogging to be doing this for over 5 years!?! Right??? 🙂 😉

Invite a friend to your Gochujang making party!!

Whenever you are planning to cook something that takes many hours, I always say – Invite a friend! That way you have company during the wait times and you have another set of hands which is especially handy for a blogger who sometimes wishes she had 3 hands!! And in my particular case, I also had another brain with great wisdom and tips when I needed it!!

For my gochujang making day, I invited my friend Judith. Since the very beginning of my blog, Judith has been my #1 follower with always the most wonderful comments and questions. Over the years we started conversing through emails and when we found out that we both live in the SF Bay area, we had to meet. And we have become total foodie friends since then. BTW, I will write more on another post about our first meetings.

But going back to gochujang, I am so happy that she joined me for the day – I mean I never thought I would meet someone who was as excited as me about making the very uniquely aromatic but amazing gochujang at home.

Difference between fine and coarse gochugaru (Korean red chili powder):

I meant to write about this long ago but well, better late than never!

  • Coarse Korean red chili powder (Gulkeun Gochugaru 굵은 고추가루) is what is used the most in Korean cooking these days and over 90% of Gochugaru sold at markets are probably coarse. Traditionally coarse red chili powder was used in making all kinds of Kimchi except for water Kimchi (mul kimchi 물김치). Coarse gochugaru gives you brighter red color, gives you a more clean flavor with even a bit of a zing. It is also used to make jjigae, guk and namul.
  • Fine Korean red chili powder (Goun Gochugaru 고운 고추가루) is definitely needed in making gochujang and then for mul kimchi. Also used to make refined sauces and sometimes used for moosaengche when you don’t want to see the little chili flakes. Fine gochugaru produces less clean almost kind of a muddy taste and thus not usually used for fresh vegetables. But for stews and soups that is what you may want.

Traditional Korean chefs use a combination of both fine and coarse in jjigae and soups but if you are not a serious cook or if you are not making gochujang or mul kimchi, chances are you probably won’t need the fine gochukaru. Buy fine gochukaru ONLY if you are going to make gochujang or if you want to make pretty sauces.

GLUTEN-FREE GOCHUJANG without Malt Barley powder

Easy Homemade Gochujang Recipe
Easy Homemade Gochujang Recipe

If you need to be gluten-free and don’t want to use the malt barley (Yeotgireum Garu) or if you can’t buy malt barley powder, you may want to use my Easy Homemade Gochujang Recipe which doesn’t use malt barley but just rice syrup (Jocheong 조청).

Where can I buy ingredients online?

You can buy all the ingredients below except for the Yeotkireum Garu from my store HERE. And look under the Gochujang Ingredients list.

Traditional Homemade Gochujang Recipe

Makes: 4 quarts               Prep Time: 6 hrs     Cook Time: 6 hrs           Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

See Recipe Card below for scalable ingredients —

Will also need

  • 1 Korean gochujang hangari (항아리)/onggi (옹기) = glazed clay vessel or pot that can hold liquid but is porous for it to breathe
  • 2 large bowls (5 quart or bigger)
  • fine sieve or medium grade (#50) cheese cloth
  • 1 large pot (5 quart or larger)
  • 1 fine mosquito net or fine mesh fabric to cover top of gochujang pot
  • 1 string to tie mesh fabric
  • coals, sesame seeds, metal bowl (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions on How to make Gochujang at home

  1. 1-2 DAYS BEFORE: Sterilize your ghochujang hangari or onggi (Korean glazed clay vessels aka earthenware for fermentation) by pouring hot boiling water inside and out and drying them. OR you can use coals that have turned into white embers by putting them in a metal bowl and turning over the hangari on top so that the hangari gets filled with HOT smoke which will also sterilize the pot. I used both methods just to be sure. Here is a picture of how it was done:
Tools for sterilizing korean hangari or onggi (glazed clay vessel) for making gochujang
Tools needed for sterilizing korean hangari or onggi (glazed clay vessel) for making gochujang: tongs, metal bowl, coals and sesame seeds(optional) for extra smoky flavor!
Hot coals with sesame seeds for sterilizing gochujang hangari
Hot coals with sesame seeds for sterilizing gochujang hangari
Gochujang hangari upside down with coal inside
Gochujang hangari upside down with hot coals inside

The hangari will smell very smoky at first, but it will go away as you air it for a day or two. It is also the intention to have a little bit of sesame seed smoky flavor. If you don’t want this, just use hot water.

  • THE NIGHT BEFORE: Soak malt barley (all 750 g of it!) in 5 litre of cold water for 5 hrs or more.
  • THE NIGHT BEFORE: Soak sweet rice in water for 3-4 hrs or more.
  • ON THE DAY OF: Strain soaked sweet rice through a colander and remove all excess water. Let water drain for 5 min. Grind sweet rice with a blender or chopper as fine as you can make it. Set aside. Alternatively I think you can buy ready made sweet rice powder and use that instead.
  • Massage malt barley with your hands, by getting a handful and squeezing them in the water. Repeat many times throughout the malt mixture.
  • Strain malt barley through a fine sieve or medium grade cheesecloth to just get the liquid and some fine white sediments. We just don’t want any little bits of husks. I used my Williams-Sonoma towel and it was perfect! *** Dampen cloth/towel by wetting it with water and wringing out before to speed up straining.
    Malt barley (yeotkireum) in cheese cloth in a bowl

    Malt barley (yeotkireum) in cheesecloth

  • Straining malt barley through cheese cloth
    Judith straining malt barley through cheesecloth – so nice to have another set of hands so I can take a picture of it!!
    Strained Malt Barley liquid in stainless steel bowl

    Malt Barley liquid strained using cheesecloth

  • Add sweet rice powder to strained liquid from 7.
  • Leave mixture in the oven with a temperature of about 60°C (140°F) for 5 hrs. Stir a couple times during the 5 hrs if you can. I ended up not being able to since Judith and I went out to lunch and it turned out fine… 🙂
  • Malt Barley (YeotKireum) liquid in warm temp changes starch into sugar
    Malt Barley (YeotKireum) liquid in warm temp changes starch into sugar and is cloudy when stirred
  • Remove malt barley + sweet rice mixture from oven and cook on stove top. About medium high -> medium heat until liquid has reduced by about 20%. Stir often to prevent any burning and lumps. Let it cool.
  • Malt barley liquid with sweet rice powder - fermented and reduced for gochujang base
    Malt barley liquid with sweet rice powder – fermented and reduced for gochujang base
  • Once liquid is cooled, add fine gochugaru, mejugaru and sea salt.
  • Fine Gochukaru and Mejukaru for gochujang
    Fine Gochugaru and Mejukaru for gochujang

    It made me happy just looking at them, smelling the beautiful and familiar smells – the spicy gochukaru tickling my nose and then the very endearingly stinky deonjang smell from the mejukaru taking me back to my childhood..to the days when moms made everything at home.

    Korean gochujang in the making - gochukaru, mejukaru and sea salt added to fermented malt barley liquid
    Korean gochujang in the making – gochukaru, mejukaru and sea salt added to fermented malt barley liquid
  • Finally add rice syrup (jocheong 조청) – add more or less to your taste.
  • Mix everything well, you won’t need to go the gym today (at least for your arms anyway).  Wow.. My arms are kind of sore from mixing!! Make sure everything is all mixed thoroughly. It is OK if you see little granules of sea salt because they will dissolve eventually. Your gochujang mixture should look something like this –
  • Freshly made gochujang ready for 6 month fermentation - close up
    Freshly made gochujang ready for 6 month fermentation – close up
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the bowl overnight. Taste it next day and it should taste pretty good already. Add more syrup or salt to your taste. Mix everything well one last time.
  • Transfer gochujang into the prepared, sanitized clay pot (hangari 항아리). Wipe the top and side edges clean. Sprinkle top with sea salt to help keep any bad bacteria from growing on the surface.
  • Home made gochujang ready for 6 month fermentation in full sun!!
    Home made gochujang ready for 6 month fermentation in full sun!!
  • Leave in full sun for 6 months. The sun helps to kill any fungus from forming on top. Cover the top with a fine mosquito net or mesh that will keep the bugs away but let the sun in. Tie the net with a string so it stays put. For me, I was lucky enough to buy a glass lid for my onngi/hangari (clay jar) in Korea that lets the sun in, keeps the rain out and allows air to circulate through meshed sides. A great invention!
  • Gochujang in clay pot with glass top
    Gochujang in clay pot (onggi) with glass top

    And I hope to share with you how my gochujang turns out under the California sun in the next 6 months.

    Gochujang is all made and ready for 6 month fermentation!
    Gochujang is all made and ready for 6 month fermentation!

    The salt crystals are like little diamonds~~ love love love..♥♥♥

    Well, I know this is probably not something you can make easily and you need various special ingredients and vessels but I thought I would share it with you so that at least you get to experience and know what is involved in making the amazing gochujang the traditional and authentic way.

    • You can also buy Korean Traditional Earthenware for fermentation on Amazon.com. The size is not very big so you may need more than one but it should work. I have selected a few below.
    • If you REALLY want to buy the Korean Hangari/Onggi in the US, try visiting a larger Korean grocery market or I do have one online HERE in my Amazon shop.

    Have a great weekend and Happy Valentine’s!!

    Here’s my new Video on how to make Gochujang at home!

    How to make Gochujang at home

    JinJoo

    Follow along on social for more Korean recipe inspiration!
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    My Newsletter
    Print
    4.85 from 44 votes
    gochujang in korean clay jar on grass

    How to make Gochujang at home

    How to make gochujang at home the traditional and authentic way. It is a lot of work but will be nothing like the ones you buy at the stores. Makes about 1 gallon (4 quarts).
    Prep: 6 hours hours
    Cook: 6 hours hours
    Total Time: 12 hours hours
    serves: 4 quarts

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 kg Fine Red Chili powder (Goun Gochukaru 고운 고추가루) (1.5kg = 3.3 lb)
    • 500 g Fermented Soy Bean powder (Meju Karu 메주가루) (500g = 1.1 lb)
    • 1 kg Sweet Rice powder (Chapsal Karu 찹쌀가루) (1 kg = 2.2 lb)
    • 750 g Milled Malt Barley (Yeotkireum Karu 엿기름가루) (750g = 1.65 lb)
    • 750 g Sea Salt with bittern removed (Cheonilyeom 천일염) (750g = 1.65 lb)
    • 1 kg Rice Syrup (Jocheong 조청) (1 kg = 2.2 lb)
    • 5 L water (5 litre = 5.2 quart)
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • THE NIGHT BEFORE: Soak malt barley (all 750 g of it!) in 5 litre of cold water for 5 hrs or more.
    • THE NIGHT BEFORE: Soak sweet rice in water for 3-4 hrs or more.
    • NEXT MORNING: Strain soaked sweet rice through a colander and remove all excess water.
    • Grind sweet rice with a blender or chopper as fine as you can make it. Set aside.
    • Strain malt barley through a fine sieve or medium grade cheese cloth to just get the liquid and some fine white sediments. Discard the malt barley.
    • Add sweet rice powder to strained liquid from above.
    • Leave mixture in the oven with a temperature of about 60°C (140°F) for 5 hrs.
    • Remove malt barley + sweet rice mixture from oven and cook on stove top.
    • Start at medium high -> medium heat until liquid has reduced by about 20%. Let it cool.
    • Once liquid is cooled, add fine gochukaru, meju karu and sea salt.
    • Add rice syrup (jocheong 조청) – add more or less to your taste.
    • Mix everything well.
    • Transfer gochujang into the prepared, sanitized clay pot (hangari 항아리).
    • Sprinkle top with handful of sea salt.
    • Leave in full sun for 6 months.

    Tips & Notes:

    The sun helps to kill any fungus from forming on top. Cover the top with a fine mosquito net or mesh that will keep the bugs away but let the sun in. Tie the net with a string so it stays put. Cover with a lid when it rains and at night time to keep moisture out.
    Please check out my blog post for more details on how to sterilize the pot 1-2 days before.
    Author: JinJoo Lee
    Course:Main Course
    Cuisine:Korean
    Keyword:chili paste, fermentation, korean chili paste
    KoreanCategory:Yangnyeom (양념)
    Did You Make This?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @Kimchimari or #kimchimari and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below!

    Similar Recipes

    • Fully fermented home made gochujang in jar
      My home made Gochujang fully fermented at 2 months!
    • Gochujang Ready after Fermentation
      Is My Homemade Gochujang fully Fermented?
    • easy gochujang recipe mix
      Easy Homemade Gochujang Recipe - Almost Instant!
    • Bulgogi Rice Bowl with Perilla Ssukat and Gochujang sauce
      Bulgogi Rice Bowl with Gochujang
    Previous Post
    Next Post

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Review Cancel reply

    I LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this recipe:




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    220 Comments
    1. Heather H says

      Posted on 22 April 2023 at 5:07 am

      5 stars
      I tried this for the first time and I made a few mistakes. First, I used my biggest pot but it could not hold the malt barley/sweet rice mixture plus 5 liters of water. I ended up only being able to fit about 3.5 liters of water. Realizing I had nothing large enough for the final mixture, it took me an extra day to acquire a 30 quart mixing bowl from restaurant supply. So instead of 5 hours left to ferment, it was 29 hours. These two problems caused the malt barley/sweet rice to thicken up immediately to a very stiff consistency when I put it on the stovetop. I split the mixture into two batches and added the 1.5 liters of water back in, but it never turned back to liquid. I will pack it in the hangaris now, but I worry that the stiffness will create air pockets that will possibly create spoilage. I also suspect that the fermentation which accelerated in the extra 24 hours should have happened with the soybean powder, rice syrup and chili powder for the chemistry to be correct. The good news is that my problem, which was not having equipment large enough, is now solved for next time. How forgiving is this recipe? Do you think it will ferment correctly?

      Reply
      • JinJoo says

        Posted on 24 April 2023 at 4:10 pm

        Well, sorry you had to go through all that. If you feel the gochujang consistency is too thick, you can always add a little soju or maesil syrup and mix and see how it is. I’m honestly not sure how the stiff mixture is going to work but should be ok. just check it every couple days and add more liquid if needed and mix.
        Good luck!

        Reply
    2. Asuri says

      Posted on 4 March 2023 at 8:42 am

      Hi – what happened to the malted barley body? Do you ditch it? Is it good for anything else? I want to try this, but most of my gochujang I bought turned up like a brick after some time in my fridge. With this much quantity I’ll have enough to make a brick or two later … jk’ing.

      Reply
      • JinJoo says

        Posted on 6 March 2023 at 12:59 am

        Are you asking what happens to the malted barley that’s drained? yes, you just discard it. I never heard of store bought gochujang turning into brick?? They can dehydrate and become very dense but never a brick? Anyway, good luck!

        Reply
    Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    JinJoo from KimchiMari

    Welcome

    Hi! I'm JinJoo! Thank you for visiting my Korean Food blog where I share detailed Authentic Korean recipes that even YOU can cook!

    My Story

    browse by type

    gf Gluten Free df Dairy Free pc Pressure Cooker Recipes vg Vegan lc low carb <30 30min or less kf Kid-Friendly ls low-salt
    • by Course
      • Drinks
      • Soup+Stew
      • Appetizers
      • Salads
      • Main Dishes
      • Side Dishes
      • Desserts and Snacks
    • by Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Rice
      • Noodles
      • Tofu
      • Vegetables
      • Egg
      • Paste/Sauces
    • by Korean Basics
      • Eumryo 음료
      • Bap 밥
      • Bokkeum 볶음
      • Gui 구이
      • Guk 국
      • Hangwa 한과
      • Jang 장
      • Jeon 전
      • Jeongol 전골
      • Jjigae 찌게
      • Jjim 찜
      • Jorim 조림
      • Kimchi 김치
      • Myeon 면
      • Namul 나물
      • Tteok 떡
    • by Type
      • Easy Meals
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Kid-Friendly
      • Lunchboxes
      • Condiments and Sauces
      • Cooking for One
      • Street food
      • Pressure Cooker Recipes
    Free Korean BBQ Favorites ebook
    free recipe book!

    Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

    join now!

    Nutritional facts, MSG & gluten free

    Nutritional Facts in my recipe cards are provided PER SERVING and it’s an estimate and may not be accurate. Due to different brands of ingredients having different nutritional values, the values I provide here may be different from your preparation.

    – Gluten-Free recipe assumes you are using gluten-free soy sauce (since many soy sauces contain gluten or wheat) and/or gluten-free gochujang.

    – MSG & Corn Syrup FREE – these are never used in my recipes

    Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
    baked chicken on parchment paper with onions caramelized

    닭고기

    Chicken

    소고기

    Beef

    Spicy Pork BBQ - Korean Pork Bulgogi

    돼지고기

    Pork

    Garlic Scape Stir Fry with Shrimp (Maneuljjong Bokkeum 마늘쫑 볶음)

    해산물

    Seafood

    Soondubu Jjigae or Soft Tofu Stew

    두부

    Tofu

    곡식

    Rice

    READER FAVORITES

    Trending Now

    Mini Kimbap tray - kimbap two ways

    Mini Kimbap (Mayak Kimbap) with Carrot or Cucumber

    Chicken Bulgogi Rice

    Easy Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi) for Korean BBQ

    After stew has boiled for 15 min with cheese melted on top

    Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

    Korean Sweet Pancake - Hotteok/Hodduck (호떡) www.kimchimari.com

    Hotteok (호떡)- Korean Sweet Dessert Pancake

    featured on
    ny times logo
    • COOK
      • Recipe Index
      • Pantry Items
      • Videos
    • LEARN
      • Starter Guide
      • Korean How To’s
      • Travel
    join the kimchimari family
    Receive Free Cookbook and New Recipes by Email
    join now
    • Back to Top
    • About
    • Contact
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy
    © 2023 Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

    free recipe ebook!

    Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

    Thank you for subscribing!

    You will receive an email shortly.

    • 2.1K
    • 15