Plum sauce vs hoisin sauce

Plum sauce is fruity and sweet-sour. Hoisin is a darker, sweet-savoury soybean sauce.

At a glance

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Compare	Plum sauce	Hoisin sauce
Base	Preserved plums, with sugar and other seasonings.	Fermented soybean paste, sugar, spices and other seasonings.
Taste	Fruity, tangy and sweet. Some versions contain chilli.	Sweet and savoury, with garlic and spice.
Uses	Dipping roast meat, glazing and sweet-sour sauces.	Marinades, roasts, stir-fries and dipping.

Which one to buy

Choose plum sauce for a fruity dip, or hoisin for a deeper sweet-savoury sauce. Neither is simply a thicker version of the other. Ingredients vary by brand.

Can I swap them?

Only if you are happy to change the dish. Hoisin will not recreate the fruit flavour of plum sauce. For a recipe built around one sauce, use the named sauce.

Our plum sauce ribs

Our ribs use Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Plum and Soybean Spare Ribs, a specific prepared rib sauce. It is not the same product as a plain jar of plum sauce.

Check the label

The Hong Kong product pages list soy, wheat and naturally present sulphites for both sauces. Hoisin also lists sesame paste. Read the label on the jar you buy, especially for allergies.

Related pantry pages

Plum sauce

Sources

Summarised in our own words. Product labels can change; check the jar or bottle you buy.

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