There are two kinds of people in a British kitchen. Those who have a jar of Sharwood's hoisin at the back of the cupboard, and those who finished it six months ago and keep forgetting to buy another. Either way, this recipe is for you. Nearly Sharwood's is a homemade hoisin sauce built from tinned black beans, dark soy, honey, tahini, and a quarter teaspoon of Nearly Sriracha — because if you're going to make one cupboard classic from scratch, you may as well use another. Living in rural Andalucía, Sharwood's is not exactly on the shelf at the village shop. This is what I do instead.

How to Make a Homemade Hoisin Sauce

Hoisin is one of those sauces that looks complicated but isn't. This version takes about 15 minutes from start to finish — the hardest part is making a quick black bean paste, and even that is just a matter of draining a tin and blitzing it with garlic. The result fills one 200 ml jar and keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Ingredients for my homemade hoisin sauce

For the black bean paste

• 3 tbsp tinned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp black bean paste (from above)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 tbsp tahini
• ¼ tsp Chinese five-spice
• ¼ tsp Nearly Sriracha
• 2 tbsp water

Yield: 200 ml — one jar

Method

Make the black bean paste

1. Drain and rinse the black beans. Add to a small blender or spice grinder along with the garlic cloves.
2. Blitz to a rough paste. Set aside.

Make the sauce

3. Add all the sauce ingredients, including 1 tablespoon of the black bean paste, to a small saucepan.
4. Whisk together over a medium heat until combined.
5. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens.
6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
7. Pour into a sterilised 200 ml jar and seal.

Storage: keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks.

A note on black beans

This recipe uses tinned black beans for convenience. If you want to go a step further, you can ferment your own — soak dried organic black beans overnight, cook them until just tender, cool completely, then lacto-ferment in a 2% brine for 10 days. The depth of flavour is considerably better.

This recipe is part of the Nearly Series — cupboard classics made from scratch in a Spanish kitchen. Explore the full collection.

Wonky photos, proper condiments, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef