Ssamjang (Korean Rice Wrap Sauce) Recipe

By
Naomi Imatome-Yun
Naomi Imatome-Yun
Asian food expert Naomi Imatome-Yun is a freelance writer and the author of four Asian food cookbooks.
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Updated on 12/21/22
Ssamjang (Korean Rice Wrap Sauce) Recipe

The Spruce Eats / Stephanie Goldfinger

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Ssamjang, aka Korean rice wrap sauce, is the special sauce that gives ssambap that special "pow," "wow," or "bam" moment on the taste buds. Ssambap translates to "wrapped rice," and the wrap can be anything from lettuce leaves to thin rice paper wraps.

Ssambap is most commonly eaten as some sort of protein (beef, chicken, or pork) wrapped with rice and ssamjang (wrap sauce) in lettuce leaves. Everyone has their own ideas about this condiment, so there's a lot of variation. Although you can buy ssamjang sauce in the store, there's just nothing like making it at home. And, by the sauce being homemade, you have the ability to change up the level of sweetness or spiciness to be what you like the best. This ssamjang recipe takes only 10 minutes to make and is spicy-sweet, full of garlic, and not too thick. If you prefer earthier flavors and less spice, then you can switch the amount of gochujang, a red pepper paste, and daenjang, a soybean paste, in the recipe.

While it is typically served as a wrap sauce, be adventurous and try using ssamjang as a dipping sauce for french fries, on scrambled eggs, or put it on bibimbap, and other Korean entrees.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup gochujang, red pepper paste

  • 1/3 cup daenjang, soybean paste

  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/4 sweet onion, minced

  • 1 green chile pepper, chopped finely

  • 2 green onions, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons rice wine

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Water, as needed, to thin

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ssamjang (Korean Rice Wrap Sauce) ingredients

    The Spruce Eats / Stephanie Goldfinger

  2. Mix all the ingredients—gochujang, daenjang, garlic, sweet onion, chile pepper, green onion, rice wine, honey, sesame oil, black pepper, and water as needed for thinning the paste—in a medium bowl until well blended.

    Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

  3. Store sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

    Ssamjang (Korean Rice Wrap Sauce) in a jar

    The Spruce / Stephanie Goldfinger

Tip

  • Depending on the type of gochujang and daenjang you use, your ssamjang may be too thick. You can thin with water as we do in this recipe or use more sesame oil.

Recipe Variations

Adjust the sweetness or the spiciness of this sauce according to your preference.

  • Use less honey to lower the sweetness level.
  • Only use half of the chile pepper or omit it entirely, and don't use as much of the gochujang and the daenjang to make the sauce not as spicy.


How to Store

Store the ssamjang sauce in a glass jar with a lid for up to one month in the refrigerator.

Can you use ssamjang in place of gochujang?

Ssamjang includes the red pepper paste, gochujang, in its sauce as a main ingredient, but surprisingly these two can be used interchangeably within recipes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
200 Calories
5g Fat
34g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 200
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1750mg 76%
Total Carbohydrate 34g 12%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 37mg 185%
Calcium 53mg 4%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 260mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)