How to Make Korean Food Without Special Ingredients (Easy Swaps)

You found a Korean recipe that looks incredible — then you hit the ingredient list. Gochujang, gochugaru, doenjang, soup soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, a Korean pear. Half of it isn't in your cupboard and there's no Korean grocery store nearby. So the tab gets closed, and dinner quietly becomes takeout. Again.

Here's what nobody tells beginners: Korean home cooks substitute all the time. What's in the fridge, what the local shop stocks, personal taste — swapping is normal, not cheating. You can make genuinely good Korean food tonight with ingredients from an ordinary supermarket. Here's exactly how.

Match the flavour job, not the exact jar

Almost every "special" Korean ingredient is doing one of four jobs: heat, fermented savoury depth (umami), nutty aroma, or a touch of sweetness. Cover the job with what you have and you're most of the way there.

The five ingredients that scare people off

Gochujang (Korean chilli paste). The sweet-spicy-savoury red paste. Quickest swap: 1 tbsp miso + 1 tbsp sriracha (or any chilli-garlic sauce) + 1 tsp sugar. No miso? Use chilli powder + a little ketchup + soy sauce + a pinch of sugar — the ketchup covers the sweet-tangy note surprisingly well. In a marinade or stir-fry, almost nobody will clock the difference.

Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes). The easiest swap on the list: regular chilli flakes or chilli powder. Start with about two-thirds the amount — gochugaru is more fragrant than fiery — and add more to taste. A pinch of smoked paprika rounds it out.

Doenjang (fermented soybean paste). Reach for good red miso. It's the same fermented-soybean family and does the umami job beautifully in soups and stews; a little can even stand in for the savoury side of gochujang.

Toasted sesame oil. Only have plain oil, or none? Toast a spoonful of sesame seeds in a dry pan until golden, then stir them into a neutral oil (canola, sunflower). You get most of the nutty aroma that makes Korean food smell like Korean food.

Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang). Regular soy sauce covers almost everything. Where a clear soup specifically wants the lighter, saltier soup soy, use regular soy sauce plus a small splash of fish sauce for depth, and top up with a little salt rather than more dark soy (which would muddy the colour).

A few more easy stand-ins

• Mirin → dry sherry, or water with a small pinch of sugar.
• Rice vinegar → apple cider or white vinegar (use a touch less).
• Korean pear (for tenderising bulgogi) → regular pear, or grated apple or kiwi; use about two normal pears per Korean pear, as they're smaller.
• Rice cakes (tteok) → thick udon, or even gnocchi in a pinch — chewy is the goal.
• The meat → beef, pork and chicken are largely interchangeable in stir-fries and stews. Cook what you have.

Five-minute all-purpose "gochujang"

Want one sauce to keep in the fridge? Whisk together:

• 2 tbsp miso (or 1 tbsp soy sauce)
• 1–2 tbsp chilli powder or sriracha, to taste
• 1 tbsp sugar or honey
• 1 tsp rice or cider vinegar
• a splash of water to loosen

That covers marinades, a bibimbap drizzle, and stir-fry bases. Not the real thing — but it gets you cooking instead of ordering.

What's actually worth buying (if you catch the bug)

Substitutes get you about 85% of the way there, which is plenty to start. If you find yourself cooking Korean food often, the two jars most worth a trip — or a cheap online order — are gochujang and gochugaru. They keep for months and nearly every recipe leans on one of them. Doenjang is a distant third. Everything else you can happily keep faking.

The goal on night one isn't flawless authenticity. It's cooking something — because a slightly-improvised homemade bibimbap beats another delivery order every time. And next time the urge to browse and "order" food hits, you'll have a real plate in front of you instead of a receipt.

Quick answers

Can I make Korean food without gochujang?
Yes. For a quick substitute, mix 1 tbsp miso + 1 tbsp sriracha (or chilli-garlic sauce) + 1 tsp sugar. No miso? Use chilli powder with a little ketchup, soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. It won't be identical to real gochujang but works well in marinades and stir-fries.

What can I use instead of gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)?
Regular chilli flakes or chilli powder. Use about two-thirds of the amount to start, since gochugaru is more fragrant than fiery, and add more to taste. A pinch of smoked paprika helps round out the flavour.

Do I need a Korean grocery store to cook Korean food?
No. Almost every 'special' Korean ingredient has a supermarket substitute. If you end up cooking Korean food often, gochujang and gochugaru are the two jars most worth buying — everything else you can improvise.

What is a good substitute for doenjang?
Good red miso. It comes from the same fermented-soybean family and does the same umami job in soups and stews, and a small amount can even cover the savoury side of gochujang.