How to Use Trader Joe’s Hoisin Sauce for Easy Meals

Trader Joe’s fans everywhere have been creating their own versions of easy meals featuring items from the cult-favorite grocery store for years and even sharing them online. From the viral lobster bisque pasta to a five-minute dumpling soup, shoppers are constantly innovating new recipes starring affordable and delicious TJ’s staples. 

The California-based grocery chain has been paying attention and developed an exciting way to celebrate its customers’ passion for getting creative with ingredients: Recipe contests that exclusively rely on TJ’s products. And earlier this spring, the Trader Joe’s Hoisin Sauce Recipe Contest challenged participants to come up with original recipe ideas using a jar of Trader Joe’s Hoisin Sauce. 

The contest rules stipulated that all ingredients in each recipe must be sourced from Trader Joe’s, and entries could use a maximum of seven ingredients in total (including the hoisin sauce). Ingredients like Trader Joe’s salt, pepper, sugar, butter, cooking oils, and water were excluded from the total ingredient count.

Participants each created an original recipe and then posted a photo of the dish with the caption #TJsHoisinContest (as well as an ingredient list and instructions for making it) on Instagram. The recipes were then reviewed and judged by Trader Joe’s crew members, who selected a winner and two runners-up. Their final determinations of the top three contenders were based 60% on taste, 30% on the photo and presentation of the dish, and 10% on creativity and originality.

What is hoisin sauce? 

This deep brown, savory condiment was developed centuries ago in China and is particularly prominent in Cantonese cuisine. With a thick and glossy texture, hoisin is typically made from fermented soybean paste, sugar, sesame paste, and water. It often also includes salt, sweet potato, vinegar, chili peppers, garlic, and five-spice powder.

It’s commonly used as a glaze for meats, added to sauces for depth of flavor, or as a dipping condiment for dishes like spring rolls, Peking duck, and rice noodle rolls, to enhance its tangy, savory, and subtly sweet notes.

Although it goes by a different name, tương đen, hoisin sauce is also commonly used in Vietnamese cuisine and is particularly popular as a condiment for pho. It’s important to note that hoisin sauce is not confined to Chinese and Vietnamese food cultures, and is used widely throughout East and Southeast Asia.

How is Trader Joe’s hoisin sauce made? 

“Made for us by a supplier in Thailand, Hoisin sauce was introduced in our stores in September 2024,” says Trader Joe’s public relations manager, Nakia Rohde. The grocery store’s version of the condiment features a blend of brown sugar, fermented soybean paste, black sesame paste, distilled vinegar, garlic, and spices including black pepper, cinnamon, star anise, cumin, coriander seed, Szechuan pepper, cardamom, garlic powder, and chili powder.

If you only have access to Trader Joe’s, its hoisin sauce may be an affordable option for enjoying the condiment. However, many other hoisin sauces from Asian-owned brands — such as Lee Kum Kee, Dynasty, Kikkoman, and Amoy — are widely available. 

What did Trader Joe’s customers create with this condiment?

On April 28, Trader Joe’s announced the official winners of its Hoisin Sauce Recipe Contest, along with the complete ingredient list and instructions for recreating each dish. If you love Trader Joe’s and hoisin sauce, here are the three most impressive recipes that you can make to indulge your passion for both, as selected by the contest’s judges.

Hoisin Caramel Apple Sundae with Black Pepper and Pistachios

This winning recipe was developed by Aimee Elber (@theafternoonspoon) using hoisin sauce, ground black pepper, a Fuji apple, French vanilla ice cream, and pure grade A maple syrup as her primary ingredients — all sourced from Trader Joe’s, of course. Additionally, she incorporates TJ’s Rum of the Gods, ground cinnamon, and roasted and salted pistachios.

First, Elber sautées the diced apples with melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar in a skillet for about three to four minutes. Next, she adds the hoisin sauce, maple syrup, and rum, stirring them together. After simmering and stirring, the apple mixture becomes glossy and caramelized, developing a flavor profile that is sweet, savory, and packed with umami.

To serve and assemble the hoisin-apple sundae, she scoops vanilla ice cream into a bowl, topping it with warm apple sauce, chopped pistachios, and a sprinkle of black pepper.

Porky Hoisin Deviled Eggs

First runner-up Lisa Emmerton (@lifewithlisajean) uses hoisin sauce to level up her deviled eggs before topping them off with some fried pork belly. Along with the hoisin sauce and Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Pork Belly, Emmerton adds organic mayo, chives, shallots, salt, pepper, and some oil to her recipe.

Emmerton prepares a deviled egg filling by removing the yolks from six hard-boiled eggs and mixing them with mayo, hoisin sauce, chopped chives, salt, and pepper. Next, she fries the shallots in a small saucepan with oil until the alliums are golden brown and sets them aside.

Because the Trader Joe’s pork belly is already fully cooked, she cuts it into twelve slices and fries the meat for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Then, Emmerton drains the grease from the fried pork belly before returning it to the pan to glaze it with hoisin sauce.

For the final step, she fills each egg white with the rich yolk mixture, adds the fried pork belly slices and shallots on top, then garnishes with the chives for a finishing touch.

Cilantro-Hoisin Glazed Salmon and Noodles

The second runner-up for the Hoisin Sauce Recipe Contest is Cindee Graham (@meednic), who impressed the panel of judges with her cilantro-hoisin glazed salmon served alongside hoisin-garlic-sesame oil noodles. To prepare the salmon, Graham uses TJ’s Fresh Atlantic Salmon Boneless Skinless Fillets, organic mayonnaise, hoisin sauce, cilantro, and toasted sesame oil. For the noodles, she keeps it simple with Thai Wheat Noodles, more hoisin, sesame oil, and freshly grated garlic. 

First, Graham places the salmon fillets in a baking dish and generously glazes them with a mixture of mayo, hoisin, cilantro, and sesame oil. Next, the salmon bakes for about 15 minutes in a 325°F oven. While the salmon is in the oven, the pre-cooked noodles are heated according to package instructions and tossed with hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Once the salmon is ready, the participant plates it with the noodles and garnishes it with cilantro. 

Based on this delicious lineup of the three best recipes, it sounds like you, too, could think outside the box and incorporate hoisin sauce into an entire menu, including appetizers, an entrée, and dessert.