Doenjang substitute

Best substitute

Red or Brown Miso (Aka Miso)

Use the same amount plus 1 tsp soy sauce and ¼ tsp fish sauce per tablespoon as the doenjang you are replacing

Best for doenjang jjigae

Different texture

Red or brown miso is the closest substitute at 1:1, plus 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and a quarter teaspoon of fish sauce per tablespoon to make up the funk it lacks. White miso needs about 1.5 times the amount plus soy sauce. Chinese yellow bean sauce also works. If you only have soy sauce, use 2 teaspoons per tablespoon and accept a thin, one-note broth.

Other doenjang substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Red Miso Plus a Little Mashed Natto
Close match
Use 1 tablespoon miso plus 1 teaspoon mashed natto for every tablespoon of doenjang
An unusual but genuinely effective rebuild, if you happen to have natto.
What changes
Best for
doenjang jjigae, stews, braises, soups
Both doenjang and natto owe their sharp funk partly to Bacillus fermentation, which miso alone does not have. Mashing a teaspoon of natto into a tablespoon of miso gets startlingly close to doenjang's pungency. The stew turns very slightly viscous, which nobody notices once it simmers.
3White or Yellow Miso (Shiro Miso)
Taste and texture differ
Use 1.5 times the amount, plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce for every tablespoon of doenjang
A short-fermented, pale, sweet miso.
What changes
Best for
light soups, dressings, marinades, glazes
Much milder, sweeter and less salty than doenjang, so use half again as much and add soy sauce for the salt. Even then a stew comes out light, gentle and a bit sweet where doenjang would be deep and pungent. Better in a dressing or marinade than a jjigae.
4Chinese Yellow Bean Sauce or Ground Bean Sauce
Different texture
Use the same amount
A brine-fermented soybean paste with real fermented depth.
What changes
Best for
soups, braises, stir-fries, marinades
The salt level and savouriness are close, but it is thinner, smoother and less funky, and it has none of doenjang's coarse bean texture, so the stew will not have the same rustic body. A quarter teaspoon of fish sauce or a splash of anchovy broth pushes it closer.
5Dark Miso Plus Rinsed Fermented Black Beans
Close match
Use 2 teaspoons miso plus ½ teaspoon mashed fermented black beans for every tablespoon of doenjang
A two-part rebuild that hits both the body and the funk.
What changes
Best for
stews, braises, sauces, vegetable dishes
The miso supplies the sweetness, body and salt; the douchi supplies the sharp musty top note that miso is missing. This is the most accurate flavour reconstruction on the list, and the closest a non-Korean pantry usually gets.
6Soy Sauce Alone (Last Resort)
Taste and texture differ
Use 2 teaspoons for every 1 tablespoon doenjang
The pantry-only fallback.
What changes
Best for
quick soups, marinades, vegetable seasoning
Honest assessment: you get salt and some umami and nothing else. Doenjang thickens a stew and gives it a cloudy, rustic body, and soy sauce does not, so doenjang jjigae made this way comes out thin, clear and tasting like a salty vegetable soup. Passable in a marinade, disappointing in a stew.

What is Doenjang?

Doenjang is Doenjang, also spelled daenjang or toenjang and sold as Korean soybean paste, is a coarse, dark, intensely salty and funky paste made from fermented soybeans and brine, and it is the savoury backbone of Korean stews.

Cooking tips

Doenjang is saltier and considerably funkier than miso by volume. If you are using doenjang in a recipe written for miso, start with about two-thirds of the amount and taste, and going the other way you will usually need a little more miso plus soy sauce.
Unlike miso, doenjang is meant to be simmered. Boiling does not ruin it, and a doenjang stew genuinely improves with 15 to 20 minutes at a lively bubble, which is the opposite of the standard advice for miso soup.
Press it through the back of a spoon or a small strainer into the broth rather than dropping a lump in. It is coarse and full of bean fragments, and a lump will sit undissolved on the bottom of the pot.
Brands vary enormously in salt and pungency, from mild supermarket tubs to intensely funky traditional versions. Taste yours before you salt the dish, every time you open a new tub.
Do not reach for ssamjang instead. Ssamjang is doenjang already blended with gochujang, sesame oil, garlic and sugar for use as a dip; using it in a stew makes the broth sweet, oily and slightly gritty.
It keeps for months in the fridge and darkens with age, which is harmless. A layer of liquid on top is normal; stir it back in.

Frequently asked questions

Is doenjang just Korean miso?

They are cousins, not twins. Both are fermented soybean pastes, but doenjang is coarser, saltier and considerably funkier, with a sharper barnyard edge, while Japanese miso is smoother and sweeter and often contains rice or barley koji. Miso is the best substitute for doenjang, but the two are not identical and Korean cooks can tell instantly.

Can I use miso instead of doenjang in jjigae?

Yes, at 1:1, and add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and a quarter teaspoon of fish sauce per tablespoon to recover some of the pungency. The result is a good stew, rounder and gentler than the real thing. Use red or brown miso rather than white, which is far too sweet for this job.

What is the difference between doenjang and ssamjang?

Doenjang is the plain fermented soybean paste, a cooking ingredient. Ssamjang is a finished condiment made from doenjang plus gochujang, sesame oil, garlic, scallion and a little sugar, meant for dipping and lettuce wraps. You can make ssamjang from doenjang, but not the reverse.

Can I just leave doenjang out?

Not out of a doenjang stew, where it provides essentially all the salt, all the savoury depth and much of the body. In a marinade or a mixed sauce with several other seasonings, you can leave it out and add soy sauce for the salt, and the dish will simply taste lighter and less complex.

Is doenjang gluten-free?

Not reliably. Traditional doenjang is soybeans, salt and water, but many commercial tubs include wheat flour, and barley versions exist too. Read the label rather than assuming, and be aware that the same is true of most misos and soy sauces.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Doenjang substitute

Other doenjang substitutes

2Red Miso Plus a Little Mashed Natto

3White or Yellow Miso (Shiro Miso)

4Chinese Yellow Bean Sauce or Ground Bean Sauce

5Dark Miso Plus Rinsed Fermented Black Beans

6Soy Sauce Alone (Last Resort)