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Fermented Black Beans substitute

Best substitute

Black Bean Garlic Sauce (Jarred)

Use 1 tablespoon sauce for every 1 tablespoon whole beans

Best for mapo tofu

Different texture

Jarred black bean garlic sauce is the closest easy swap at 1 tablespoon per tablespoon of beans, though it already contains garlic and sugar so cut those back. Doubanjiang works if you want depth plus heat, and dark miso plus a little soy sauce covers the umami. Soy sauce alone is the last resort: it gives you the salt and none of the aroma. These are seasoning beans, not a vegetable, and they are not the same as the black beans in a burrito.

Other fermented black beans substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

Substitutes for Fermented Black Beans with ratios

  1. 2Doubanjiang (Fermented Broad Bean Chilli Paste)

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 2 teaspoons for every 1 tablespoon whole beans

    A Sichuanese fermented paste with the same deep salted-ferment character plus chilli.

    What changes
    Best for
    mapo tofu, braises, stir-fries, noodle sauces

    A natural stand-in because mapo tofu often uses both. It brings the fermented depth and adds real heat and a red-brown colour, so the dish comes out spicier and darker than intended. Cut other chilli in the recipe and fry it in oil for 30 seconds to bloom it.

  2. 3Dark Red or Hatcho Miso Plus Soy Sauce

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 2 teaspoons miso plus ¼ teaspoon soy sauce for every 1 tablespoon beans

    A Japanese fermented soybean paste that supplies the savoury backbone.

    What changes
    Best for
    stir-fries, braises, sauces, marinades

    The umami direction is right but miso is smoother and noticeably sweeter, and it has none of douchi's musty, almost winey top note, so the dish tastes rounder and less pungent. Stir it in off the heat or at the very end, because miso turns harsh and slightly bitter when fried hard.

  3. 4Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste)

    Different taste

    Use 2 teaspoons for every 1 tablespoon whole beans

    Coarser and funkier than miso, closer to douchi's sharp edge.

    What changes
    Best for
    braises, stir-fries, sauces, steamed dishes

    The best of the paste substitutes for pure funk, and its coarse texture even gives a hint of the little soft bean bits. It is saltier than miso, so taste before adding any other salt, and it leans slightly more barnyard than douchi's winey note.

  4. 5Soy Sauce Plus a Pinch of Sugar

    Taste and texture differ

    Use 1.5 teaspoons soy sauce plus a pinch of sugar for every 1 tablespoon beans

    The pantry fallback when nothing fermented is in the house.

    What changes
    Best for
    quick stir-fries, weeknight sauces, noodles

    This is the honest least-bad option and worth being clear about: you get the salt and some background umami, and none of the aroma, none of the funk and none of the soft salty pockets of bean. Mapo tofu made this way tastes flat and one-dimensional rather than wrong. Add a dab of tomato paste for a little body if you have it.

  5. 6Fermented Black Bean Paste (Douchi Jiang)

    Different texture

    Use 1 tablespoon for every 1 tablespoon whole beans

    The identical beans ground into a paste.

    What changes
    Best for
    stir-fries, braises, sauces, steamed fish

    Not really a substitute, just the same ingredient in a more convenient form. It disperses more evenly through a sauce, which some cooks prefer, but you lose the bursts of whole bean that make a Cantonese steamed dish distinctive.

What is Fermented Black Beans?

Fermented Black Beans is Fermented black beans, called douchi or dou chi and sold as salted black beans or Chinese black beans, are whole soybeans fermented and cured in salt until they are black, soft, wrinkled and intensely savoury.

Cooking tips

  • Rinse them for about ten seconds under cold water, no longer. That removes the loose surface salt without washing out the flavour. Skipping the rinse entirely is a common cause of inedibly salty stir-fries.
  • Mash them roughly with the flat of a knife after rinsing. Whole beans left intact become salt bombs in individual bites, while a rough mash spreads the flavour through the whole sauce.
  • Bloom them in hot oil with garlic and ginger for 20 to 30 seconds and no more. That short fry is where the aroma opens up, but a minute longer and they turn acrid and bitter.
  • They are salty enough that most recipes need no added salt at all, and often less soy sauce than written. Season the dish at the end, after the beans have gone in.
  • Do not confuse them with black turtle beans. Fermented black beans are cured soybeans used a tablespoon at a time as a seasoning; black turtle beans are a starchy vegetable eaten by the cupful. Substituting one for the other in either direction produces something inedible.
  • A sealed jar keeps at room temperature for years and the flavour deepens rather than fading, so a single small packet lasts most home cooks a very long time.

Frequently asked questions

What can I substitute for fermented black beans?

Jarred black bean garlic sauce is the closest, at a tablespoon per tablespoon of beans, since it is made from the same product. Doubanjiang works if you want fermented depth and do not mind added heat. Dark miso or doenjang plus a splash of soy sauce covers the umami. Plain soy sauce with a pinch of sugar is the last resort.

Are fermented black beans the same as black beans?

No, and this is the most common mistake with this ingredient. Fermented black beans, or douchi, are salt-cured fermented soybeans used as a pungent seasoning by the teaspoon. Black beans, or black turtle beans, are a Latin American staple eaten as a vegetable. They are different species used in completely different quantities.

Is black bean sauce the same as fermented black beans?

Black bean sauce is made from fermented black beans, with garlic, sugar, oil and thickener added. It is a good substitute for the beans but not identical: it is sweeter, saltier, glossier and already garlicky, so cut the garlic and sugar in your recipe when you use it.

Do I need to rinse fermented black beans?

A brief rinse of about ten seconds is standard, to shed loose surface salt. Do not soak them, which pulls out the flavour you paid for. Pat them dry, then mash them roughly before frying.

Can I just leave them out?

In a dish with several other savoury elements, you can leave them out and add a little extra soy sauce, and it will be a decent stir-fry. In black bean spare ribs, Cantonese steamed fish or clams in black bean sauce, the aroma of the beans is the entire point of the dish, and leaving them out is not substitution but a different recipe.

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