This easy Huli Huli sauce recipe is a yummy blend of sweet and tangy flavors that whisks up in minutes. It's great as a marinade and brings a little Pacific Island flare in a vegan and oil-free Hawaiian BBQ sauce for basting, marinating, and grilling.
This is a twist on a favorite – huli huli tofu recipe. So, by popular demand, I did a little tweaking and developed a sauce for anyone who needs an alternative to the refined sugar and other ingredients in regular ketchup. That’s where this recipe comes in.
Huli is the Hawaiian word for turn, which is exactly what folks would shout when Ernest Morgado turned huli huli chicken over hot coals. But you don't need a whole chicken to enjoy this tangy sauce. It's one of my favorite marinade sauces for tofu and great for basting roasted veggies!
If you're a fan of spicy Sriracha BBQ sauce or ginger and orange sauce, huli huli is another great option for transforming a routine dish into something special with minimal effort.
Table of Contents
⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 6 simple ingredients you can find at most grocery stores.
- Made with wholesome vegan ingredients, oil-free (no sesame oil), and no refined sugar.
- Easy prep and freezer-friendly.
- A citrus barbecue sauce that doubles as a marinade or quick sauce for making tempeh BBQ tacos and more!
📋 Ingredients and Notes
Tomato paste. Use ½ a cup of tomato paste (tomato puree). You need the thickness and concentration of paste rather than tomato sauce.
Coconut sugar. Coconut sugar replaces more traditional brown sugar for this recipe. Date sugar is a healthy substitute. Use maple syrup or date paste for liquid sweetener alternatives.
Pineapple juice. If you don't want to invest in a carton of pineapple juice, use the juice from a can of pineapple chunks. Toss the pineapple in coconut rice for a delicious side.
Fresh ginger and garlic. All huli huli recipes include ginger and garlic. Fresh offers the perfect zing. I've not tried this recipe using ground ginger or garlic powder, but you can experiment.
Soy Sauce. I used regular soy sauce, but you can also choose Tamari (gluten-free) or light soy sauce (less sodium).
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
Add a dash of chili sauce, hot sauce, or red chili flakes for a spicy sauce or a pinch of smoked paprika if you like a smokey flavor.
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📖 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine pineapple juice, tomato paste, soy sauce and sugar. Whisk vigorously to dissolve the sugar.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
🔪 Pro Tips
Wait to adjust the ingredients until you have mixed the entire sauce.
Denise's Tip. If raw ginger is slightly bitter, balance it with more sugar or pineapple juice.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
I'll be upfront that our favorite way to use huli-huli sauce is over crispy baked tofu, but admittedly, my latest experiment with cauliflower was a great change. If you are into Hawaiian burgers, here's a tip: add a little sauce to your next tempeh burger mixture or in place of sriracha for my tofu burgers recipe. Then add sauce as the burgers bake - primo!
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for a week. Freeze in bags or a freezer container for 3 months.
Older ginger with thick skin should be peeled using the end of a spoon or a small paring knife. Ginger peels don't have a pronounced flavor, so peeling young, thin-skinned ginger before grating or peeling is unnecessary.
Although I have not tested this prepared garlic-ginger paste (that contains nothing else), it could be used to replace the fresh garlic and ginger. Start with a tablespoon and adjust as you taste the sauce.
Teriyaki sauce typically consists of a basic mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and mirin. Huli Huli sauce is a tomato-based sauce with pineapple juice, fresh ginger, and garlic.
Generally, grated ginger is slightly less strong than minced ginger. The age of ginger root can also impact its flavor.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Huli Huli Sauce (Hawaiian BBQ Sauce)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup coconut sugar - or date sugar
- ⅓ cup pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce - or Tamari or coconut aminos
- 4 cloves garlic - minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon ginger - grated
Instructions
- Add the tomato paste, coconut sugar, pineapple juice, and soy sauce to a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve the sugar.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger.
- Makes 1 ½ cups.
Notes
- Nutritional information based on ¼ cup.
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for a week. Freeze in bags or a freezer container for 3 months.
- If raw ginger is slightly bitter, balance it with more sugar or pineapple juice.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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