5 Easy Weeknight Dinners Using One ‘New’ Ingredient: Gochujang

If there’s one ingredient worth picking up on your next supermarket run, gochujang is it. This deeply savoury Korean chili paste has the kind of flavour that makes a bowl of plain noodles taste like it took an hour to make — when in reality you’ve barely had time to boil the water.

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The beauty of gochujang is that it does the heavy lifting for you. You get heat, sweetness, and that rich, fermented depth all from one ingredient. These five weeknight dinners are proof that bold flavours don’t have to mean complicated cooking.

What Is Gochujang?

Gochujang is a traditional Korean condiment made from red chili peppers, fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, and salt. That fermentation process is what gives it that signature depth — it’s not just hot, it’s complex. Think of it as the fermented, more rounded cousin of sriracha. Where sriracha is sharp and vinegary, gochujang is richer and a little sweet, with a slower heat that builds rather than hits all at once.

It comes in tubs or squeeze bottles and is usually found in the international aisle of most supermarkets, or at any Asian grocery store. Once you open it, just keep it in the fridge and use a clean spoon each time to keep it fresh — it’ll last for months.

The Simple Gochujang Sauce Formula

Before we get to the dinners, it helps to understand how gochujang works as a sauce. Once you get the hang of this formula, you can riff on it endlessly:

Gochujang + something salty + something sweet + something acidic = an easy sauce

In practice, that looks like: gochujang, soy sauce, honey, and a splash of rice vinegar. Add sesame oil for nutty richness, garlic or ginger for depth, and you’ve got a sauce that works on chicken, tofu, noodles, or roasted vegetables. You can check out our guide to the best herbs and spices for every dish for more ideas on layering flavour.

How to Adjust the Heat

Gochujang is spicy but customisable. Use less paste for a milder sauce, or balance the heat with:

• Honey or maple syrup — softens the spice and adds gloss
• Mayonnaise — creates a creamy, mild gochujang sauce that’s great for dipping
• Coconut milk — adds richness and rounds out the heat beautifully
• Greek yoghurt — works well in a marinade where you want tenderness too

The paste itself ranges in heat depending on the brand. Most are labelled mild, medium, or hot, so start with mild if you’re cooking for people who aren’t big on spice.

5 Easy Weeknight Gochujang Dinners

1. Gochujang Chicken Rice Bowls

This is probably the most practical dinner on this list — it works with whatever chicken you have, comes together in under 30 minutes, and is genuinely satisfying after a long day. Chicken thighs work best here because they stay juicy, but breast or even rotisserie chicken shredded into the sauce works too.

The method is simple: mix gochujang with soy sauce, honey, garlic, and sesame oil. Coat your chicken, then either pan-fry or bake until sticky and caramelised. Serve over rice with whatever you have kicking around — cucumber slices, a fried egg, shredded carrots, or some spring onions. It’s endlessly adaptable, which is what makes it perfect for using up odds and ends in the fridge.

For a vegetarian spin, try roasted cauliflower or chickpeas in the same sauce — both hold up brilliantly. You can also prep the sauce ahead and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. If you like rice bowls, take a look at our Easy Chicken Fried Rice for more inspiration.

2. Spicy Gochujang Noodles

Noodles tossed in a gochujang sauce might be the easiest thing on this list — we’re talking 15 minutes from start to finish. Any noodle works: udon, ramen, soba, rice noodles, or even spaghetti if that’s what’s in the cupboard.

The sauce is a simple mix of gochujang, soy sauce, a little sesame oil, and garlic. Toss the cooked noodles through and top with whatever you have — a soft-boiled egg, spring onions, sesame seeds, cucumber strips, or leftover roasted veg. If you want something more substantial, stir through some cooked prawns or shredded chicken.

For a creamier version, whisk a spoonful of peanut butter or tahini into the sauce before tossing. It adds body and mellows the heat in the best way — a bit like the dressing in our Asian Cabbage Salad with Warm Spicy Peanut Dressing.

3. Crispy Gochujang Tofu

This one’s for the vegetarians — though plenty of meat-eaters have been won over by crispy tofu done properly. The key is pressing the tofu first (wrap it in a tea towel and put something heavy on top for 20 minutes), then coating it in cornflour before frying. That step is non-negotiable if you want the crunch.

Once golden, toss the tofu in a gochujang glaze with soy sauce, honey, and garlic, and let it caramelise in the pan for a couple of minutes. Serve with steamed rice and a simple cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil. The contrast between the sticky, spiced tofu and the cool cucumber is genuinely brilliant.

Extra firm tofu is your best bet here. Silken tofu won’t work — it’s too soft to hold its shape. You can marinate the tofu in advance if you want to save time on the night.

4. Sticky Gochujang Chicken Skillet

This one is as close to “barely cooking” as you can get while still producing something that feels like a proper dinner. You’ll need chicken thighs (bone-in or boneless, both work), a handful of store-cupboard ingredients, and one pan.

Brown the chicken in a hot skillet, then pour over a sauce made from gochujang, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and garlic. Let it cook down until sticky and glossy, turning the chicken a couple of times so it gets nicely coated. Serve with steamed rice or noodles and something green on the side — Easy Mediterranean Oven Roasted Vegetables make a surprisingly good pairing if you want to go in a fusion direction.

This also works brilliantly in a slow cooker if you want to set it and forget it. Cook on low for 6 hours, then shred the chicken into the sauce.

5. Gochujang Pasta

Yes, pasta. Korean-Italian fusion sounds like it shouldn’t work, and yet here we are. This one has been doing the rounds on social media for a reason — it’s fast, pantry-friendly, and the kind of recipe that makes people ask for the recipe.

The sauce is gochujang stirred through a buttery, garlicky base with a splash of pasta water to bring it together. You can add cream for something richer, or keep it lighter with just the pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil. Parmesan stirred through at the end adds saltiness and rounds everything out. It sounds a bit mad, but it works.

Cook any pasta shape you like — rigatoni, spaghetti, or penne all work. Top with spring onions, a little more parmesan, and a drizzle of sesame oil if you have it. If you want to add protein, stir through cooked prawns or shredded chicken at the end. Our Creamy Shrimp Scampi Pasta uses a similar technique of building a sauce from the pasta water, so the method will feel familiar.

Who Will Love Gochujang?

Gochujang is particularly well-suited to people who:

• Find plain weeknight dinners a bit boring but don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen
• Already enjoy things like sriracha, chili oil, or any kind of heat in their food
• Cook for people with varied preferences — it’s easy to scale the spice up or down
• Are looking to use up leftovers creatively (rice, noodles, and vegetables all work brilliantly)

If you’re cooking for someone who’s genuinely spice-averse, the cream or mayo-based versions of the sauce are the way to go. You get all the savoury, slightly sweet depth without the kick.

Where to Buy Gochujang

You’ll find gochujang paste in a few different places:

• Asian grocery stores — widest selection, often the best value, and you can usually find different heat levels
• Supermarkets — most UK and US supermarkets stock it in the world food or international aisle
• Online — if you can’t find it locally, it’s widely available on Amazon and other food retailers

Look for a tub or tube rather than a bottle — the thicker consistency is what you need for sauces and marinades. Korean brands like Chung Jung One or Haechandle are reliable choices, though supermarket own-brands have improved a lot. Once opened, store it in the fridge with the lid on.

Storing and Using Up Gochujang

One tub goes a long way. Once you’ve made these five dinners, you’ll probably still have plenty left, which is a good thing. Here’s how to use up the rest:

• Stir into mayonnaise for a quick dipping sauce for chips or crudités
• Add a spoonful to a stir-fry instead of your usual sauce
• Mix into a salad dressing with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and honey
• Use as a glaze on salmon, pork, or grilled halloumi
• Add to a soup base for extra depth — works particularly well with miso-based broths

Stored properly in the fridge with the lid sealed and a clean spoon used every time, gochujang will keep for 12 months or more. See our post on how adding herbs and spices can reduce salt intake for more ideas on using bold flavours to enhance meals without over-seasoning.

FAQs

What does gochujang taste like? Gochujang is spicy, savoury, slightly sweet, and deeply umami all at once. The fermentation process gives it a rounded, almost earthy quality that’s quite different from other chili sauces. If you know sriracha, think of gochujang as its richer, more complex cousin — less sharp, more layered.

Is gochujang very spicy? It’s moderately spicy, but not overwhelming for most people. The heat builds slowly rather than hitting immediately. Most brands come in mild, medium, and hot varieties, so you can choose your level. Mixing it with honey, cream, or yoghurt also tones down the spice significantly.

Is gochujang gluten-free? Not always — traditional gochujang contains glutinous rice (which is gluten-free) and fermented soybeans, but some brands add wheat during production. If you need a gluten-free version, check the label or look for certified gluten-free varieties, which are available from specialist Korean food brands.

Can I substitute gochujang with something else? If you can’t find gochujang, a mix of sriracha and a small amount of miso paste gets you roughly similar territory — spicy, fermented, and savoury. You could also try sambal oelek with a pinch of sugar for the sweetness. That said, gochujang has a genuinely unique flavour profile, so the substitutes won’t be identical.

How long does gochujang keep once opened? Kept in the fridge with the lid tightly sealed, opened gochujang will last up to 12 months. Use a clean spoon every time to avoid introducing moisture or crumbs, which can cause it to deteriorate faster.

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Continue Your Journey

Looking for more ways to bring bold flavours into your weeknight cooking? These posts are worth a browse:

• The Ultimate Spice Substitute Guide: Never Run Out of Flavor Again
• Slow Cooker Magic: The Ultimate Guide to Ingredient Substitutes for Every Recipe
• Asian Cabbage Salad with Warm Spicy Peanut Dressing
• Easy Chicken Fried Rice Recipe
• Health Benefits of Ginger – 10 Things to Do with It
• Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast