What Is Yellow Bean Sauce? (Uses, Ingredients + More)

Condiments are a fun and easy way to spice up any dish because they add color and flavor, enhancing the overall recipe.

If you’ve heard of yellow bean sauce, you might be wondering what kind of condiment yellow bean sauce is. I looked up the facts, and here’s what I found!

What Is Yellow Bean Sauce?

Yellow bean sauce is a condiment made from leftover soybeans from making soy sauce. Yellow bean sauce is typically very savory with a slightly salty taste, but the exact taste of yellow bean sauce will depend on where you get your yellow bean sauce. Unlike soy sauce, yellow bean sauce is very thick with a nearly paste-like consistency.

Do you want to find out more facts about yellow bean sauce? Keep reading the article to learn more!

Yellow bean sauce is a Chinese condiment that is a soybean puree and yellow bean sauce is created from leftover soybeans that were used to make soy sauce.

Yellow bean sauce is also called fermented bean paste since yellow bean sauce has a very thick, paste-like consistency.

What yellow bean sauce looks like will slightly vary based on where the yellow bean sauce comes from, but Southeast Asian yellow bean sauce is distinctly yellow.

What Does Yellow Bean Sauce Taste Like?

Yellow bean sauce tastes a bit like soy sauce since yellow bean sauce is made from the soybeans leftover from making soy sauce.

Typically, most yellow bean sauce tastes somewhat mild with a salty and savory punch.

However, the exact taste of yellow bean sauce will depend on where you get your yellow bean sauce.

For instance, Thailand also creates yellow bean sauce that is very salty, but Chinese yellow bean sauce is not as salty as Thai yellow bean sauce.

Where Is Yellow Bean Sauce From?

Yellow bean sauce was originally made in China, and yellow bean sauce is still popularly produced in China.

However, other countries around Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, have variations of yellow bean sauce.

How Is Yellow Bean Sauce Made?

How yellow bean sauce is made will slightly differ based on the manufacturer, but the most common way to make yellow bean sauce is to use the leftover beans from making soy sauce.

Generally, the soybeans from soy sauce have already been fermented and salted, making the leftover soybeans an excellent ingredient for a yellow bean sauce.

Next, the soybeans are pureed to make a paste, creating a rich, thick, and dark paste (paste can also be yellow).

Some manufacturers may add more ingredients to the yellow bean sauce to add more flavor or color, but generally, the yellow bean sauce will be bottled and sold after the soybeans are pureed.

How Do You Use Yellow Bean Sauce?

Yellow bean sauce is used as a thick condiment to add flavor to recipes, such as stir-fries and soups.

Generally, you would use yellow bean sauce to add a savory taste to your recipe, but the exact flavor that you will get will mostly depend on what kind of yellow bean sauce you have.

For instance, certain yellow bean sauces are spicy, so you can add heat and savoriness to your dish with a spicy yellow bean sauce.

What’s The Difference Between Yellow Bean Sauce And Black Bean Sauce?

Yellow bean sauce is made by using the leftover soybeans used to make soy sauce whereas black bean sauce is made from cooked and fermented soybeans.

Moreover, yellow bean sauce and black bean sauce taste very different because black bean sauce is rich and bold while yellow bean has a milder and almost sweeter taste.

How Do You Store Yellow Bean Sauce?

How Do You Store Yellow Bean Sauce?

If you got your yellow bean sauce in a jar, keep the jar in the fridge after opening the yellow bean sauce, and the yellow bean sauce will stay fresh indefinitely.

Some yellow bean sauces are sold in cans, and the yellow bean sauce must be transferred into a jar and kept in the fridge after opening the can.

Is Yellow Bean Sauce The Same As Miso?

Technically, yellow bean sauce and miso are not the same because they have slightly different ways of being made.

Yellow bean sauce is created by taking soybeans used from making soy sauce and pureeing the soybeans to create a paste.

On the other hand, miso is made by mixing cooked soybeans, salt water, and koji and fermenting the mixture for several months, similar to how soy sauce is made.

Moreover, yellow bean sauce and miso taste different because yellow bean sauce is mildly salty and very savory whereas miso tastes very savory, earthy, and salty.

What Can I Substitute For Yellow Bean Sauce?

Miso paste is an excellent substitute for yellow bean sauce because yellow bean sauce has a similar texture to miso paste.

Moreover, miso paste has the same savoriness as yellow bean sauce, but miso paste is saltier and earthier than yellow bean sauce, so you should be careful when using miso paste as a yellow bean sauce substitute.

If you are only looking for the flavor of yellow bean sauce then you can opt for tamari soy sauce since tamari soy sauce is very savory with a mild saltiness.

Additionally, you can use regular soy sauce if you want a savory flavor with a bit more saltiness in your recipes.

Check out our other articles to learn about reduced soy sauce, white soy sauce, and ponzu sauce.

Conclusion

Yellow bean sauce is a popular thick condiment that came from China, but yellow bean sauce is also made in other countries like Thailand, meaning that are many kinds of yellow bean sauce.

Normally, you can use soy sauce like tamari soy sauce and miso paste as a substitute for yellow bean sauce.

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