Homemade Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)

Sharing an easy homemade recipe for Indonesian Kecap Manis or Sweet Soy Sauce—it’s a sweet, syrupy, and thick soy sauce!

HOW TO USE KECAP MANIS OR SWEET SOY SAUCE

It’s perfect to use for stir-fried dishes such as Mie Goreng or Indonesian Fried Noodles! Kecap manis is really so versatile.

You can also use it to season pretty much anything–such as vegetables, tofu, fried rice, and so much more!

You can also use this as a dipping sauce for your favourite fried food. It requires only a few basic ingredients and you can opt to add in some aromatics to get an extra kick of flavour!

AROMATICS FOR THE SAUCE

I used a mix of black peppercorns (or sub with ground pepper), ginger, garlic, and dried star anise.

And of course, soy sauce and sugar–which gives it that nice syrupy texture since the sugars will cook down and thicken.

COOKING THE KECAP MANIS OR SWEET SOY SAUCE

You’ll need 1 saucepan or small pot to cook everything down together and then just leave it to cool, since it’ll continue to thicken!

STORING THE SAUCE

Make sure to cool it completely. Afterwards, transfer it into a jar and use for your recipes! ◡̈

This stores well in the refrigerator and continues to thicken as it cools. This ca be stored in the fridge for up to 6 months (or even longer!)

You might enjoy these other vegan recipes:

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If you make this recipe, please tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #thefoodietakesflight 🙂

Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes? Check out my latest Vegan Kitchen eBook, that has over 95 recipes (and a whole section for Asian recipes!) that are packed with flavour and made with simple and easily accessible ingredients! Also, two trees (instead of 1!) will be planted for every download of my eBook through non-profit organisation One Tree Planted.

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Homemade Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)

5 from 8 votes

A homemade Indonesian Kecap Manis—sweet, syrupy, and thick soy sauce perfect to use for stir-fried dishes such as mie goreng! It’s also perfect use as sauce-bases for tofu, vegetables, and pretty much anything! You can also use this as a dipping sauce. This stores well in the refrigerator and continues to thicken as it cools.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Condiments, Sauces

Cuisine Asian, Indonesian

Servings small jar (400 ml)

Calories 1004 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce (240 ml)
1 cup organic brown sugar or palm sugar (220 g)
2 whole dried star anise , optional
4 garlic cloves ,halved or crushed
1 inch piece of ginger (2.5 cm), sliced
1 tsp whole black peppercorns sub with pinch of ground black pepper

Instructions

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, place all the ingredients and mix to combine.
Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. If the sauce comes to a boil at any point, reduce the heat so that it remains at a low simmer.
Turn off the heat. Remove or strain the star anise, ginger, and peppercorns. You can opt to remove the garlic too if you'd like. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Leave the mixture to cool completely before storing in a jar and refrigerating. The sweet soy sauce will continue to thicken as it cools completely.
Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate until ready to use. This can be stored for months!

NUTRITIONAL INFO

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a rating or comment and share a photo on Instagram, and tag me @thefoodietakesflight or use #thefoodietakesflight 🙂

This Post Has 10 Comments

Carolin 6 May 2021 Reply

Hi Jeeca, thank you so much for this recipe! I’m about to prepare the Sweet and Spicy Tempeh (Tofu for us) today and already made the Kecap Manis. It tastes great (just like liquorice) and I’m loving it already!
Greetings from Germany,
Carolin
1. Jeeca 7 May 2021 Reply
  
  Bitte, Carolin! ◡̈ hope you guys enjoy it.
  1. Carolin 19 Jul 2021 Reply
    
    We did, absolutely! I made it again yesterday, so we can try more recipes with it 🙂
2. Jeeca 7 May 2021 Reply
  
  Bitte schon, Caroline! ◡̈ Hope you guys enjoy it.
Jo 21 May 2021 Reply

Hi. Your recipe is absolutely delicious. I have tried a few different recipes for kecap manis and also tried shop bought ones. This is my favourite! Thankyou so much. Best Wishes ?
1. Jeeca 22 May 2021 Reply
  
  Thanks so much JO! ◡̈ glad you enjoyed it!!
Nana 22 Sep 2021 Reply

Hi can I substitute maple syrup instead of brown sugar?
1. Jeeca 22 Sep 2021 Reply
  
  Hi Nana, hmm I wouldn’t recommend it because it can change the flavour profile. But if you don’t mind then you can but I’d recommend another type of more neutral sweetener if you have. Hope this helps!
FELISSA 17 Nov 2021 Reply

Haven’t been able to find dark soy sauce at the supermarket lately and this recipe has been a life saver and gives an awesome taste to my cashew chicken 💖
1. Jeeca 18 Nov 2021 Reply
  
  Happy to hear this helps Felissa!! ◡̈

Hello there!

I’m Jeeca, a food content creator and recipe developer passionate about creating easy yet tasty and flavour-packed vegan recipes. I share a lot of Asian recipes inspired by my travels and those I grew up enjoying.

Categories

Homemade Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)

HOW TO USE KECAP MANIS OR SWEET SOY SAUCE

AROMATICS FOR THE SAUCE

COOKING THE KECAP MANIS OR SWEET SOY SAUCE

STORING THE SAUCE

You might enjoy these other vegan recipes:

If you make this recipe, please tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #thefoodietakesflight 🙂