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:
- Japanese Chahan or Fried Rice
- Crispy Eggplant Katsu
- Scalloped Potatoes in Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
- Chili Garlic and Black Bean Eggplant Noodles
- Easy Sweet, Spicy, and Saucy Noodles
- Stir-Fried Tofu and Basil Noodles
- Pan-Fried Tofu Cakes
- Tofu ‘McNuggets’
- Tantanmen (Vegan Ramen)
- Yaki Udon
- Chinese-Style Bolognese
- Ginger and Scallion Noodles
- Chili Garlic Oil Noodles
If you make this recipe, please tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #thefoodietakesflight 🙂
Looking for more Vegan Asian recipes?
You can get a copy of my cookbook, Vegan Asian!
If you crave vegan-friendly versions of classic Asian dishes, this cookbook is packed with Southeast and East Asian dishes inspired by those I grew up enjoying at home and those I’ve tried from my travels. From iconic Thai dishes to piping-hot Japanese fare and everything in between, the recipes in this will take your palate on a delicious food trip across Asia, and hopefully keep you coming back for more!
Homemade Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)
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
This Post Has 22 Comments
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
Bitte, Carolin! ◡̈ hope you guys enjoy it.
We did, absolutely! I made it again yesterday, so we can try more recipes with it 🙂
Hi there Jeeca I don’t have fresh ginger only powder. Can I use that and if so how much. Thanks.
Julia Jessica xx
Hey Julia, you can used 1/2 tsp 🙂
Bitte schon, Caroline! ◡̈ Hope you guys enjoy it.
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 ?
Thanks so much JO! ◡̈ glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi can I substitute maple syrup instead of brown sugar?
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!
Where were you all my life ??! Brilliant recipe. I’m loving your recipes 😋
Thanks so much Raana 🤎
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 💖
Happy to hear this helps Felissa!! ◡̈
Thank you for the recipe. This was perfect to replace a bottle of bought sauce that had gone off at the back of the fridge. I made half the recipe to make sure it’d last in the fridge this time. Very tasty! 😋
Yay, glad you liked it! Thanks as well Julie! Appreciate it 🙂
Hello, this recipe looks amazing… can’t wait to try it. Should I use dark soy or light soy in the recipe please? I can buy both but they are quite different. Also available is just “soy” (Kikkoman brand).
Thanks!! Sarah
Hi Sarah! I use regular soy sauce for this one. I use Lee Kum Kee’s premium soy sauce in particular. It’s lighter and less salty than the Kikkoman brand. 🙂
Works great in my Beef Jerky Marinade!!! Thank you for the recipe.
Most welcome! 🙂
I really look forward to making this.
Thanks for publishing this, Jeeca!
Because of my gluten-free limitations, we use San-J Tamari Lite (50% less sodium) — will that make much of a difference in flavor, if so, are there any other ingredients that could be used to adjust it?
Fìnal question — could blackstrap molasses be used instead of sugar?
We ran out of coconut sugar, but have plenty of molasses.
Hey Tamar! Tamari would change this flavor-wise. I haven’t tried it myself for this recipe but since it’s usually less salty than regular soy sauce, I can recommend you add some salt, if needed, for extra depth and saltiness. Molasses will also alter flavor, using regular sugar or palm sugar would still be the best sub if you can have it.