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Hot pot sauces are the secret to elevating your hot pot experience! Whether you love bold, spicy flavors or creamy, nutty blends, these sauces bring out the best in every bite. They’re customizable, easy to make, and the perfect finishing touch for dipping meats, veggies, and noodles.
Whether you’re new to at-home hot pot or a seasoned pro, my 5 dipping sauces are sure to bring fresh flavors and excitement to the table! Looking for more broth ideas? Check out my Hot Pot Broth for even more delicious options!
Table of Contents
- What is hot pot sauce?
- Top 5 hot pot sauces (easy, no cook, and delicious)
- 1. Taiwanese shacha dipping sauce
- 2. Garlic sesame sauce
- 3. Chinese spicy garlic chili sauce
- 4. Japanese sesame miso
- 5. Spicy peanut sauce
- How to make and serve hot pot dipping sauce
- How to hot pot
- Umami Tip
- Hot pot sauces recipe Recipe
What is hot pot sauce?
Hot pot is all about the experience, and the dipping sauce is one of the key players that make it truly special.
When it comes to hot pot, there are five main components: broth, vegetables, meats and seafood, extra add-ons (like noodles and dumplings), and dipping sauces. The dipping sauce ties it all together and adds that extra punch of flavor.
Common ingredients for hot pot sauces include soy sauce, sesame paste, vinegar (both dark and white), toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, Taiwanese shacha sauce (a seafood-flavored favorite), finely minced garlic and ginger, scallions, and chili peppers.
From creamy and savory to spicy or tangy, you can mix and match these basics to create a sauce that’s just right for you. It’s all about customizing it to your taste!
Basic
Hot pot 101
To assemble the hot pot, the only thing that’s precooked is the hot pot broth (the foundation flavor of the pot). Everything else—like the sides—goes uncooked but sliced, so you and your guests can have fun with the DIY cooking in the hot broth. It’s kind of like Western fondue!
Top 5 hot pot sauces (easy, no cook, and delicious)
Here are my top 5 favorite hot pot dipping sauces! From savory to nutty, creamy to a little spicy, these sauces bring together Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese flavors—all in one place. I’ll quickly go over their flavor profiles and ingredients, so you can mix and match with ease!
- Taiwanese Shacha Dipping Sauce: Savory and garlicky with a hint of seafood flavor.
- Garlic Sesame Sauce: Creamy, garlicky, and savory.
- Chinese Spicy Chili Garlic Sauce: Spicy with a savory, slightly tangy flavor.
- Japanese Sesame Miso Sauce: Creamy, nutty, and full of umami from miso paste.
- Spicy “Peanut” Sauce: Nutty, spicy, savory, with a mild sweet-and-sour flavor.
1. Taiwanese shacha dipping sauce
Save This Recipe
This is one of my personal favorites for hot pot! Taiwanese shacha sauce, also known as Taiwanese BBQ sauce, has a deep, savory, umami-packed flavor. I have a simple homemade version, but you can also easily grab a jar online.
Ingredients: Garlic, Shacha sauce, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), rice vinegar, scallion, toasted sesame oil, Thai chili peppers (optional).
2. Garlic sesame sauce
Creamy, garlicky, and savory, this sauce is packed with nutty flavors from Chinese sesame paste, cashew butter, and soy sauce, with a touch of umami seasoning. This is my family’s favorite!
Ingredients: Chinese sesame paste, cashew butter, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, garlic clove, chicken bouillon or shiitake mushroom seasoning, water.
3. Chinese spicy garlic chili sauce
My homemade Chinese hot pot sauce is a great all-purpose sauce for hot pot essentials. It’s perfect for dipping, glazing, or for garlic chili noodles!
Ingredients: Garlic chili sauce, balsamic vinegar, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallion, sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and oyster sauce.
4. Japanese sesame miso
This Japanese shabu shabu sesame sauce is creamy without skimping on the rich umami flavor. It’s the perfect Japanese shabu shabu sauce and is an incredible Asian dressing, such as for this Spiral cucumber salad.
I recommend using organic white miso paste. For a soy-free alternative, use chickpea miso.
Ingredients: Chickpea or white miso paste, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, Chinese sesame paste, coconut aminos, toasted white sesame seeds, water.
5. Spicy peanut sauce
My hot pot peanut sauce tastes a little sweet and spicy. The flavor is inspired by Sichuan dan dan noodles. It’ll complement all other hotpot flavors.
Ingredients: Unsalted peanut butter, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, water, Garlic chili sauce (optional), cilantro (optional).
How to make and serve hot pot dipping sauce
Making hot pot sauces is super easy! Gather the ingredients, mix them together, and you’re all set. You can scale my recipes for 2 people or a larger crowd.
- Choose your sauces: Pick 1 or more sauces to try.
- Prep aromatics: Dice garlic, ginger, and green onions into small bowls.
- Gather seasonings: Place soy sauce, vinegar, and other items into individual bowls.
- Set up a buffet: Lay everything out for a DIY sauce bar.
- Customize: Each guest grabs a small bowl and mixes their own sauce with must-haves like soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and scallions.
Use your sauce to dip veggies, meats, and noodles straight from the hot pot!
Ingredient notes:
- Chinese Sesame Paste: Made from roasted sesame seeds, it’s stronger and nuttier in flavor. You can substitute it with a mix of unsweetened peanut butter and tahini.
- Taiwanese Shacha Sauce: A seafood-based sauce with rich garlic and shallot flavors, often compared to XO sauce. Use my homemade version or a store-bought option.
- Chinese Black Vinegar: Mildly acidic with a woody flavor. Aged balsamic vinegar works as a gluten-free alternative.
- Miso Paste: For a soy-free option, try chickpea miso paste.
How to hot pot
As mentioned earlier, there are five main components to a hot pot: broth, vegetables, meats/seafood, extra add-ons, and dipping sauces. The only pre-cooked component is the broth.
The rest of the ingredients are typically thinly sliced and beautifully arranged on large plates so everyone can pick their favorites, cook them in the simmering pot, and enjoy them right away.
You’ll need a portable tabletop stove to keep the broth hot and simmering throughout the meal.
Since everyone shares one big pot, it’s important to have designated utensils, like long chopsticks and soup spoons, just for dipping into the pot. This keeps things clean and hygienic for everyone.
Thinly sliced meats (like beef) cook quickly, often in just a few seconds (shabu-shabu style), while veggies, like napa cabbage stems, take a bit longer to cook through.
For more tips, check out my Vegan Hot Pot for how to eat hot pot, Chinese Leafy Greens for veggie options, and my Hot Pot Broth recipes for flavorful bases!
Good to know
Umami Tip
- Hot pot sauces are versatile—use them for dipping meats, veggies, noodles, or even to flavor broth.
- Adjust the flavors to your taste—there are no rules for creating your own combinations!
- Storing: Keep the sauces in an airtight glass container in the fridge and use them within a week.
- Recipe quantity: The recipe is written for 1 person but can easily be scaled up for a crowd.
Hot pot sauces recipe
Ingredients
Taiwanese Shacha Hotpot Sauce
- 0.5 oz garlic clove crushed or grated
- 2 tbsp shacha sauce use 1.5 tbsp if store-bought
- 0.5 tbsp soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 0.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 0.5 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 1 bulb scallion chopped
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp chopped Thai red chili peppers optional
Garlic Sesame Sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste or 1.5 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp cashew butter
- 0.5 tbsp soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 0.3 oz garlic clove crushed or grated
- 1.4 tsp Takii shiitake mushroom seasoning optional
- 1-2 tbsp water or more for a thinner sauce
Chinese Spicy Chili Garlic Hotpot Sauce
- 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce or your preferred store-bought version
- 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 0.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 bulb scallion chopped
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder optional
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or store-bought, optional
Japanese sesame miso sauce
- 1 tbsp white miso paste or chickpea miso
- 0.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Chinese sesame paste or 1.5 tbsp tahini
- 0.5 tbsp soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 2-2.5 tbsp water or more to thin the sauce
Spicy “peanut” sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted peanut butter or almond butter
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 0.5 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp water or more to thin the sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic chili sauce optional, or your preferred store-bought version
- 2 tsp chopping cilantro optional
Instructions
- Pick and choose a flavor profile (or more) you like to use for your hotpot.
- Gather all the ingredients and mix them in a dipping sauce bowl and that’s it!
Notes
- The recipe quantity is calculated for 1 person so that you can easily scale up the quantity for more.
- If you can’t find Chinese sesame paste, use a blend of unsweetened peanut butter with tahini.
- Use store-bought shacha sauce, if you want to make the sauce faster.
- Aged balsamic vinegar tastes naturally sweeter with a thicker consistency. You can also use a small amount of regular balsamic vinegar.
- Miso paste: If you prefer soy-free, use chickpea miso paste.
- Store the sauce in an airtight glass container in the fridge. I recommend using them in one week. If the hot pot sauce becomes too thick, add 1-2 tbsp of water to thin the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made a dish and loved it? Please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment in the section below! It helps my blog grow organically, allowing me to continue sharing free and awesome content with you. Thank you!
We tried the Taiwanese shacha and the spicy chili garlic hot pot sauces this past weekend and they were a huge hit with the family. They are great dipping sauces for not only meat but also tofu and vegetables. They add so much flavor to the shabu shabu style light dishes. Next time, we will try the Japanese version.
We made the Japanese miso and the spicy peanut sauces to go with the homemade hot pot this past week and they are both fantastic! Easy to assemble and full of delicious flavors. They pair well with not only meat but also tofu and veggies, Can’t wait to try the other 3 next time!
Thank you for putting together all these flavors for hot pot! My family loves hotpot so we are hoisting it at our home this year. I tested some the other day – the Taiwanese Shacha and Japanese miso and both of them are delicious! I’ll make all 5 for the family gathering so everyone and pick-and-choose!
That’s wonderful. So happy to hear!
I made this for my mom last night to go with the vegan hot pot that Chihyu has on her site. It was FABULOUS! I didn’t get to try all 5 hot pot sauces – we made the Japanese version and the Chinese spicy dipping sauce version. They are so good and my mom enjoyed the dish so much. It reminds us of Japan just like what you get in restaurants! I can’t wait to make more of them this winter. It’ll be perfect!
Thank you! So happy to hear
My kid is allergic to peanuts but she loves hot pot! This recipe post is perfect thanks so much! Now we have more choices for our at-home hotpot or shabu!
That’s great. I’m so happy to hear!