Chinese Ingredient Substitutes
Missing a hard-to-find Chinese ingredient? Pick it below for the best substitute you can buy at a regular US grocery store — with exact ratios and an honest note on what the swap changes. For a few ingredients there's no true substitute, and we'll tell you that too. Or describe what you have and what you're making, and let the finder build a swap for you.
New to Chinese cooking? Start with the pantry essentialsThe 7 ingredients to buy first, what each one does, and where to get them →Find a substitute
AITell us what you're making and what's in your kitchen — get the best swap with ratios.
Browse every ingredient
51 in-depth substitute guides, each with ratios, comparisons, and what to buy.
Bamboo Shoots
Bean Sprouts
Black Bean Sauce
Bok Choy
Char Siu Sauce
Chili Crisp
Chili Garlic Sauce
Chinese Broccoli
Chinese Chili Oil
Chinese Five-Spice
Chinese Sausage
Chinese Sesame Paste
Chinkiang Vinegar
Cornstarch
Dark Soy Sauce
Doubanjiang
Dried Scallop
Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
Dried Shrimp
Fermented Black Beans
Fermented Tofu
Fish Sauce
Fresh Ginger
Gochujang
Green Onions
Hoisin Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
Maltose
Mirin
Napa Cabbage
Oyster Sauce
Plum Sauce
Potato Starch
Rice Flour
Rice Vinegar
Rock Sugar
Shaoxing Wine
Sichuan Peppercorn
Star Anise
Sweet Bean Sauce
Sweet Chili Sauce
Sweet Potato Starch
Tapioca Starch
Toasted Sesame Oil
Water Chestnut
Wheat Gluten (Seitan)
White Pepper
Wonton Wrappers
Wood Ear Mushroom
XO Sauce
Ya Cai (Preserved Mustard Greens)
Chinese ingredient FAQ
What are the most essential Chinese pantry ingredients?
A short list goes a long way: light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang black vinegar, toasted sesame oil, and oyster sauce cover most everyday Chinese cooking. For Sichuan food, add doubanjiang (chili-bean paste) and Sichuan peppercorn. Most keep for months, so a single shopping trip sets you up for dozens of recipes.
Where can I buy Chinese ingredients in the US?
Asian grocery stores (99 Ranch, H Mart) carry everything, and online delivery services like Weee! and Yamibuy ship nationwide. Amazon stocks most shelf-stable items too. Many basics — soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, chili oil — are now in the international aisle of regular supermarkets.
Can I cook Chinese food without an Asian grocery store?
Often yes, with smart substitutes — that's what these guides are for. Regular soy sauce stands in for light soy, dry sherry for Shaoxing wine, and pantry blends can approximate hoisin or doubanjiang. Each guide tells you the best swap and, honestly, what it changes. A few ingredients (like Sichuan peppercorn) have no real substitute, and we say so.
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