Chinese Sausage Substitutes
腊肠 · lap cheong · lap cheung · larp cheong · lạp xưởng
By The Chowmi Test Kitchen · Updated November 2, 2026
Chinese sausage (腊肠, lap cheong) is a dried, cured pork sausage seasoned with sugar, soy sauce and a rose-scented Chinese liquor, so it brings sweetness, cured pork fat and a firm chew all at once. No single swap copies all three, so match the dish. For clay-pot rice, sticky rice and turnip cake, use thick-cut bacon or pancetta with sugar and Shaoxing wine: for every 2 links (about 3 oz), 3 oz bacon, 1 to 1½ teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon wine. For fried rice, Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage or diced char siu is the easy swap. Spanish chorizo works but tastes of paprika. Skip fresh sausages; they have neither the cure nor the sugar.
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Every chinese sausage substitute, ranked
| Substitute | Ratio | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Thick-cut bacon + sugar + Shaoxing wine Clay-pot rice, sticky rice, turnip cake | Per 2 links (≈3 oz): 3 oz bacon, 1–1½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp Shaoxing wine | 72% |
| Pancetta + sugar Steamed dishes and turnip cake, where smoke would stand out | 3 oz + 1–1½ tsp sugar per 2 links | 70% |
| Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage Fried rice, stir-fries | 1:1 by weight | 66% |
| Char siu, diced Fried rice, sticky rice, bao filling | 1:1 by weight | 64% |
| Spanish chorizo (dry-cured) Fried rice, if you like the smoke | 1:1, plus ½ tsp sugar per 3 oz | 58% |
| Smoked tofu + soy sauce + sugar Vegetarian fried rice and sticky rice · vegan | 3 oz diced, tossed with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar, pan-fried | 45% |
- Thick-cut bacon + sugar + Shaoxing wine: Rebuilds the sweet rendered fat that seasons the rice. Smokier and softer than lap cheong; cut it in ¼-inch dice so it stays meaty instead of crumbling into bacon bits.
- Pancetta + sugar: Unsmoked cured pork belly, so the pork flavor is cleaner than bacon's. The sugar isn't optional: pancetta has none of lap cheong's sweetness.
- Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage: Hawai'i's everyday fried-rice sausage: garlicky, smoky and mildly spiced. Much softer and not sweet, so dice it, crisp it first, and add a pinch of sugar if you miss the sweetness.
- Char siu, diced: The same sweet Cantonese pork family, but roasted rather than cured: leaner, juicier, with no fat to render. Fold it in near the end so it doesn't dry out.
- Spanish chorizo (dry-cured): Right firmness and fat, wrong spice: smoked paprika turns the oil orange and the dish Spanish. Use dry-cured chorizo, not fresh Mexican chorizo.
- Smoked tofu + soy sauce + sugar: Gives sweet-salty, slightly smoky bites but no fat, so add a teaspoon of oil to the rice. Many Asian markets also sell frozen vegetarian “lap cheong” made from soy and wheat gluten.
Swap by dish: clay-pot rice to fried rice
Lap cheong does a different job in each dish it goes into, and the best stand-in follows that job. Our sticky rice and turnip cake each use 2 links, about 3 oz.
| Dish | What lap cheong does there | Best swap | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay-pot rice (煲仔饭) | Steams on top of the rice; its sweet fat drips into the grains and helps the crust | Bacon or pancetta + sugar | Lay the raw dice on the rice for the last 12–15 minutes, sprinkle the sugar over and drizzle the wine |
| Sticky rice (糯米饭) | Diced and fried first, then folded through so every spoonful has a sweet, porky bite | Bacon + sugar, or char siu | Render the bacon, pour off all but 1 tbsp fat, stir in the sugar for 30 seconds, then carry on with the recipe |
| Fried rice | Crisp-edged cubes plus a slick of sweet fat to fry the rice in | Portuguese sausage, char siu or bacon | Crisp the sausage or bacon first and fry the rice in its fat; add char siu with the rice so it only heats through |
| Turnip cake (萝卜糕) | Minced fine and steamed inside the cake with dried shrimp and shiitake | Pancetta + a pinch of sugar | Mince it as fine as the sausage would be; smoked bacon takes over the mild radish |
| Rice-cooker rice | Sliced on top so it steams while the rice cooks | Portuguese sausage or pancetta | Slice ¼ inch thick and lay it on top when you start the cooker |
No chinese sausage? Build the best swap
AITell us what you're making and what you have — get a tailored substitute with ratios.
What is Chinese Sausage?
Chinese sausage (lap cheong, 腊肠) is a thin, hard, dried pork sausage from southern China. Diced or coarsely ground pork and pork fat are cured with sugar, salt, soy sauce and a rose-scented liquor (mei kuei lu chiew), stuffed into thin casings and air-dried until firm. It's a seasoning as much as a meat: sliced or diced and cooked, it softens and releases sweet, savory fat into everything around it. It's a backbone of Cantonese clay-pot rice, sticky rice, turnip cake and fried rice, and it keeps for months.
Flavor: Sweet, salty and porky, with a faint floral note from the rose-scented liquor and fat that melts once it's heated.
Which Chinese sausage does your recipe mean?
“Chinese sausage” covers several cured sausages that taste quite different, and a recipe written in Hong Kong, Chengdu or Taipei means a different one. Check which you're replacing before choosing a swap:
| Sausage | What's in it | Tastes | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cantonese lap cheong (广式腊肠) | Pork and pork fat cured with sugar, salt, soy sauce and rose-scented liquor | Sweet, faintly floral, firm | The default: clay-pot rice, sticky rice, fried rice, turnip cake |
| Liver sausage, yun cheong (膶肠) | Pork or duck liver with pork fat | Darker, softer, rich and irony | Clay-pot rice, usually next to lap cheong |
| Sichuan sausage (川味香肠) | Pork with chili and Sichuan peppercorn, usually smoked | Spicy, numbing, smoky, not sweet | Steamed and sliced, especially around Lunar New Year |
| Taiwanese sausage (台式香肠) | Fresh or lightly dried sweet pork sausage | Very sweet, juicy, soft | Grilled whole and eaten with raw garlic; cook it like a fresh sausage |
Chicken and turkey versions of lap cheong are sold too. If you avoid pork entirely, read the whole label, casing included.
Chinese sausage vs salami and pepperoni
All three are dry-cured pork, which is why salami and pepperoni get suggested as swaps. The difference is the seasoning: salami is salty, tangy and peppery, pepperoni adds paprika and chili heat, and neither has sugar or rose liquor, so fried rice made with them tastes Italian-American rather than Cantonese. If one of them is all you have, dice it small, crisp it, and add about ½ teaspoon of sugar per 3 oz. One more difference: salami and pepperoni are eaten raw, and lap cheong never is.
Chinese sausage vs char siu
Both are sweet Cantonese pork, and both turn up in fried rice, sticky rice and bao. Char siu is fresh pork shoulder marinated and roasted, so it's juicy, fairly lean and ready to eat. Lap cheong is cured and dried: firmer, fattier, sweeter, and it needs cooking. Char siu replaces lap cheong well in fried rice and bao; in clay-pot rice it can't supply the fat that seasons the grains.
How to cook lap cheong without burning it
- Slice it raw on a sharp diagonal, about ¼ inch thick. If the links are too hard to cut cleanly, steam them for 10–15 minutes first.
- Render it over medium heat, not high: 2–3 minutes in a dry pan until the fat turns glossy and the edges go translucent. The sugar in the cure scorches quickly, and burnt lap cheong tastes bitter.
- Use the fat. Pour off all but about a tablespoon and cook the rice, greens or aromatics in it; that fat is most of what the sausage contributes.
- With bacon or pancetta, start in a cold pan so the fat renders before the meat crisps, and add the sugar only in the last 30 seconds.
Lap cheong is cured but not cooked. Firm as it is, heat it through before eating; it isn't a ready-to-eat sausage like salami.
Where to buy chinese sausage
Stock real chinese sausage
Vacuum packs of lap cheong (腊肠), usually 12 oz to 1 lb, are sold in Asian markets, on Weee! and on Yamibuy, either in the refrigerated case or near the dried goods. US brands include Kam Yen Jan and Wing Wing. Check whether it's pork or chicken, and sweet Cantonese style or spicy Sichuan style. Unopened packs keep a long time; once opened, refrigerate and use within a few weeks, or freeze.
Chinese Sausage FAQ
What is the best substitute for Chinese sausage?
It depends on the dish. For clay-pot rice, sticky rice and turnip cake, use thick-cut bacon or pancetta with sugar: about 3 oz, with 1–1½ teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of Shaoxing wine, for every 2 links. For fried rice, Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage or diced char siu is the easiest swap. Avoid fresh sausages, which have neither the cure nor the sweetness.
Can I use bacon instead of Chinese sausage?
Yes; it's the swap most home cooks reach for. Cut thick-cut bacon into ¼-inch dice so it stays meaty, render it over medium heat, pour off all but a tablespoon of fat, then add 1–1½ teaspoons of sugar per 3 oz for the last 30 seconds. It will taste smokier than lap cheong; pancetta avoids the smoke.
Is Chinese sausage already cooked? Can you eat it raw?
No. Lap cheong is dry-cured, which makes it firm and long-keeping like salami, but it isn't cooked and isn't meant to be eaten raw. Steam it, render it in a pan or cook it on top of rice until it's heated through.
Do you remove the casing from lap cheong?
No. The casing is thin and edible and softens as the sausage cooks, so slice straight through it.
What does lap cheong taste like?
Sweet first, then salty and porky, with a faint floral note from the rose-scented liquor in the cure. The fat is firm until heated, then melts into whatever it's cooked with. Think of a sweeter, firmer salami that you never eat cold.
Can I use pepperoni or salami instead of lap cheong?
In fried rice, in a pinch. Dice it small, crisp it, and add about ½ teaspoon of sugar per 3 oz to make up for the missing sweetness. The paprika and pepper will still taste Italian-American, so bacon or pancetta is the better choice if you have either.
Is there a vegetarian Chinese sausage?
Yes. Many Asian markets sell frozen vegetarian “lap cheong” made from soy protein and wheat gluten, sweetened like the real thing. At home, diced smoked tofu tossed with soy sauce and sugar and pan-fried gives similar sweet-salty bites; add a little oil to the rice, since there's no fat to render.
How long does Chinese sausage last?
Unopened vacuum packs keep for months; go by the date on the package. Once opened, wrap it well, refrigerate it and use it within a few weeks, or freeze it for several months. It's cured, not sterile, so throw it out if it smells sour or turns slimy.
Is Chinese sausage the same as lạp xưởng?
Yes. Lạp xưởng is the Vietnamese name for the same sweet cured sausage, used the same ways: fried rice, sticky rice and bánh bao. Packages in Vietnamese markets often carry both names.
Why is lap cheong so sweet?
Sugar is part of the cure, along with salt, soy sauce and the rose-scented liquor. It balances the salt and the fat and helps the sausage brown. That sweetness is exactly what most substitutes lack, which is why the swaps above add sugar.
Recipes that use chinese sausage
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