These irresistible sticky pork ribs are one of the best things we’ve made recently. The ribs are unbelievably tender and coated in the most delicious homemade hoisin glaze. You’ll love them!
These Asian sticky ribs are amazing. Every time we make them, we immediately want to make them again. The ribs are slowly baked in the oven with ginger, garlic, and cilantro to become incredibly tender and infused with flavor.
Then, we slather over our homemade hoisin sauce to make the sticky glaze. These are outrageously good.
Key Ingredients
- Pork ribs: I’ve used baby back ribs in my photos and video, but you can use baby back, spare ribs, or St. Louis-style ribs in the recipe below.
- Hoisin sauce: I highly recommend using our easy hoisin sauce, which I have included in the recipe below. It’s easy to make and lasts in the fridge for a month. I usually make a double batch and use it to make these chicken lettuce wraps.
- Garlic, ginger, and cilantro: For this recipe, we slowly bake our ribs in the oven and love to sneak in some aromatics that slowly infuse the ribs with flavor.
- Toppings: These are optional, but I love them. I add chopped peanuts, sliced green onion, and sliced red chilies to the ribs for serving.
How to Make Asian Sticky Ribs
I love baking ribs low and slow. We already have this baked ribs recipe on Inspired Taste with over 700 happy reviews. These sticky ribs have a similar baking method, guaranteeing tender, almost falling-off-the-bone ribs!
For this recipe, I place the ribs on top of fresh sliced ginger, garlic, and cilantro, then carefully wrap parchment paper around them to create a snug packet. Then, I wrap it once more with foil to really make sure that it is well sealed.
As the ribs bake to perfection, they transform, becoming unbelievably tender and infused with ginger, garlic, and cilantro. They bake for 2 to 3 hours.
Once the ribs are baked and rested, I unwrap them and generously coat them in our homemade hoisin sauce. Then, they return to a hot oven where the sauce bubbles, reduces, and transforms into a delicious sticky glaze.
We worked on this recipe with Chef Richard Hattaway and had an absolute blast! Honestly, we might have indulged in a few extra taste tests along the way (haha). These ribs are so incredibly delicious.
Make Ahead Sticky Ribs
You can make these Asian ribs 3 days ahead of time. After baking them, wrap them and store them in the refrigerator. Then, when ready to serve, unwrap the ribs and add the hoisin sauce. Finally, bake the ribs in a hot oven until heated through and the sauce becomes sticky.
What to Serve with Sticky Ribs
I love these sticky ribs and serve them with rice, coconut rice, or noodles for dinner. They are also amazing next to fried rice. I also love adding something fresh and crunchy. Try our cilantro lime slaw, garlic green beans, or this cucumber and avocado salad.
You can also serve them with spring rolls, egg rolls, homemade crab Rangoon, or this spicy ginger edamame.
Hoisin Sticky Ribs
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
These Asian sticky ribs are unbelievably tender and coated in the most delicious homemade hoisin glaze. They are surprisingly easy to make, and their incredible flavor will have you reaching for more. We love them! The sauce in the recipe below makes the perfect amount for one rack of ribs, but I highly recommend doubling it and storing what you do not use in the fridge for other dishes (it lasts for 1 month).
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 rack baby back ribs (loin back ribs), 2 to 2 ½ pounds
1 cup homemade hoisin sauce, recipe below
8 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Two 1-inch thumb-size pieces of fresh ginger, sliced thin lengthwise
Half a bunch of fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped peanuts, optional
1 Fresno chili pepper, thinly sliced, optional
1 green onion, finely chopped, optional
Homemade Hoisin Sauce1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
One 1-inch thumb-size piece fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
2 green onions, whites and light green parts only, finely minced
5 tablespoons (65 grams) light tamari or light soy sauce, plus more to taste
5 tablespoons (65 grams) pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons (30 grams) molasses
1 tablespoon (20 grams) peanut butter, try homemade peanut butter
1 ½ teaspoons Gochujang, see notes
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
Directions
- Bake Ribs
1Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C) and set aside a large rimmed baking sheet on the counter.
2Trim excess fat from the ribs and remove any thin membrane on the back of the rack. (Some ribs may already have the membrane removed, I show how to remove it in this ribs recipe).
3Pat the ribs dry and season them with salt and pepper.
4Take a piece of parchment paper large enough to wrap around the ribs (you may need to overlap two sheets). Spread half of the garlic, ginger, and cilantro on the parchment paper. Place the ribs on top, with the meaty side facing down. Arrange the remaining garlic, ginger, and cilantro on the bone side of the ribs.
5Wrap the parchment paper tightly around the ribs, folding the edges to seal. Then, wrap the entire package with foil. Remember which side has the meatiest part of the ribs.
6Place the wrapped ribs, with the meatiest side facing down, on the prepared baking sheet.
7Bake the ribs in the preheated oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Carefully unwrap the ribs and pierce them with a knife to check for tenderness.
8While the ribs are baking, you can make the hoisin sauce using the recipe instructions below.
9Allow the ribs to cool while still wrapped. Let them rest at room temperature, or refrigerate the wrapped package on a baking sheet for up to 3 days.
- Make Hoisin Sauce
1Heat sesame oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Set the saucepan aside to cool.
2Stir in soy sauce, maple syrup, molasses, peanut butter, Gochujang, rice wine vinegar, and the Chinese Five Spice. Return the saucepan to medium heat and, while stirring, slowly bring to a simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust with 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of soy sauce if necessary.
3Make a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water. Whisk the slurry into the sauce. As it simmers, the sauce will thicken. Once thickened, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
- Adding the Sticky Glaze
1Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C).
2Gently unwrap the ribs and scrape away the cilantro, garlic, and ginger (these can be discarded).
3Cut the rack into individual ribs or two- to three-bone portions. Place them in a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish.
4Spoon most of the hoisin sauce over the ribs, ensuring they are well covered (save a little sauce for later). Flip the ribs so the meaty side faces down and move them around in the sauce for even coating.
5Bake the uncovered ribs for 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce bubbles.
6Remove the baking dish from the oven and flip the ribs so the meaty side faces up. Tilt the baking dish and gather as much sauce as possible to spoon back over the ribs. This time, the sauce will be thicker. At this point, I like to add a little extra sauce on top.
7Serve with chopped peanuts, sliced pepper, and green onion.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Ribs: I use baby back ribs, but spare ribs, country-style, or St. Louis-style ribs work. Spare ribs may require a little more time in the oven to become tender. I remove the membrane from my ribs, which makes them even more tender (some stores do this for you). See this baked ribs recipe for tips on how to do it.
- Double or triple the recipe: Wrap each rack individually and then place it on a rimmed baking sheet. You may need more than one baking sheet for multiple racks of ribs.
- Gochujang and a substitute: Tradtional hoisin sauce incorporates fermented beans. We’ve included Gochujang (a spicy Korean condiment with rice and fermented soybeans). Substitute miso paste and, if you’d like to add some spice, add a dash or two of hot sauce or chili paste like sambal oekek.
- Hoisin sauce: I love homemade, but if you plan to use store-bought, taste the sauce before adding it to the ribs to ensure it is not too salty. See this article about our homemade sauce for additional notes and substitutions.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
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These are honestly the best ribs I’ve made! The recipe was super easy to follow, depending on your patience in the kitchen, it can take a bit of prep, but seriously it’s SOOOOO worth it! Looking forward to making this again this week with some coconut rice. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Easy, flavorful, great hints and suggestions. Hoisin sauce recipe helpful but seems to be missing something; next time I might add fish sauce.
My husband and I loved these ribs!!!! I made them and my husband said, “These are the best ribs I have ever eaten!” He told me to never make ribs any other way. He only wants me to make these ribs in his future. I cook every night, so its great when I can make something different and my husband is so thankful for something new and something to eat that is so good he can’t wait for me to make it again. Thanks again and we look forward to making another wonderful recipe from you both.
Best ever cooking method for ribs! The meat really did fall off the bone and the flavor of the hoisin sauce cannot be topped. I do lots of Asian cooking and will be making my hoisin sauce from now on instead of buying it. What a great find this recipe was!
You have made our day with this review 🙂
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe and video. I’ve always wanted to make good ribs, but it seemed like a daunting task. How do you keep them moist and tender? How do you get that juicy flavor with a tasty sticky glaze? Well, you two have shown me the way. Your instructions are clear and easy to follow, and your tips are invaluable. I love watching your videos. They make me feel like I’m in the kitchen with you, learning from the masters. You have become my “go-to” source for delicious dishes. You rock!
This is amazing, Michael. I’m so happy that you’ve found us!
I didn’t use low sodium tamari so it was a bit too salty for me (I was also very generous with the salt/pepper rub), but I’ll make the change for next time. It was delicious otherwise and a hit with my 6 and 8 yr old. Foodie Husband gave it two big thumbs up as well. Will definitely make again.
We definitely recommend using low sodium for this recipe in particular. So glad your family loved it 🙂
These ribs are amazing!!! Definitely make the sauce, do not use store bought. It’s SO worth it! My husband doesn’t like to try new things, but he made yum sounds the whole time that he was eating the ribs 😅 He said that it’s better than any general tso take out sauce. I agreed 100%
lol…love this review! We are so happy you loved it. That sauce is insanely good 🙂
I don’t eat pork so could I use beef ribs?
Yes!
These were finger licking delish!!! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce (I don’t do soy), and siracha instead of the gochujang because I couldn’t find any gochujang without wheat flour and I’m gluten free. I’m not sure how my two subs may have altered the original sauce, but it worked well.
Hi Kelly, we are so glad that you were able to make those two subs. Thanks for coming back to comment 🙂
Made the ribs! Absolutely lip smacking fabulous!! Paired it with a French Dijon carrot salad for a yummy summer dinner.
I took pics but can’t see how to include them!
I made the hoisin sauce in advance for July 4th ribs. The rib recipe calls for a cup of sauce. I came out with just over 1/2 cup. Not sure what happened. Will I need to make more?
Hi Maggie, the hoisin sauce should make 1 cup of sauce, maybe you simmered the sauce longer which reduced it down. If the sauce still tastes good, you can probably get away with using 1/2 cup on the ribs. For saucier ribs, you might want to make another batch. If you end up with too much sauce you can keep in in the refrigerator for up to a month and can be used on so many things.
Thank you. The sauce is delicious. Probably the flavor is more concentrated. I will make another batch.
Looks delish! Just came across y’alls website and I might be hooked already. I am sure to grab a pre-prepped bag of salad to complement the ingredients in the hoisin ribs as a side dish. What do you suggest for other sides? Thanks and I’ll do my best to post a pic and review when I make it!
So glad you found us! We really like corn salad or potato salad as a side for sticky ribs 🙂