Although regional variants exist, hoisin sauce usually includes soybeans, fennel, red chili peppers, and garlic.

[1] The reason for the name is "seafood flavour", a common adjective in Chinese cuisine, especially Sichuanese ("fish fragrant").

[2][3] Some hoisin sauce ingredients include starches such as sweet potato, wheat and rice, and water, sugar, soybeans, sesame seeds, white distilled vinegar, salt, garlic, red chili peppers, and sometimes preservatives or coloring agents.

It is a popular condiment for phở, a Vietnamese noodle soup, in southern Vietnam.

In phở, hoisin is typically accompanied by Sriracha sauce or tương đỏ.