19 Best Soy Sauce Substitutes To Use Instead

Picture this: it's a freezing weeknight. The rain is lashing down outside, so you decide to make a delicious East Asian soup (Avocado-Miso Ramen, perhaps?) for dinner. The kitchen fills with steam. You reach for your trusty bottle of soy sauce ... and it's too light. There's only a smidge of salty deliciousness at the bottom. The soup bubbles gently. Did we mention it's raining? There's no way you're going out to get more soy sauce. But is there a substitute lurking in your kitchen that can provide the same depth of flavor?

In order to answer that question, let's examine what soy sauce actually does for a dish. According to Healthline, the word "soy" comes from the Japanese word for soy sauce, "shoyu." The four basic ingredients of soy sauce are soybeans, wheat, salt, and a fermenting agent like mold or yeast. So, when you add soy sauce to a dish you're getting two things: salty goodness and umami flavor.

Umami is one of the five basic tastes (alongside sweet, salty, bitter, and sour), and can best be described as "savoriness." Many foods that are fermented, like the soybeans in soy sauce, have umami flavor, and it's the savoriness you find in monosodium glutamate, or MSG.

When it comes to the best substitute for soy sauce, you want something that imparts either saltiness, umami flavor, or (preferably) both! Here are some recommendations that fit the bill if you happen to be out or soy sauce or are looking for a replacement due to dietary restrictions.  

Now, you may not expect anything from the British realm of cuisine to be an effective substitute for soy sauce. But as it turns out, salt and umami are universally beloved flavor profiles, even in a country that really enjoys boiling food. In hindsight, the fact that Worcestershire sauce is an essential ingredient in Bloody Marys was always an indication that it had powers we didn't know about. 

Firstly, it's pronounced "wuh-stuh-shuh sauce." Secondly, it dates back to the 1830s and is another fermented sauce (we're sensing a theme) with a base of vinegar — usually white vinegar in the U.S. and malt in the U.K. (It's worth noting that malt vinegar is not gluten free, so check the label if that's an issue for you.)

Worcestershire sauce is usually not vegetarian or vegan, as anchovies, molasses, tamarind, onion, garlic, and other seasonings are added to the vinegar base. But it is salty and savory and delicious, which makes it one of the best soy sauce substitutes. This one is a straight 1:1 swap.

What we're learning from this investigation into the best soy sauce substitutes is that many countries and regions have their own version of the salty umami condiment that is so characteristic of Japanese and Asian cooking. According to The Spruce Eats, Maggi seasoning, which is made from wheat protein (so it's not gluten-free), was invented by Julius Maggi in Switzerland in the late 1800s. Maggi is popular all over the world, including Africa, Asia, and Australasia, though it remains under-the-radar in the United States. 

In addition to the liquid version, it is also available in powder form and as a seasoning cube. The original Maggi recipe is a company secret, but it's definitely vegetable-based, and due to its taste and flavor is believed to contain lovage, an herb that tastes like a combination of parsley, celery, and fennel (via Midland Daily News). You might be able to find the Mexican version, called Jugo Maggi, in your local supermarket. It comes in mild, spicy, and lime flavors.

You can add liquid Maggi to any recipe where soy sauce is required in a 1:1 ratio to get that gorgeous umami bomb flavor.

This soy sauce sub is probably already in your cupboard if you're vegan, or have gluten and/or wheat or soybean allergies. As the name suggests, coconut aminos are made from a combination of fermented coconut sap and sea salt. Although it is a little sweeter and has a milder taste than traditional soy sauce, it does not taste like coconut, and is lower in sodium, making it one of the best soy sauce substitutes to use if you're on a low-sodium diet. As we mentioned earlier, one teaspoon of the popular Kikkoman soy sauce has about 320 milligrams of sodium, while coconut aminos contain about 90 milligrams per teaspoon. 

Despite the many health benefits and nutrients present in coconut, such as potassium, zinc, and magnesium, Healthline reports that there is no evidence that any of these show up in the delicious fermented coconut sap. Try it with a 1:1 swap, but bear in mind that you might need to add extra salt to get the same effect as traditional soy sauce.

If you're looking for a dose of umami goodness, the Umami Information Center recommends dried shiitake mushrooms. Although fresh shiitake mushrooms are also high in umami, drying them enhances that distinctive flavor. 

Simply chuck them into your dish as is and leave your food to simmer for as long as you can, or do as Japan Eight recommends and rehydrate the mushrooms in water. You can leave them overnight in cold water (enough to cover your mushrooms), or follow the lead advice of Bon Appétit and pour boiling water on them for a faster rehydrating experience. Then use the liquid in place of your soy sauce. 

Note that the flavor is a little more subtle than traditional soy sauce, so you might want to combine it with some extra salt. If you don't have shiitake mushrooms on hand, any other dried mushroom will do as all these fantastic fungi will give you that amazing umami taste. The Umami Information Center especially recommends shimeji, enoki, and button mushrooms.

Vegetarians and vegans, just keep on scrolling. To everyone else, stick around, because fish sauce is one of the best soy sauce substitutes to keep in your fridge. Fish sauce is very popular in Southeast Asian cuisine, such as those of Thailand and Vietnam, but it is also found in Korean cooking. The salty flavor and umami depth of fish sauce make it a fantastic replacement for soy sauce if you've run out. 

While soy sauce is made of soybeans fermented with salt, fish sauce is made of fish (often anchovies, but usually whatever fish is prevalent in the area) fermented with salt. You can swap fish sauce in for soy sauce at a 1:1 ratio but Spiceography recommends taking out a portion of the fish sauce and subbing in lime or lemon juice to offset some of that fishy flavor. Keep in mind that unlike soy sauce, fish sauce does not add color to your dish, so it can be easy to over pour and over flavor! 

Whether you think oysters eaten straight from their shell with a squeeze of lemon (or perhaps a dollop of cocktail sauce) are delicious, or you hate the taste and texture and would rather stick to the champagne, oyster sauce is a condiment you need to try. Exceptions on this matter exist only for vegetarians and vegans, because oyster sauce is delicious. 

The sauce is made with sugar, salt, corn starch, flour, coloring, oyster extractives, and monosodium glutamate, or MSG. Like soy sauce, the deep brown color of oyster sauce will change the color of your dish. 

But how does oyster sauce taste? Well, it has that great umami depth of flavor, as well as the salty goodness and a certain sweetness. You wouldn't necessarily think it tastes of seafood the flavor is definitely savory. However, as Healthline notes, soy sauce is saltier than oyster sauce. Therefore, to substitute oyster sauce for soy sauce, you'll want to use a little more than a 1:1 ratio.

And the vegan soy sauce substitutions keep on coming! Now it's time to talk about nutritional yeast. As we mentioned above, this is what gives Marmite and Vegemite their umami flavors, and nutritional yeast has been providing vegan food that rich savoriness (without the meat) for decades now. 

It can be used in vegan mac and cheese, as vegetable seasoning, on popcorn, and in any dish where you might want a nutty, cheesy, umami flavor. Nutritional yeast is made by feeding living yeast a nice sugar-rich carbohydrate, like beet molasses, until it has matured. Then, the yeast is heated, pasteurized, and dried, which toasts it a bit and gives it that nutty goodness. 

Although it is not as salty as soy sauce, a teaspoon or two in recipes where soy sauce is called for will offer a similar flavor profile. Just don't forget to add some extra salt.

If your kitchen repertoire is based in Western foods, you might not have heard of dashi. But if you've eaten Japanese cuisine, you've most likely eaten it. Dashi is a seaweed-based stock that forms the base of tons of Japanese dishes and is essential in Japanese cooking. 

Traditionally, dashi is made from sheets of dried seaweed called kombu, and katsuobushi, shavings of dried, smoked, or fermented fish. Sometimes, dashi is also made with dried shiitake mushrooms, our old umami bomb friends. Basically, dashi adds flavor depth to any dish that calls for a savory liquid, and of course those ocean salts from the seaweed don't hurt either. 

If you're making a soup or stew that requires the soy sauce you finished last week and forgot to replace, a cup of dashi (or dashi in place of other stock) would be a great substitute. If you don't want to make your own, the easiest solution is to throw in some dashi in powder form (like a bouillon cube) like millions of Japanese cooks do every day.

Next time you grate up a whole block, don't throw your Parmesan rinds away! Save them in a freezer bag and use them to make stock, or simply add one in with your soup or stew. Vegetarians who love to cook have known about this hack for years, but many meat-eaters have yet to realize that substituting Parm rinds for chicken or beef bones in your homemade stock makes an absolutely delicious vegetarian version. Just because it's the end of the cheese doesn't mean it's bad for you. Taste of Home notes that the rind is full of fat, salt, and amazing umami flavor. Salt? Umami? Sound like something familiar?

Simmering the rinds in liquid will soften them, and they might even dissolve into the dish. If there's any left, you can fish it out and throw it away, or even slice it up and add it back in — it still tastes like Parmesan cheese, after all!