There are alternatives to soy sauce, including liquid amino acids, tamari sauce, and low-salt soy sauce. Homemade substitutes include steak sauce and water, red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar with honey and water, and ginger with pepper and sea salt. These substitutes are gluten-free and may be healthier for those with high blood pressure.
Home cooks everywhere know that soy sauce gives foods a wonderfully mysterious, almost smoky flavor. There are a number of alternatives to the ubiquitous dark brown soy sauce available in Chinese restaurants. These include liquid amino acids, which are also dark brown and, like soy sauce, offer a number of health benefits; tamari sauce; and low-salt soy sauce. Individuals with high blood pressure, gluten allergies, or who find the taste of soy sauce just a little overwhelming may find these soy sauce substitutes work best for them.
Liquid Amino Salsa has been available in health food restaurants and grocery stores for decades. The taste is very close to that of soy sauce; it gives a salty and deep note to food. There are several reasons why cooks might turn to this relatively expensive choice in soy sauce substitutes. Not only is Liquid Amino Sauce low in salt, but it’s gluten-free due to the way it’s made. The presence of a multitude of amino acids means that this healthy alternative is high in protein.
Tamari sauces can also be used as a substitute for soy sauce. Like soy sauce, they’re made with soybeans but contain no added grain products, so like liquid aminos, they’re gluten-free. In taste, tamari is a bit lighter than soy sauce, though the flavor is nearly identical. Miso, which is the probiotic-rich fermented soybean paste, is the base for tamari, which also means this sauce not only flavors your food but adds a healthy twist. Tamari is readily available in both the natural foods sections and on the Asian food shelves of most grocery stores.
For the cook who gets caught out of soy sauce when a marinade or skillet calls for it, homemade soy sauce substitutes are at the ready. One requires only steak sauce and water. One part steak sauce to four parts water produces a similar, rich, dark flavor that makes a good imitation of traditional soy sauce.
Another homemade variation uses darker, stronger red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar in addition to honey and water. A little chopped ginger and an equal amount of minced ginger with a quick jolt of pepper and sea salt is all you need to mix up a useful and delicious alternative to soy sauce. If the home cook is looking for soy sauce substitutes due to health concerns or because there is no traditional soy sauce in the house, finding acceptable substitutes is easy.
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