If you love the flavour of soy sauce but are trying to avoid either soy or a ton of sodium, this is the recipe for you! This Faux “Soy” Sauce is also gluten free making it a triple threat.
Soy sauce is such a popular condiment.
It is listed in numerous recipes and packs a nice salty punch to many dishes.
Unfortunately, for those with soy or gluten allergies it has to be avoided.
And that nice salty punch? Well, if you are looking to lower your sodium intake, limiting your use of soy sauce and trying this Faux “Soy” Sauce would be a good start.
The versions on store shelves contain about 920 mg of sodium.
Considering The Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding any foods that contain more than 200 mg of sodium per serving, I would say that puts conventional soy sauces on the no-no list.
So here is my version.
I will be completely honest that it doesn’t taste exactly like your typical soy sauce, but it comes close.
It has depth of flavour and is great added to stir fry’s or Asian style dishes.
It’s not so great on it’s own, as say a dipping sauce, but when added to meals it adds a tasty element similar to it’s uber salty counterpart.
How to make Soy-less Soy Sauce
Combine all the ingredients, bring to a boil and them simmer until reduced. Done!
Let it cool on the counter. This takes about 15 minutes.
I banged this batch out while I cleaned up after dinner and did the dishes.
Once it has cooled, transfer it to a small mason jar.
Try not to spill it all over the counter like I did. 😉
Keep it refrigerated and give it a good shake before using.
This recipe could easily be made vegan friendly ( <—I’ve veganized this recipe here) by using a vegetable stock.
I use a gluten free stock so make sure you read your labels if avoiding gluten is something you do.
Enjoy!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- ¼ cup chicken stock I use a gluten free variety
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tbsp molasses
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- fresh ground pepper
- Bring all ingredients to a boil
Turn the heat to medium high and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the liquid is reduced to one cup. Remove from heat
Let cool for 15 minutes then transfer to a glass jar. Store covered in the fridge
- Shake well before using
Lori
September 16, 2013 at 10:38 amThis is brilliant–thank you. I love soy sauce in many recipes but the sodium content is very concerning. How long will it keep in the fridge?
Sharon
September 16, 2013 at 12:16 pmHi Lori! I would say about 2-3 weeks … Since it’s a small-ish batch ( 1 cup ) it shouldn’t be hard to use up 🙂
Lori
September 19, 2013 at 10:17 pmThank you Sharon. Going to make up a batch this weekend!
Sharon
September 19, 2013 at 10:19 pmWatch for tomorrow’s post! I have a great recipe going up using this sauce 🙂
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health
September 16, 2013 at 3:22 pmHow creative! I usually try to limit how much soy sauce I use because of the outrageous sodium content. It’s nice to know that there are alternative ways to make you own.
Sharon
September 16, 2013 at 4:00 pmOutrageous is the right word! I know the saltiness is what makes it tasty but I find your taste buds will adjust to lower levels of sodium over time. You blood pressure will thank you 🙂
Molly
November 29, 2013 at 2:12 pmHi!
I made your Smokey BBQ Sauce, and it was a big hit!
I’m excited to try this “soy” sauce, but was wondering if you could substitute anything for the balsamic vinegar? Maybe ACV and something else?? I just don’t have any on hand and was going to try to whip this up today!
We’ve been using Liquid Aminos, but I’m trying to stay away from soy, so this will be perfect!
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Sharon
November 29, 2013 at 2:45 pmThanks so much. Molly! I’m glad you liked the BBQ sauce 🙂 The faux soy sauce is great also. I haven’t tried it with anything other than the balsamic which I think adds colour. The ACV could work but perhaps cook it a little longer? Let me know how it works out …
Aaron
January 6, 2015 at 4:09 pmFrom what I have tested, you can replace the Balsamic with ACV as long as you add a touch more molasses (for sweetness).
Sharon
January 6, 2015 at 4:26 pmGood to know! Thanks Aaron. 🙂
Mavis
July 11, 2014 at 4:15 pmThank you for this recipe as well as the BBQ sauce recipe. I plan to try both tonight.
I recently went from being a borderline vegetarian to full vegetarian / vegan. You are so right in that a lot of the vegan/vegetarian recipes call for soy sauce. As a person with high blood pressure, I definitely keep an eye on the sodium content of foods. I always buy the low sodium soy sauce but even it still has a ton of sodium in it.
Sharon
July 11, 2014 at 4:24 pmYou’ll love this sauce. I use it all the time. Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂 Have a great weekend, Mavis!
Vera Eads
March 13, 2017 at 5:10 pmYou have made life much better in our home! I’m allergic to soy and am a breast cancer survivor so I’m not able to have soy. My son is GFCFSF, dye and preservative free because of Autism. My father-in-law has to limit sodium. We were really missing Chinese food. Thank you for developing this recipe! I have fooled my extended family into thinking they were eating food with soy sauce. We have all acclimated to your faux soy sauce. My husband ate some real Chinese food with soy sauce and couldn’t take it because it was too salty. Thank you again!
Sharon
March 13, 2017 at 10:21 pmThanks so much Vera! This comment has made my day. What a fabulous mom/wife/daughter in law you are to take care of your family this way. I’m so happy this recipe has been helpful and your family can enjoy their old favourites. 🙂
Kristen
March 15, 2017 at 10:50 pmDo you think this will freeze well? I was thinking of pouring it up into TBSP servings in an ice cube tray, but will it hold up? I tried it and it was delicious btw! 🙂
Sharon
March 16, 2017 at 11:03 amI haven’t tried freezing it, but the ice cube trays sound like a great idea!