How to make Vegan Fish Sauce! – a great substitute for Asian fish sauce that adds depth and umami flavor to Asian dishes without the fish or shellfish! Gluten-free adaptable!
Many of you have asked for a good substitute for fish sauce. Here’s a simple recipe for Vegan Fish Sauce – that you can easily make at home. It is so easy! Make a batch and refrigerate – it will keep for months in your fridge – a meat-free, plant-based, non-fishy substitute for fish sauce that works well in all Asian style recipes that call for fish sauce!
After sampling sips of straight fish sauce (now you know how much love you!) this is the recipe that I came up with.
It’s basically a very condensed broth infused with soy sauce -shoyu, tamari or gluten-free Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, mushrooms (use either dried or fresh), seaweed and a few garlic cloves. The broth is simmered and reduced, and flavors become very concentrated. What remains is a very intense salty briny liquid that with deep umami flavor that to me, comes pretty close to fish sauce. The seaweed really hints of the sea and gives it the “fishiness” it needs without the fish!
Smoked Shoyu adds even more complexity if you can track it down. Grilled onions, black garlic or roasted garlic add even more depth. You can get pretty crafty when you start thinking about creating depth and umami, so please, feel free to experiment and play around.
Here is the simple recipe and of course feel free to embellish, leaving notes for other readers in the comments.
I prefer dried shiitake mushrooms in this recipe for Vegan Fish Sauce- but know they may be hard to track down for some. I also tried this with cremeni mushrooms and they were a great substitute.
Vegan Fish Sauce is delicious in Thai and Vietnamese Dishes! Try this in in 15 minute pad thai, any of the curries on the site or Asian style soups like my Thai Broccoli Soup .
Here area also my favorite soul warming, Thai Recipes that this vegan fish sauce would be really useful in!
Hope this helps. xo
Vegan Fish sauce
How to make Vegan Fish Sauce! – a great substitute for fish sauce that adds depth and umami flavor to Asian dishes. Gluten-free adaptable!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: sauces, condiments,
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- ¼ cup soy sauce- shoyu, tamari, or Braggs liquid amino acids
- ¼ ounce dried mushrooms like shiitakes or 8 ounces fresh mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, portobello)
- 1 4 x 8 inch sheet of dried kombu ( seaweed) or wakame seaweed
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 ½ tablespoons salt
- optional additions- 1 fat shallot sliced, grilled (charred) onion, roasted garlic, black garlic, small splash rice wine, sherry, or rice vinegar. Smoked Shoyu if you can find it, is a great option for the soy sauce.
Instructions
Bring all to a simmer in a medium pot, uncovered, over medium heat. Simmer until reduced by half. You should have about 2 cups of liquid.
If you have time, let this steep over night, or up to 24 hours, covered on the counter. Then strain and pour into jar. If liquid is less that 2 cups, add water to make it 2 cups. This will ensure the right amount of saltiness.
Store in the fridge and use as you would fish sauce, one to one.
Keywords: vegan fish sauce, fish sauce substitute, asian fish sauce, how to make fish sauce, how to make vegan fish sauce, homemade fish sauce
Sheetal Patel says
June 2, 2017 at 5:45 amThank you and can’t wait to try this out!
Amy Bazan says
December 23, 2017 at 12:55 pmMade this to go on vermicelli bowls and egg rolls. Amazing!! Added 2-3 Thai chilies and a couple of tablespoons of sugar and used fresh crimini and shiitake mushrooms. Was a wonderful substitute for the Vietnamese style fish sauce my mother in law taught me to make.
Sylvia Fountaine says
December 24, 2017 at 1:43 pmAwesome Amy, Glad it worked out for you!
Mardi Tovey says
January 3, 2018 at 5:37 pmThanks so is it a 1/4 cup each of soy tamari amino acids and shoyu – or just one of them?
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 4, 2018 at 7:51 amMardi, no, just pick one, was just giving options! 🙂
Gabriel Francis says
January 9, 2018 at 7:53 amLooks great! How long does it keep?
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 9, 2018 at 8:11 am6 months-1 year in the fridge
Megan says
March 10, 2018 at 11:51 amWhat would you use in replacement of the mushrooms for a mushroom allergy?
Sylvia Fountaine says
March 12, 2018 at 8:29 amMaybe just leave them out, I can’t think of a replacement!
L. Walker says
February 7, 2019 at 6:08 pmUse Chinese eeggplant to sub for the mushrooms
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
February 8, 2019 at 6:37 amPerfect and thanks!!!
Matt Diamond says
March 18, 2018 at 2:32 pmI didn’t think it was possible. Thanks I’ve recently taken up a plant based vegan diet and was wondering if if have to give up Thai dishes
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
March 21, 2018 at 4:14 pmHahaha.. no! I understand your concern though!
Raphael says
October 29, 2018 at 5:14 pmThis is amazing!!!!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
October 30, 2018 at 5:35 amGlad you like it!!!
Laura Owens says
December 13, 2018 at 6:31 pmI think I love you more and more with every new recipe I find! After my recent discovery that I’m intolerant to gluten, dairy, and cane sugar, I’ve been looking for new staples to cook at home. Family members are also allergic to fish and soy, so finding dishes everyone can eat AND enjoy (without “labels” 😉 ) is a bit of f a challenge. I’m SO EXCITED about this soy-free, vegan condiment! My fish-allergic husband, vegan Indian son-in-law, and gluten-free/dairy-free siblings can ALL eat this! It may become Christmas gifts as well!
Thank you Sylvia! Your recipes are helping me completely change the way I eat. So, yes, you ARE a life-saver, a tasty one at that!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
December 14, 2018 at 1:44 pmAwww thanks Laura! Im so glad the recipes are helping!
joy horan says
January 4, 2019 at 12:39 pmthanks for this, i will make this week.. Is there an expiry date?
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 4, 2019 at 1:57 pmIt lasts for months! I’ve had mine in the fridge for probably a year now and still use it.
Jamie says
January 11, 2019 at 5:39 pmThis was pretty yummy tho not exactly the flavor of fish sauce . Do you know how long it last in the fridge or freezer?
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 12, 2019 at 9:13 amIt will last forever! Mine is a year old.
Lisandra says
May 2, 2019 at 12:07 amWhat would you use as replacement for garlic? Thanks
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 2, 2019 at 5:59 amTry shallots!
darryl m. says
June 7, 2019 at 6:43 amDoes this need to be strained or can it be blended together and let the solids sit on the bottom?
Sylvia Fountaine says
June 7, 2019 at 10:23 amYou could try blending- my only concern would be about its shelf life with the solids in there?