Even if you don’t yet know exactly what worcestershire sauce is made from, you’ve likely encountered several recipes that call for a dash or two of this mysterious dark brown liquid. So what the heck is worcestershire sauce, why isn’t it vegan, and what can you use as a suitable alternative? We’ve got you covered with all the answers!
With the 13 different worcestershire sauce substitute options found here, you’ll surely come away with an option that will work in each of your favorite vegan recipes.
What is Worcestershire Sauce?
As one could guess by its complex and rich flavor, worcestershire sauce is not so straightforward!
This stuff has a characteristic dark brown coloring and features slightly sweet yet very savory flavor notes. Due to the fact that worcestershire is brewed with and seasoned by a long list of ingredients, the fermented liquid sauce has a funky flavor with a sharp and vinegary bite.
Ingredients in Worcestershire Sauce
There are a number of individual worcestershire sauce brands out there on the market, but they tend all to pull from the same pile of common ingredients.
Most worcestershire sauces include varying amounts of the following: white distilled vinegar, cured anchovies or anchovy paste, tamarind paste, onion powder, garlic powder or garlic cloves, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Is Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Traditional worcestershire sauce, including the most famous Lea & Perrins brand, is unfortunately not vegan due to the fact that it contains fish ingredients. In addition, worcestershires often contain refined sweeteners like cane sugar or molasses which are often processed with an animal product known as “bone char”.
What is Worcestershire Sauce Used For?
Due to its sharp flavor, worcestershire is rarely used as a standalone sauce. Rather, it is used as a flavor enhancing ingredient in other dishes, sauces, and recipes!
This condiment is often used for seasoning meats and proteins prior to cooking, as a flavoring agent in marinades, or to boost the savory taste of stir fries, meatloaves, or other mixtures. It is also a key ingredient in one of the most popular morning pick-me-ups: the Bloody Mary!
Top 13 Vegan Worcestershire Sauce Substitutes
While many of the traditional uses for worcestershire sauce are meat-centric, there are plenty of times and places when you might want to incorporate this flavor enhancer into vegan food as well.
Our favorite simple fixes for turning recipes that call for worcestershire sauce into vegan friendly options are:
- Soy Sauce
- Tamari
- Coconut Aminos
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Apple Cider Vinegar + Brown Sugar
- Miso Paste
- Tamarind Paste
- Sherry Wine
- Liquid Smoke + Agave Nectar
- Marmite or Vegemite
- Store Bought Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
- Store Bought Vegan Oyster Sauce
- Store Bought Vegan Fish Sauce
On any of these products, especially store bought sauces, be sure to check the labeling carefully for hidden animal products such as gelatins or refined sugars. Even if a product appears to be plant based, you might be surprised to find certain ingredients that you are trying to avoid!
1. Soy Sauce
Soy sauce makes a great substitute for worcestershire sauce because it is made from fermented soy, meaning it brings that funky, salty taste to the table in the best way. It also is very similar in both texture and color, therefore will have just about the same impact on your overall dish as worcestershire sauce would.
Soy sauce is not quite as vinegary as worcestershire sauce, nor does it have any of those additional spices or seasonings but nevertheless, is among the best items you can reach for when replacing worcestershire in a vegan recipe.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
Use an equal measure–a 1:1 ratio–of soy sauce to replace worcestershire sauce in any recipe.
2. Tamari
Tamari is often confused with soy sauce, but it is a completely different product unto itself. As opposed to being brewed and fermented like soy sauce, tamari actually originated as a byproduct of miso paste making.
This renders tamari completely free from other grains and additives meaning yes, it is gluten free! Tamari is a bit thicker than soy sauce and has a more sweet/tangy flavor as opposed to salty, but these differences make it a welcome alternative to worcestershire sauce as well.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
Go ahead and replace the worcestershire sauce your recipe calls for with an equal quantity of tamari sauce. Easy peasy.
3. Coconut Aminos
Rather than being made from fermented soy, coconut aminos is a liquid extract made by fermenting the sap of the coconut palm. The result is a darkly colored, richly flavored sauce that has a less salty and overall milder flavor as compared to both soy sauce and tamari.
Due to the less intense flavor of this option, you may want to mix it with a splash of vinegar before using it to replace worcestershire sauce in your recipes, as this will more accurately replicate the complex flavor profile we’re after.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Coconut aminos
- Vinegar, such as red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
Combine 2 parts coconut aminos to 1 part vinegar, then use this mixture to replace an equivalent quantity of worcestershire sauce where and when your recipe calls for it.
4. Balsamic Vinegar
The beauty of balsamic vinegar is that it has a wonderfully complex flavor profile, albeit a bit of a sidestep from that of worcestershire sauce itself. It does however possess that vinegary sharpness and fermented bite, not to mention the thick viscosity and deep dark coloring!
Balsamic vinegar is much sweeter than worcestershire sauce however, so if you plan on using it to replace quantities that are on the larger side, you might consider reducing the quantities of other ingredients that add sweetness such as sugars, syrups, or juices.
How to Substitute:
You’ll need:
The thing to keep in mind about using balsamic vinegar as a vegan worcestershire sauce substitute is that the flavor profile of one balsamic can vary greatly to the next.
Therefore, it’s best to start out with a 1:2 ratio of worcestershire to balsamic, meaning you should only use half as much balsamic as the amount of worcestershire your recipe calls for. From here taste and adjust as needed.
5. Apple Cider Vinegar + Brown Sugar
If you don’t have balsamic or prefer not to use it, another type of vinegar will work too! The sweetness of apple cider vinegar makes for a good substitute here, but sherry vinegar works extremely well also. Or, try other options like malt vinegar, white vinegar, or rice vinegar.
The sharp acidity needs a little help though, so turn to brown sugar, coconut sugar, or even agave nectar to help round things out. Feel free to umami the mixture up with a few drops of soy sauce or coconut aminos if desired!
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Vinegar, such as apple cider or rice vinegar
- Brown sugar (or use coconut sugar or agave nectar)
- Soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos (if desired)
In a small bowl, combine equal parts brown sugar and apple cider vinegar, then mix until well combined. Use this mixture to replace worcestershire sauce in a 1:1 ratio when called for in your recipe.
6. Miso Paste
Miso paste is fermenty, salty, sweet, and savory all rolled into one! This combo makes it great for taking the place of worcestershire in your recipes. The basis for miso paste is fermented soy beans, therefore you can think of miso paste as a thicker, more pungent form of liquid alternatives like soy sauce and tamari.
There are several different types of miso paste out there but when it comes to serving as a stand-in for worcestershire sauce, we recommend reaching for either red or yellow miso. Use white miso as a last resort as it tends to be sweeter and offers less umami than the others, which are fermented for a longer time.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
Make a mixture of equal parts miso paste and warm water, then use this to replace worcestershire sauce at a 1:1 ratio.
7. Tamarind Paste
Seeing as tamarind is a key flavor profile in worcestershire sauce, it only makes sense that you could use this ingredient in its pure form as a vegan worcestershire sauce replacement.
The natural taste of tamarind is more sweet and sour than umami however, so it will need a bit of help to strike a balance of flavor that is more aligned with that of worcestershire sauce.
We recommend mixing it with a bit of that balsamic vinegar we mentioned before, as this will give it that necessary punch of acidity, and a few dashes of hot sauce will round out the flavor with spice and depth.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Tamarind paste
- Balsamic vinegar, or another option if you prefer
- Hot sauce, or a milder version if you prefer
In a small bowl, combine equal parts tamarind paste and vinegar, whisking until the mixture is cohesive. Stir in a few dashes of hot sauce or chili sauce, according to your taste preferences.
Once the mixture is made, use it to replace the worcestershire sauce in your recipe at a 1:2 ratio. In other words however much worcestershire your recipe calls for, use only half as much of your tamarind-vinegar mixture.
8. Sherry Wine
Just as the deep flavor profile of sherry vinegar is great for replacing worcestershire sauce, actual sherry wine will do the trick as well! Sherry is unique in the sense that it is a fortified wine–meaning it has extra alcohol added to it–and it goes through a specific aging process that leaves it with nutty, rich, and even salty flavors.
Your best bet is to use dry sherry here as opposed to sweet, and you’ll want to reserve this alternative for cooked applications like stir fries or marinades. Adding sherry to savory dressings and sauce mixtures won’t necessarily offer the same savory effect you’re looking for! If you like, you could punch things up with a bit of umami rich soy sauce or tamari as well.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Dry sherry wine
- Soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos (if desired)
Sherry wine is far less concentrated in flavor as compared to worcestershire sauce, so you’ll need to use a fair bit more to really get that hit of flavor. For any amount of worcestershire sauce your recipe calls for, add in twice as much sherry wine.
If you want things to take a turn for the savory, mix the sherry wine with an equal amount of soy sauce/tamari/coconut aminos and then use it as an equivalent substitute for worcestershire sauce when your recipe calls for it.
9. Liquid Smoke + Agave Nectar
While certainly different in flavor profile as compared to worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke can still bring a similar depth of flavor and savory characteristic to many dishes. It will of course add a smoky flavor and aroma which may not always play nicely with the flavor profile at hand so be sure to consider the other ingredients in your dish before reaching for this one.
We recommend pairing it with a liquid sweetener like agave nectar, but you could also use options brown rice syrup, date syrup, or light coconut nectar–or any of these other delicious substitutes for honey. The sweetness will round out the earthy smoke nicely!
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Liquid smoke
- Agave nectar, or other liquid sweetener
It’s extremely easy to overwhelm a dish with liquid smoke so go lightly at first, substituting just a dash of liquid smoke + 1 teaspoon of honey for each tablespoon of worcestershire your recipe calls for. You can always taste and add more if desired!
10. Marmite or Vegemite
Marmite and vegemite are two deeply savory condiments, each chock full of those umami rich glutamates. As they are both made from brewer’s yeast, you can bet they’ve got that fermenty twang that makes them perfect for replacing worcestershire sauce. Marmite tends to be salty-sweet while vegemite is more salty-bitter, but either option would work well here.
Due to their thick and sticky texture, you’ll need to add some liquid to get things moving. A little bit of acid from lemon juice is ideal for complementing the savory flavor of these spreads, or if you want to go more sweet, try apple juice. You could even add apple cider vinegar if you like!
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Vegemite or marmite
- Lemon juice, apple juice, or apple cider vinegar
- Hot water
In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of your chosen spread with 2 teaspoons of your acid or juice and 2 teaspoons of warm water. Mix well, then use this at a 1:1 ratio of replacement where worcestershire sauce is called for.
11. Store Bought Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
If you don’t quite feel like playing the role of chemist in order to strike just the right combination of flavors and ingredients, you can always opt for convenience and head for a prepared option! These days, there are some awesome store bought products designed to do just the task you’re in need of.
Instead of anchovies, vegan worcestershire sauce products make use of some of the ingredients we’ve discussed here, like miso, soy sauce, tamari, as well as add in other tasty spices and seasonings to come up with a well rounded vegan sauce–no mixing and measuring required on your part!
Reaching for store bought vegan worcestershire is an especially great option if the coloring and texture of worcestershire sauce are of importance to your recipe as well as the flavor.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Store bought worcestershire of your choice
Most of the store bought vegan worcestershires are intended to replace the real deal at a 1:1 ratio. Each vegan worcestershire sauce recipe is a bit different though, so be sure to check the label of your specific brand for any pertinent instruction on making the swap.
12. Store Bought Vegan Oyster Sauce
Though traditional oyster sauce is made from real oysters, vegan versions of this condiment take their super rich and savory flavor from mushrooms and fermented soy, making them a great stand-in for worcestershire as well.
Oyster sauce tends to be a bit thicker than worcestershire sauce, so you may want to whisk it with a bit of water to achieve a more similar consistency. However, it is typically sweeter and not nearly as salty, so you can adjust other ingredients in your recipe accordingly.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Store bought vegan oyster sauce
- Warm water
Combine the oyster sauce with a splash of warm water to thin the consistency, then use it at a 1:1 ratio of replacement. If you’re aiming to replace more than 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce with oyster sauce, you may want to reduce the quantity of any other sweet ingredients the recipe calls for to compensate.
13. Store Bought Vegan Fish Sauce
While regular fish sauce is made from–big surprise–fish, vegan versions of this savory condiment rely on naturally glutamate rich seaweed ingredients. This enables vegan fish sauce to strike the palate with that oceanic salty, briny flavor that actual seafood brings to the table, in a completely fish free way of course!
Depending on the type of seaweed used, the oceanic funk of some brands may be stronger than others, so keep that in mind when making your swaps.
How to Substitute
You’ll need:
- Store bought vegan fish sauce
Vegan fish sauce often has a stronger flavor than worcestershire so go lightly at first, using just half as much fish sauce in place of the quantity of worcestershire your recipe calls for.
Choosing a Vegan Substitute for Worcestershire Sauce: The Takeaway
It may be tough to nail the complex flavors of worcestershire sauce exactly on the nose, but there are many options which thankfully strike the flavor palate in a similarly sweet-yet-savory way.
You can reach for or combine any number of different pantry staples, from soy sauce or balsamic vinegar to miso paste or liquid smoke. Or, for an easier route, give a store bought vegan version of worcestershire, oyster, or fish sauce a shot. Any of these options are sure to make all of your umami-rich dreams come true–all while being completely vegan friendly of course!