Are you cooking a dish/recipe that calls for Oyster Sauce and you run of out it now? We know that it’s weird to cook a recipe without Oyster Sauce when it is the main ingredient for it. You need not think about that. Every ingredient has its own substitutes. Likewise, Oyster Sauce also has substitutes that you can use in place of Oyster Sauce. Before knowing the Oyster Sauce Substitute, we need to understand What is Oyster Sauce Exactly?
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What is Oyster Sauce Exactly?
Oyster Sauce is basically a caramelized Oyster juices, salt, sugar, and sometimes soy sauce that is thickened with cornstarch. It tastes salty, slightly sweet, and earthy. It is dark brown or you can say almost black in color with a thick consistency. You can use it for both vegetable and meat dishes/recipes. Its price may similar to the soy sauce but it all depends on which brand you have chosen.
What Can I Substitute for Oyster Sauce?
We know that it’s not easy to stir-fry or deep fry your meat dishes without Oyster Sauce. That’s why we have listed some substitutes for Oyster Sauce so that your dish wouldn’t go to waste. We have the 15 best substitutes for Oyster Sauce for you. You can make your own Oyster Sauce at home using the ideas of these substitutes. Let’s explore the substitute for Oyster Sauce.
1. Fish Sauce:
Fish Sauce is a hand-brewed sauce. It can be made from raw fish, shellfish, crabs, or cashews for vegetarians. Fish Sauce contains salt, water, and fish. Which is fermented for a long term to get the Fish Sauce. After the fermentation process, the fishy smell vanished and gives a richer and fresh aromatic fish sauce flavor. Fish Sauce has a natural salty taste. You should use Fish-Sauce only for stir fry or deep-fries. It would slightly change the taste of your dish you are already known to when using the Oyster Sauce. This can be a great alternative to Oyster Sauce.
2. Soy Sauce:
Soy Sauce is not sweet as Oyster Sauce. It is salty and thinner than the Oyster one. If your recipe/dish calls for Oyster Sauce, add some amount of sugar to make it sweet. You should use less amount Soy Sauce as compared to Oyster Sauce to avoid making a too-salty recipe/dish. There are two types of Soy Sauce available in the market. 1. Light Soy Sauce 2. Dark Soy Sauce.
The Light Soy Sauce is thin and salty in taste. It is mostly used in stir-fries, dips, marinades, dressings soups, and stews. Whereas Dark Soy Sauce is fermented for a long time and added some molasses cornstarch and caramel. To give a better flavor to the dish, Dark Soy Sauce is mixed with Light Soy Sauce.
3. Hoisin Sauce:
Hoisin Sauce is a vegetarian sauce. It is mostly used in Chinese cuisine for special occasions. The main ingredients of Hoisin Sauce are plant-based only. Garlic, Soyabean, and chili are the main ingredients of Hoisin Sauce that give the perfect rich flavor to the dish/recipe. It is also used as an additional spice to marinade ingredients before cooking.
4. Worcestershire Sauce with Soy Sauce:
Worcestershire Sauce is made from anchovy fish and Oyster Sauce is from Oysters. Both give an umami taste to the dish. Both of them can be used alternatively with some modifications. If you want to use Worcestershire Sauce as an Oyster Sauce replacement, you need to add some soy sauce and sugar to give the perfect flavor to the dish.
5. Teriyaki Sauce:
Teriyaki Sauce is made when Soy Sauce, sugar, and mirin are boiled together. You can add ginger or garlic to get a better taste. It can be used in noodles and stir-fries. You can use Teriyaki Sauce to marinate fish and meat. It has an umami taste and a thick consistency.
6. Miso Paste:
Miso Paste is usually made from soybean, salt, barley or rice, and koji mold. It is fermented for a few weeks to a few years. There are many types of Miso Paste divided into two categories 1. Light Miso Paste 2. Dark Miso Paste. The light one is less fermented and less salty than the dark one. Light Miso Paste is used in dressings and sauces. The flavor of the Miso Paste can be salty, sweet, or savory with a smooth texture. You can use Miso Paste as an Oyster Sauce replacement.
7. Vegan Mushroom Sauce:
If you are vegan and want to make Oyster Sauce substitute without any marine animals, you can make it with mushrooms. As we have listed above Soy Sauce and Hoisin Sauce are vegetarian sauces, still people want to make their own Oyster Sauce substitute with mushrooms. You can find ready-made mushroom Oyster Sauce at grocery stores. It is generally made with dried mushrooms and shitake. It is similar to the Oyster Sauce but has a sweet and salty meat flavor. You can use the same amount of Mushroom Sauce as the Oyster Sauce. It can be a great alternative to Oyster Sauce.
8. Vegan Oyster Sauce:
Another option for vegans is vegetarian Oyster Sauce. It is 100% natural and based on plant ingredients. It is similar in color and thick in texture to the Oyster Sauce. It is used for stir-fries and makes the dish more attractive. You can increase the taste of other dishes using Vegan Oyster Sauce. Yes, this is the perfect substitute for Oyster Sauce for vegans.
9. Coconut Aminos:
Coconut Aminos are made from the sap of coconut trees fermented with sea salt. It works well with stir-fry, sauces, soups, stews, marinades, or as a dipping sauce and has a sweet and salty umami flavor. It is gluten-free and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Yes, it can be used as a replacement for Oyster Sauce.
10. Black Bean Sauce:
Black Bean Sauce is made from ripe black beans with a pinch of salt, sugar, and heirloom herbs and fermented for up to 180 days. It has a rich salty taste like Oyster Sauce. It gives a thick texture and natural aroma. It is also used for topping vegetables, noodles, and meat. However, Black Bean Sauce can be less sweet than Oyster Sauce, you can add a little mushroom stir-fry sauce diluted with sugar.
11. Kecap Manis or Sweet Soy Sauce:
Kecap Manis is known as Sweet Soy Sauce. It is rich in sweetness and color. This Soy Sauce gives both a salty and sweet taste than regular Soy Sauce. You can marinade vegetarian dishes with this Kecap Manis than the Oyster Sauce. The food looks attractive and it gives a pleasant aroma.
12. Tamari Sauce:
Tamari Sauce is made from the liquid of pressed fermented soybeans. It is different from other soya-made sauces. It is less salty but rich in umami flavor. It has a thicker texture than Soy Sauce. This Japanese version of Soy Sauce is perfect for soups, stir-fries, stews, sauces, marinades, or as a dipping sauce.
13. Hoisin & Soy Sauce:
If you have Hoisin and Soy Sauce in your pantry, why not mix them together to get the perfect taste related to the Oyster Sauce? The ratio of both Sauces would be the same 1:1. The Soy Sauce would balance the sweeter taste of Hoisin and the Hoisin Sauce would balance the saltier taste of Soy Sauce. Both are supplements of each other. The excess consistency of both sauces would not give the perfect resemblance to Oyster Sauce.
14. Chinese Brown Sauce:
Chinese Brown Sauce is made with beef broth or beef stock, Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, sugar, and rice wine. There are also variations with chicken and vegetable broth and other ingredients like garlic, ginger, chili, cornstarch, and sesame oil. It has a salty umami flavor. It has a thick texture that would give your food a good texture. You can use it in stir-fries, sauces, stews, and other dishes.
15. Mushroom Stir-Fry Sauce:
Mushroom Stir-Fry Sauce is made with the main ingredient Soyabean. Some spices like salt, sugar, flour, cornstarch, mushroom flavor, and caramel color are also mixed in it. It’s a great option for shellfish-allergic people and vegetarians. It may contain wheat which means if any family member is not compatible with gluten, you don’t need to use it. This is also the best Oyster Sauce alternative that you can use in a recipe/dish.
FAQ:-
Is Oyster Sauce healthy?
Oyster Sauce has no cholesterol and an insignificant amount of fat. It will not ruin your routine to stay healthy. It also contains less fiber (0.1 g) as well.
Is Oyster Sauce the same as fish sauce?
Oyster Sauce is made from Oyster juice, salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Cornstarch is added to make it thicken. While fish sauce is made with just two ingredients fermented fish and salt only. Both the sauces are different in taste and aroma.
What is Oyster Sauce taste like?
Oyster Sauce tastes like a combination of barbecue sauce and soy sauce. It is both sweet and salty in taste. The saltiness comes from the brininess of the oyster while the sweet taste of Oyster Sauce is complex with a hint of caramel.
Should you refrigerate Oyster Sauce?
Oyster Saucemust be kept in the refrigerator constantly in its original glass container with the lid tightly closed. If your Oyster Sauce came in a can, you must transfer it to a plastic or glass container before keeping it in the refrigerator.
Now, you know the best Oyster Sauce substitute. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also buy from amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. 🙂
