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Fish sauce is a key ingredient in many Asian cuisines, making it difficult for plant-based (or vegetarian) people to enjoy the delicious flavors of Asian cuisine. The good news is that I have a solution for you to make a vegan-inspired fish sauce substitute right at home.
This umami-packed vegan fish sauce substitute captures traditional fish sauce’s deep, savory essence without any animal products. By harnessing the ocean flavors of seaweed combined with other powerful plant-based ingredients, you’ll create a condiment that brings authentic taste to your favorite Asian recipes while staying true to your dietary choices.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Fish Sauce Substitute
- Quick: This sauce will only take 5-minutes to make.
- Long-lasting: You can store this sauce in your fridge for up to a month.
- Flavorful: Fish sauce adds a lot of flavor to Asian food, this vegetarian fish sauce does not fall short.
- Versatile: Throw it in recipes, use it on its own, make it into dips, you do you!
- Authentic-Tasting: Captures that distinctive umami flavor essential to many Asian dishes.
Ingredients
Dulse or Wakame – The seaweed is what will give you that “fish” taste you want in a vegan fish sauce substitute. Wakame is high-protein, high in calcium, and has iron and vitamin C in it. Dulse, another kind of seaweed, is a red sea plant and is also rich in iron as well as protein, and vitamin A. That’s right, this fish sauce substitute is nutrient-rich!
White Miso – Rich in essential minerals and a good source of B, E, and K vitamins, plus folic acid. Miso is seriously magical. It also adds a ton of flavor, and as a fermented food, it is great for your gut! The fermentation process creates complex flavors that help mimic the depth found in traditional fish sauce.
How to Make Vegan Fish Sauce
- To a medium-sized saucepan, add the water, seaweed of choice, dried shiitake mushrooms, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes will lid off.
- Remove the mixture from heat. Pour it through a strainer (fine-mesh) into a bowl. Be sure to lightly press on the mushrooms and dulse with a spoon to get all that flavourful liquid.
- To this bowl, miso and coconut aminos. Taste test and add ingredients as needed.
Tips and Tricks
- Straining: This tip is very important, so I’m going to be detailed. Pour your mixture through a strainer (fine-mesh) into a bowl. Straining removes the solids, resulting in a clear, smooth vegan fish sauce with concentrated flavor. Press firmly but carefully on the mushrooms and seaweed with a spoon to extract every last drop of the umami-rich liquid that infused during simmering – this step is crucial for a potent sauce. If you don’t have a fine-mesh strainer, use a regular strainer lined with cheesecloth for an even clearer result. The strained liquid should be a rich, amber-brown color.
- Flavor: Adding more salt will make it saltier. Miso will add umami. Coconut aminos will add a full-bodied flavor.
- Alternatives: You can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos if you prefer, however, it is saltier so make sure you taste as you go.
- Preparation: Make this vegan fish sauce ahead of time and store it in your fridge until you’re ready to use.
- Balance: If the sauce is too strong, dilute with a small amount of water to achieve your perfect flavor profile.
Substitutions
- Seaweed: If you can’t find dulse or wakame, nori sheets can work in a pinch.
- Mushrooms: Dried porcini mushrooms can substitute for shiitake if needed.
- Coconut Aminos: Tamari or soy sauce work well, but start with less as they’re saltier.
- Miso: White miso is preferred, but yellow miso can be used with a slightly different flavor profile.
Best served with
- 5-Minute Recipe for Mango Salsa
- Veggie Spring Rolls
- Vegan Tuna Ramen
- Black Garlic Ramen
- Coconut Curry Potato Soup
How to Store Leftovers
Store in a sealed jar container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Make sure you give it a good shake before using it. What I like to do is make a batch of Vegan Fish Sauce and keep it in a sealed container in my fridge.
Common Questions
This recipe can taste fishy to some people but the taste just comes from the seaweed.
While nothing exactly replicates fish sauce, this vegan substitute captures the umami, salty, and slightly funky notes of traditional fish sauce without using any animal products.
Use it in any Asian recipes that call for fish sauce, such as pad thai, stir-fries, curries, soups like pho, dipping sauces, and marinades.
If it develops an off smell, unusual color, or any mold, it’s time to discard it. Generally, it should last up to a month when properly refrigerated.
Homemade allows you to control the ingredients and adjust to your taste preferences. Many store-bought versions contain preservatives or may have a less complex flavor profile.
The strained mushroom and seaweed solids can be finely minced and added to broths, stir-fries, or savory dishes for an extra layer of umami flavor. You can also mix them into rice or use as a base for vegetable stock.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups of water
- ⅓ cup dried dulse or wakame
- ⅓ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tsp sea salt – good quality
- 2 tsp white miso
- 2 tbsp. coconut aminos – I used Bragg Brands
Instructions
Start Cooking- To a medium-sized saucepan, add the water, seaweed of choice, dried shiitake mushrooms, and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes will lid off.
- Remove the mixture from heat. Pour it through a strainer (fine-mesh) into a bowl. Be sure to lightly press on the mushrooms and dulse with a spoon to get all that flavourful liquid.
- To this bowl, miso and coconut amonis . Taste test and add ingredients as needed.
Notes
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
14 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Your recipe doesn’t specify fresh or dried seaweed.
dried!
Great vegan fish sauce option. A couple of notes:
1) mine was also very opaque, even after using a fine mesh strainer – ??
2) The instructions say “cover, reduce heat to low and simmer with the lid off” – I got confused, seems like maybe we want the lid ON?
Thank you!!
Hi,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I was wondering how you ended up with a clear liquid despite adding miso paste? Mine came out cloudy!
Thanks
Could i possibly substitute the dulse or wakame for some other sort of seaweed such as nori or kombu? If so, what would the substitute ratios be?
yes that’s fine, just the same!
does it matter what kind of dried mushrooms I use? I have dried Porcinni mushrooms that I bought at costco so I used those and I think it tasted pretty good but maybe it could be better with the shiitake
what do you think?
Any dried mushrooms are perfect! We just used shitake for a hint of its unique flavor.
what other recipes do you have that will use this sauce?
Lots of our Asian-Inspired recipes, like our ramen dishes or cabbage slaw, OR in the SILO Beluga Caviar!
cool recipe
Thank you Sam!!
I randomly stumbled across this recipe and thank god I did. I’m allergic to fish so whenever I’ve made asian dishes that needed fish sauce I just left that ingredient out and it tasted like it was missing something but now I have an option!!!!!
Hooray!! So happy 🙂 Be sure to check out more of our recipes, we have more awesome recipes that are great substitutes for traditional sauces/cooking staples!