Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe (2024)

Looking to expand your homemade condiments into a gluten free soy sauce? Making this homemade Soy Sauce recipe is no harder than making your own ketchup. It uses simple, everyday ingredients and tastes delicious!

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Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe

I’ve been wanting to make my own homemade soy sauce for a long time but put it off because it seemed so much more intimidating than Homemade Ketchup or even Homemade BBQ Sauce. Now that we’ve been making it for several months I have no idea why I was so scared of it in the first place. It’s SO easy and uses simple ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry.

I will start by saying this isn’t traditional soy sauce. It’s soy-free, it doesn’t have wheat, and it’s not fermented. But it does make a wonderful, frugal soy sauce substitute with the same flavor profile as soy sauce for when when you are trying to make your own foods AND you have the benefit of knowing exactly what’s in it. Plus this is a gluten free soy sauce recipe and gluten free soy sauce from the store is SO expensive!

Gluten Free Soy Sauce Ingredients

Beef Broth. This can be homemade and you can also use vegetable broth or chicken broth instead. Whatever you have on hand!
Apple Cider Vinegar. I always buy my apple cider vinegar by the gallon in bulk so I have it on hand at all times.
Blackstrap Molasses. This is another item I buy in bulk and usually by the gallon because we use so much of it. (And it’s much cheaper that way!)
Garlic Powder. Also another purchase I make by the pound in bulk.
Ground Ginger. I get this in bulk as well because we never seem to go through fresh ginger fast enough so I love the dried!
Salt. I use pink salt in all of my recipes because that’s what I buy in bulk and have on hand.

Questions About Making Soy Sauce

How do they make soy sauce?

Traditional soy sauce is a product made by fermenting soy beans. It’s a rather long and involved process. This is a simple shortcut alternative soy sauce recipe!

What can I use if I have no soy sauce?

This is an easy recipe to make if you are trying to replace soy sauce in a recipe because the ingredients are likely ones that you have in your pantry and fridge. You can also use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.

Is soy sauce vegan?

Many soy sauces contain fish sauce or anchovies which would not make them vegan. This recipe could be made vegan by using vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

What to Serve With Homemade Soy Sauce

Homemade Soy Sauce is perfect for your homemade stir fries! We like to make the Teryki style sauce with the soy sauce listed below. I also add this soy sauce into many soups and other sauce recipes for a boost of flavor.

Additions to Homemade Soy Sauce

To give your soy sauce more complex flavors, try these additions.

Mushroom powder. Just a pinch goes a long ways in that umami flavor!
Pepper. I add a little pepper into mine every time.
More salt/garlic/ginger. Adding more of any of these ingredients helps make the flavor super bold.

Instructions for Making Your Own Soy Sauce

In a saucepan, combine the beef broth, cider vinegar, and molasses.

Add in the garlic, ginger, and salt. Mix well.

Let the entire mixture simmer on the stovetop over a medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to reduce. The best flavor is when you’ve let it reduce to about half of it’s original volume.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce with Homemade Soy Sauce

When I make my homemade Soy Sauce recipe, I like to take it a bit further and use half of it to make a homemade Teriyaki sauce as well. This is so easy and works perfectly for stir-fry.

What You Need:

1/2 cup Homemade Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Honey
1/4 cup Water
2 teaspoons Arrowroot Powder or Cornstarch

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, honey, and water. Heat until the mixture is simmering. Sprinkle in the arrowroot powder and use a whisk to combine until well mixed. Let the mixture simmer for another minute or two to thicken. Use right away in a dish or stir-fry or place in an air-tight container to save for later.

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5 from 1 vote

Gluten Free Soy Sauce

CourseSide Dish

CuisineChinese

KeywordHomemade Soy Sauce Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

1cupBeef Brothcan be homemade
1/4cupApple Cider Vinegar
1tablespoonBlackstrap Molasses
1/2teaspoonGarlic Powder
1/4teaspoonGround Ginger
1teaspoonSalt

Instructions

In a saucepan, combine the beef broth, cider vinegar, and molasses.
Add in the garlic, ginger, and salt. Mix well.
Let the entire mixture simmer on the stovetop over a medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to reduce. The best flavor is when you've let it reduce to about half of it's original volume.
Store the finished sauce in an air-tight container (I like to use a glass jar with a plastic lid) in the fridge until ready to use. You may need to shake slightly before use. For most recipes, you can use this as a 1:1 replacement for soy sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Soy Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 6

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.04g0%

Saturated Fat 0.02g0%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.002g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.01g

Sodium 202mg9%

Potassium 31mg1%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Fiber 0.01g0%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 0.2g0%

Vitamin A 0.01IU0%

Vitamin C 0.001mg0%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 0.1mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Both the Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe and the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe will last for a week in the fridge.

My favorite thing to do with these sauces is to make the homemade soy sauce recipe first and then the homemade teriyaki sauce recipe. Then I place the rest of the soy sauce in the fridge to use for the rest of the week and use the teriyaki sauce for supper the night that I make it.

Little House Living’s Tips for Making Soy Sauce

This recipe can be made ahead and extras can be stored in the freezer. I prefer to make up a big batch at one time so I don’t have to make it again later.

More Homemade Sauces

Homemade Mayonnaise
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
Homemade Hot Sauce
Homemade Pancake Syrup Made with Apple Peelings
Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe

Have you ever attempted to make your own gluten free Soy Sauce recipe? How did it turn out? Will you give this one a try?

Have you made an enjoyed this recipe? Be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and through Email with the sharing buttons!

This Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in February 2018. It has been updated as of January 2023.

FAQs

How is soy sauce made step by step? ›

At the start of the process, soybeans are steamed, and wheat is roasted and then crushed before both are mashed together. This mixture is then inoculated with a specific strain of mould, usually Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae, to enable fermentation. At this point, it forms a mash called a koji.

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What is the formulation of soy sauce? ›

Soy sauce is made using essentially five basic raw ingredients: soybeans/soybean flakes (as the main protein source), wheat/wheat flour (as the main carbohydrate source), salt, water, and Aspergillus oryzae/Aspergillus sojae, salt-tolerant yeast and lactic acid bacteria.

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How is soy sauce made and what is the reason it was made? ›

Soy sauce is traditional condiment of Chinese origin and largely used in East Asia to impart an appetizing flavor to several cooked foods, as well as to help digestion. Soy sauce is made from fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae mold.

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What are the 5 ingredients of soy sauce? ›

There are various ways to make soy sauce, but traditionally it's made using five main ingredients: soybeans, wheat, water, salt and yeast. And although there are many types, many of them share the same manufacturing process, which can take months, or in the case of very high-quality artisanal varieties, even years.

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Can soy sauce be made at home? ›

To make soy sauce, soak the soy beans in water overnight, then boil and mash them into a paste. Add wheat flour and koji starter to the paste and let the mixture rest for 2 days in a warm, humid place. Next, stir moromi into your base once a week for the next 6-12 months to ferment the mixture.

Learn More Now ›

Why avoid soy sauce? ›

The main reason that soy sauce is bad for your health is that it contains so much sodium. Over time, large amounts of sodium can lead to high blood pressure. When your blood vessels have high levels of sodium, it draws water out of your cells. This increases the amount of fluid in your blood vessels.

What thickens soy sauce? ›

If you absolutely HAVE to have thicker soy sauce, put some in a cup and add corn starch, making a weird slurry. Heat the rest of the soy sauce over LOW heat and add the slurry, stirring constantly until it thickens.

Does soy sauce go bad? ›

Unopened soy sauce: Unopened soy sauce can last indefinitely in your pantry. According to Eat By Date, unopened soy sauce, when stored properly in a cool, dark place, can last indefinitely, while opened soy sauce can retain quality for 2-3 years in the refrigerator.

What are the three elements of soy sauce? ›

soy sauce contains, water, salt , extract from soybeans, the following are the elements found in soy sauce:

from water - hydrogen and oxygen.
from salt - sodium and chlorine.
from soybeans - since it contains protein, carbohydrate and fats it contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.

Jul 28, 2018

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What are ingredients in real soy sauce? ›

On the other hand, traditional soy sauce, invented more than 5,000 years ago in China, uses just five ingredients: soybeans, wheat, mold, water, and salt.

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What are the ingredients in all purpose soy sauce? ›

Water, Soybeans, Wheat, Salt, Sodium Benzoate: Less than 1/10 of 1% as a preservative.

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How is soy sauce made originally? ›

Soy sauce has a long history. It was first made in China in the form of a thick paste called jiang and was originally a blend of meat and a millet-based fermenting agent along with salt. This was then placed in a jar, sealed, and allowed to ferment for at least 100 days.

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Why do Asians use so much soy sauce? ›

In authentic Chinese cooking, soy sauce is used for flavoring but more importantly, darkening of a dish. Many authentic Chinese dishes do not use soy sauce at all. If the color of ingredients for a dish is expected to shine, soy will not be used.

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How does Kikkoman make their soy sauce? ›

Kikkoman Soy Sauce is made using the traditional Japanese brewing process known as “honjozo”. We call this honjozo method, which makes use of the natural powers of fermentation, “naturally brewed”. Kikkoman Soy Sauce is made from the four basic ingredients of soybeans, wheat, salt and water.

What are the stages of fermentation in soy sauce? ›

Soy sauce is an increasingly popular oriental fermented condiment produced through a two-step fermentation process called koji (solid-state fermentation) and moromi (brine fermentation). Complex microbial interactions play an essential role in its flavor development during the fermentation.

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