Substitutions

What can I use instead of anchovy paste?

Q: Can I use fish sauce instead of anchovy paste?

1 tsp anchovy paste = 1/2 tsp fish sauce. Fish sauce is fermented anchovy in liquid form, so it brings the same amino acids and salt at a higher concentration. Adds liquid, which matters in a paste-based dressing, and its aroma is sharper and more overtly fermented.

Q: Can I use white miso + soy sauce instead of anchovy paste?

1 tsp anchovy paste = 1 tsp white miso + 1/4 tsp soy sauce. Both are glutamate-dense ferments, so together they deliver the salty savoury lift anchovy provides, in a paste of similar consistency. Earthier and without the marine note. In a Caesar dressing it makes something good but distinctly not Caesar.

Salt-cured anchovies mashed into a smooth, intensely savoury paste, usually sold in a tube. It is made from fish and is neither vegetarian nor vegan, a fact that catches people out in dressings and pasta sauces where it is invisible.

What it does in a recipe: Concentrated salt and glutamate umami that melts into a sauce and disappears, leaving savouriness behind. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.

Also called: Anchovy purée

4substitutes

1close matches

Condiments & saucescategory

Quick answer

Anchovy fillets, mashed

1 tsp anchovy paste = 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste

All substitutes, best first

4 ways to replace anchovy paste

Anchovy fillets, mashed

Closest match

1 tsp anchovy paste = 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste

It is the same ingredient in a less processed form, so the salt and glutamate contribution is effectively identical.

MethodMash the fillets with the flat of a knife and a pinch of salt, or melt them directly into warm oil until they dissolve.

Trade-offSlightly saltier and more variable in strength between tins. Otherwise indistinguishable once cooked.

CookingSaucesDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Allergen checkThis is fish and unsafe for a fish allergy. Anchovies are also frequently the hidden animal ingredient in dishes assumed to be vegetarian.

Fish sauce

Reliable

1 tsp anchovy paste = 1/2 tsp fish sauce

Fish sauce is fermented anchovy in liquid form, so it brings the same amino acids and salt at a higher concentration.

Trade-offAdds liquid, which matters in a paste-based dressing, and its aroma is sharper and more overtly fermented.

CookingSaucesDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Allergen checkFish-based, so it swaps one form of the same allergen for another and offers nothing to someone avoiding fish.

White miso + soy sauce

Reliable

1 tsp anchovy paste = 1 tsp white miso + 1/4 tsp soy sauce

Both are glutamate-dense ferments, so together they deliver the salty savoury lift anchovy provides, in a paste of similar consistency.

Trade-offEarthier and without the marine note. In a Caesar dressing it makes something good but distinctly not Caesar.

CookingSaucesVeganVegetarianDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkThis is the vegetarian and vegan route, but it introduces soy, and barley miso plus standard soy sauce both contain gluten. Use rice miso and tamari for a gluten-free version.

Capers, mashed with olive brine

In a pinch

1 tsp anchovy paste = 1 tsp finely chopped capers + 1/2 tsp olive brine

Capers carry the salt-cured, briny, faintly funky quality anchovy contributes, and the brine adds the salinity that plain capers lack.

Trade-offMore sour and floral, without any of the deep umami. It reads as a caper sauce rather than an anchovy one.

CookingSaucesRaw / no-cookVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Worth knowing

If a savoury dish tastes correct but somehow thin, a half teaspoon of anchovy paste melted in is often the answer — and worth mentioning to anyone at the table avoiding fish.

At a glance

Anchovy paste in summary

Category	Condiments & sauces
Job in a recipe	Concentrated salt and glutamate umami that melts into a sauce and disappears, leaving savouriness behind
Suits	Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free, Soy-free
Swaps available for	Dairy-free Egg-free Gluten-free Nut-free Soy-free Vegan Vegetarian
Number of substitutes	4

More condiments & sauces

Capers4 substitutes Dijon mustard4 substitutes Fish sauce4 substitutes Gochujang4 substitutes Harissa4 substitutes Hoisin sauce4 substitutes

Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.