A brewed sauce of fermented soybeans and wheat, aged with salt until it turns dark, salty and deeply savoury. Standard soy sauce is brewed with wheat and is therefore NOT gluten-free — tamari is the gluten-free counterpart.
What it does in a recipe: Salt plus glutamate-driven umami in liquid form, with enough sugar to help browning. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Shoyu, Light soy sauce, All-purpose soy sauce
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Condiments & saucescategory
Quick answer
Tamari
1 tbsp soy sauce = 1 tbsp tamari
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace soy sauce
Tamari
Closest match
1 tbsp soy sauce = 1 tbsp tamari
Tamari is brewed the same way but with little or no wheat, so the glutamate content and salinity land in the same place.
Trade-offSlightly rounder and less sharp than soy sauce, and often a touch thicker on the spoon.
Allergen checkTamari is still a soy product and not all tamari is wheat-free — read the label every time, since brands vary and formulations change. If a gluten or soy reaction is severe, treat it as a medical question and confirm with the manufacturer rather than trusting a category name.
Coconut aminos
Reliable
1 tbsp soy sauce = 1 tbsp coconut aminos + a pinch of salt
Fermented coconut sap carries a similar dark, savoury-sweet profile, but it holds roughly a third of the sodium, so a little added salt brings it back into range.
Trade-offNoticeably sweeter and less pungent. Glazes will catch and darken faster because of the extra sugar.
Allergen checkThis is the swap people reach for to avoid soy and wheat. Coconut is classed as a tree nut by some allergy authorities even though it is botanically a drupe, so anyone managing a tree nut allergy should clear it with their clinician first.
Liquid aminos
Reliable
1 tbsp soy sauce = 1 tbsp liquid aminos
Made from hydrolysed rather than brewed soy protein, so it delivers free amino acids and salt directly without the long fermentation.
Trade-offFlatter and saltier-tasting, missing the layered aroma that brewing gives soy sauce. Fine stirred into a stir-fry, thin in a dipping sauce.
Allergen checkSoy-based, so this is not an option for a soy allergy. Most brands state gluten-free status on the bottle; check it rather than assuming.
Worcestershire is built on fermented anchovy, tamarind and molasses, so it supplies comparable salty umami; the water dilutes its sharper vinegar edge.
Trade-offTangier and sweeter, with a spiced note from clove and allspice that will read as unusual in an East Asian dish.
CookingSaucesDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-free
Allergen checkWorcestershire contains anchovies, so this swap introduces fish and is unsuitable for anyone with a fish allergy or avoiding animal products. Most versions are also made with malt vinegar from barley, which means gluten.
Worth knowing
The wheat in soy sauce is the single most-missed detail on a coeliac shopping list. If a recipe simply says 'soy sauce' and you are cooking for someone gluten-free, reach for tamari and check the label.
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.