Dark soy sauce is a wonderful sauce that adds a potent note of umami to almost any dish that you might be making. No matter the cuisine you’re focusing on, it adds some pep to the step of several ingredients, and can be a staple of your pantry. If you’ve run out, however, there are some dark soy sauce substitute that you could use to make sure your food tastes great.

What is dark soy sauce?

Dark soy sauce is an ingredient in Chinese cuisine. There is a range of different types of soy sauce, of which dark soy sauce is only one. It’s a particularly dark-colored option, mainly used to add color and flavor to dishes.

It’s much richer and thicker than other types of soy sauce, while also being less salty. This means that, when added to dishes, less of it is typically needed than a recipe might stipulate, especially if you’re not used to the flavor.

Dark soy sauce is aged for quite a long time to achieve the unique color and flavor that it has.

8 best substitutes for dark soy sauce

Here are some of the best dark soy sauce substitute you’ll love!

1. Double black soy sauce

Double black soy sauce is a great option if you’re looking to replicate the texture of dark soy sauce. It’s very similar to dark soy sauce, though the manufacturing process includes the use of more molasses, meaning that it’s typically sweeter, darker, and thicker.

This can be used as a replacement for dark soy sauce in cooking, though that course of action is best pursued sparingly, since the additional molasses could upset the balance of a dish, making it too sweet.

Generally speaking, 1tsp of dark soy sauce is equivalent to 1/2tsp double black soy sauce.

2. Oyster sauce

Oyster sauce is a great way to bring a salty and sweet flavor to your food, meaning that it works really well as a substitute for dark soy sauce. It adds some great color to food, and ups the umami flavor of different forms of meat.

One teaspoon of dark soy sauce is roughly equivalent to half a teaspoon of oyster sauce. Adding too much will bring a strange mixture of oyster and caramel to a dish. While it’s not a bad flavor, it may not be the one you’re looking for.

3. Mushroom-flavored dark soy

This isn’t something that’s hard to figure out, but if you use mushroom-flavored dark soy as a replacement for regular dark soy, you’re likely to bring a mushroom flavor to your meal. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially since mushrooms have a unique and versatile flavor, but it may not be your desired effect.

The texture and color of mushroom-flavored dark soy are exceptionally similar to regular dark soy, so it makes a great replacement option. It can be used in a one-to-one ratio to replace regular dark soy sauce.

4. Light soy sauce

Light soy sauce is probably the easiest dark soy sauce substitute to use since it’s much more of an everyday sauce to have in your kitchen. It will enhance umami and bring a tasty saltiness. It is lighter in color and thinner, so the appearance of your food won’t be exactly identical, though it will likely be similar.

One teaspoon of dark soy sauce is roughly equivalent to one teaspoon of light soy sauce. The difference, however, is that you’ll likely need to add a quarter teaspoon of sugar for every teaspoon of light soy, in order to achieve the correct sweetness.

5. Worcestershire sauce

This sauce is exceptionally hard to describe – tangy, bright, savory, and salty all at once. It is great for increasing umami, which is the main reason we mention it here. It doesn’t have a great level of sweetness, and it has a looser texture, meaning that the appearance can be a little off.

Despite that, using half a teaspoon of this sauce to replace a teaspoon of dark soy sauce will give you a tangy umami flavor. You also need to mix ⅛ tsp of sugar for every half teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce – that will achieve a more accurate flavor.

6. Teriyaki sauce

Teriyaki sauce has a glossy, dark appearance that makes it ideal for the visual effect that dark soy sauce has. It works very well for a number of things. It contains a number of additional ingredients, however, such as ginger and garlic, which may taste great but may not be called for in the recipe. To that end, consider how different the end result of flavor could be.

Teriyaki sauce can be substituted for dark soy sauce in a 1:1 ratio.

7. Hoisin sauce

Hoisin sauce is a wonderful marinade and is what’s used in traditional Chinese duck recipes. It will add a great sweet and salty flavor combination similar to dark soy sauce, though it will also alter the appearance of a dish quite dramatically – sesame seeds, garlic, and chili peppers will be seen.

Replace one teaspoon of dark soy sauce with around half a teaspoon of hoisin sauce to replicate the flavor. You may need to increase from there, but starting low is a good idea to avoid a too-intense sesame flavor.

8. Homemade dark soy sauce

It is possible to make your own dark soy sauce at home. If you do this, simply replace the store-bought stuff in a 1:1 ratio. Here is a short recipe:

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup regular soy sauce

1. Add the sugar and water to a pan, and bring them to a boil. Stir them occasionally to prevent them from burning to the base of the pan.
2. Once the sugar is totally dissolved, stop stirring. Allow the liquid mixture in the pan to cook on medium-low heat until it darkens. It should look quite a lot like molasses: dark and thick.
3. To this molasses-like syrup, add the soy sauce slowly and gently. Stir the two together until a thick texture occurs, before removing it from the heat and storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.

What is the difference between dark and light soy sauce?

Dark soy sauce is a fairly complicated sauce, as things go. It adds a mixture of both salty and sweet flavors to recipes, and can be used as a base for a marinade, dipping condiment, or simply to add flavors and colors to dishes.

Dark soy sauce is praised for its umami flavors. And is often used to boost the flavor of meat in many recipes.

Light soy sauce, on the other hand, is more of an everyday ingredient. It’s used for all of the applications that we mentioned above for dark soy sauce. With the difference being that the flavor is generally less intense. It’s typically thinner, less sweet, and less dark in coloration.

FAQ

Is kikkoman soy sauce dark soy sauce?

Kikkoman’s traditionally brewed soy sauce is a dark soy sauce – it does have a slightly darker, sweeter flavor than other, lighter soy sauces.

Can you use normal soy sauce instead of dark?

Yes, you can, though your dish will likely be lacking in the sweetness that dark soy sauce brings. To that end, add a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar for every teaspoon of light soy sauce substituted for dark.

Is dark soy sauce the same as hoisin sauce?

No, these two sauces are different. Dark soy sauce is a type of soy sauce with added molasses that has been aged for longer. Hoisin sauce combines a range of different ingredients, from garlic to chili peppers.

Wrapping it up!

Knowing how best to use soy sauce in your kitchen will ensure that you can produce food with a great level of umami. I hope these dark soy sauce substitute ideas has given you a few pointers in the right direction to achieve soy sauce greatness!

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