Mushroom soy sauce is a delicious dark soy sauce that features savory flavors with notes of sweetness and saltiness.
If you need mushroom soy sauce but do not have any, you are probably looking for mushroom soy sauce substitutes. I did the research, and here is what I discovered!
Mushroom Soy Sauce Substitutes
1. Dark Soy Sauce
Dark soy sauce makes an excellent replacement for mushroom soy sauce since the base of mushroom soy sauce is dark soy sauce.
Therefore, you will get the same color and a similar flavor to mushroom soy sauce by using dark soy sauce.
However, dark soy sauce will not have the same levels of savoriness as mushroom soy sauce, and dark soy sauce will have more notes of sweetness.
2. Double Fermented Soy Sauce
Double fermented soy sauce is a soy sauce that is fermented twice, typically using soy sauce instead of water to ferment soybeans.
Double fermentation processes allow the soybeans to develop much richer flavors, which is why double fermented soy sauce has deeply savory flavors.
Therefore, double fermented soy sauce can easily give your dishes an umami punch similar to mushroom soy sauce.
Moreover, double fermented soy sauce is typically very dark, meaning double fermented soy sauce will have a nearly identical color to mushroom soy sauce.
3. Tamari Soy Sauce
Tamari soy sauce is a soy sauce made from soybeans, water, and salt, and tamari soy sauce has an incredibly savory yet nuanced flavor because tamari soy sauce contains a lot of soybeans.
Moreover, tamari soy sauce is a very dark soy sauce with a slightly reddish tinge, meaning tamari soy sauce’s color can mimic mushroom soy sauce.
Typically, you can use tamari soy sauce in an equal ratio to mushroom soy sauce.
4. Tianmian Sauce
Tianmian sauce is a soybean paste made with fermented soybeans, salt, wheat flour, etc., but the exact ingredients will depend on the brand.
Generally, Tianmian sauce is called sweet bean sauce or paste because Tianmian sauce is usually sweet, but there are savory variants that you can get.
Moreover, even the sweet versions of Tianmian sauce have salty and savory flavors, making most Tianmian sauces an acceptable substitute for mushroom soy sauce.
However, Tianmian sauce usually has a paste-like texture, so you may want to dilute the paste with water or dark soy sauce to better copy mushroom soy sauce’s consistency.
5. Worcestershire Sauce
If you are looking for savory flavors for your recipe, Worcestershire sauce can quickly replace mushroom soy sauce.
Worcestershire sauce is a vinegar-based fermented condiment mixed with ingredients like anchovies, tamarind extract, sugar, etc.
Since Worcestershire sauce is a common replacement for regular soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce has enough savory and salty tastes to replace mushroom soy sauce.
However, it is important to note that Worcestershire sauce has a very distinct taste compared to mushroom soy sauce.
Therefore, you may notice a slightly different taste in your dish, but Worcestershire sauce is still an acceptable alternative to mushroom soy sauce.
6. Miso Paste
Miso paste is a paste made from fermented soybeans, culturing mold, and salt, creating a salty, savory, and earthy paste that can replace most soy sauces, including mushroom soy sauce.
However, miso paste on its own is very thick, so you need to dilute miso paste with water if you need a more liquid consistency in your dish.
Moreover, it is best to remember that miso paste tastes very earthy, so diluted miso paste is not the perfect substitute for mushroom soy sauce.
Additionally, it is better to use red miso than white miso because red miso has a stronger flavor than white miso.
7. Fish Sauce
Fish sauce is a condiment made from fermenting small fish, such as anchovies, with salt to create a fishy, savory, and briny liquid.
Despite fish sauce’s fishy taste, fish sauce can easily replace mushroom soy sauce if you need a savory boost of flavor in your recipe.
However, you cannot fish sauce in an equal ratio to mushroom soy sauce because fish sauce is particularly salty and fishy.
Generally, fish sauce is very pungent and tastes strong, so a little goes a long way. Only add a little fish sauce to your recipe to avoid overpowering your dish.
8. DIY Dried Mushroom Soy Sauce
If you have soy sauce and mushrooms, you can whip up your own mushroom soy sauce at home.
Typically, it is better to use dark soy sauce, but you can use regular soy sauce as well.
Put soy sauce into a pot and heat the soy sauce just until boiling point, immediately turning off the heat once the soy sauce boils. Remember to not let the soy sauce reduce or boil.
Once the soy sauce is off the heat, add dried shiitake mushrooms to the soy sauce. Normally, one pound of dried shiitake mushrooms is enough for one gallon of soy sauce.
Allow the shiitake mushrooms to sit in the soy sauce until the soy sauce cools to room temperature.
Before the soy sauce cools, you may add other ingredients like garlic, 5 spice powder, honey, etc.
Once the soy sauce and mushrooms are cool, strain the sauce through a cheesecloth, squeezing the shiitake mushrooms to release all the soy sauce.
If you want to discover yellow bean sauce substitutes, fried rice soy sauce substitutes, and if soy sauce tenderizes meat, read our related articles.
Conclusion
Mushroom soy sauce is a tasty condiment that features savory and salty flavors, making mushroom soy sauce the perfect complement to many recipes.
However, you can easily use substitutes for mushroom soy sauce like Worcestershire sauce, double fermented soy sauce, and more if you do not have mushroom soy sauce on hand.