10 Best Fish Sauce Substitutes (Easy & Vegan Swaps)

A good fish sauce substitute can save a recipe when the bottle runs dry mid-cook, when a dinner guest doesn’t eat seafood, or when you simply want a lighter, plant-based version of your favorite stir-fry. The good news: you almost certainly have a workable swap in your pantry right now, and a few of them come surprisingly close to the real thing. Below is a quick comparison of the best options, plus a deeper look at the vegan and vegetarian picks, so you can grab the right bottle without a grocery run.

What Is Fish Sauce (and Why You Might Need a Substitute)?

Fish sauce is a salty, amber liquid made by fermenting fish (usually anchovies) with salt for months, which breaks the proteins down into glutamates — the compounds behind that deep, savory “umami” taste. It’s a backbone ingredient in Thai, Vietnamese, and Filipino cooking. People look for a substitute for three main reasons: they’ve run out (I once discovered an empty bottle halfway through a pad thai and had to improvise on the spot), a family member follows a vegan or vegetarian diet, someone at the table has a shellfish allergy, or you’re simply trying to cut back on gluten or sodium.

9 Best Fish Sauce Substitutes at a Glance

Not every fish sauce substitute works the same way, and matching the right one to your dish matters more than grabbing whatever’s closest on the shelf. Here’s how the top options stack up on flavor, ratio, and dietary fit.

Substitute	Substitution Ratio	Plant-Based?	Gluten-Free?	Best Use
Soy sauce (or tamari)	1:1	Yes	Tamari only	Stir-fries, marinades
Coconut aminos	1.5:1 (add a pinch of salt)	Yes	Yes	Lower-sodium dishes
Worcestershire sauce	1:1	No (contains anchovies)	Check label	Marinades, dressings
Oyster sauce	1:1	No	Check label	Stir-fries, sauces
Miso paste + water	1 tbsp miso whisked into 2 tbsp water = 1 tbsp fish sauce	Yes	Yes	Soups, dressings
Seaweed (kombu/nori) broth	1:1, simmered and reduced	Yes	Yes	Broths, soups
Mushroom soy sauce or broth	1:1	Yes	Depends on base	Braises, stir-fries
Anchovy paste	½ tsp paste = 1 tbsp fish sauce	No	Yes	Pasta sauces, dressings
Salt + rice vinegar	Small pinch salt + splash vinegar	Yes	Yes	Emergency, mild dishes

It’s not a vegetarian option, but if you’re just out of fish sauce and have Worcestershire sauce on hand, it’s one of the closest flavor matches available — it works especially well in a Cajun Seafood Boil Recipe when you want that deep, briny backbone.

Soy Sauce & Tamari as a Fish Sauce Substitute

Soy sauce is the most reliable everyday stand-in — it’s salty, deeply savory, and swaps in at a 1:1 ratio without throwing off a recipe’s balance. If you need it gluten-free, tamari does the same job and most people can’t tell the difference in a finished dish.

Coconut Aminos: A Gluten-Free, Lower-Sodium Option

Coconut aminos taste slightly sweeter and milder than soy sauce, with roughly 60–70% less sodium. Because it’s gentler, use about 1.5 times the amount the recipe calls for, and add a small pinch of salt to bring back some of fish sauce’s punch.

Worcestershire Sauce vs Fish Sauce

Worcestershire sauce and fish sauce actually share a common backbone — both get their savory depth from fermented anchovies — which is why Worcestershire works so well as a near 1:1 swap in marinades and dressings. It’s not a vegetarian option, but if you’re just out of fish sauce and have Worcestershire on hand, it’s one of the closest flavor matches available.

Vegan & Vegetarian Fish Sauce Substitutes

If you’re cooking for someone who avoids fish and shellfish entirely, a true vegan fish sauce substitute needs to deliver that same umami depth without any animal product. Fortunately, plant-based umami comes from naturally occurring glutamates found in seaweed, mushrooms, and fermented soybeans — the same taste compound fish sauce relies on, just from a different source.

According to USDA FoodData Central, dried seaweeds and aged, fermented foods like miso and soy sauce carry naturally high glutamate content — the same amino acid responsible for fish sauce’s savory pull — which is exactly why these plant-based swaps taste convincingly “meaty” without a drop of fish in them.

Vegetarian Substitute for Fish Sauce

If dairy and eggs are still on the table but seafood isn’t, a mushroom-based oyster sauce or a simple blend of soy sauce stirred with a little miso paste whisked in, both do the job well. These blends bring saltiness and body without any seafood.

Vegan Substitute for Fish Sauce (Mushroom, Seaweed & Miso-Based)

For a fully plant-based option, combine one of these three bases:

• Miso paste — whisk it into warm water for an instant, savory liquid.
• Dried kombu or shiitake — steep in hot water, then simmer to concentrate the flavor.
• Bottled mushroom soy sauce, which lands close to fish sauce in both its dark hue and salty bite, straight off the shelf.

According to USDA FoodData Central, dried seaweeds and aged, fermented foods like miso and soy sauce carry naturally high glutamate content — the same amino acid responsible for fish sauce’s savory pull — which is exactly why these plant-based swaps taste convincingly “meaty” without a drop of fish in them. I’ve made this exact blend for vegan dinner guests before serving it alongside a traditional version, and most people genuinely can’t tell which bowl is which until you tell them.

Can You Substitute Oyster Sauce for Fish Sauce?

Yes — oyster sauce works as a fish sauce substitute in most stir-fries, and you can use it at a 1:1 ratio. The two aren’t identical: oyster sauce is thicker, sweeter, and less sharply salty, since it’s made from reduced oyster extract rather than fermented fish. I learned this the hard way making a stir-fry raki-style dish where I swapped one for the other without adjusting sugar, and the dish came out noticeably sweeter than intended — a small tweak (cutting any added sugar by half) fixes that easily.

Keep in mind oyster sauce isn’t vegan or vegetarian, and it’s not naturally gluten-free either, so check the label if that matters for your kitchen.

Easy Vegan Fish Sauce Recipe (5-Minute Pantry Version)

When you want a ready-to-use bottle rather than mixing a substitute on the spot, this quick version keeps well in the fridge for up to two weeks.

How to Use Fish Sauce Substitutes: Ratios & Pro Tips

A few habits make any swap taste more like the original:

• Start with less, then adjust. Substitutes vary in saltiness, so add half the called-for amount, taste, and build up.
• Balance sweetness. Oyster sauce and coconut aminos run sweeter — cut back on any added sugar in the recipe.
• Layer for depth. Combining two substitutes (soy sauce + a splash of vinegar, or miso + kombu) often reads closer to real fish sauce than one alone.
• Add acid last. A small splash of rice vinegar or lime juice at the end brightens most substitutes and rounds out the flavor.

Combining two substitutes (soy sauce + a splash of vinegar, or miso + kombu) often reads closer to real fish sauce than one alone — these blends work particularly well in a Seafood Pasta Recipe, where the umami depth matters most

FAQ

Final Thoughts

Finding the right fish sauce substitute really comes down to what you’re cooking and who you’re cooking for — there’s no single perfect swap, just the best match for that dish, whether it’s vegan, traditional, or gluten-free. Try one of these substitutes the next time you’re mid-recipe and reaching for an empty bottle, and see which one becomes your new pantry staple.