Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe – Gluten and Soy Free “Soy Sauce”
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Looking to expand your homemade condiments into a gluten free soy sauce? Making this homemade Soy Sauce recipe is no harder than making your own ketchup. It uses simple, everyday ingredients and tastes delicious!
Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe
I’ve been wanting to make my own homemade soy sauce for a long time but put it off because it seemed so much more intimidating than Homemade Ketchup or even Homemade BBQ Sauce. Now that we’ve been making it for several months I have no idea why I was so scared of it in the first place. It’s SO easy and uses simple ingredients that you most likely already have in your pantry.
I will start by saying this isn’t traditional soy sauce. It’s soy-free, it doesn’t have wheat, and it’s not fermented. But it does make a wonderful, frugal soy sauce substitute with the same flavor profile as soy sauce for when when you are trying to make your own foods AND you have the benefit of knowing exactly what’s in it. Plus this is a gluten free soy sauce recipe and gluten free soy sauce from the store is SO expensive!
Gluten Free Soy Sauce Ingredients
- Beef Broth. This can be homemade and you can also use vegetable broth or chicken broth instead. Whatever you have on hand!
- Apple Cider Vinegar. I always buy my apple cider vinegar by the gallon in bulk so I have it on hand at all times.
- Blackstrap Molasses. This is another item I buy in bulk and usually by the gallon because we use so much of it. (And it’s much cheaper that way!)
- Garlic Powder. Also another purchase I make by the pound in bulk.
- Ground Ginger. I get this in bulk as well because we never seem to go through fresh ginger fast enough so I love the dried!
- Salt. I use pink salt in all of my recipes because that’s what I buy in bulk and have on hand.
Questions About Making Soy Sauce
How do they make soy sauce?
Traditional soy sauce is a product made by fermenting soy beans. It’s a rather long and involved process. This is a simple shortcut alternative soy sauce recipe!
What can I use if I have no soy sauce?
This is an easy recipe to make if you are trying to replace soy sauce in a recipe because the ingredients are likely ones that you have in your pantry and fridge. You can also use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
Is soy sauce vegan?
Many soy sauces contain fish sauce or anchovies which would not make them vegan. This recipe could be made vegan by using vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
What to Serve With Homemade Soy Sauce
Homemade Soy Sauce is perfect for your homemade stir fries! We like to make the Teryki style sauce with the soy sauce listed below. I also add this soy sauce into many soups and other sauce recipes for a boost of flavor.
Additions to Homemade Soy Sauce
To give your soy sauce more complex flavors, try these additions.
- Mushroom powder. Just a pinch goes a long ways in that umami flavor!
- Pepper. I add a little pepper into mine every time.
- More salt/garlic/ginger. Adding more of any of these ingredients helps make the flavor super bold.
Instructions for Making Your Own Soy Sauce
In a saucepan, combine the beef broth, cider vinegar, and molasses.
Add in the garlic, ginger, and salt. Mix well.
Let the entire mixture simmer on the stovetop over a medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to reduce. The best flavor is when you’ve let it reduce to about half of it’s original volume.
Store the finished sauce in an air-tight container (I like to use a glass jar with a plastic lid) in the fridge until ready to use. You may need to shake slightly before use. For most recipes, you can use this as a 1:1 replacement for soy sauce. I personally like to use a little more homemade soy sauce in recipes than I would regular soy sauce.
Homemade Teriyaki Sauce with Homemade Soy Sauce
When I make my homemade Soy Sauce recipe, I like to take it a bit further and use half of it to make a homemade Teriyaki sauce as well. This is so easy and works perfectly for stir-fry.
What You Need:
- 1/2 cup Homemade Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 teaspoons Arrowroot Powder or Cornstarch
In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, honey, and water. Heat until the mixture is simmering. Sprinkle in the arrowroot powder and use a whisk to combine until well mixed. Let the mixture simmer for another minute or two to thicken. Use right away in a dish or stir-fry or place in an air-tight container to save for later.
Need to print this Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe for your Recipe Binder? Grab it below!
Gluten Free Soy Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Beef Broth can be homemade
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Blackstrap Molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
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In a saucepan, combine the beef broth, cider vinegar, and molasses.
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Add in the garlic, ginger, and salt. Mix well.
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Let the entire mixture simmer on the stovetop over a medium-low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce begins to reduce. The best flavor is when you've let it reduce to about half of it's original volume.
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Store the finished sauce in an air-tight container (I like to use a glass jar with a plastic lid) in the fridge until ready to use. You may need to shake slightly before use. For most recipes, you can use this as a 1:1 replacement for soy sauce.
Both the Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe and the Homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe will last for a week in the fridge.
My favorite thing to do with these sauces is to make the homemade soy sauce recipe first and then the homemade teriyaki sauce recipe. Then I place the rest of the soy sauce in the fridge to use for the rest of the week and use the teriyaki sauce for supper the night that I make it.
Little House Living’s Tips for Making Soy Sauce
- This recipe can be made ahead and extras can be stored in the freezer. I prefer to make up a big batch at one time so I don’t have to make it again later.
More Homemade Sauces
- Homemade Mayonnaise
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
- Homemade Hot Sauce
- Homemade Pancake Syrup Made with Apple Peelings
- Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
Have you ever attempted to make your own gluten free Soy Sauce recipe? How did it turn out? Will you give this one a try?
Have you made an enjoyed this recipe? Be sure to share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and through Email with the sharing buttons!
This Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in February 2018. It has been updated as of January 2023.
Homemade soy sauce without soy. This is good. I have been trying to avoid soy. Bad for the thyroid.
Can you make this with vegetable broth for vegetarians?
I have made it with chicken broth in a pinch so I’m thinking it would be fine.
Um, saying that you used another meat broth to substitute when they are asking about vegetable broth kind makes you sound like you’re missing the point.
I’ll make it with vegetable broth and let you know how it turns out.
Sorry that my comment wasn’t clear. I was just trying to state that I have made it with a different type of broth (chicken broth is quite different than beef broth) and it’s worked just fine.
Wow! This is good! Really good! Thanks!
Have you canned this before?
Good to know. We don’t use soy or teriyaki sauce that much, so these recipes are quite useful!
Hi, do you have the video on how to make a cap just sewing one line? I think you posted in November or December.
Hi Jane, I think you are looking for my Fleece Hat Tutorial here.
What a great recipe, so happy to have this recipe! Your post is awesome and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
I love soy sauce but not sure the soy is the best for me. I will have to try this recipe!
I live in Tunisia and have not found molasses in he three years I’ve been here.
I would love to try this as soy sauce is crazy expensive here (about 3 USD for a bottle with a cup of soy sauce in it).
So my question is, how important is the molasses? Is it mostly for the color? Do you think I could make and use “date molasses” in it’s place? Any suggestions would be amazing and really appreciated! I would really love to try this!
Molasses is fairly important in this recipe and while I’m not totally sure what is in date molasses, it sounds like it might be a fair substitution.
Can you use vegetable broth instead of beef broth when making soy sauce?
Yes you can.
Hello Merissa,
I was so happy to find your website with home made recipes. It’s a beautiful and informative site. I have a question how the Soy Sauce recipe. For dietary health reasons the only type of vinegar I can use is distilled white and I have learned how to sup it out in recipes. But today when I saw the 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar I thought I could mix a small amount of apple juice with the distilled white to make my apple cider vinegar. Do you have a ratio you can suggest for this. I was thinking 1 tablespoon of apple juice to 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. What do you think?
do you know what the sodium level would be in this?
I can’t wait to try this as it is both gluten and soy free. I love soy sauce, but have been avoiding it since adopting a diet that is both gluten and soy free. Coconut aminos has been my go to substitute, but it is so expensive in comparison. Thank you for this recipe.
Question on the Home made Soy sauce. I cannot have any vinegar except for Distilled White. Do you think that would work in your recipe. Maybe I could add a little bit of apple juice to the vinegar?
I haven’t tried it that way so I’m not sure. I’ve actually been using balsamic vinegar in place of the ACV and it works great. You wouldn’t need to add the apple juice though, the purpose of the vinegar in this recipe is for the acidity and tartness.
With all due respect, this isn’t soy sauce. That’s actually good news! There are a lot pf people who can’t eat soy sauce; due to soy intolerance or avoidance.
I really recommend that you title this recipe as a “soy sauce substitute” or “imitation soy sauce,” heck even “soyless sauce.” I’m sure there a lot of people looking for that.
However, soy sauce is a byproduct of creating miso. And, as good as this sauce probably is, it’s misrepresenting a cultural practice that some people take a lot of pride in.
Soo what now we can’t even do anything in our own homes without first checking to see if we’re going to hurt someone feeling ffs
How long will this last in the refrigerator?
I wouldn’t keep it in the fridge longer than a week. The good news is that it freezes really well so if you want to make extras, you can freeze it!
Capsule this be made with less salt? I’m trying to find a lower sodium alternative.
Thanks!
You can try it but I would definitely bump up the amounts of garlic and ginger so it still has enough flavor.
Can i make it
Can you teach me to make every sauch
Can I use pomegranate molasses
I’ve not tried it but unless the flavor is significantly different than regular molasses, I think it would work.
How long will this store in the fridge?
I keep it no longer than a week in the fridge.
Can you put it in an ice cube tray and freeze it for future use?
I haven’t frozen it in an ice cube tray but I have frozen it in a larger container and it does well 🙂
Have you ever attempted a large batch for canning? I’d love to be able to have this on hand for last-minute dinners.
I haven’t because I just freeze the extras. 🙂
Made this recipe. Enjoy the flavors. Will make again. I did triple the recipe.
Can these recipes be canned to be shelf stable.