Gluten Free Soy Sauce Listing The Ultimate Guide
Last updated on by Adam Bryan. This post may contain affiliate links.
When it comes to soy sauce, most people are usually quite shocked to find out that it contains gluten.
And its true, whenever you read the ingredients list on any normal soy sauce bottle, it clearly states wheat as one of the first ingredients.
Just in case you didnt know, here are some facts about soy sauce. Soy sauce is made from a fermented paste of of boiled soybeans, roasted grains, brine, and aspergillus oryzae. This paste is then pressed, creating the liquid we know.
However, with the emerging demand for gluten free options, most soy sauce manufacturers have started to product gluten free soy sauce.
How To Use Gluten
Teriyaki sauce is a great ingredient to have at hand in your fridge, as it can add a ton of flavor to all sorts of dishes without you having to work too hard. Here are a few ideas on how to make the best of this sauce:
- Marinade: Tariyaki sauce is commonly used to impart flavor into meats: simply coat firm tofu, tempeh, seitan, chicken, fish, pork, or beef before cooking. As it has a high percentage of sugar, the sauce might burn quickly if you don’t pay close attention, but the result is an unbelievably succulent meal. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green onions, and a drizzle of sesame oil into the marinade and let the meat rest in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.
- Rice: Teriyaki sauce can transform a bland plate of rice into a delicious meal. To change up your rice and pan-fried chicken dish, simply drizzle some teriyaki over your plate for instant gratification.
- Stir-Fry: Veggies like onions, peppers, celery, carrots, and broccoli make a great base for a stir-fry. Keep it vegetarian as-is or add tofu, and perhaps chicken, beef, or fish for the meat-eaters. A generous drizzle of teriyaki ties the dish together. Serve over steamed rice.
- Dipping sauce: Potstickers, gyoza,kabobs, and even grilled ribs can be dipped in this delicious sauce.
The Difference Between Chinese And Japanese Soy Sauce
Brewed and non-brewed isnt the only important classification when discussing soy sauces. The country of origin also plays a vital role in the condiments taste and consistency.
Youll find soy sauces from all over the world, including practically every Eastern nation. However, for the American shopper, the sauces youll find on store shelves are usually either Chinese or Japanese.
Chinese
About 2,000 years ago, the Chinese people invented soy sauce. Initially, they brewed the soybeans without any wheat. However, today most Chinese soy sauce is brewed with wheat flour. Additionally, sugar is commonly added.
Its the saltier sauce of the two types. Plus, its also thicker and darker than the Japanese variant. If you shake the bottle, and the sauce coats the sides, its almost certainly the Chinese style.
Japanese
In the 7th century, Chinese Buddhist monks introduced the condiment to Japan. Over time, the Japanese altered the creation process to eventually develop their own version called shoyu. They eventually began sending their soy sauce to countries worldwide via the Dutch East India Trading Company, which is why much of the world associates Japan with soy sauce.
Japanese soy sauce is brewed with roasted wheat instead of wheat flour. It contains no added sugar. Surprisingly, the lack of sugar, and other processing factors, result in a soy sauce with a sweeter, more well-rounded flavor.
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Which Soy Sauce Brands Are Gluten Free
Keep reading as we break down the most popular soy sauce brands for whether or not they are gluten free.
However, you still want to check the individual packages yourself before purchasing to ensure that manufacturing practices havent changed, or a gluten-free label hasnt been removed due to recipe reformulation.
What About Gluten Free Gravy
Gluten free gravy is a whole different subject and more-and-more gravies are becoming safe for people with coeliac disease.
I highly recommend checking out my Guide to Gluten Free Gravy and Stock Cubes where I’ve listed all the products which are gluten free.
Of course I will work to keep both these guides up-to-date, so it’s worth bookmarking and checking back.
And please do let me know in the comments if there are any sauces you’re confused about and I’ll do my best to help!
Also Check: Rao’s Costco
How To Store Soy Sauce
Like olive oil, soy sauce is a fresh product that immediately begins to degrade in quality after the bottle is opened and it begins to oxidize. In our opinion, soy sauces shouldn’t be used sparingly, and you should resist the urge to treat them as precious commodities, particularly the more expensive varietiesyou paid for them, you might as well use them when they’re at their best. That being said, soy sauces do store well, since they contain a lot of salt and aren’t likely to spoil in a way that will make you sick they will simply not be as good if stored impoperly.
Soy sauce’s two main enemies are light and heat, so be sure to store your soy sauce a dark place away from a heat source . Once you open a bottle of soy sauce, we recommend keeping it in the fridge, particularly if you don’t expect to use all of the soy sauce within a month or so. Stored properly in the fridge, soy sauce will most likely keep indefinitely. That said, if you have a crusty three year-old bottle of Kikkoman kicking around, we recommend just buying a new bottle.
Is Oyster Sauce Gluten
Oyster sauce is a condiment usually found in Asian-style dishes. You can add this umami-flavored sauce to stir-fries, Asian sauces, or proteins like meat and tofu. But because oyster sauce contains soy sauce or wheat ingredients, it is not always gluten-free.
Even though many store-bought oyster sauces contain wheat and gluten, there are definitely some easy-to-find Gluten Free Oyster Sauce Brands that you can pick up instead! This list contains the top brands that carry these products and where you can find them!
For each brand of GF Oyster Sauce, Ill talk about a few highlights for each brand. First, Ill let you know if the product is certified gluten-free or just labeled gluten-free by the company. Any product that is not made with gluten-containing ingredients can be labeled gluten-free, but a gluten-free certification means that the product has undergone testing to ensure no possibility of cross-contamination. Those with celiac disease should only use products that are certified gluten-free, whereas people avoiding gluten for other reasons can choose to eat non-certified products if they choose.
Product ingredients can change at any time. Be sure to check the label for the most recent claims, allergen warnings, and certifications before you buy.
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The Best Soy Sauce Reviews
The world of condiments is large, but soy sauce stands out due to its distinct taste and culturally-rich history. This dark, often-salty sauce has a comprehensive and distinct variety of types and flavors. The best soy sauce can enhance many different dishes. If youre not a fan of soy sauce already, you likely will be soon.
Are you interested in soy sauce but not sure where to start? Weve rounded up the best soy sauce brands worldwide, including both China and Japan. Our buyers guide will also answer all your questions about what soy sauce is and what types to use with various foods.
- Not authentic soy sauce
Joyce Chen Soy Sauce Is Gluten Free
Did you know that most soy sauces and hoisin are not gluten free?How do we make our gluten free products taste so good?We take it two steps further.
- Our Joyce Chens Gluten Free Soy Sauce is certified USDA Organic, Non GMO, and Kosher Circle K Pareve.
- Our Joyce Chen Gluten Free Hoisin is certified Kosher STAR K Pareve.
Naturally Gluten Free Products
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Best Soy Sauce For Everyday: Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Taste of Home
If you only keep one brand of soy sauce in your fridge door, let it be Kikkoman. This sauce is available at nearly every supermarket and big box store, so youre never far from one of the best soy sauce options.
Our Test Kitchen praised Kikkoman for how well it blended sweetness, saltiness and a bit of acidic vinegar flavorexactly how soy sauce should taste according to one set of notes. Overall, this sauce was nicely balanced and one that our testers could see themselves reaching for to make Easy Pad Thai or Grilled Huli Huli Chicken.
As a soy sauce, though, the primary flavor was salt, and thats just fine. This is precisely the flavor you need when making great dishes to bring out tastes in all the other ingredients. Just remember: When using generous amounts of soy sauce in your recipes, you can omit the salt.
Kevala Organic Tamari Sauce
Kevala tamari sauce is organic and this one comes in reduced sodium, which I like because soy sauce can be overwhelmingly salty. Enjoy this in place of traditional Chinese soy sauce for your gluten-free diet.
On a gluten-free diet, it IS possible to enjoy soy sauce without the gluten! Find out the 10 ways I love using this ingredient in another one of my posts here or by clicking the image below.
Try one of these 5 gluten-free tamari soy sauce brands and let me know in the comments what you think!
Want to know what other condiments I stock my kitchen with? See the 17 gluten and dairy-free condiments list or click the image below.
Interested to find out what other delicious foods I stock my gluten and dairy-free pantry with? Check out my Stocking a Gluten-free Dairy-free Pantry Post here or by clicking the image below.
Whats your favorite way to use soy sauce in your cooking? Share in the comments below!
If you loved this post, I hope that youll share it with your friends on and pin it for future reference on .
If youd love even more inspiration and recipes for a gluten-free dairy-free diet, be sure to grab my free shopping list plus 5 free recipes by entering your details below!
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Difference Between Tamari And Regular Soy Sauce
Kikkoman Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce has been available in the UK for some time now, however we still get asked whats the difference between tamari and regular soy sauce? In simple terms its all about the wheat or lack of it!
Kikkoman Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce contains no wheat at all, so it is suitable for those with a wheat or gluten allergy or coeliac disease. Made with just four ingredients – Water, Soybeans, Salt and Vinegar and no artificial additives or colourings, the sauce is slowly matured using a special non-wheat brewing process, resulting in a rich flavour and aroma thats pretty close to Kikkomans original Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce, so all the family can enjoy it without missing out on taste.
Whats more as theres no wheat to ferment in Kikkoman Tamari, this particular soy sauce is free from alcohol too and certified halal on the label. Some other brands of tamari have alcohol added as an ingredient so always check the label. Kikkoman Tamari also has vegan certification.
Look out for the distinctive blue caps in the free-from aisles in supermarkets.
Of course, you can use Kikkoman Tamari in place of regular soy sauce in any recipe, but if you want some gluten-free meal ideas like those below take a look at our collection of Tamari Soy Sauce Recipes.
Sauces Which Are *sometimes* Gluten Free
These sauces are always worth checking – sometimes they will contain gluten but some varieties and brands are gluten free.
I can definitely recommend the Coeliac UK scanner app if you want to check before you buy.
Sauces and condiments which are usually gluten free in the UK are:
- Tomato Ketchup
- Some brands of Brown Sauce
- Some varieties of BBQ sauce
- Salad dressings
- Supermarket own brand Yeast Extract – while Marmite is not gluten free, a lot of the own brand ones are. Double check using the scanner app.
- Relishes and pickles – always double check using the scanner app
- Tartare sauce – some versions have wheat flour in but some are gluten free
When it comes to tomato ketchup, you’ll be pleased to know Heinz ketchup is gluten free!
In fact, at the time of writing, the Coeliac UK scanner app lists 222 varieties which are gluten free, so that is definitely a bonus for all your ketchup fans!
If you like BBQ sauce, you’ll be pleased to know there are quite a few you can eat.
The HP BBQ sauce is gluten free, and there are quite a few BBQ sauce bottles, marinades and jar sauces which are listed in the Coeliac UK app.
With salad dressings, the majority are gluten free but it’s important to double check the ingredients as there are so many different varieties.
One for the fans out there – the bad news is that Marmite is not gluten free.
However, many of the supermarket own brand Yeast Extracts are gluten free and safe for people with coeliac disease to eat.
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Does Soy Sauce Have Gluten
Today, were going to be answering the question: does soy sauce have gluten, and taking a look at the best gluten-free soy sauce brands and even a gluten-free soy sauce recipe! Soy sauce is salty and extremely popular. Youd likely think that the only ingredient soy sauce contains is soy. However, that is definitely not the case. So lets first take a look at what soy sauce is and the ingredients it usually contains.
Your Guide To Gluten Free Sauces And Condiments
September 30, 2020 by Sarah Howells
This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small comission at no extra cost to you. For more info, check out my Disclosure Policy. Thank you for your support!
One thing that used to always trip me up when I was first diagnosed with coeliac disease is working out which sauces are gluten free.
It’s easy to remember the obvious things that contain gluten, like bread, pasta, cakes, pizza – basically anything battered, breadcrumbed or beige!
But I find the most difficult things are the things you don’t think to check.
For example, I’ll happily grill the waiter at a restaurant for hours on their cross contamination processes when ordering a plate of chips.
But then I’ll slather them in tomato ketchup or mayonnaise without even thinking about if it’s gluten free.
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Which Sauces Are Usually Gluten Free
The good news is, there are a lot of sauces and condiments which are gluten free.
As a rule, these sauces are USUALLY gluten free:
- Mayonnaise
- Most jams, curds and marmalades
- Sriracha chilli sauce
Now, isn’t that a delightfully long list of things you can eat!? We’re off to a good start!
Usually all of the above sauces are free from gluten, but it is always important to check,
Only last week I went to a restaurant where the mayonnaise had a ‘may contain traces of gluten’ warning on it, must to my surprise.
If you have coeliac disease it’s advised to avoid all foods with a ‘may contain’ warning.
So as well as checking the ingredients, make sure you also check for any warnings too.
It’s also important when shopping in the free from aisle to check the sauces there are gluten free.
It can be easy to assume that everything in that aisle is safe to eat, but some of it may be in there because it’s dairy or egg free, but still contains gluten. It’s rare, but it happens.
It’s also worth checking the lists below as sometimes, for example, a vegan mayonnaise will be in the free from aisle and marked ‘gluten free’, when the normal, cheaper variety is gluten free anyway!
So definitely shop around if you want to save your pennies!
Gluten Free Soy Sauce Alternatives
Believe it or not, there are actually several alternatives you can use instead of soy sauce, that are just as delicious. Why not try using the following in one of your next homemade meals?
- Coconut Aminos
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Dried Mushrooms
If you have any other gluten-free soy sauce alternatives that you can think of, or that you find work well, please feel free to let me know your suggestions in the comments below.
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Major Tamari Brand To Avoid
Hopefully you enjoyed this listing.
Although its not a massive list and a few may seem to be missing, these are the safest choices and are highly recommended by most Celiacs and gluten free dieters.
The only one major tamari thats missing is the one by La Choy.
Although all the ingredients are gluten free with no wheat presence, some people have reacted to this soy sauce. This could be due to cross contamination during manufacturing or other variables.
So be sure to steer clear from La Choy if youre allergic. Now if youre on a non-medical gluten free diet or paleo, you should be fine with this soy sauce.
Best Mushroom Soy Sauce: Pearl River Bridge
Mushroom soy sauce is a variation of dark soy sauce, which is common across all Asian soy sauces. Most dark soy sauces have added sugar or molasses, making them sweeter and not as intensely salty. Mushroom soy sauce keeps the properties of dark soy sauce but ramps up the umami flavoring since mushrooms are a common source for umami. Dark and mushroom soy sauces are usually found in Chinese, Taiwanese, and Thai cooking when braising meats to give them that deep dark color and rich umami flavor. When using this powerful umami booster in a dish, pay attention to the recipe. A little bit of mushroom soy sauce goes a long way, and too much can be overwhelming.
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