John Myers
Do you want to cook a recipe and have now realized that you no longer have Worcestershire sauce in the spice cupboard? We offer you four alternatives that you can use to replace Worcestershire sauce without affecting the taste of your dish.
What is Worcestershire sauce?
If you’re wondering what Worcestershire sauce is and how it tastes, we’ll enlighten you here.
The ingredients of Worcestershire sauce are:
- Vinegar
- soy sauce
- molasses
- anchovies
- garlic
- onions
- tamarind
- different spices
Worcestershire sauce is gluten-free and you can also purchase it as a vegan version. Then no anchovies are included. The sauce tastes umami, which means an intense, hearty, and meaty taste. The sauce is therefore ideal for giving all kinds of savory dishes a special flavor and seasoning bland dishes.
Tip: It has been proven that umami can be perceived by human taste buds as an independent taste.
Why use Worcestershire sauce?
The English spice sauce refines a wide variety of dishes and is used for meat and fish dishes, but also for side dishes and sauces. Worcestershire sauce can therefore be used as a universal condiment. A popular example is ragout fin, where a dash of Worcestershire sauce is added to the dish after it is baked to make it even tastier.
Already knew?
Even cocktails are refined with Worcestershire sauce, for example, the well-known Bloody Mary.
Worcestershire sauce substitute
The flavor of Worcestershire sauce can be substituted with some other condiments if you don’t have the sauce at home. We have tested all the alternatives for you and present the best ones here.
Soy sauce
The best alternative to replace Worcestershire sauce when cooking and refining is soy sauce. It tastes very similar to Worcestershire sauce and tastes just as nice and spicy. Also, you most likely already have soy sauce at home. Since soy sauce is slightly less acidic than Worcestershire sauce, you can season your dish with a little vinegar or lemon juice.
Maggie
You can also use the Swiss seasoning sauce Maggi and its no-name variants as a substitute for Worcestershire sauce. Maggi tastes very spicy and intense and thus replaces the English version well. However, you should use more Maggi than Worcestershire sauce as specified in the recipe, because Worcestershire sauce is slightly more flavorful than Maggi seasoning.
Steak sauces
As an alternative to Worcestershire sauce, steak sauces can help, especially barbecue sauces. These mimic the taste of Worcestershire sauce very well, giving your dish a smoky and meaty flavor. However, steak sauces are less suitable for fish dishes and should be added to the dish in larger quantities than Worcestershire sauce in order to achieve the desired seasoning.
Fish sauce
If you want to cook a fish dish with Worcestershire sauce and don’t have it at home, fish sauce is a good substitute for Worcestershire sauce. Just like Worcestershire sauce, the fish sauce contains anchovies and therefore has a similar taste. However, fish sauce is a bit hotter, which you should keep in mind when dosing.
Tip: If your recipe only calls for a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and you don’t have any of our alternatives at home, you can omit the sauce if necessary and use a little more salt to season it.
