Can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce at the store? Make your own! It can be done in about 10 minutes with a handful of pantry staples you probably already have on hand!
Did you know that many brands of Worcestershire sauce that you can buy at the store are not vegan? In fact, the brand I see most often at the store, Lea & Perrins, is made with anchovy paste. It's not even vegetarian.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!
There are a handful of vegan Worcestershire sauce brands out there. Annie's, Edward & Sons, and Whole Foods brands are all vegan...but they're not available everywhere. In fact, a decent fraction of the grocery stores in my area don't carry any of these brands.
Since I have quite a few recipes that call for vegan Worcestershire sauce, I thought it might be appropriate to share a recipe so that you can make your own. It's really easy, and actually cheaper than buying it!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Apple cider vinegar. You could probably substitute another type of vinegar, such as white vinegar or red wine vinegar, but I haven't tested either.
- Unsulfured molasses. Make sure the label says unsulfured. Don't use blackstrap molasses — it's not the same thing. Grandma's brand in unsulfured.
- Soy sauce. Gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted for a gluten-free version of this recipe.
- Prepared mustard. Just use a plain old yellow mustard, such as French's.
- Sugar. Make sure to use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
- Spices. We're using onion powder, garlic powder, and cloves.
- Salt.
- Water.
- Cornstarch.
How It's Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make vegan Worcestershire sauce. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Stir your vinegar, molasses, soy sauce, mustard, sugar, spices, and salt together in a small saucepan.
- Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat until it's just at a simmer. Stir it as it heats up to dissolve the sugar. Feel free to taste-test the sauce as it cooks and adjust any seasonings to get the flavor just right for your taste.
- Stir cold water and a bit of cornstarch together in a small container, and add it to the pot after the sauce has simmered for about four minutes. Let the sauce come back up to a simmer and it will thicken up ever so slightly (Worcestershire sauce isn't very thick).
- Take your homemade Worcestershire sauce off of the burner and let it cool. Again, feel free to make any seasoning adjustments to suit your taste.
- Once the sauce is cool, bottle it up and store it for future use.
Shelf-Life & Storage
Your homemade vegan Worcestershire sauce will have a long shelf-life, since all of the ingredients do! I've had a bottle for about 3 months, and it shows no sign of going bad. Just be sure to store yours in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Dishes to Make with Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
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Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
Can't find vegan Worcestershire sauce at the store? Make your own! It can be done in about 10 minutes with a handful of pantry staples you probably already have on hand!
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
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Stir the vinegar, molasses, soy sauce, sugar, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, cloves, and salt together in a small saucepan and set it over medium heat.
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Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring as it heats up to dissolve the sugar.
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Once the mixture comes to a simmer, lower the heat to keep it at a low simmer. Let it cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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While the sauce simmers, stir the cold water and cornstarch together in a small container, until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.
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After the sauce has simmered for four minutes, stir in the cornstarch mixture. Let the sauce simmer for another 30 seconds or so. It should thicken very slightly.
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Remove the pot from heat and let the sauce cool.
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Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Recipe Notes
To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute gluten-free tamari or liquid aminos for the soy sauce.
Tbh, when I'm in a pinch and I'm out of worcestershire sauce I just use soy sauce with a dash of Ras El Hanout (Middle Eastern spice blend). Works like a charm!