10 Best Soy Sauces 2021 | UK Nutritionist Reviewed

Emily is a registered integrative, naturopathic nutritionist and has a Master’s Degree in nutrition. Her work embraces the interplay between nutrition, bio-individuality and mindset, educating and empowering clients to make lasting changes wherever they are on their health journey. You can check out her work from her Instagram account and website.

For those after a quick look, here is our Top 5:

1. Kishibori Shoyu - Premium Artisanal Japanese Soy Sauce for £36.99
2. Shibanuma - Shoyu Jozo Shiho no Shizuku for £8.00
3. Clearspring - Organic Japanese Shoyu Soya Sauce for £9.89
4. Kikkoman - Soy Sauce for £2.70
5. Clearspring - Organic Japanese Tamari Soya Sauce for £9.99

1. Consider Your Desired Type of Shoyu for Japanese Dishes
2. Go for a Chinese Soy Sauce for an All-Rounded Option
3. Explore Sweet Varieties That Can Double Up as a Condiment
4. Keep an Eye Out for Sodium Content and Calorie Value for Healthier Options
5. Examine the Ingredients and Manufacturing for a High-Quality Soy Sauce

The most widely available shoyu is koikuchi, which is a dark soy sauce with a deep, salty umami flavour. Roughly equal parts soybeans and wheat, koikuchi makes for an excellent all-purpose option that no Japanese pantry should be without!

Then there is usukuchi, or light soy sauce, which is lighter in colour than koikuchi but not lighter in taste. Usukuchi is saltier than regular soy sauce, making it ideal for soups and stocks.

If you prefer a sweeter, rounder flavour profile you might want to try saishikomi. Meaning "twice-brewed", saishikomi is double-fermented, giving it a stronger umami taste, more natural sweetness and less saltiness than other types. You're less likely to find these shoyu variations in British supermarkets, so look for authentic artisanal Japanese brands online if you'd like to sample them. 

As tamari is made with little to no wheat, it is the closest of the shoyu varieties to the original Chinese soy sauce. It's well-known throughout the world for being a gluten-free soy sauce, so it's great for those with allergies or intolerances. Be aware it can still contain traces and is not necessarily 100% free of gluten unless the label directly advertises this. 

Tamari is a darker, thicker and richer soy sauce with a stronger flavour than other Japanese soy sauces. It is often used to make stir-fries, soups, sauces, or marinades, but it can also be used on its own as the best match for sushi and other dipping purposes. 

Thin and savoury, light soy sauce is used to enhance the flavours of the other ingredients in a recipe. Light Chinese soy sauce is what we in the West think of as regular soy sauce, as it is extremely widespread and popular throughout the world. 

Some cheaper Chinese soy sauces are made by hydrolysing soy protein and combining it with other flavourings and colourings such as corn syrup, caramel and E numbers. The resulting flavour is far removed from that of traditionally fermented soy sauces, so if you try to avoid additives check out the ingredients list before buying.

Discover some of our favourite fish sauces here!

Chinese dark soy sauces are darker in colour and thicker in texture, but tend to be lighter in saltiness which makes them somewhat similar to dark Japanese styles. They are generally fermented longer than thinner options, have a sweet-salty taste and are mainly used for cooking.

Double-dark soy sauce (as you can probably guess) is even thicker, darker, and sweeter than dark soy and is often used to add colour and rich, sweet flavour to dishes. It's making us hungry just thinking about it!

The Indonesian answer to soy sauce, otherwise known as kecap manis, is made from around 10-15% liquid soy sauce along with a mixture of sugar and water. This gives it its signature sweetness and syrupy consistency, which sometimes has spices added to it as well. 

The combination of sugar and soy sauce gives it a deep, dark colour and opacity, and the use of palm sugar creates smoky, savoury undertones and caramel notes. More sweet than salty, it's often used alongside regular soy sauce, fish sauce and salt in Indonesian cooking and is great as an all-purpose condiment for the table. 

Looking for a spicy kick, explore our best hot sauces!

Some soy sauces have high sodium (salt) content and calorific value, which may not be suitable for certain diets. If you are on a low-salt or low-calorie diet, make sure to check the nutritional value before purchasing. Low sodium alternatives are also a good option for those watching their salt intake. 

Traditionally, making soy sauce involves soaking the soybeans and roasting and crushing the wheat, mixing them with a culturing mold such as Aspergillus oryzae and other related micro-organisms and yeasts (this mixture is called "koji" in Japan) and leaving this for a few days to develop. 

Next, water and salt are added, and the mixture is left to ferment for five to eight months. This skilled process is always used for high-quality soy sauce, and these varieties are often labelled as 'naturally brewed'. If the label does not state this, it may have been made using a chemical method of production which makes it far less attractive in terms of taste and aroma. 

Non-naturally brewed sauces usually have extra flavouring, colouring and salt added, plus the process produces some undesirable compounds including some carcinogens. Therefore, ingredients-wise, most soy sauce aficionados recommend sticking to a recipe as close to the original four ingredients of water, salt, soybeans and wheat flour as possible.

Although soy sauce comes in a variety of (often regional) varieties, the basic recipe has stayed relatively similar throughout the years. Nevertheless, vegan-friendly substitutes have been developed for soy sauce lovers who follow a plant-based diet. 

The majority of soy sauce available on the market are vegan-friendly, but there are occasionally some non-vegan components that aren't always as obvious. The best way to check if a soy sauce is vegan is to go through the ingredients list and watch out for non plant-based ingredients or E numbers (codes for substances used as food additives). 

For instance, E641 and E627 are common additives used in soy sauce. The first is usually made from pigs or fish, though tapioca starch can also be used. The latter is frequently made with sardines. So, unless the sauce is clearly labeled as vegan, it's probably a good idea to double-check with the retailer or producer.

mybest UK product recommendations are reviewed and curated by our writers in-house. We focus on in-depth research and analysis of product reviews to carefully select the best products available for the best prices.

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Written and researched by Melanie McPhail