This is one of the first taste tests I’ve done here at Sporked that left me feeling a little out of my depth. I mean, I love soy sauce. I cook with it and I dunk my sushi into it, but despite its ubiquity in my life, I’ve never really dissected what makes one soy sauce taste better than another. Is it salty, brown, and sitting on the table in a Japanese restaurant? Hell yeah, I’ll take it.
There’s a lot of soy sauce out there. Different countries of origin. Different colors. Different depths of flavor. We got our hands on more than 15 bottles—from small-batch sauces to the most accessible brands—and sipped each from a spoon to figure out what sets the good sauces apart from the great ones. These seven definitely deserve a spot in your fridge door.
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- Silver Swan Special Soy Sauce
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Now that I’m aware of this Filipino-made soy sauce, it’s what I’ll be buying for my own fridge. This dark, substantial sauce has an ultra-rich flavor, a hint of sweetness, and huge amounts of umami. Plus it comes in a big-ass plastic bottle and the design of the label is lovely. Sporked staff writer Danny Palumbo detected an almost smoky quality to this sauce: “It has a real meatiness to it that I love,” he said. After I’d tasted several other sauces with a shrug, it was immediately apparent that this one was unique, even if I couldn’t put a finger on why. As the label advertises, it’s special. As great as it is on a spoon, I truly can’t wait to make fried rice with this.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Private Selection Premium Soy Sauce
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This soy sauce comes from one of Kroger’s house brands, but it’s fancy and it shows. Besides the classy paper hat fitted over the bottle’s lid, this sauce purports to have been aged for 180 days, and, according to Epicurious, the aging process makes a soy sauce’s flavor more “interesting and complex.” I also imagine that aging cuts down on the astringent bite other sauces have, giving this one a nice, smooth flavor that really fills up your mouth all the way to your nose. This is a few bucks more expensive than other store brand sauces, but it’s definitely worth it.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Kroger
- Kikkoman Extra Fancy Prime Umami Soy Sauce
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When it comes to soy sauce, umami is the name of the game. And this sauce from Kikkoman has umami in spades. Sure, it’s packaged sort of like a sports drink, but don’t let that turn you off. This sauce hits parts of your tongue that a lot of the other sauces don’t. While there isn’t a humongous difference between this and the familiar bottle of Kikkoman you’ll find on the table at your local sushi restaurant, the amped-up umami is super welcome.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Kroger Soy Sauce
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Is it possible for a soy sauce to taste dark? If so, this budget sauce from Kroger pulls it off. I detected a lot of umami and a little sweetness too. We liked its “very dark flavors” (that’s what I said in my notes, take it or leave it), and loved its commodious packaging: “It’s nice that it comes in a fat-ass bottle,” Sporked staff writer Jordan Myrick said. If you use a lot of soy sauce at home, this is a great purchase.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Kroger
- Bluegrass Soy Sauce
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This fancy little bottle of soy sauce is packaged almost like a flask of whiskey at your corner liquor store, and that’s certainly by design. Manufactured in Louisville and brewed and aged in bourbon barrels, this Bluegrass soy sauce has a fruity flavor that Jordan compared to cherry stems. It’s definitely distinct and it’s definitely tasty. This would make a great gift (even to yourself).
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- San-J Tamari Soy Sauce
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Tamari may resemble soy sauce, but it has a milder flavor that makes it distinct. It’s even made differently (tamari is a byproduct of miso paste, while soy sauce is brewed and fermented on its own). This was one of a couple of tamaris we tried, and I really loved it. It has a really bold flavor that gives it teriyaki vibes, and it feels like it can coat food really well. Not a huge departure from the soy sauce you’re used to, but a pleasant change.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Trader Joe’s Reduce Sodium Soy Sauce
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Soy sauce packs a lot of sodium, so having a reduce-sodium option on hand isn’t the worst idea. This sauce from Trader Joe’s still has a bold flavor and plenty of umami, but feels a lot less astringent on your tongue thanks to the pared down salt content. I’d argue that you can even taste the sauce’s other elements more when the sodium is dialed back. And we love a big bottle like this.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Sporked
Best of the Best
Best Smooth
Best Imported
Best Budget
Best Small Batch
Best Tamari
Best Low Sodium
Other products we tried: Nine Soy Sauce, Simple Truth Organic Soy Sauce, Momofuku Soy Sauce, Great Value Soy Sauce, Market Pantry Soy Sauce, Eden Tamari, Kikkoman Traditional, Kishibori Shoyu
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Disappointed you didn’t even try a single Korean soy sauce
How would something like Bragg’s liquid aminos stack up against your top options? That’s typically my alternative to soy sauce.
Bragg’s Liquid Aminos equates to cheaper soy sauces like La Choy. Both are manufactured products made with hydrolyzed soy protein, not brewed like traditional soy sauces. This gives them a distinctly different flavor profile than brewed sauces like those of Kikkoman and Yamasa (two of the most popular Japanese brands).
The key thing on the Bragg’s site that clues me in about the nature of their product is that they specifically state it is not fermented (brewed) and contains no alcohol — traditional soy sauces can contain a small amount due to the fermentation process.
All that being said, there’s nothing wrong with Bragg’s, La Choy, or other such sauces if they please your palate! While I usually go for brewed soy sauces, there’s still something special about the taste of hydrolyzed sauces (also including the Kari-Out “panda” sauce and W.Y. Industries sauce packets you often get at Chinese restaurants) on rice that resonates with me.
Pearl River Bridge might be a contender for best all purpose soy sauce. These for the most part seem to be commonly available sauces at your typical grocery store. Don’t be afraid to check out your local Asian market for more great options.