The Best Gluten Free Soy Sauce
What is the best gluten-free soy-sauce alternative?
Photo by Gerard M. C. on Unsplash
If you google “Best Gluten-Free Soy Sauce” you will inevitably get pages of results that are simply a summary of every gluten-free soy sauce available, without really deciding which one is best. Here is another way. I’m going to provide you with the two best bets that you can find at a grocery store near you. Read to the end if you are interested in some more info on soy sauce and tamari.
These are the two best options based on flavor and availability, no TL/DR necessary. Buy either and you will be happy.
San-J Tamari and Kikkoman Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
These two sauces, and their companies’ various alternatives, which include low sodium and organic offerings, are the closest thing you can get to a traditional soy sauce taste. Each of these options is certified gluten-free by the GFCO, so you know they will be safe.
There is one gluten-free soy sauce alternative here that outshines the other, however. San-J tamari is readily available in travel-sized packets! No longer must you suffer the awkwardness of asking the waiter if they have gluten-free options, just stick a couple of these bad boys in your pocket and you’re good to go.
Admittedly, you can buy the Kikkoman variety in travel-sized packs as well, but you need to order them and they only come in boxes of 200.
A little extra for those of you slacking at work
Why isn’t soy sauce gluten-free in the first place? Good question. Before the whole gluten-free thing, I don’t think I could have told you that soy sauce had wheat in it, but it is actually a major component. During the fermentation process, the starches in the wheat are broken down by enzymes and eventually turn into sugar. This sugar is very important to the fermentation process and lends flavors and sweetness to the final product. Tamari, which is made in a similar way to soy sauce, sans wheat, is lacking these flavors and sweetness. Therefore, tamari is often a little less potent than soy sauce.
There is a whole world of fermented soy sauce products out there, with different styles hailing from different regions throughout Asia. Unfortunately, there are not many traditional products that have been certified gluten-free, but if you are only avoiding gluten as a preference the trace amounts found in some varieties may not be a problem. Try checking out your local Asian market for a diverse range of Shoyu and Tamari options that may be safe for some people who are less impacted by the presence of wheat, otherwise, stick to the options above.