FOOD Smart Sauce Substitutes

Smart Sauce Substitutes

by Thelittleshine
by Thelittleshine

Running out of a sauce doesn’t have to stop your recipe. These quick substitutes use common ingredients with proper measurements so you can swap confidently.

Smart Sauce Substitutes

1. Soy Sauce Substitutes (for 1 tbsp soy sauce)

  • Coconut aminos – Use 1 tbsp (1:1 swap).
  • Worcestershire + vinegar – Mix 2 tsp Worcestershire + 1/2 tsp vinegar.
  • Salt + sesame oil – Mix 1/4 tsp salt + 1–2 drops sesame oil + 1 tbsp water.

2. Worcestershire Sauce Substitutes (for 1 tbsp)

  • Soy sauce blend – Mix 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp vinegar + 1/4 tsp sugar.
  • Soy + lemon + hot sauce –
    1 tbsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp lemon juice + 1 drop hot sauce.

3. Tomato Sauce Substitute (for 1 cup)

  • Tomato paste mix –
    1/4 cup tomato paste + 3/4 cup water + 1/2 tsp sugar + 1/4 tsp salt.
  • Crushed tomatoes –
    Blend and use 1 cup crushed tomatoes (1:1 swap).

4. Pasta Sauce Substitutes (for 1 cup pasta sauce)

  • Garlic butter sauce –
    Melt 2 tbsp butter, add 2 garlic cloves (minced),
    1/2 tsp Italian herbs, and 1/4 tsp salt.
  • Chili oil parmesan –
    2 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp chili flakes + 2 tbsp grated parmesan + pinch salt.

5. BBQ Sauce Substitutes (for 1/4 cup BBQ sauce)

  • Ketchup blend –
    3 tbsp ketchup + 1 tbsp vinegar + 1 tbsp brown sugar + 1/4 tsp smoked paprika.
  • Tomato paste blend –
    2 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tbsp honey + 1 tsp vinegar + 1/4 tsp smoked paprika + 2 tbsp water.

6. Fish Sauce Substitutes (for 1 tbsp)

  • Soy + lime –
    1 tbsp soy sauce + 1/4 tsp lime juice.
  • Anchovy paste mix –
    1/2 tsp anchovy paste + 1 tbsp warm water.

7. Oyster Sauce Substitutes (for 1 tbsp)

  • Soy + sugar –
    1 tbsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp sugar.
  • Hoisin sauce –
    Use 1 tbsp (1:1 swap).

8. Hoisin Sauce Substitutes (for 1 tbsp)

  • BBQ + soy –
    2 tsp BBQ sauce + 1 tsp soy sauce.
  • Peanut mixture –
    1 tsp peanut butter + 1 tsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp honey + 1 tsp water.

9. Hot Sauce Substitutes (for 1 tsp hot sauce)

  • Chili vinegar –
    1/2 tsp chili flakes + 1 tsp vinegar (let sit 5 minutes).
  • Chili paste –
    1/2 tsp chili paste + 1/2 tsp water.

10. Ketchup Substitutes (for 1 tbsp)

  • Tomato paste blend –
    1 tbsp tomato paste + 1 tsp vinegar + 1/2 tsp sugar + 1 tsp water.
  • Blended tomatoes –
    1 tbsp blended canned tomatoes + 1/2 tsp sugar.

11. Mayonnaise Substitutes (for 1 tbsp)

  • Greek yogurt – Use 1 tbsp.
  • Avocado mash –
    Mash 1 tbsp avocado + 1/4 tsp lemon juice + pinch salt.

12. Mustard Substitutes (for 1 tsp mustard)

  • Turmeric blend –
    1/4 tsp turmeric + 1/2 tsp vinegar + pinch salt + 1 tsp water.
  • Creamy blend –
    1 tsp mayo + 1 pinch turmeric + pinch pepper.

Final Tip

For best results, adjust salt + sweetness + acidity after adding the substitute to match your dish’s flavor.