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Best Substitute for Fish Sauce (By Use Case)

The best fish sauce substitutes for stir-fries, curries, soups, dipping sauces, and vegetarian cooking — soy sauce, Worcestershire, anchovies, oyster sauce, and vegan options, with honest ratios.

Quick Answer

Also known as: nam pla (Thailand) · nuoc mam (Vietnam)

The best substitute for fish sauce is soy sauce, used 1:1, with a small squeeze of lime — it covers the salt and a good share of the umami, though not the distinctive fermented-seafood depth. For something closer to that depth, use ½ teaspoon of anchovy paste (or 1 mashed anchovy fillet) per tablespoon of fish sauce, loosened with a little water.

For vegetarian and vegan cooking, bottled vegan fish sauce swaps 1:1, or steep dried shiitake mushrooms in soy sauce for a homemade approximation.

Jump to: Stir-Fries & Fried Rice Curries, Soups & Braises Dipping Sauces (Nuoc Cham–Style) Vegetarian & Vegan

Stir-Fries & Fried Rice

In a hot wok, fish sauce melts into the background as salt and savoury depth — the easiest place to substitute.

Substitute Ratio Notes
Soy sauce vegetarian vegan 1:1 + a squeeze of lime The simplest fix. The dish loses some funk but keeps its savoury backbone.
Oyster sauce 1:1, reduce any added sugar Thicker and sweeter — works well in stir-fries that already lean sweet-savoury.
Worcestershire sauce 1:1 Contains anchovies and tamarind, so it's surprisingly close in spirit; adds a vinegary note.

Curries, Soups & Braises

Simmered dishes give substitutes time to integrate — anchovy-based swaps shine here.

Substitute Ratio Notes
Anchovy paste (or mashed fillets) ½ tsp paste (or 1 fillet) + 1 tsp water per 1 Tbsp fish sauce The closest match to real fish sauce's fermented depth — it dissolves completely into broths and curries.
Soy sauce vegetarian vegan 1:1 Reliable for saltiness and body; the finished dish reads slightly more 'soy' than 'Southeast Asian'.
Worcestershire sauce 1:1 Good in heartier braises and noodle soups; its tang is noticeable in delicate broths.

Dipping Sauces (Nuoc Cham–Style)

This is where fish sauce is the star, tasted raw — honesty required: nothing fully replicates it.

Substitute Ratio Notes
Soy sauce + lime juice vegetarian vegan 1 Tbsp soy + 1 tsp lime per 1 Tbsp fish sauce Makes a balanced, salty-sour dip — pleasant, but it tastes like a soy-lime sauce, not nuoc cham. Add a little sugar to round it.
Vegan fish sauce (bottled) vegetarian vegan 1:1 Seaweed- and mushroom-based versions get closest to the raw-fish-sauce role; quality varies by brand.
Diluted anchovy paste ½ tsp paste whisked into 1 Tbsp warm water per 1 Tbsp Strain if any solids remain. Closest non-vegan stand-in for raw use, though saltiness needs adjusting to taste.

Vegetarian & Vegan

Fermented and umami-dense plant ingredients can land surprisingly close — these are the established approaches.

Substitute Ratio Notes
Bottled vegan fish sauce vegetarian vegan 1:1 Purpose-made from seaweed and mushrooms; the most convenient like-for-like option.
Shiitake-soy steep vegetarian vegan Steep 3–4 dried shiitake in ½ cup warm soy sauce 30 min; use 1:1 A common homemade vegan fish sauce base — deeply savoury with a hint of the missing funk.
Soy sauce + miso vegetarian vegan 1 Tbsp soy + ½ tsp miso per 1 Tbsp fish sauce The miso adds fermented depth plain soy lacks; whisk until dissolved.

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Quick Reference — All Substitutes

Rank Substitute Ratio Best For Notes
1 Soy sauce (+ a squeeze of lime) 1:1 All-round best · Stir-fries, soups Always on hand; loses the fermented-fish depth.
2 Anchovy paste or mashed fillets ½ tsp paste + 1 tsp water per 1 Tbsp Curries, braises, closest flavour Closest to the real thing; dissolves fully in simmered dishes.
3 Worcestershire sauce 1:1 Braises, marinades, fried rice Anchovy + tamarind base; adds a vinegary tang.
4 Oyster sauce 1:1, cut added sugar Sweet-savoury stir-fries Thicker and sweeter; changes the sauce's body.
5 Bottled vegan fish sauce 1:1 Vegetarian/vegan, dipping sauces Seaweed/mushroom based; brand quality varies.
6 Dried shiitake steeped in soy sauce 1:1 after 30-min steep Homemade vegan option 3–4 dried mushrooms per ½ cup soy sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use soy sauce instead of fish sauce?
Yes, 1:1, and it's the most practical swap in stir-fries, curries, and soups. Add a small squeeze of lime to mimic fish sauce's subtle sourness. What you lose is the fermented seafood depth — fine in most dishes, more noticeable in dipping sauces where fish sauce is the star.
What's the closest substitute to real fish sauce?
Anchovy paste — fish sauce is essentially fermented anchovy liquid, so ½ teaspoon of paste (or one mashed fillet) loosened with a teaspoon of water per tablespoon of fish sauce gets remarkably close, especially in simmered dishes.
Is there a vegan fish sauce substitute that actually works?
Bottled vegan fish sauces (typically seaweed- and mushroom-based) swap 1:1 and are the most convenient. Homemade: steep 3–4 dried shiitake mushrooms in ½ cup of warm soy sauce for 30 minutes. Both deliver salt and fermented depth; neither perfectly copies the seafood funk.
Is Worcestershire sauce like fish sauce?
More than you'd expect — it's made with fermented anchovies and tamarind. Use it 1:1 in braises, marinades, and fried rice. Its vinegar tang and spice notes show through in delicate dishes, so it's a better background swap than a dipping-sauce one.
Can I just leave fish sauce out?
In a dish with other strong seasonings, yes — but compensate with salt, since a tablespoon of fish sauce carries roughly a teaspoon of salt's worth of seasoning. Expect the result to taste flatter; a pinch of MSG or a splash of soy sauce recovers some of the lost umami.

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