What is Soy Sauce? Umami in a Bottle

A pair of chopsticks held above a small white bowl filled with dark soy sauce on a plain white background.

If you think using soy sauce is limited to stir fry and sushi, think again. Soy sauce is a wonderfully versatile ingredient that elevates everyday cuisine to a whole new level. Try it as a soy sauce steak marinade, add it to a pasta sauce, use it as a salt replacement, brine meat and poultry with it…you can even add it to the burgers you’re throwing on the grill.

What is soy sauce?

Traditional soy sauce contains four main ingredients:

Soybeans which provide a savory meaty flavor
Wheat which adds sweetness and aroma
Salt as a preservative and flavor enhancer
Water as base for the brine

Once the ingredients are combined, they’re mixed with a mold called koji and left to ferment for months. During the fermentation process, proteins in the soy sauce break down into amino acids which create its savory flavor profile.

How to use soy sauce in everyday cooking

When you sample a recipe you’re cooking and say to yourself, “something is missing,” you may just want to reach for the soy sauce bottle. Using soy sauce can introduce a brand-new depth of flavor to dishes you might not have previously thought to include it in:

Savory comfort foods

Like stews, chilies, gravies, pan sauces, and pasta. Soy sauce elevates and deepens the flavors of these dishes.

Side dishes

Such as mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and sauteed mushrooms. A dash or two of soy sauce intensifies the flavors.

Everyday eats

Soy sauce adds depth to your scrambled eggs at breakfast, umami to roasted nuts at snack time, and even perks up a salad when it’s combined with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Sweets

Soy sauce offers an unexpected boost to sweets. Use soy sauce as a substitute for salt in brownies and chocolate cake to intensify the flavor of cocoa. Drizzle it over vanilla ice cream to create a sweet/savory contrast.

Spread

Whip soy sauce with butter to create a spread for steaks, grilled corn, or warm bread.

Sodium replacement

Replace salt in meatloaf or meatballs with soy sauce to make them juicier and more savory tasting. You can even mix soy sauce directly into ground beef before forming patties.

Everyday recipes elevated with soy sauce

Meal planning for the week or just can’t decide what to make for dinner? Problem solved. Why not take these two delicious soy sauce recipes for a spin?

A baking tray lined with brown paper holds ten cooked, glazed chicken wings arranged in two rows.

Sticky Honey-Tamari Wings

Soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and lemon make up the mouthwatering marinade that turns these chicken wings into a family favorite.

A white bowl of beef stew with carrots and herbs sits next to a large bottle of gluten-free Kikkoman soy sauce on a gray surface.

Boeuf Bourguignon

A delicious comfort meal elevated with the addition of Kikkoman Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce to balance out the red wine and beef stock flavors while adding to the depth of the umami.

Enhanced flavor, lower sodium

A low-sodium diet can often be dull and a little flavorless, making sticking to it a real challenge. Fortunately, Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce is a flavor-rich alternative with significantly reduced sodium content, making it easy to enhance any meal with savory depth. For those who don’t need to lower their sodium intake but still want to consume less salt, Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce helps reduce overall salt usage in recipes without sacrificing flavor.

Less-sodium soy sauce recipes

See just how flavorful your meals can be with these two delicious dishes created with less-sodium soy sauce.

A black plate with broccoli, orange slices, and fried rice with chicken, peas, chopped green onions, and sliced red and yellow peppers on a wooden table.

Vegetable fried rice

A tasty weeknight dinner combining rice, eggs, onions, Kikkoman Less-Sodium Soy Sauce and more that’s both mouthwatering and low in sodium.

A plated pastry dessert with sauce and berries sits beside a jug of Kikkoman Less Sodium Soy Sauce on a gray surface.

Soy caramel five-spice ube buns

Combine puff pastry with a five-spice brown sugar filling, soy caramel sauce and a rich ube milk glaze dribbled over the top. Make them the centerpiece of your brunch.

All about soy sauce

Learn about the history of Kikkoman Soy Sauce that goes back centuries. Discover how it’s made, its salt-reducing properties, and much more.

The history of Kikkoman Soy Sauce

What is Soy Sauce? Umami in a Bottle

What is soy sauce?

Follow Kikkoman