Oyster sauce is a key ingredient in many Chinese and Asian recipes, including many of the recipes on The Woks of Life. It’s also included in our list of 10 Essential Chinese Pantry Ingredients. But what if you’re vegan or vegetarian, or have a shellfish allergy? That’s where vegetarian oyster sauce comes in!
What is Vegetarian Oyster Sauce?
Regular oyster sauce (háo yóu, 蚝油) is made with oyster extracts and seasonings. Vegetarian oyster sauce has no oysters in it. Instead, it is made with mushrooms, though it’s similar in color and texture to regular oyster sauce.
See the difference between the vegetarian and regular versions below. The vegetarian is on the left, and the regular is on the right. They are similar in color and consistency, though the vegetarian version is a little thinner.
How Is It Used?
Oyster sauce is an umami booster/flavor enhancer. We add it to meat marinades, stir-fry sauces, and braises.
Luckily, mushrooms have a deep, meaty flavor. They are the perfect candidate to create a vegetarian version of oyster sauce.
Use it interchangeably with oyster sauce in any of our recipes that call for it, such as our Ultimate Braised Tofu or Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce.
Buying & Storing
Just a few brands make vegetarian oyster sauce as of this writing (October 2019).
Oriental Mascot makes a “Vegetarian Oyster Flavored Sauce.” Despite what the words “oyster flavored” imply, there are no oysters in it, just mushroom extracts. This brand does not contain soy sauce and appears to be gluten-free. However, it does contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which may be derived from wheat, so check the label carefully before purchasing if gluten is an issue!
Lee Kum Kee makes a similar product that they call “Vegetarian Stir-fry Sauce.” (This may be a smarter naming strategy, to make it clear that there are no oysters in it.)
This product contains wheat, and is therefore not gluten-free. (Note: Lee Kum Kee does make a gluten-free oyster sauce under its Panda Brand, but it is not vegetarian.)
The other brand you might find is Wan Ja Shan.
As you can see from the ingredients below, soybeans and shiitake mushroom powder form the base and flavor of the sauce. It does contain wheat, however, so it is not gluten-free.
Store these in the refrigerator, and they will keep for 1 year. Just be sure to avoid any cross-contamination in the bottle.
If you don’t have an Asian grocery store near you, find Vegetarian Oyster Sauce online.
Our Favorite Vegetarian Dishes Using This Ingredient:
- Vegetable Chow Fun
- Ultimate Braised Tofu
- Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
- Stir-fry Sauce
- Braised Chinese Mushrooms with Bok Choy
- Vegetable Chow Mein
- Lotus Root Stir-fry
- Long Life Noodles
Find more vegetarian/vegan recipes here.
If you have further questions, let us know in the comments––we try to answer every single one.
Do you use less sodium oyster sauce in your recipes? I can’t have too much sodium.
I like that there now is vegetarian oyster sauce.
We use Lee Kum Kee premium oyster sauce, but you can certainly use low sodium oyster sauce!
a note on hydrolyzed vegetable protein: the protein is broken down into constituent amino acids. that’s how you can have a meaty amino acid flavor even though you didn’t include meat. *in theory* this means there are no original proteins to trigger wheat allergy, but labeling requirements mean wheat is in the ingredient list. if your allergy doesn’t involve trace molecules causing anaphylactic shock you will likely be ok
Thank you for sharing that!
Would you know if the starch in the ingredient list for the Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Oyster Sauce is likely cornstarch? I am allergic to corn and have been searching high and low for an oyster sauce I can use. At this point, I would even try the vegetarian version happily if it doesn’t contain corn…
Hi May, we can’t be sure what type of starch is in their brand – it could be cornstarch or more likely wheat starch. You can try contacting the company and asking them.
Hi May, we’re not sure about that, and it would probably be best to contact the manufacturer!
Hi! I’m a random lurker who saw your question. If you are allergic to corn and can’t have corn starch/corn flour, I would definitely recommend doing a search for recipes to make the sauce for yourself! You can often make a big batch and either freeze or bottle it for later, and it will last for quite a while because of the salt and sugar acting as a preservative.
You can likely get oyster extract online or dried mushrooms in a shop, and that way you can make sure it doesn’t contain anything you’re allergic to. I would imagine using a little bit of rice flour/rice starch would help thicken the sauce if you’re not able to have gluten too, but there’s also arrowroot powder, a little bit of rice flour, or agar-agar as a thickening agent.
I’m currently having an experiment with gluten-free recipes for a celiac/coeliac friend who also has a bunch of allergies, so it may be a bit of trial and error, but the homemade stuff always tastes good!
Hi which brand is better or your best recommendation Lee Kum Kee “Vegetarian Stir-fry Sauce” or the Wan Ja Shan vegetarian oyster sauce?
Hi Bhavi, we have used both actually! We wouldn’t necessarily recommend one over the other!
Kikkoman makes a Vegetarian Oyster-flavored Sauce that is also certified gluten-free and certified kosher (OU parve). The ingredients list is a bit less wholesome than the options in the post (no mention of mushrooms and it does list ‘artificial flavors’), but if you need certified gluten-free or kosher, it does the trick!
Thank you for sharing that, Sophie!
It’s pretty much impossible to find nowadays. Do you have a reliable source?
Hi Diane, we find it reliably at our local Chinese grocery store. If you don’t have a Chinese market near you, you could try ordering it online from one of theses sources:
https://powingonline.com/products/veg-mushroom-soy-sauce
https://www.sayweee.com/en/product/LKK-Vegetarian-Stir-Fry-Sauce-/26257
How much sodium is in vegetarian oyster sauce?
Hi Brenda, ours I think has about 600mg of sodium per tablespoon, but this probably varies from brand to brand.
Wa Ja Shan Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster sauce… It lives in my fridge, and I have backups on the shelf…It is the Bomb…Stumbled on it by complete accident, Hubby picked it up by mistake and what a happy mistake that was… LOVE it…
Yep, it really is a great sub for oyster sauce and a great ingredient in its own right!
Hi…do you by chance know where one could purchase this in los angeles? Thanks!
You could go to this Asian grocery store website to find their locations. They have 4 locations in LA
http://www.shunfatsupermarket.com