What Can I Substitute for Oyster Sauce?

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Swap for oyster sauce: vegetarian oyster sauce, 15 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce. Verdict: straight swap

Mushroom extract supplies the umami while the sugar, salt and starch thickening match the original, so every role is covered except the faint seafood note. Full details

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What's it doing in this dish?

You're tossing noodles, beef or Chinese greens in a wok and need the sauce to turn glossy and coat everything.

vegetarian oyster sauce — 15 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)
kecap manis with soy sauce — 10 ml kecap manis plus 5 ml soy sauce for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)
soy sauce with sugar — 10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

Here body and gloss matter as much as salt, so vegetarian oyster sauce and the kecap manis mix lead because both are already thick and syrupy. Soy with sugar gets the seasoning right but only clings once you stir in the cornflour slurry in the last minute.

You're marinating chicken, pork or beef before it hits the wok or the barbecue.

soy sauce with sugar — 10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)
fish sauce with soy sauce and sugar — 5 ml fish sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce and 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)
Worcestershire sauce — 10 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

A marinade needs salt, savouriness and a little sugar for browning, but thickness hardly matters because it soaks in rather than coats. That lets thin swaps work without cornflour, and fish sauce or Worcestershire put back some of the savoury depth that soy alone lacks.

You're seasoning fried rice and need it salty, savoury and lightly browned without going soggy.

soy sauce with sugar — 10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)
fish sauce with soy sauce and sugar — 5 ml fish sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce and 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

Fried rice wants seasoning and colour spread through every grain, not a clinging glaze, so these thinner mixes do the job and you can skip the cornflour. Using less liquid than the oyster sauce it replaces also keeps the rice from steaming.

You're simmering a braise or slow-cooked dish where oyster sauce is one seasoning among several.

soy sauce with sugar — 10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)
Worcestershire sauce — 10 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)
hoisin sauce with soy sauce — 10 ml hoisin sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)

Long cooking reduces the liquid and thickens it naturally, so body and gloss matter less and the swap only needs to supply salt, colour and savouriness. Worcestershire's tang softens over time, and hoisin suits pork or beef braises where a hint of five-spice fits.

You're cooking for vegetarians or vegans and the recipe calls for oyster sauce.

vegetarian oyster sauce — 15 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)
soy sauce with sugar — 10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

Mushroom-based vegetarian oyster sauce covers every role apart from the faint seafood note, and soy with sugar is a vegan pantry fallback once thickened with cornflour. Avoid the fish sauce and Worcestershire swaps here, because both contain fish.

You're making a dish named for the sauce, like gai lan with oyster sauce or beef in oyster sauce, where its briny, sweet glaze is the main flavour.

vegetarian oyster sauce — 15 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)

Nothing really replaces it here.

When the sauce is the whole point, the swaps that build it from soy, kecap manis or hoisin taste like a different dish, because none of them have the rounded oyster-extract savouriness. Vegetarian oyster sauce is the only option that keeps the character, and even it loses the seafood edge, so buying a bottle is the honest answer.

What Oyster Sauce does in a recipe

umami & savouriness · primary — Cooked-down oyster extract carries glutamates and a briny seafood depth that makes stir-fries and braises taste rounded rather than just salty.
saltiness · primary — It seasons the whole dish, often standing in for most or all of the salt in a recipe.
sweetness & balance · secondary — Added sugar softens the salt and caramelises lightly on a hot wok or grill.
body & gloss · secondary — Starch thickening gives it a syrupy consistency that clings to noodles and greens and leaves a glossy coat.
browning & colour · secondary — Its dark caramel-brown colour tints sauces and marinades a rich mahogany.

Every substitute, ranked

Substitute	Amount	Verdict
vegetarian oyster sauce	15 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)	Straight swap
soy sauce with sugar	10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)	One catch
kecap manis with soy sauce	10 ml kecap manis plus 5 ml soy sauce for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)	One catch
hoisin sauce with soy sauce	10 ml hoisin sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)	Close enough
fish sauce with soy sauce and sugar	5 ml fish sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce and 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)	Close enough
Worcestershire sauce	10 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)	Close enough

Australian tablespoons are 20 ml. UK, New Zealand, US and Canadian recipes use 15 ml, so their 1 tbsp is 3 Australian teaspoons.

vegetarian oyster sauce

Straight swap

15 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)

Mushroom extract supplies the umami while the sugar, salt and starch thickening match the original, so every role is covered except the faint seafood note.

Covers: umami & savouriness, saltiness, sweetness & balance, body & gloss, browning & colour
Taste: Earthier and slightly less briny, with no seafood edge.
Texture: Much the same thick, clinging consistency.
Looks: Similar dark brown gloss.
Best for: stir-fries, Chinese greens, vegetarian dishes

Dairy-freeVeganNut-free

Tried this swap? How did it work?

soy sauce with sugar

One catch· probably in your pantry

10 ml soy sauce plus 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

Soy sauce covers salt, colour and some umami, and the sugar restores the balance, but the mix is thin and needs thickening if it has to coat the food.

The catch: Stir in a slurry of about 1 g cornflour mixed with 5 ml water per 15 ml oyster sauce replaced, and add it in the last minute of cooking so the sauce turns glossy and clings; if your recipe uses a 20 ml Australian tablespoon, scale everything up by a third.

Covers: saltiness, sweetness & balance, browning & colour, umami & savouriness
Misses: body & gloss
Taste: Sharper and more fermented, with less of the rounded briny depth.
Texture: Thinner unless thickened with cornflour.
Looks: Slightly lighter and less glossy.
Best for: stir-fries, marinades, fried rice

Dairy-freeVeganNut-free

Tried this swap? How did it work?

kecap manis with soy sauce

One catch

10 ml kecap manis plus 5 ml soy sauce for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)

Kecap manis brings the thickness, gloss and dark colour, and cutting it with soy sauce brings the salt back up to oyster sauce levels.

The catch: Always mix it with the soy sauce, because kecap manis alone is much sweeter than oyster sauce and will make the dish taste sugary and burn on a hot wok.

Covers: body & gloss, browning & colour, sweetness & balance, saltiness
Misses: umami & savouriness
Taste: Deeper, molasses-like sweetness and no seafood note.
Texture: Thick and syrupy, close to the original.
Looks: Darker, almost black, with a strong gloss.
Best for: stir-fried noodles, glazed meat, marinades

Dairy-freeVeganNut-free

Tried this swap? How did it work?

hoisin sauce with soy sauce

Close enough

10 ml hoisin sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce for every 15 ml oyster sauce (3 tsp)

Hoisin matches the thickness, sweetness and colour and soy adds the missing salt, but the garlic and five-spice in hoisin come through clearly.

Covers: body & gloss, browning & colour, sweetness & balance, saltiness
Misses: umami & savouriness
Taste: Sweeter and spiced, with noticeable five-spice and garlic.
Texture: Thick and clinging, similar to the original.
Looks: Slightly redder brown.
Best for: pork stir-fries, marinades, glazes

Dairy-freeVeganNut-free

Tried this swap? How did it work?

fish sauce with soy sauce and sugar

Close enough· probably in your pantry

5 ml fish sauce plus 5 ml soy sauce and 2 g sugar for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

Fish sauce supplies the seafood umami that most swaps miss, with soy for colour and sugar for balance, but it is thin and has a more pungent, funky edge.

Covers: umami & savouriness, saltiness, sweetness & balance, browning & colour
Misses: body & gloss
Taste: More pungent and fermented-fishy, closer to Thai and Vietnamese flavours.
Texture: Thin, so sauces will not cling unless you add a little cornflour.
Looks: Lighter brown and without gloss.
Best for: stir-fries, marinades, dipping sauces

Dairy-freeNut-free

Tried this swap? How did it work?

Worcestershire sauce

Close enough· probably in your pantry

10 ml for every 15 ml oyster sauce (2 tsp)

Anchovy gives it real savoury depth and it adds salt and colour, but the vinegar and tamarind make it tangy and it has no body.

Covers: umami & savouriness, browning & colour, saltiness
Misses: sweetness & balance, body & gloss
Taste: Noticeably sour and spicy, with a vinegary tang.
Texture: Thin and watery.
Looks: Darkens the dish but adds no gloss.
Best for: marinades for grilling, braises, gravy-style sauces

Dairy-freeNut-free

Tried this swap? How did it work?

Commonly tried, but skip these

People reach for these, and they let you down.

soy sauce on its own

Skip it

People reach for it because both are dark, salty Chinese sauces, but at the same volume it makes the dish too salty, leaves it thin and watery, and loses the sweet, rounded glaze; reduce it and add sugar as in the soy-and-sugar swap instead.

Tried this swap? How did it work?

When to buy the real thing

The dish is named for oyster sauce, such as gai lan with oyster sauce or beef and broccoli in oyster sauce.
Instead: Buy a bottle, which most Australian supermarkets stock in the Asian aisle, or cook a different stir-fry that does not rely on it as the main flavour.
The recipe uses a large amount, around 60 ml or more, as the bulk of the sauce.
Instead: Buy oyster sauce, because scaling up a soy, hoisin or Worcestershire mix that far makes the sharp, sweet or tangy notes dominate the whole dish.

Rescue a swap gone wrong

The finished dish tastes far too salty.

Why: Soy sauce was used one-for-one, or a recipe written with 15 ml tablespoons was measured with a 20 ml Australian tablespoon, adding a third more salt.

Fix: Add a splash of water or unsalted stock, a pinch of sugar and more unseasoned vegetables or rice to dilute it, and next time use the reduced soy-and-sugar amounts and check which tablespoon the recipe means.

The sauce pools in the bottom of the wok instead of coating the food.

Why: Soy, fish sauce and Worcestershire swaps are thin and miss the starch thickening that gives oyster sauce its body.

Fix: Stir in a slurry of about 1 g cornflour mixed with 5 ml cold water per 15 ml oyster sauce replaced, then toss over high heat for 30 seconds until it turns glossy.

The sauce has turned black, sticky and bitter on the wok.

Why: The sugar in kecap manis or hoisin burnt on a very hot wok, because both are sweeter than oyster sauce.

Can't be fixed — next time: Burnt sugar cannot be masked, so tip the food out of the scorched pan and serve what is not blackened; next time add kecap manis or hoisin mixes in the last minute of cooking over slightly lower heat.

The dish tastes sugary or sweet rather than savoury.

Why: Too much kecap manis or hoisin went in, or kecap manis was used without the soy sauce.

Fix: Add soy sauce a teaspoon at a time and a squeeze of lime juice or a dash of rice vinegar to pull the balance back towards savoury.

Differences between countries

Applies to Australia

Oyster-flavoured sauce labelling (Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Canada)

Many bottles in all five countries are labelled oyster-flavoured sauce and contain only a small share of oyster extract, with sugar, salt, starch and caramel colour making up most of the bottle. Premium versions list oyster extract higher on the ingredients list and taste noticeably more savoury and briny.

Applies to Australia

20 ml Australian tablespoon (Australia)

An Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml, while UK, NZ, US and Canadian tablespoons hold 15 ml. Measuring oyster sauce for a recipe written elsewhere with an Australian tablespoon adds a third more salt and sugar than intended.

Where to buy it

Applies to Australia

Australia · easy to find

Asian aisle of supermarkets

Vegetarian mushroom-based versions are easiest to find at Asian grocers.

United Kingdom · easy to find

world foods aisle of supermarkets

Asian grocers carry larger bottles and vegetarian versions.

New Zealand · easy to find

Asian aisle of supermarkets

Asian grocers usually stock a wider range, including vegetarian versions.

United States · easy to find

international or Asian aisle of supermarkets

Asian grocers stock premium and vegetarian versions that mainstream supermarkets may not.

Canada · easy to find

international or Asian aisle of supermarkets

Asian grocers are the best place to look for vegetarian versions.

What is Oyster Sauce called in other countries?

oyster-flavoured sauce

Measurements differ too, not just names: the kitchen conversion chart covers cups, spoons and oven temperatures across these countries.

Questions people ask

Is oyster sauce the same as hoisin sauce?

No, they are different sauces. Oyster sauce is salty, briny and savoury with a mild sweetness, while hoisin is much sweeter and flavoured with garlic and five-spice. Hoisin mixed with soy sauce can stand in, but you will taste the spice.

Can I leave oyster sauce out of a stir-fry?

You can if the recipe uses only a little, but the dish will be less salty, less savoury and less glossy. Add a splash of soy sauce with a pinch of sugar to cover the seasoning, and a little cornflour slurry if the sauce needs to coat the food.

Is oyster sauce vegetarian or gluten-free?

Standard oyster sauce is not vegetarian because it is made from oyster extract. Many brands also contain wheat, either as flour or in added soy sauce, so check the label if you need it gluten-free. Mushroom-based vegetarian oyster sauce is the usual vegan option.

Does oyster sauce taste fishy?

Not strongly. It tastes savoury, salty and slightly sweet with a mild briny note rather than an obvious fishy flavour, which is why it is used freely with beef and green vegetables.

Does oyster sauce need to go in the fridge after opening?

Yes, most labels say to refrigerate it once opened. Kept cold with the lid on, it generally stays good for several months, but throw it out if it smells off or shows mould.

How many millilitres is a tablespoon of oyster sauce?

It depends on the recipe's origin, because an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml and a UK, NZ, US or Canadian tablespoon is 15 ml. Using an Australian tablespoon for an overseas recipe adds a third more oyster sauce, which can make the dish too salty, so measure in millilitres where you can.

Where Oyster Sauce comes from

Oyster sauce comes from southern Chinese cooking, where oysters were simmered slowly in water until the liquid reduced to a thick, dark, caramelised extract. Most bottles today combine oyster extract with sugar, salt, starch thickening and caramel colour.

Oyster Sauce is usually dairy-free, nut-free — check the label, and see the disclaimer.