Vegan oyster sauce for all your favorite Asian dishes.
So, I find a lot of recipes that call for oyster sauce and while you can find vegan oyster sauce, I thought that might be hard for some people. Also, the store bought oyster sauces that don’t actually contain oysters are mostly corn syrup. So, I thought I would make my own healthier version that can be stored in the fridge and used in all your favorite Asian recipes.
This vegan oyster sauce is super simple to make and has that perfect umami flavor that I love to add to all kinds of Asian dishes. Dried mushrooms are what makes this recipe taste so much like real oyster sauce, or at least how I remember it tasting.
So here’s the deal:
Soak your dried mushrooms.
Until they look like this.
Blend your mushrooms and the water you soaked the mushrooms in.
You are essentially making a mushroom broth, that you then use to make the mushrooms super smooth and flavorful!
Add in the remaining ingredients.
Cook and thicken with cornstarch.
Boom! You’re done! Now you have the perfect alternative for any recipe that calls for oyster sauce. I have seen people recommend using soy sauce or coconut aminos as a replacement, but it’s just not the same. This version is perfect, sweet and salty and so good. I’m going to be using this in all kinds of recipes from now on! So keep some of this on hand for anytime you need it.
Vegan Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 oz.(about 1-1 1/2 cups) Dried mushrooms*
- 2 Cups Hot water
- 1/4 Cup Soy sauce or tamari
- 3 Tablespoons Agave syrup
- 1 teaspoon Miso paste
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons Water
Instructions
- Put the dried mushrooms in a large bowl, and pour the hot water over the mushrooms, making sure they are submerged. Let the mushrooms soak for at least an hour.
- Then add the mushrooms and the water the mushrooms were soaking in to a blender. Blend on high until the mushrooms and water have made a very smooth mixture.
- Pour the mushroom mixture into a small sauce pan. Then add the soy sauce or tamari, the agave, the miso, and the ginger to the pan, whisk to combine. Heat the pan on medium, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes to cook the mushroom mixture and thicken slightly.
- Now, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch has dissolved.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the pan.
- Then continue to simmer for about 5 minutes or until the oyster sauce is nice and thick.
- Let cool and then keep in an air tight container and refrigerated. It will last for several weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Perfect substitution
How long can you keep it in the fridge?
Tastes amazing. I sautéed the mushrooms and the garlic first, Then added everything else and blended once it was cooled. It turned out delicious.
Made a Thai style vegetable stir fry with this sauce and it tasted so authentic!