The Popular Soy Sauce Brand That Offers A Gluten-Free Variety

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Soy sauce is a pantry staple. It can be dribbled over your favorite sushi, the base ingredient of a meat marinade, or even mashed into a stick of softened butter to create a compound spread. The umami flavor it adds to a stir fry sauce or kung pao chicken can't be replicated and is oh-so-satisfying for your taste buds; however, because this liquid is made by fermenting wheat, water, soybeans, and salt, individuals with gluten sensitivities may shy away from favorite Asian dishes that require it. Luckily, there are many types of soy sauce, including a gluten-free version made by the popular soy sauce brand Kikkoman.

Kikkoman gluten-free soy sauce is certified gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, a stamp of approval members of the gluten sensitive community will appreciate. But how does Kikkoman eliminate gluten from its soy sauce? The maker of this brand still uses soybeans and water, but instead of wheat, it uses rice to achieve that deep, rich flavor that is synonymous with this liquid. 

So how does it taste? Alas, the proof is always in how your mouth experiences these ingredient switch-ups, but Kikkoman gluten-free soy sauce seems to have a fan base. According to reviewers on Amazon, the taste is great; however, some note that it is slightly more expensive. One verified Amazon reviewer who gave Kikkoman gluten-free soy sauce four stars wrote, "A good gluten-free alternative soy sauce for us wheat intoleran[t] individuals but does cost a bit more per ounce. That tend[s] to be true for all gluten-free products." Still, others wish it came in even smaller bottles so when they travel they could bring it with them.

But while Kikkoman gluten-free soy sauce hits all the taste marks for a good alternative to wheat-based soy sauce, it still has the same amount of sodium as the non-gluten-free version. So if you need a reduced-sodium soy sauce, too, this is important to note. In addition to making a gluten-free soy sauce, Kikkoman makes a variety of other gluten-free products, including teriyaki marinade and sauce and hoisin sauce. Both of these are great substitutes for the real thing if you want to make Tasting Table's sticky hoisin pork steak or our baked General Tso's tofu gluten-free.