‘A hefty umami punch’: the best (and worst) supermarket light soy sauce, tasted and rated
Which salty condiment nails that deep flavour profile, and which is saltier than the sea? Our resident taster tries 10 soy sauces straight from the bottle
Soy sauce was created in China about 2,200 years ago, as a means to preserve food and to zhoosh up the humble vegetarian Buddhist diet. It’s a demonstration in kokumi – literally “rich taste” – a flavour sensation that’s often called the sixth taste.
I tested all of today’s soy sauces straight from the bottle, in all their intensity. I first identified distinctive aromas such as cooked potato, sulphur and broth (all typical in soy sauce and not as off-putting as they sound), alongside caramel and malty notes. The best ones are more nuanced, with fruity high notes and vinous tones.
***
The best supermarket light soy sauce
***
Best overall:
Poon’s premium first extract soy sauce
£16.30 for 250ml at Ocado (£6.52/100ml) £18.99 for 250ml at Selfridges (£8/100ml) ★★★★★
A delightful, wildly complex aroma with a fruity note of banana blossom and forest-floor undertones. Hits the palate with a broad flavour profile, astringent with roasted popcorn and caramel, then salt and acidity, and a strong bean base. Made from non-GMO soya beans grown in southern Taiwan, pressed only once and naturally fermented with no additives. Well worth the price.
***
Best bargain:
Yutaka organic tamari soy sauce
£2.35 for 150ml at Sainsbury’s (£1.57/100ml) ★★★★★
A wonderfully deep flavour profile with notes of dark malt, green vegetables and molasses. Salt-forward with an intense, rounded mouthfeel and a beany mushroom base note. Naturally fermented for eight months and gluten-free. Just four ingredients and a high ratio of organic soybean (45%). Incredible value.
***
And the rest …
Kikkoman soy sauce
£3 for 150ml at Tesco (£2/100ml) £3 for 150ml at Sainsbury’s (£2/100ml)★★★★☆
A deep, beany aroma with meaty notes and a sweet, fruity caramel finish. Massive flavour that fills the mouth with an intense, salty, soy-forward, umami complexity that’s like the scrapings off a sticky roast beef rib. Just four ingredients – water, soybeans, wheat, salt – and naturally brewed and fermented for six months. Zero additives.
***
Clearspring organic yaemon tamari soya sauce
£3.80 for 150ml at Ocado (£2.54/100ml)★★★★☆
A sweet, malty, caramel aroma with deep savoury notes of mushroom and potato. An intensely rich, salt-forward taste with a hefty umami punch and balanced acidity. Double-strength gluten-free organic tamari aged in cedarwood kegs over two summers, with a high ratio of soya beans (52%) and zero additives.
***
Amoy light soy sauce
£2 for 150ml at Tesco (£1.34/100ml) £2.10 for 150ml at Waitrose (£1.40/100ml)★★★☆☆
A deep, meaty, cooked-mushroom aroma with notes of caramel, potatoes and cheese. Salt-forward with a sharp high note of alcohol and beany mushroom undertones. Made with more soy sauce extract (51%) than the other cheaper products, and six additives, including colour, acidity regulators, preservative (potassium sorbate) and flavour enhancers.
***
Sainsbury’s light soy sauce
55p for 150ml at Sainsbury’s (37p/100ml)★★☆☆☆
A sweet and floral mirin aroma with a synthetic, meaty undertone. Sweet-forward on the palate, with a strong, caramel flavour and malty cola notes. Made with 15% soy sauce extract and three additives (colour, acidity regulator, preservative).
***
Morrisons light soy sauce
90p for 150ml at Morrisons (60p/100ml)★★☆☆☆
A dark, meaty, Bovril aroma with an intensely salty taste and a strong but one-dimensional caramel, brothy flavour. At just 3%, it has the lowest stated soybean content of any product in this lineup and contains three additives (colour, acidity regulator, preservative).
***
Waitrose light soy sauce
£1.35 for 150ml at Waitrose (90p/100ml)★★☆☆☆
A mushroomy Bovril aroma and an intense salty, bitter flavour with notes of smoke, caramel and brassica. A low soy sauce extract percentage of 6%, and three additives (colour, acidity regulator, preservative).
***
M&S light soy sauce
£1.20 for 150ml at Ocado (80p/100ml)★★☆☆☆
A sweet, fruity floral aroma with mushroom and meaty caramel undertones. Intensely salty and powerful, with a deep but one-note umami base. Made in Malaysia using Chinese soy sauce extract, with only 8% soybeans, and three additives (colour, acidity regulator, preservative).
***
Co-op Chinese Menu light soy sauce
74p for 150ml at Co-op (50p/100ml)★☆☆☆☆
An intense, malty, caramel aroma with a hint of smoke. Intensely salty and powerful, with a meat and potato umami, sulphuric notes and a sweet aftertaste. Use sparingly. Made with 20% soy sauce extract, otherwise made up from water, salt, caramelised sugar syrup, acidity regulator (lactic acid) and preservative (potassium sorbate).
For more, read the best hot sauces, tasted and rated