This easy Worcestershire Sauce recipe is recreated with real food ingredients making it Paleo and Whole30. Use Worcestershire Sauce to enhance the flavor of your favorite dishes.
Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
Traditionally, Worcestershire (pronounced “woo-ster-sher”) Sauce was a fermented brew containing fish sauce, malt vinegar and spices. The ingredients were set to mature for 18 months before being bottled in Worcester, England, where the exact recipe is kept a secret.
The old school version is fermented in barrels and slowly ferments, releasing active enzymes.
These days, there are many brands of Worcestershire Sauce on the market with varying flavors and consistency. This Homemade Worcestershire Sauce is free from soy, gluten, and corn syrup.
Chances are, you probably have a bottle of this condiment in the back of your refrigerator right now. But if you want to clean it up and give a shot at homemade version, this is it!
This homemade Worcestershire Sauce recipe allows you to make this condiment at home with ingredients that you feel good about. But if you are looking for something more traditional with a fermented tang, this isn’t it. This recipe can be made in 15 minutes with dried spices and seasonings for convenience.
What is Worcestershire Sauce?
This richly flavored sauce lies somewhere between a condiment and seasoning. The main ingredients are vinegar, anchovies, tamarind, molasses, garlic, onions, and other spices and seasonings.
Making homemade Worcestershire Sauce can seem intimidating but with simpler ingredient swaps, it’s actually quite easy to make.
And even though this Worcestershire Sauce substitute comes short of the probiotic-rich craft, it’s still a much better option than store bought sauces that are full of soy and corn syrup.
History of Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce dates back to early 19th century when British Lord Sandys tasted it during his travels to Bengal. It’s believed he appointed a pair of chemists to replicate the flavor. John Lea and William Perrins attempted to recreate the same flavor but were deeply disappointed with the results. They set the jars in the cellar and forgot about them only to discover them years later under a thick layer of dust.
Turns out, the unintentional aging process created a rich and savory flavor that we now know as umami. The two partners bottled more and before long, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce spread throughout Europe and across the world. (source)
How can I use Worcestershire Sauce?
Worcestershire Sauce is one of those magical flavor-enhancing condiment with many uses. It can fix the most bland of recipes. A splash of this magic concoction in a soup or chili may just save the day.
Additionally, Worcestershire Sauce is also great in homemade burgers and as a tenderizer for tougher cuts of meat like roasts. It’s a must in Caesar salad dressing and even adds great flavor to a Bloody Mary cocktail.
Ingredients in Worcestershire Sauce
Homemade Worcestershire Sauce is pleasantly forgiving since there are so many depths of flavor. But let’s look at the ingredients.
- Vinegar: most recipes you see online have white distilled vinegar but here we use apple cider vinegar. The flavor of apple cider vinegar and the health benefits outweigh its white counterpart.
- Coconut Aminos: this is a great soy sauce alternative. Prized for its high nutrient content, coconut aminos is often used in most cases as soy sauce. It’s gluten-free and soy-free and adds great flavor to this Worcestershire Sauce.
- Sweeteners: Molasses and Coconut Sugar: these sweeteners add great depth of flavor and richness to the Worcestershire sauce. Date paste works great as a Whole30 alternative. If making this Whole30 compliant, use only 2 tablespoons of date paste in place of molasses and omit the coconut sugar.
- Anchovy Paste: this is gives the Worcestershire Sauce that umami flavor. In my opinion, it is necessary to include anchovy paste in Worcestershire sauce for best flavor. However, if making vegan Worcestershire sauce, just omit the anchovy paste.
- Spices and Seasonings: these include ground garlic, onion, mustard seed, ginger, cinnamon, and salt and pepper. Some recipes call for fresh ingredients but in the interest of keeping this simple, dried work exceptionally well in this recipe.
How to Make Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
This recipe is so simple. Don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already.
Step 1. Combine all ingredients.
Add vinegar, coconut aminos, molasses and coconut sugar (or date paste), anchovy paste, and all the spices and seasonings into a small pot.
Step 2. Bring mixture to a boil.
Bring the sauce mixture to a boil, whisking regularly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for approximately 15 minutes.
Step 3. Transfer to bottle.
Transfer the Worcestershire Sauce to a jar or bottle and allow to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
This Worcestershire Sauce gets better with age so the longer you allow all the ingredients to meld, the flavorful it is.
Common Questions for Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
Q. Is Worcestershire Sauce gluten-free?
A. Making homemade Worcestershire Sauce guarantees clean, wholesome ingredients. Using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, you eliminate all gluten and soy in this Worcestershire Sauce.
Q. Is Worcestershire Sauce vegan?
A. Anchovy paste is the only non-vegan ingredient in this Worcestershire Sauce recipe. Just omit the paste to make it vegan compliant.
Q. What are some Worcestershire Sauce substitutes?
A. It is sometimes necessary to completely avoid the use of Worcestershire Sauce. In those cases consider these alternatives: balsamic vinegar or glaze, coconut aminos, fish sauce, oyster sauce, and hoisin sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons anchovy paste
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring regularly. Reduce heat to medium and cook for approximately 15 minutes.
- Pour into a bottle and store in the refrigerator. Shake well before using.
Notes
- For Whole30: use 2 tablespoons of date paste in place of molasses and coconut sugar
- For Vegan: omit anchovy paste
- Recipe makes 1 1/2 cups.
- Can be refrigerated for up to 6 months. Shake well before use.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided for your convenience by an online calculator. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our complete Nutritional Information Disclaimer.
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this looks good, is there a way to make it and let it ferment?
I’m not certain, Carol. I would love to know too – so let me do some research. From what I read, malt vinegar is needed to ferment worcestershire sauce. You could try adding 1/4 cup of malt vinegar in place of same amount of ACV and see what happens.
This sounds wonderful and definitely something I want to try. I have an allergy to mustard. Is there a good substitute? And if I make it for my vegetarian friends, what do you recommend for anchovies? The mustard is the biggest issue though. I really like your recipes and you have a lot of good information. Thanks!
Hi!
Thank you for the kind word. Perhaps try subbing a paste made out of horseradish and turmeric together to replace mustard. But be careful, horseradish is much stronger than mustard so start low and work your way up. As far as anchovies go – I recently saw vegan “Umami” paste at Whole Foods. And though I haven’t tried it myself – I read it has very similar salty, briny flavor. Worth a shot! Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Thanks! I will check out the Umami paste. Unfortunately, I am also allergic to turmeric. Crazy isn’t it? One man’s medicine is another man’s poison. Mustard is definitely one of those things that can’t truly be replaced. Will try a little horseradish and make it with the anchovy paste for me. My friend can have mustard so we will make hers with the paste. Thank you again for your help!
Oh gosh – so sorry! Yes – try them Umami paste. Enjoy! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
How long does this keep for in the refrigerator?
Months. I would say 3 months is pretty safe. 🙂
Why does the the title say it’s Whole 30 when it contains 2 kinds of sugar? It is paleo but not W30.
You are correct, Sarah! Thanks for pointing that out. Feel free to omit molasses and coconut sugar.
Hi.
Thanks for this recipe. Have you considered possibly using date syrup in place of the molasses to make it more whole30 friendly?
Hi Josh,
That is a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion.
What would you sub for coconut aminos? I can’t have coconut.
It would no longer be Paleo, but can you have Tamari or Soy Sauce? That would be similar in taste.