Here’s a simple explanation of the difference between the 3 main types of soy sauce (light, dark and normal). The 3 golden rules to remember are:
You can interchange light soy sauce and all purpose soy sauce in recipes;
If a recipe just says “soy sauce”, use an all purpose soy sauce OR light soy sauce; and
NEVER use dark soy sauce unless a recipe specifically calls for it. It is overpoweringly strong.
Also see Asian market shopping list.
Soy Sauce – 3 main types
The mains types of soy sauce are:
Light soy sauce
Dark soy sauce
Soy sauce (all purpose, “normal” or “standard” soy sauce”) – when bottles are simply labelled “soy sauce”. Not light, dark, sweet, mushroom or any other type of soy sauce. I’m going to refer to this as “all purpose soy sauce” in this post, to avoid confusion.
You can interchange light soy sauce and all purpose soy sauce in recipes. But you must NEVER use dark soy sauce unless a recipe calls for it – it is very strong and will overpower the dish!
Difference between each type of soy sauce
Here’s the main difference between each of them:
Light soy sauce (7.2% sodium) – adds salt to a dish but doesn’t stain noodles a deep mahogany colour nor does it add much “soy flavour”
Dark soy sauce (9.3% sodium) – must more intense in flavour and saltiness, noodles become a lovely dark colour
All purpose soy sauce (7% sodium) – pretty much light sauce but slightly more soy flavour. It won’t stain noodles with colour.
Sodium percentages is the salt % in each type of soy sauce, and is an indication only as they differ between brands. The main takeaway here is that dark soy is saltier than light and all purpose.
Soy Sauce Trivia! Though dark soy sauce has more salt it in that light soy sauce, light soy sauce tastes saltier. This is because dark soy sauce has a much stronger soy flavour which overpowers the salty flavour.
What this means – many recipes call for a combination of dark soy sauce and light sauce to get the right balance of flavour, colour and saltiness. If you only use dark soy sauce, the sauce flavour is way too strong. If you just use light soy sauce, the sauce will be salty, but not very flavourful. So I use dark soy sauce to colour sauces/noodles and for flavour, then top up the saltiness using light soy sauce which adds saltiness, a little bit of flavour, and not much colour.
When to use which soy sauce
Dark soy sauce is used for colour and flavour – it adds a terrific mahogany stain to anything it comes in contact with, from the Lo Mein noodles pictured above to the dark, spicy Sichuan sauce of Kung Pao Chicken, Thai Basil Chicken and Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles).
Light and all purpose soy sauce is used when you want to add soy sauce seasoning (salt) to dishes without overwhelming it with strong soy flavour or making the dish a dark colour. So it’s a deliberate choice for recipes like Chow Mein (pictured above), adding flavour into clear Chinese soup broths (like this Chinese noodle soup), keeping the rice colour white(ish) for Fried Rice, or when you want a clear sauce for stir fries like Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry) or Cashew Chicken.
Combination of dark and soy is used to create a balance of flavour, salt and colour. You add a bit of dark soy for the flavour and colour, then use light soy to add more saltiness to a dish without overwhelming it with soy flavour. Examples: San Choy Bow (Chinese Lettuce Wraps), Hot and Sour Soup, Thai Drunken Noodles.
Dipping sauce – use light or all purpose soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce – too strong! Things to dip:
Salad dressings – light or all purpose soy sauce. It would be very unusual to use dark soy sauce. Asian salads to try:
Soy Sauce is NOT gluten free
Contrary to popular belief, soy sauce is NOT gluten free. The good news is that nowadays, gluten free soy sauce is widely available at everyday grocery stores with major brands like Kikkoman and Lee Kum Kee all offering gluten free soy sauces.
Other types of soy sauce varieties
Other types of soy sauce varieties that aren’t as commonly used in my recipes include:
Kecap Manis – this is a sweet Indonesian soy sauce that has a syrupy constancy. Adds sweetness, stains with colour and adds soy flavour. Used in the following recipes:
Mushroom soy sauce – it’s like all purpose soy sauce with the addition of earthy mushroom flavour. It’s actually a good substitute for dark soy sauce because it has more flavour than light and all purpose soy sauce.
Tamari – this was traditionally offered as the gluten free alternative to soy sauce. But actually, this is like a more complex flavoured soy sauce, and slightly less salty too. Good to use as a dipping sauce!
And there you have it! My soy sauce crash course which I’m sharing to accompany my “What to buy from Asian Grocery Stores Guide”. (6 sauces = 45+ recipes!)
Hope you find it useful! – Nagi x
Life of Dozer
No recipes doesn’t mean no Dozer!! He smells of strawberry right now, from my shampoo (he was out of his own!)
Thank you Nagi for taking the time to give us such an in-depth and very useful guide to the different sauces. I have found it very helpful as I had no idea why it would state the differing ones in same recipe. It also explains why I couldn’t get the same intense colour on some dishes. Checking out your other guides now.
Hello Nagi
First, Many Christmas greetings to you & Dozer 🌲
Now the question as I am stuck. I bought a jar of Soybean Paste and for the life of me I don’t know what recipe I was to use it in.
I’ve read through your Soy diary and its not mentioned.
Can you solve this mystery for me please. Thank you ❤
Nagi,
Thank you again. Today I have learnt all about soy sauce, thanks to you.
Just love your posts
Thank you so much. I am not one to write comments but your tips have really helped me. I from Zambia and I was trying out recipes with soy sauce.
Now I know when to use which one ♡
Your explanation of different Soy sauces was most helpful.
Give Dozer a pat for me.
Thank you Nagi for all of the information on these soy sauces. I love creating your recipes so much but my stores here doesn’t carry dark soy sauce, it’s been very limited on some of the recipes that I want to try but now I know much more about these and I am going to try Amazon for these. Thank you again. I usually don’t post much but when you have helped so much for so many people and all that you do for the people in your area is just so amazing, I just had to say something. If I get to Australia some day, I would love to stop in and say thanks personally. I am patiently waiting for your Cookbook also. Give Dozer a big hug from me. TY!!
Nagi, just wanted to thank you for all your amazing tips! Love your recipes too. Hubby thinks I am a genius! Lol! Your Charlie Brown sauce is a staple in my fridge and it is so easy to use. Many thanks❣️
I’m sure you are a cooking genius Donna!! Enjoy! N x
Nagi, Thank you so much for explaining the differences between soy sauces. I have been looking at some mouth watering recipes on YouTube from a number of Chinese chefs but I have been very confused by their use of both light and dark soy sauce, Here in the US one only usually finds standard soy sauce. Thank you so very much, you are truly fantastic!
I am glad that I could help David! N x
Love your recipes and all the information you provide for those of us that don’t know about all the ‘new’ ingredients that the Asian food adventure brings! Thank you!
You are welcome Autumn! I love sharing Asian food with the world!! N x
It’s been eight years since I was diagnosed with celiac disease. What I miss most is being able to go to a Chinese restaurant and know I can safely eat anything on their menu. Is there any way that I can make or find a sub for dark soy sauce? I’ve found a couple of subs for regular soys sauce that I like but I would love to make these noodles!
Hi Nagi, So glad you’re back, We’ve missed you lots:)
Oh thank you Sally! I am glad that life is (sort of!) getting back to normal! N x
Greetings!
Can I use 1/2 soy sauce & 1/2 water to make the soy sauce less salty?
You could try that Myshell. You can always add more at the end if needed! N X
TY!
How about Kikkoman double -fermented soy sauce? Can I substitute that for dark soy sauce? Mitsuwa doesn’t carry dark. Thanks.
That one is slightly more complex than regular soy but still a light sauce. You can use it (or another light or regular soy) instead of dark if that’s all you have or unless the recipe specifically prohibits the sub! N x
My grandson don’t like darker color fried rice, before I use to use seasoning from Shaan brand it’s a packet but now I can’t get it , so I use soy sauce as you say same as light but still the color comes little dark can you please suggest me exactly which sauce I should use so it will not be dark as my grandson is very picky in eating. Thanks Ms.Lee
Have you tried Ayam brand of light soy? I think it might work for a lighter colour and still taste good! N x
I thought light soy sauce had more sodium than regular dark soy sauce but at the beginning of this article you say the opposite
Hi LC – there are actually 3 types of soy. Light, regular and dark (see the photos in the post). Light soy has less sodium than dark soy but light soy TASTES saltier as the caramel added to dark soy counteracts some of the saltiness. Light soy and regular all purpose soy are pretty much interchangeable but dark soy is much stronger so you can’t use it where a recipe requires light. N x
THANKS FOR THE REPLY HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND
Hi Nagi!
Thank you for this article, it is very helpful. I was wondering if you know the percentage of potassium as well between light and dark soy sauce?
That would vary from brand to brand – you would need to check the info on the bottle Leen! N x
Thank you Nagi.
Doza is a sweet dog and I bet he is very wise too!
What about Ponzu Soy Sauce?
Hi Eva-Maria, Ponzu is entirely different, it’s not a “soy” sauce. It’s a Japanese citrus based sauce 🙂 N x
Thank you Nagi! It is quite good and I use it often. Love your recipes!!!!!
What about sweet soy sauce? I can’t find it here. What is a good substitute?
Hi Susie, depends on the specific recipe to be honest, but you can always make your own easily! Here’s a great link: https://omnivorescookbook.com/flavored-sweet-soy-sauce/ N x
Thanks so much. It sounds wonderful.
Where does Korean soup soy sauce fit in here? Would it be a substitute for dark? Or is it something completely different?
Hi Sylvia, it’s different, stronger and usually homemade. N x