Note that while we tested all the products, we split up the rankings into two lists; one for regular soy sauce, and another for dashi soy sauce, since dashi soy sauces are a bit unique in how they're used and their production method.
Generally speaking, soy sauce is made from soybeans, wheat, salt brine, and alcohol, which is used as a preservative. A seed mold is added to the soybean and wheat mixture and allowed to mature, resulting in koji, similar to malt. The salt brine is added in later, completing the fermentation process.
The seed mold is not usually included in the ingredients list, but it’s essential to the art of soy sauce brewing, and most brands will have a proprietary mold. Temperature and humidity also influence how soy sauce turns out, so most factories will have strict controls in place.
There are two main ways soy sauce is brewed; one is the traditional honjozo method and the other is the kongo or mixed method. The kongo method adds liquid amino acids and sweeteners to the soy sauce to bring out more umami, and you should try it if you like deep, complex flavors. On the other hand, stick with honjozo if you enjoy the straightforward taste of classic soy sauce.
While most of us just have the one bottle of Kikkoman that we use for everything when cooking Asian cuisine, did you know that some soy sauces pair better with certain dishes?
Similar to how you'd pair wine with specific dishes, soy sauce is best enjoyed when paired with the appropriate dishes. There are all kinds of soy sauces that match different dishes, including not just sashimi, tofu, and other typical Japanese dishes, but also some combinations that might surprise you, like toast and ice cream!
Note that throughout this article, we'll be using words like umami and dashi to explain certain things. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, here's a brief primer.
Here are our six favorite soy sauces, which we tested for flavor, aroma, and how well they pair with foods in certain dishes.
※Japanese prices for the products are given, but they've been converted into US dollars to make it easy for you.
Image | 1 ![]() Kaneyo Shoyu | 2 ![]() Inoue Shoyu | 3 ![]() Kikkoman | 4 ![]() Nibishi Shoyu | 5 ![]() Ichibiki | 6 ![]() Marumata Shoten |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Light Soy Sauce | Inoue Traditional Soy Sauce | Tokusen Marudaizu Soy Sauce | Tokusen Umakuchi Soy Sauce | Cho Tokusen Sashimi Tame Bottle | Organic Tamari Soy Sauce |
Features | Slightly Sweet and Easy to Use | Strong and Rich Flavor, Best Served with Tofu | A Standard, Versatile Soy Sauce | Sweet and Salty Flavor Great With Simmered Dishes | Fragrant Soy Sauce That Pairs Well With Sashimi | Organic Soy Sauce Made From Fragrant Aged Soybeans |
Price | $26.50 | $9.86 | $41.07 | $5.24 | $9.06 | $28.50 |
Japanese | カネヨ醤油 うすくち | 井上醤油店 井上古式じょうゆ | キッコーマン食品 特選 丸大豆しょうゆ | ニビシ醤油 特級うまくち | イチビキ 超特選おさしみ溜ボトル | 丸又商店 オーガニックたまり |
Brewing method | Kongo | Honjozo soy sauce | Honjozo soy sauce | Honjozo soy sauce | Not provided | Honjozo |
Ingredients | Amino acids, solvented soybeans, wheat, salt, seasoning, sweetener (licorice, sodium saccharin), preservatives (paraoxybenzoic acid) | Round soybeans, wheat, salt | Soybeans, wheat, salt | Non-fat processed soybeans, wheat, salt, glucose-fructose liquid sugar, mirin, and more | Not provided | Organic soybeans, salt |
Place of origin | Ishikawa Prefecture | Japan | U.S.A. (except for Japanese wheat) | Soybeans are imported | Not provided | Aichi Prefecture |
Container | Plastic bottle | Glass | Plastic bottle | Plastic bottle | Glass bottle | Glass bottle |
Shelf life | 1 year from the date of manufacturing | 2 years | 18 months after opening | Not provided | Not provided | Not provided |
Type | Light soy sauce | Dark soy sauce | Dark soy sauce | Dark soy sauce | Tamari soy sauce | Tamari soy sauce |
Amount | 33.81fl. oz. | 30.4 fl. oz. | 25.3 fl. oz. | 33.8 fl. oz. | 10.14 fl. oz. | 12.17 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided | 16-17% | Not provided | About 15% | Not provided | Not provided |
Overall score | 3.66 | 3.64 | 3.62 | 3.54 | 3.51 | 3.50 |
Taste | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
Aroma | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
With tofu | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
Link |
$26.50
Japanese | カネヨ醤油 うすくち |
---|---|
Brewing method | Kongo |
Ingredients | Amino acids, solvented soybeans, wheat, salt, seasoning, sweetener (licorice, sodium saccharin), preservatives (paraoxybenzoic acid) |
Place of origin | Ishikawa Prefecture |
Container | Plastic bottle |
Shelf life | 1 year from the date of manufacturing |
Type | Light soy sauce |
Amount | 33.81fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Overall score | 3.66 |
Taste | 3.5 |
Aroma | 3.7 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.5 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.2 |
With tofu | 3.9 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.7 |
$9.86
Japanese | 井上醤油店 井上古式じょうゆ |
---|---|
Brewing method | Honjozo soy sauce |
Ingredients | Round soybeans, wheat, salt |
Place of origin | Japan |
Container | Glass |
Shelf life | 2 years |
Type | Dark soy sauce |
Amount | 30.4 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | 16-17% |
Overall score | 3.64 |
Taste | 3.7 |
Aroma | 3.6 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.5 |
With tofu | 3.8 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.5 |
$41.07
Japanese | キッコーマン食品 特選 丸大豆しょうゆ |
---|---|
Brewing method | Honjozo soy sauce |
Ingredients | Soybeans, wheat, salt |
Place of origin | U.S.A. (except for Japanese wheat) |
Container | Plastic bottle |
Shelf life | 18 months after opening |
Type | Dark soy sauce |
Amount | 25.3 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Overall score | 3.62 |
Taste | 3.5 |
Aroma | 3.4 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.7 |
With tofu | 3.6 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.4 |
$5.24
Japanese | ニビシ醤油 特級うまくち |
---|---|
Brewing method | Honjozo soy sauce |
Ingredients | Non-fat processed soybeans, wheat, salt, glucose-fructose liquid sugar, mirin, and more |
Place of origin | Soybeans are imported |
Container | Plastic bottle |
Shelf life | Not provided |
Type | Dark soy sauce |
Amount | 33.8 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | About 15% |
Overall score | 3.54 |
Taste | 3.5 |
Aroma | 3.3 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.5 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.5 |
With tofu | 3.4 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.5 |
$9.06
Japanese | イチビキ 超特選おさしみ溜ボトル |
---|---|
Brewing method | Not provided |
Ingredients | Not provided |
Place of origin | Not provided |
Container | Glass bottle |
Shelf life | Not provided |
Type | Tamari soy sauce |
Amount | 10.14 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Overall score | 3.51 |
Taste | 3.5 |
Aroma | 3.7 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.5 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.7 |
With tofu | 3.5 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.4 |
$28.50
Japanese | 丸又商店 オーガニックたまり |
---|---|
Brewing method | Honjozo |
Ingredients | Organic soybeans, salt |
Place of origin | Aichi Prefecture |
Container | Glass bottle |
Shelf life | Not provided |
Type | Tamari soy sauce |
Amount | 12.17 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Overall score | 3.50 |
Taste | 3.6 |
Aroma | 3.5 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.6 |
With tofu | 3.5 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.8 |
We found that dashi soy sauce and oyster soy sauces were rated higher than standard soy sauces, mostly since our testers found them to be more delicious on their own in comparison. These soy sauces will also pair well with lighter dishes to add extra flavor.
However, dashi soy sauce isn't as salty as other soy sauces, and when paired with foods that have strong flavors, like tuna sashimi, the flavors will clash and won't work. So, dashi and oyster soy sauces aren't as versatile as the other types, so we've separated them from the main list of products and featured them in their own list of products.
Image | ![]() Kamada Shoyu | ![]() Asamurasaki | ![]() Kikkoman | ![]() Kikkoman |
---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Dashi Soy Sauce | Oyster Soy Sauce | Always Fresh Agodashi Soy Sauce | Always Fresh Umami Dashi Soy Sauce |
Features | Exquisite Balance of Saltiness, Sweetness, and Umami | Adds a Seafood-Based Umami and Elevates Sashimi and Simmered Dishes | A Soy Sauce With Strong Seafood Umami Flavors | A Soy Sauce That’s Rich in Umami With a Fragrant Dashi Aftertaste |
Price | $14.30 | $6.41 | $10.80 | $3.39 |
Japanese | 鎌田醤油 だし醤油 | アサムラサキ かき醤油 | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 あごだししょうゆ | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 旨み広がるだししょうゆ |
Type of dashi | Mackerel, bonito, kelp | Oyster, bonito, kelp, shiitake mushroom | Grilled flying fish | Bonito, tuna, kelp |
Brewing method | Honjozo soy sauce | Honjozo soy sauce | Not provided | Not provided |
Ingredients | Soy sauce (wheat, soybeans), mirin, salt | Soy sauce, sugar, salt, mirin, bonito flakes, oyster extract, vegetable protein hydrolysate, kelp extract, kelp, dried shiitake mushroom, amino acid, sake | Soy sauce (including domestic soy and wheat ingredients), sugar, salt, grilled flying fish, mirin, fermented seasoning (wheat, bonito flakes, okara (including soybeans)), yeast extracts, dried sardines, shiitake mushroom extract, kelp, alcohol, acidulants, sweeteners (stevia), vitamin B1 | Soy sauce (including soy and wheat ingredients), sugar, mirin, salt, bonito flakes, tuna flakes, yeast extract, fermented wheat seasoning, kelp, alcohol, vitamin B1 |
Place of origin | Not provided | Soy sauce: Japan; oysters: Hiroshima | Chiba Prefecture | Chiba Prefecture |
Container | Paper carton | Glass | Airtight plastic bottle | Airtight plastic bottle |
Shelf life | Not provided | 12 months from the date of manufacture | 12 months | 12 months before opening |
Type | Dashi soy sauce | Dashi soy sauce | Dashi soy sauce | Dashi soy sauce |
Amount | 6.77 fl. oz. | 20.2 fl. oz. | 11.16 fl. oz. | 11.16 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided | Not provided | Not provided | Not provided |
Taste | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.8 |
Aroma | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 |
With tofu | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.0 |
Link |
$14.30
Japanese | 鎌田醤油 だし醤油 |
---|---|
Type of dashi | Mackerel, bonito, kelp |
Brewing method | Honjozo soy sauce |
Ingredients | Soy sauce (wheat, soybeans), mirin, salt |
Place of origin | Not provided |
Container | Paper carton |
Shelf life | Not provided |
Type | Dashi soy sauce |
Amount | 6.77 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Taste | 4.2 |
Aroma | 4.0 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.4 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.2 |
With tofu | 3.7 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.5 |
$6.41
Japanese | アサムラサキ かき醤油 |
---|---|
Type of dashi | Oyster, bonito, kelp, shiitake mushroom |
Brewing method | Honjozo soy sauce |
Ingredients | Soy sauce, sugar, salt, mirin, bonito flakes, oyster extract, vegetable protein hydrolysate, kelp extract, kelp, dried shiitake mushroom, amino acid, sake |
Place of origin | Soy sauce: Japan; oysters: Hiroshima |
Container | Glass |
Shelf life | 12 months from the date of manufacture |
Type | Dashi soy sauce |
Amount | 20.2 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Taste | 4.0 |
Aroma | 3.4 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.6 |
With tofu | 3.5 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.6 |
$3.39
Japanese | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 旨み広がるだししょうゆ |
---|---|
Type of dashi | Bonito, tuna, kelp |
Brewing method | Not provided |
Ingredients | Soy sauce (including soy and wheat ingredients), sugar, mirin, salt, bonito flakes, tuna flakes, yeast extract, fermented wheat seasoning, kelp, alcohol, vitamin B1 |
Place of origin | Chiba Prefecture |
Container | Airtight plastic bottle |
Shelf life | 12 months before opening |
Type | Dashi soy sauce |
Amount | 11.16 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Taste | 3.8 |
Aroma | 3.8 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.6 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.3 |
With tofu | 3.9 |
With simmered daikon radish | 4.0 |
$10.80
Japanese | キッコーマン食品 いつでも新鮮 あごだししょうゆ |
---|---|
Type of dashi | Grilled flying fish |
Brewing method | Not provided |
Ingredients | Soy sauce (including domestic soy and wheat ingredients), sugar, salt, grilled flying fish, mirin, fermented seasoning (wheat, bonito flakes, okara (including soybeans)), yeast extracts, dried sardines, shiitake mushroom extract, kelp, alcohol, acidulants, sweeteners (stevia), vitamin B1 |
Place of origin | Chiba Prefecture |
Container | Airtight plastic bottle |
Shelf life | 12 months |
Type | Dashi soy sauce |
Amount | 11.16 fl. oz. |
Sodium concentration | Not provided |
Taste | 3.9 |
Aroma | 3.7 |
Compatibility with foods | 3.5 |
With tuna sashimi | 3.4 |
With tofu | 3.5 |
With simmered daikon radish | 3.7 |
We tested the top-selling soy sauces on Amazon, Rakuten, and Yahoo! Shopping to find out the best ones on the market.
We tested each soy sauce for the following:
First, we tested how delicious each soy sauce is.
We enlisted the help of professional seasoning sommelier MICHIKO, as well as six male and female testers from mybest's Japanese editorial team, including one who has been training his sense of taste through practice recognizing the five flavors of sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, sourness and umami, to thoroughly evaluate each product.
They compared the taste of soy sauce by pouring soy sauce onto a spoon and tasting it by itself.
Next, we tested each soy sauce's fragrance.
The more well-made a soy sauce is, the more rich its fragrance is. We smelled all the soy sauces and then evaluated each product on a five-point scale ranging from one to five.
Finally, we compared how compatible each soy sauce was with various ingredients.
Soy sauce isn't something you enjoy on its own - it's intended to be used with a variety of dishes. In a perfect world, soy sauce should be compatible with any kind of food.
For this test, we tasted the soy sauces with tuna sashimi, tofu, and simmered daikon radish, and evaluated how well the soy sauce paired with these foods. For the simmered daikon radish, we pre-boiled the radish, then simmered it for five minutes with a broth made from three tablespoons of soy sauce and 13 tablespoons of water.
We’ll get into how we tested and compared all the bottles of soy sauce, but before that, we want to introduce four things you should look out for when picking out a Japanese soy sauce.
Most soy sauces taste pretty good, both when you cook them and when you use them as a dip or sauce. But if you take time to consider how and in what dishes you usually use soy sauce and then choose a sauce that’s especially suited to that purpose, you’ll likely discover new sides to the seasoning you’d never even imagined.
For example, soy sauce that is sweet and dark in color will not only deepen the flavor of braised and stewed foods, but also give them a beautiful glaze. Savory and fragrant soy sauce enhances the natural flavors of grilled foods. White or light soy sauces will add saltiness to your food without disrupting the flavors of your ingredients, making them perfect for milder dishes.
In our tests, we found that the standard dark Kikkoman soy sauce works for most situations, but if you want to find the best soy sauce to pair with your food, remember the following six types.
Dark soy sauce has a good balance of salinity and sweetness and is the most common type of soy sauce available in Japan.
Dark soy sauces pair well with most types of food, so if you don't know what to get, this is always a good place to start.
As the name implies, sweet soy sauce is sweeter than it is salty. Although it pairs well with all kinds of foods, similar to dark soy sauce, since this soy sauce is already sweet, you won't need to add any extra sugar to your dish to create authentic Japanese flavors.
In our tests, we found that sweet soy sauce pairs well with simmered dishes. You can make a sweet and salty simmered dish with just the bottle of sweet soy sauce. Additionally, you can brush some sweet soy sauce onto onigiri rice balls and grill them to make a sweet and salty snack.
Double-brewed and tamari soy sauce have strong flavors and can suppress the fishy smell found in seafood. These soy sauces also pair excellently with marbled steaks like wagyu, adding extra flavors. They also pair surprisingly well with ice cream and toast, drawing out rich flavors.
In our tests, we found that these soy sauces were particularly praised for their aromas. They have a strong, salty, and satisfying smell, and are great for those who really want to enjoy the flavor of the soy sauce itself.
Light and white soy sauces have a sharp saltiness and a refreshing aftertaste. These soy sauces don't get in the way of the flavors of your ingredients, while still adding the fragrance of soy sauce.
Since these soy sauces have a very pale color, they can add flavor to your foods without changing the color too much.
If you're trying to reduce your sodium intake, consider low-sodium soy sauce. Low-sodium soy sauces are required to only have nine grams of sodium or less for every 100 grams of soy sauce, or 0.3 ounces of salt or less in 3.5 ounces of soy sauce, which is half of the standard amount of salt found in normal soy sauce.
However, to make up for the loss in umami, some low-sodium soy sauces will mix in preservatives and other chemical additives, so if you’re worried (and can read Japanese), scan the ingredients list for anything fishy.
Additionally, if you're looking for organic soy sauce, consider a soy sauce that uses soybeans that have been certified organic by the Japan Agricultural Standard (JAS). These products will have the Organic JAS stamp on the label, making it easy to recognize.
Major Japanese soy sauce manufacturers like Kikkoman have recently shifted their main products to bottles which form an airtight seal each time you close them. While they aren't available in large sizes, they excel at keeping soy sauce fresh and can be used to pour soy sauce directly from the bottle, making them great for those who live alone or don't use soy sauce very frequently.
For the freshest soy sauce flavor, consider soy sauces that come in a glass bottle. Compared to plastic bottles or cartons, soy sauce in glass bottles won't absorb any smells and is less prone to oxidizing. However, soy sauce in large bottles needs to be transferred to a smaller soy sauce bottle or dispenser before it's used.
In Japan, the preferred type of soy sauce differs depending on the region. Although we mentioned that dark soy sauce is the most common type of soy sauce in Japan, if you go to a different region, you'll often find that different types of soy sauce are more popular, oftentimes based on differences in regional cuisine.
In our tests, we found that regionality played a huge role in how our testers evaluated the soy sauces, with testers from Hokkaido preferring dashi soy sauce, and testers from Kyushu preferring sweet soy sauce, for example.
Here's a breakdown of what regions prefer what type of soy sauce:
Have you ever heard of soy sauce jelly? It's sometimes served at high-end sushi restaurants and is a new and interesting alternative to your standard soy sauce. Unlike normal liquid soy sauce, soy sauce jelly won't get absorbed by your food, making it perfect as a garnish and seasoning combination. So, how do you make it?
It's actually really easy to make, and only takes three steps:
And that's it! This simple recipe can elevate your dishes, allowing you to have a fine-dining experience right at home.
Author: Yoshiko Ito/Translation: Jasmine Li, Mitsuki Nagasawa, Izumi Taneda/Photos: Eisuke Kurajima/Images: Anan Ma
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