5 Best Soy Sauce Substitutes for Bagels

Quick tip: Tamari closely mimics soy sauce’s flavor and salt content, preserving the dough’s moisture and crust characteristics.

Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce variant that is brewed similarly to traditional soy sauce, providing a rich umami flavor and appropriate saltiness. Its liquid consistency and color closely match soy sauce, ensuring the bagel dough ferments and browns properly.

When using tamari, ensure it is well mixed into the dough to evenly distribute the flavor and salt. Because it is slightly less salty than some soy sauces, you might want to taste the dough for salt balance.

The final bagel will have a very similar flavor profile and crust color to those made with soy sauce, maintaining the expected chewiness and slight sweetness balance.

Quick tip: Coconut aminos are less salty and sweeter, which may slightly alter the bagel’s flavor and crust color.

Coconut aminos are made from fermented coconut sap and salt, offering a soy-free, gluten-free alternative with a milder umami flavor and lower sodium content. This makes it a good substitute for those avoiding soy or gluten.

Because it is less salty and sweeter, you may need to adjust additional salt in the recipe to maintain flavor balance. Monitor dough hydration as coconut aminos can be slightly thinner.

Bagels made with coconut aminos will have a slightly lighter crust color and a subtly sweeter taste, but will retain good chewiness and texture.

Quick tip: Miso adds fermented umami but requires dilution to avoid dough dryness and clumping.

Miso paste is a fermented soybean product rich in umami and saltiness, making it a flavorful substitute. Diluting miso with water replicates the liquid nature of soy sauce, allowing it to integrate smoothly into the dough.

Ensure the miso is fully dissolved before adding to the dough to prevent uneven flavor pockets and dough texture issues. Adjust salt levels accordingly.

Bagels will have a deeper fermented flavor and slightly denser crumb, with a slightly different crust color due to the paste’s pigments.

Quick tip: Bragg is similar in flavor but less fermented, which can slightly affect dough flavor complexity.

Bragg Liquid Aminos is a non-fermented soy protein seasoning that mimics soy sauce’s salty and umami qualities. It is thinner and less complex in flavor due to lack of fermentation.

Use it as a direct 1:1 substitute but be aware that the dough’s fermentation flavor profile may be less pronounced. Check salt levels and adjust if necessary.

The resulting bagels will have a milder umami flavor and slightly lighter crust color, but the texture and chewiness should remain consistent.

Quick tip: Adds umami and moisture but is less salty and darker, which may affect dough hydration and crust color.

A broth made by simmering dried shiitake mushrooms with salt can provide natural umami and moisture to the dough, partially replicating soy sauce’s flavor contribution.

Because it is less concentrated and saltier, you need to use more broth and adjust added salt in the recipe. Monitor dough hydration carefully to avoid a sticky dough.

Bagels will have a more subtle umami flavor and potentially lighter crust color, with a slightly different aroma and texture due to the broth’s water content.