5 Minute Easy Vegan Fish Sauce Vietnamese Nước Chấm: Vegan Nước Chấm is a vegetarian Vietnamese Spicy Fish Dipping Sauce recipe that is easy to make and will become your new pantry staple you won't be able to live without! Fish sauce is the soul of Vietnamese cuisine and an essential condiment that is hard to replace. Commonly, fish sauce enhances flavour, umami flavor, saltiness in sauces, dips and marinades. Although some tasty plant-based fish sauce substitutes and vegan alternatives are available, nothing can beat that "fishy flavor".
In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Homemade Vegan Fish Sauce
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- In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Homemade Vegan Fish Sauce
- What Is Fish Sauce Made With?
- Nước Mắm Chay Vegan Fish Sauce Substitutes
- Popular Vegan Fish Sauce Brands
- Where Can You Find Vegan Fish Sauce?
- Ingredients You Will Need To Make Classic Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
- How To Make Vegan Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
- What Can You Serve with Nước Chấm Spicy Dipping Sauce?
- 5 Minute Easy Vegan Fish Sauce Vietnamese Nước Chấm
- MORE VEGAN RECIPES:
What Is Fish Sauce Made With?
Fish sauce (yú lù, 鱼露) is a popular Asian condiment that is found in lots of different Asian dishes.
Traditional fish sauce is made from salting and fermenting fish such as anchovies or krill. The small fishes are coated in salt and packed in large barrels to draw out the moisture. Before I would often buy the Three Crabs Brand fish sauce.
The natural bacterias breaks down the fish to produce the organic natural flavor (briny, savory liquid) that has been fermented for months and years.
The taste of fish sauce is pungent. I recommend adding a little bit of fish sauce it is your first time adding this to your Asian recipes.
Nước Mắm Chay Vegan Fish Sauce Substitutes
here are some great alternative for fish sauces. Not all are vegan or vegetarian, if you are following a vegan diet or vegetarian diet.
- Soy Sauce - saltier and thinner consistency
- Tamari - little thicker and less salty
- Oyster Sauce - not vegan, contains oyster
- Coconut Aminos - naturally gluten-free and vegan, Paleo friendly
- Worcestershire sauce - not vegan, contains contains anchovies or fish sauce
- Vegan fish sauce
- Shiitake mushrooms powder
Popular Vegan Fish Sauce Brands
- No Fish Sauce by Ocean's Halo vegan fish sauce
- Vegan Fish Sauce by 24Vegan
- Vegan Fysh Sauce by Tofuna Fysh (Vegan Fish Sauce Made with Seaweed)
If you are going the plant-based route, the easiest way is to invest in a good bottle of vegan fish sauce. It is hard to mimic real deal.
Fish sauce has that perfect balance and depth of flavor of sweet and sour, briny, salty umami profile ratio. Some like to use dried kombu seaweed, organic dried kelp or wakame is a great substitute for fishless sauce.
Where Can You Find Vegan Fish Sauce?
You can find Vegan fish sauce alternative in most Vietnamese and Asian supermarket and grocery stores. One of my favourites is Vegan "Fish" Sauce.
The common ingredients in the vegan fish sauce are organic apple cider vinegar, water, cane sugar, sea salt, and lemon juice.
With this vegan substitute, you can turn a lot of your favourite Asian cooking classics into vegan food such a vegetarian pad thai simply by subbing animal products for high protein whole foods.
Ingredients You Will Need To Make Classic Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
All you need is a few simple ingredients to replicate the savory flavor used in Vietnamese food. This vegan version compared to regular fish sauce is lighter but still has a little bit of complex flavors partially thanks to the fermented flavor of apple cider vinegar.
- Vegan fish sauce
- Sugar
- Water
- Garlic
- Bird's eye red chilli
- Organic lime juice
How To Make Vegan Vietnamese Dipping Sauce
Making spicy Vietnamese dipping sauce is simple with your favourite vegetarian fish sauce substitute.
You do not need exact proportions. I often eyeball the vegan ingredients, do a taste test and adjust. However, if this is your first time making vegan fish sauce, please follow the proportions below.
Mix vegan fish sauce, sugar, boiled water, lime juice, minced garlic, and birds-eye chilli.
Serve on the side with your favourite dish like this incredible egg-free delicately crispy Bánh Xèo Vietnamese pancake!
What Can You Serve with Nước Chấm Spicy Dipping Sauce?
Some of my favorite dishes and amazing recipes include:
- Bánh Xèo Recipe - Egg-Free Crispy Vietnamese Pancake Crepe
- Cambodian Fried Chicken Wings Recipe Phnom Penh 金邊炸雞翅
- Spicy Vietnamese Caramel Turkey Wing Recipe
- Fried spring rolls
- Vietnamese salad rolls
- Vermicelli bowls
- Sườn nướng (grilled pork chops)
- Vegan Pad Thai
Did you make this Vegan Nước Mắm Chay Fish Sauce? I’d love to see how you went with my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS
Print5 Minute Easy Vegan Fish Sauce Vietnamese Nước Chấm
5 Minute Easy Vegan Fish Sauce Vietnamese Nước Chấm: Vegan Nước Chấm is a vegetarian Vietnamese Spicy Fish Dipping Sauce recipe that is easy to make and will become your new pantry staple you won't be able to live without! Fish sauce is the soul of Vietnamese cuisine and an essential condiment that is hard to replace. Commonly, fish sauce enhances flavour, umami flavor, saltiness in sauces, dips and marinades. Although some tasty plant-based fish sauce substitutes and vegan alternatives are available, nothing can beat that "fishy flavor".
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 5
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 persons 1x
- Category: sauces
- Cuisine: Vegan, Vietnamese
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ¼ C vegan fish sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ½ C boiled water
- 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Bird's eye chilli, deseed and dice
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Deseed Bird's eye chilli. Set aside.
- Add sugar to a sauce bowl and boil water to dissolve the sugar. Mix well.
- Add vegan fish sauce and lime juice into the sauce bowl. Mix well.
- Then add minced garlic and Bird's eye chilli.
- Adjust heat and sugar levels to your preference.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
- Feel free to add more cloves if you like your spicy fish dipping sauce to be more garlicky!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 jar
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 18.3 g
- Sodium: 420 mg
- Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.3 g
- Protein: 1.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Anna - Vegnfit says
What a delicious sauce for dipping and marinating. I loved it with fried tofu.
Katie says
Such a cool recipe! I will definitely be making this plant based fish sauce more!
Brittany F says
This is the perfect dipping sauce!
Carrie Carvalho says
This is addictive! So good for dipping spring rolls or fried chicken.
Nancy says
OHH yes!! nuoc cham wings are the best!
Michelle says
this is such a beautiful recipe, I'm so glad to have a vegan option for this now!
Jacqui says
I made it and this is such a fantastic vegan fish sauce recipe! A great staple if you love the Asian cuisine.
Nancy says
THanks Jacq - glad you love this spicy kick!
Kat says
This is so versatile and flavoursome!
Shilpa says
Love this easy vegan sauce. Lots of flavours!!
Jeannie says
fish sauce is a staple in asian table I like the chili added here to balance the saltiness and give extra kick.
Nancy says
yes!! this spicy fish sauce is perfect with banh xeo!
Andrea says
love that this is vegan! so so good and tasty!
Bianca says
This was so quick and easy to make! Love it
Crystal says
I have to try this! Fish sauce makes everything better!
Nicola says
this is awesome! always looking for plant-based alternatives to Asian sauces in order to get the best flavour possible!
Anya says
This is the perfect dipping sauce for all of my faves!
Kayla DiMaggio says
Love this! Fish sauce packs so much flavor and unfortunately isn't vegan. Glad to have this option!
Helen says
This looks great - full of flavour and vegan to boot, perfect!
Choclette says
I bought my first bottle of vegan fish sauce recently. Still trying to figure out what I think of it!!! Will give your dipping sauce a go next time I need one, it sounds delicious.
Lesley says
What a great recipe for adding lots of flavour to our food, and so simple too.
Jeannie says
I agree its really hard to find a vegan fish sauce and this Vietnamese vegan fish sauce is so good
Anaiah says
I have been looking for a vegan fish sauce recipe and this is it! I love the added flavor it gives to my favorite dishes.
Nancy says
happy dipping!
Natalie says
Lovely sauce with interesting flavors. I bet my husband would love this. He's such a fan of spicy dips and sauces. I'm going to make him this. Thanks!
Nancy says
hope you wow you're hubby!
Andrea White says
so delicious! will make again!
Nancy says
hooray!
Andrea White says
So good! Love this so much!
Nancy says
thanks !!
Shilpa says
Wow this sounds interesting. I’ve never tried vegan fish sauce dipping but I’m keen to give it a try now.
Nancy says
hope your enjoy it as much as we do!
Marinela says
This vegan fish sauce is full of flavor, love that you used wholesome, plant-based ingredients for it!
Nancy says
Way better than store bought
Kayla DiMaggio says
Wow! This is amazing! I love the flavor of this fish sauce. Ever since going vegan, I have had a hard time replacing that flavor but this was perfect!
Nancy says
i totally hear you !! Fish sauce is not something that can be easily replaced with something else.
Jacqui says
This is such an amazing recipe! So delish!
Nancy says
it goes really well with almost everything!