This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

You’ll want to put this Vegetarian Oyster Sauce on everything! 5-ingredients only, 15 minutes to make, this shiitake mushroom-made homemade oyster sauce is gluten-free, vegan friendly, and with no additives. It tastes deeply savory and umami delicious!

Add it to any Chinese and Asian stir fry dishes from beef in oyster sauce to Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce. This is a terrific homemade seasoning sauce you’ll want to have in your fridge!

Vegetarian oyster sauce recipe made with shiitake mushrooms packed in a glass jar

Vegan and Vegetarian oyster sauce (with no additives)

It turns out homemade vegetarian and vegan oyster sauce is super simple to make! With 5 ingredients only, a quick simple saute and let the blender do the rest of the job for you. In 15 minutes, you’ll have a bottle of the fresh flavor of the vegetarian sauce in your fridge in no time!

Why the Homemade Version Is Better

Homemade v.s. Store-Bought Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce is probably the only Chinese stir-fry sauce that I consider a must-have for any Chinese and Asian food lovers. I, however, stop using it a few years ago because the ingredients, sadly, in today’s fast food/mass productions, aren’t that great for our bodies.

I took photos from my recent trip to a local grocery store. One photo is for “oyster-flavored” oyster sauce and the other is called Vegetarian mushroom-flavored stir-fry sauce (AKA Vegetarian oyster sauce).

As you can see from the photos that the first ingredient is water and followed by sugar and other colorings, starch, and artificial flavorings. In my opinion, occasional consumption is okay because we all have to eat out (unless you have specific medical reasons or are allergic to the ingredients) but if I’m making the meals at home, which is most of the time, I recommend making the sauce by ourselves.

You’ll be amazed how fresh and flavorful the sauce tastes and you know exactly what goes into it. The flavor is so vivid and umami-rich and it’ll become one of your top go-to Paleo stir-fry sauces!

how to make vegetarian mushroom stir fry sauce
Mushroom vegetarian oyster sauce made in a blender

How to make vegetarian oyster sauce at home in 15-minutes!

I use dried shiitake mushrooms as the base of my vegetarian oyster sauce because dry shiitake contains a more concentrated umami flavor than fresh ones. I also use the mushroom water that’s from soaking the mushrooms overnight as my liquid base.

  1. Lightly sauteing the mushrooms with fresh ginger will remove the “raw” flavor and bring out a more umami aroma.
  2. Simply blend everything in a high-speed blender and you’ll have a perfectly healthy and delicious Mushroom Oyster Sauce!
Vegetarian Paleo Oyster Stir-Fry Sauce

How to convert store-bought oyster sauce to the homemade version

Add your homemade mushroom oyster sauce to any Paleo stir-fry dishes you love. Since the homemade version is less salty than the store-bought bottles, when you try to convert a recipe you find on the internet, use a bit more.

For example, if a regular recipe calls for 1 teaspoon or 2 teaspoons of (store-bought) oyster sauce, substitute it with 1 tablespoon of our homemade vegetarian oyster sauce.

Add the sauce to Chinese Broccoli Stir-Fry, Chinese Mustard Green Stir-Fry, Shiitake mushroom with baby bok choy stir-fry, or beef stir-fry in oyster sauce!

Vegetarian oyster sauce recipe made with shiitake mushrooms is the best Paleo stir-fry sauce for vegan and gluten-free people.

Is there a vegetarian substitute for oyster sauce?

Yes. My vegetarian oyster sauce is also vegan, gluten-free, Paleo, Keto, and Whole30. The vegetarian substitute oyster sauce is made with shiitake mushrooms, fresh ginger root, salt, coconut aminos, mushroom water, and dates. The ingredients are completely vegan and easy to make.

Recipes you can make with the sauce

Try the sauce with Stir-fried beef in oyster sauce, Oyster sauce chicken stir fry, Chinese broccoli with vegetarian oyster sauce, Vietnamese garlic shrimp, and Thai crispy fried cauliflower rice! Or drizzle it over steamed bok choy. The possibilities are endless.

More Vegetarian dishes

More homemade Chinese sauces

Nothing beats a great bottle (or jar) of homemade sauces, if you like my healthier take on your favorite Asian condiments, you’ll also love my Gluten free hoisin sauce, Garlic chili sauce, and Shacha sauce!

Recipe Card

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Whole30)

4.91 from 22 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 14 quarter cups
Homemade Vegetarian Oyster Sauce that's vegan, gluten-free, and with no additives. 5-ingredients only and 15 minutes to make! Makes about 3.5 cups.
Save This Recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Ingredients  

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce Ingredients

Instructions 

  • Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms with 4 cups room temperature water overnight. The mushrooms will rehydrate and become soft and juicy.
  • Gently squeeze the mushrooms to remove the water. Thinly slice and set them aside.
  • In a bowl, filter the mushroom water through a sieve. Also finely chop ginger. Set them aside.
  • In a well-heated skillet, add avocado oil. Saute mushrooms with ginger and ¼ tsp salt over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes.
  • Add ½ tbsp coconut aminos and keep sauteing for another 1 minute. Off heat and set it aside to cool.
  • In a high speed blender, add 2 ¼ cups mushroom water, pitted dates, sautéed mushrooms and ginger, and the remaining salt and coconut aminos. Seal the lid tightly and blend on high for 60 seconds or until the mixture is very smooth. There should be no food chunks.
  • Store the mushroom oyster sauce in a sealed glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

To freeze: Store the sauce in ice cube trays in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. There might be separation between the mushroom mixture and the liquid. Shake the bottle or stir and they will be back to life!

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 31kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 56mg, Potassium: 79mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Your Favorite Chinese Dishes made Paleo, gluten-free, and low carb

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce Gluten-Free

You may also like

Delicious healthy Chinese food you can brag about

10 Meals In 10 Minutes
Learn how to make low carb gluten-free dishes without prep and last minute trips to the grocery store.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
4.91 from 22 votes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

76 Comments

  1. Grace says:

    5 stars
    So tasty! I’ve recently started eating Primal and had to ditch a lot of Chinese bottled sauces. So happy to find this recipe. My blender wouldn’t hold 3.5 cups so I used less of the mushroom water which still worked fine. I used the remaining mushroom water to slow cook some chicken wings, then brushed them with the oyster sauce and finished them in the air fryer. Soooo good! 

    1. ChihYu says:

      That’s awesome. Thank you for sharing!

  2. Erika says:

    5 stars
    I began my journey to eating biblically clean (which doesn’t allow for shellfish, including oysters) and I was missing and craving oyster sauce beef, it’s a nostalgic dish for me. So I came across your page and I made this. I’m telling you, as i was taste testing I was like “no way..” *taste a bit more* “noo…”. Completely mind blown! This was perfect! Thank you so much for this recipe. 

    1. ChihYu says:

      Amazing! Thank you!

  3. joan says:

    I cannot wait to try this simple recipe. I have always purchased my Vegetarian Oyster Sauce in the stores but love this idea of using pantry ingredients. Thank you! I made the Chinese Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe with Garlic Sauce which was absolutely delicious. I am excited to make the Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce tonight (We were able to purchase huge bags of the Gai Lan for $1 each so we’re having fun enjoying it in different ways)

  4. Gerri says:

    5 stars
    Sounds wonderful. Can dried shitake powder be substituted for dried shitake (using an equivalent amount of water)? If so, any idea how much? Thanks.

    1. ChihYu says:

      Thank you. Sorry I don’t know about shiitake powder as I don’t have it. If you decide to use something different, you’d need to do some trail-and-error adjustments though. 🙂

  5. Ella says:

    5 stars
    Another godsend recipe for those of us who are paleo, but trying to modify traditional Chinese recipes! You’re my new best recipe friend!

    1. ChihYu says:

      Thank you, Ella! Appreciate it!

  6. Maddi says:

    Hey there I was wondering if there is any Substitute of time of soaking the mushrooms? Does it have to be overnight and a full 16 hour. Or could I do it at 8 in the morning and it be okay by 5pm? Just wondering like how long they should soak for time wise. 

  7. Kasey Campbell says:

    Hi! This looks great! I’m wondering what the dates bring to the party? Is it sweetness or a thickening agent? I’m dying of curiosity! 🙂

    1. ChihYu says:

      Hello Kasey, it’s both – it adds sweetness and also helps thicken the sauce a bit.