Our Taste Test of Soy Sauce 

“And the winner is Kikkoman” Oh, so, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing then.

If you have an Asian supermarket near you, there is a much wider and better selection! The sauce aisle is a treasure trove for any of you who love Asian food.

Bad soy sauce costs about $3 a bottle. Good soy sauce is about $3 a bottle at the Asian mart and WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. It's worth finding good soy sauce. Lee Kum Kee makes a Premium, a Mushroom, and a Dark that are all EXCELLENT >.

I once forgot about an unopened bottle of soy sauce for 5+ years. I knew they were made from fermentation so I figured it was still ok to use. Literally the best soy sauce I’ve had in my entire life.

I have watched this show for years.....love both Bridget and Julia so much.....but also I really really like Jack! He seems to be the nicest man and always so pleasant. Just wanted to give him the recognition. Thanks!

Japanese: Kikkoman Whole Bean Fancy (imported from Japan) Chinese: Pearl River Bridge (for light or thin soy sauce) Korean: Seimpio Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce Yuginong Premium Look for "Naturally Brewed" and few ingredients and get it from an international market if you can (more choices and less expensive)

I always buy kikoman for basic soy sauce needs. I have a general distaste for all la-choy products.

Yes, Kikkoman for me too 🤩

I recently watched a Chinese cook explain how they use soy sauces. They use a light (not necessarily low sodium) soy for flavour and dark soy for the colour when cooking. I broke down and bought a bottle of each of the more expensive sauces to try. They look the same colour in the bottle, but, if you bring some up into the bottle neck under a light, you can see the difference in colour. There is a definite difference in flavours as well.

Three generations of Kikkoman Shoyu here! 🎌

Not surprised. my wife (who is Japanese) won't let me buy anything except Kikkoman.

I think you'd find a different favorite if tested in Japan/Korea/China etc. with some testers wondering for WHAT purpose is the particular soy sauce being tested.

Kikkoman low-sodium for me. That one is by far my favorite. Cutting down on the salt allows the other flavors to shine through.

These folks need to grab the 50+ brands in any Asian store. Then we'll talk.

Had a Japanese stepmum, so grew up with Kikkoman since I was a little girl. Have had to switch to low sodium (I am now an old lady). I now cook Japanese food for my widowed Father and he, too, prefers Kikkoman lo-so.

Pearl River Bridge is my favorite (It’s Chinese, medium darkness)

All i knew was VH soy sauce for 23years, then we ran out of some out the house, I picked up kikkomans, we havent switched back

Wish Jack would have discussed all the fake soy sauces on the market...not just the ones that are not fermented but the ones that do not use soybeans in the process.

Just knew that Kikkoman was going to win. It's fairly affordable as well. However I would still stick with Lee Kum Kee as a personal preference, specifically with the deluxe gold version

Just bought some Lee Kum Kee double fermented soy sauce...very rich with complex flavor...can’t wait to play around with it

Soy sause in asia has different purposes. There korean soy sauce which is byproduct of soy paste. Japanese ones are sweeter. They are very suitable for japanese food and dipping sauce. They are made with wheat or burley. Tamari is excellent for sushi. There is also tsuyu. This is more for sauce for udon and soba

I have to say this video is too far off point. Different brand lean towards different use cases. Kikkoman is nicer for dipping because it’s less salty and metallic while some popular Chinese brands like lee Kim keep are heavily meant to be cooked with other ingredients. Please, I like test kitchen but sometimes it’s just so far off

This is the fourth 'test-video' I've seen from this channel, and they've all been good : useful, not too long, to the point, trustworthy and well produced. Thanks !

I grew used to using/eating Aloha Shoyu from Hawai'i when I was stationed there. Less salty than most, plus they have a low sodium type also.

How about Asian chefs rating soy sauce instead of Europeans

Informative, but I do wish the sample size was much larger.

The Ohsawa Nama Shoyu (made by Yamaki Jozo in Japan, traditionally aged in big _kioke_ barrels, for two years if I recall correctly) is definitely the way to go if you're drinking soy sauce. It's the real thing and has excellent flavor, and is now pretty easy to find in US upscale markets, sometimes along similar products like Mitoku Kanazawa Shoyu. But due to it's cost ATK is right that a cheaper mass-market soy sauce like Kikkoman or Yamasa is often the way to go for cooking that requires large amounts of soy sauce, like some chicken adobo recipes I've seen that call for a cup of soy sauce and a cup of rice vinegar. It wouldn't make sense to use the expensive ones. However, Ohsawa can be quite reasonably priced if you're willing to buy a quart/liter jar at a time. It's usually sold for less than $20. If you're just using soy sauce for dipping then that generally means you only ever use a little at a time and big bottles really last. For that kind of use the higher quality "delicately flavored" soy sauces are really worth considering. A bottle might last you a year or more and you'll really taste it when you do use it. Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is also lower in sodium than even the low-sodium versions of the big brands like Kikkoman, which I really like, and it's certainly not low on flavor. It just has more nuance and a better taste in my opinion. That comes from aging for a few years rather than a few months and the differences in fermentation practices and equipment. If you're more adventurous you can get some good Japanese labeled stuff not made for export at an Asian specialty food store or online. The best I've tasted is Yamaroku Tsuru Bishio from Shodoshima, very artisanal, but Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is almost as good, has less salt, is less expensive, is imported to the US and actually available in stores here, and is made in a similar traditional way. But if you're interested in artisanal soy sauce there's great footage of Yamaroku on Great Big Story and in Netflix's _Salt Fat Acid Heat._ Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is genuine high-end Japanese soy sauce imported by Ohsawa and available in US supermarkets, so don't feel like you have to import a bottle yourself from Japan. The flavor of Ohsawa is representative of and similar to the other high-end soy sauces I've tried. It's definitely the easiest and generally the least expensive way to buy such sauce in the US and so is the best value if you want to buy high-end soy sauce in the US. I do recommend buying a bottle of Ohsawa if you want to try a step up from the cheaper mainstream brands produced using modern industrial methods with less aging. It's like a higher-quality olive oil or balsamic vinegar. It can be worth it when you're tasting it, but when used in cooking some dishes it will not always make a significant difference. It's not objectively an expensive food item, just expensive relative to Kikkoman. Small bottles of Ohsawa I see at health food stores for like $6. Bigger bottles give you more ounces per dollar. Ohsawa also imports from Yamaki some tremendous miso that blows away the domestic miso I've tried. You can get it made from brown rice, soybeans, or barley. Maybe more varieties than that. I've only had the brown rice miso but I'm curious about the barley. I'm about to buy more for my miso soup and many sauces, dressings, and broths their excellent miso has worked it's way into in my kitchen. If you want an appeal to a famous authority, Japanese cookbook author and food writer Nancy Hachisu recommends the Ohsawa soy sauce and miso. She's a fan of their supplier Yamaki Jozo and we're all glad that such quality is now available in the US.

Kikkoman or Yamasa is what I buy, I saw a pic of Yamasa in the thumbnail, I wonder how it tested, I am gonna hazard a guess it was pretty close to Kikkoman.

Without consciously comparing flavors, I have drifted toward Kikkoman over time.

I wish they said more about how many brands they explored and how they cooked with them. Myself, I like Kimlan. But you need an Asian store to find it. But drinking soy sauce from a glass is just not good--as would be the case, too, with fish sauces.

My favorite is Lee Kum Kee. Ive always found it to have the right balance.

Why is La Choy even in the test!

I wonder if they tested my favorite, Kimlan. I like their pick as well.

Me sipping soy sauce from a mini bathroom cup.... interesting 🧐

Higashimaru or Yamasa are better, in my opinion but you have to live near a Japanese specialty market. I also found that the kikkoman tamari (black and gold bottle) is much better than the san-j stuff that you normally find, but I can only seem to find it at Japanese markets as well. Kikkoman is definitely the best supermarket stuff by far.

I'm confused how is it she doesn't clear her palate before tasting the other soy sauce's? How do you give a factual appraisal with residue from the previous soy's on your palate?

when i get takeout and they try to give me soy sauce thats not kikkoman or yamasa i dont take it. The're going to be the cheap hydrolyzed soy protein soy sauces.

Soy sauce should contain only four ingredients. Soybeans, Wheat, Salt, and Water (or minus the wheat for Tamari). What ATK failed to mention is the crazy ingredient list of the La Choy brand... Water, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Salt, Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative). Water is the first ingredient, then the nasty Hydrolyzed Soy, plus it has Corn Syrup and artificial coloring. Gross.

I would like to see them do a low salt taste test. Soy sauce has WAY TOO MUCH SALT in it.

Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy is good

Back in the early 70’s Kikkoman couldn’t even give the stuff away to American grocery stores. The salesmen begged them to try and when the purchasers tasted it they thought it was awful. Finally a rep came up with the idea of convincing the supermarket of bringing in a frying pan and stove and cooking some meat marinated with the Kikkoman soy sauce. The aroma attracted the attention of customers and people really liked it and that’s how it took off. Instead of just salt and pepper try seasoning your steak with some soy sauce. Don’t think anyone will regret it.

My choice is Pearl River Bridge Light Soy first then Kikkoman. Both are available readily in our local supermarket. Honorable mention goes to Aloha Shoyu which is made in Hawaii.

Kukkiman is way, way to salty, I am truly blessed living in Edmonton Alberta. My two local supermarkets have very large Asian sections with over 40 verieties of soy sauces. It gets even better with a dedicated Asian supermarket also nearby called T&Ts

One good sauce, one decent sauce, two garbage sauces. This. Ignores the fact that not all soy sauce is the same. You wouldn’t use Chinese soy sauce on Japanese food and vice versa, and that’s just for starters.

What no Kimlan? The true take out soy sauce

Do not use low sodium soy sauce, you guys! It had salt removed artificially afterwards and the taste is not good... just use less regular soy sauce!

Lee Kum Kee is my favorite

Tamari is much better, more flavor and less ‘salty’ IMO. Tamari must be selected as well to find the best. Kikkoman never.

Kimlan - used to be at COSTCO - way better than Kikkoman - less salty and more interesting.

San J Tamari is my favorite US soy sauce. Id like to try real soy sauce from Japan. It expensive but for good reason....

Yamasa, another Japanese brand, is even better than Kikkoman. It has a more smoky and seaweed like flavour.

I was surprised she was sipping teh soy sauce. I had expected her to dip with a chop stick and taste a drop.

WaJa Shan? Yamasa? Kimlan? Pear River? Missing some real good ones here.

It would be helpful to add the reduced sodium versions to the test. And the both the reduced sodium and regular version of Tarmari are not meant to be tasted and compared to sips out of a glass. These are flavoring supplements to cooking and in some circumstances and recipes are superior to soy sauce no matter how they sip.

I like the Kikkoman low sodium with the green label

Japan makes the best soy sauce!!!! Paying extra is worth it for your health!!!!

Chinese, Japanese, and Korean soy sauces have different flavor profiles, and each culture has different kinds for different purposes. This whole taste test is moot except for pointing out difference between naturally brewed and synthetic soy sauces. Kikkoman ain't that great either

Until around 1990 I never knew that anything but La Choy existed as far as soy sauce. It took a ton of cooking shows and a whole food related tv network to wake everyone up to things like Kikkoman.

It is always very interesting to see how people from a different culture see and evaluate soy sauce.

I must stick with Tamari since I have gluten issues, but now I understand that I need to add a bit of sweetness to balance it out.

These tests would be better with a broader range of examples.

I think this REALLY oversimplifies soy sauce and ignores the huge differences between Japanese, Chinese, Thai & other country's soy sauce. They taste different on purpose and are intended to provide different flavor profiles.

Oh, no! (Just found this video.) You CANNOT compare Japanese soy sauce with Chinese soy sauce. They are meant to be different. If you are cooking Chinese food, you want a good Chinese soy sauce. Go for the naturally fermented ones; they only cost a buck or two more. The good ones tend to be made in Taiwan, by the way.

The best-tasting soy sauce we have found is Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce.

Family favorite has been Kikkoman for over 30 years. I lived in Okinawa for 3 1/2 yrs. The soy sauce from there is not available where I live.

So, gluten-free people are just SOL because they can't have wheat? That's too bad. I do like tamari, though.

I think putting Japanese style soy sauces vs Chinese style sauce as though they were the same thing makes about as much sense as including ketchup in a mexican salsa tasting. This is apples and oranges guys.

I like tamari sauce, I don't consider tamari the same as soy sauces, different characteristics...

I grew up with kikkoman for almost half my life. But while living in hawaii, I found I preferred aloha soy sauce in the 70s. That still continues to be my go to now even though I now live in calif. So best to one is not best to others.

Unpopular opinion- la choy soy sauce is trash water

I'll stick w my Pearl River brand thx

my thai wife has a whole cabinet full of soy sauces ie mushroom, light, dark, sweet, golden mountain, etc etc. she uses different sauces and combination of sauces for different purposes. along with fish and oyster sauces. there's a whole science going on there.. i'm a lucky man

Drinking soy sauce is a suicide method so. Yes. Great advice. Also no Yamasa? Thats the one i usually use since its a little cheaper and you can get the low sodium in a big bottle

I wish they had labeled this “Japanese soy sauce” or Shoyu because they aren’t the same as other Asian soy sauces like Korean or Chinese sauces. Some sauces are more salty, others sweeter, or more funky because that’s what you use them for in those cuisines. Japanese soy sauce can taste down right weird in certain Chinese dishes for example. I had the same issue with their fish sauce tasting. Thai, Viet, Chinese and Korean fish sauces are all different for legitimate reasons.

Did you test Yamasa? If so, where does it rank? I like Kikkoman but prefer Japanese soy sauce to Chinese soy sauce. IMO, Yamasa is by far the best. I’m surprised it wasn’t at least on the table. Cheers.

Missing Pearl River Light the best soy sauce. Whoops!

Kikkoman is the only soy sauce I use. It's the best.

Kikkoman is my choice too.

ok so here in Canada we use a lot of China Lily and kikkoman. China Lily is very dark with such great flavor. I've never heard of any of these except kikkoman. thanks kids.

Travesty. Everyone in Asia are laughing their asses off.

Hello- love these type of videos. It helps me to buy without doing all the legwork myself. Thank goodness for this channel.

You haven’t tested some big Asian brands like Pearl River, Lee Kum Kee, Vee Keong (sp?).

I grew up with La Choy, but matured to Kikkoman.

Kikkoman is good, Lee Kum Kee is better.

Who doesn't love a tumbler full of soy sauce?

All the shelves in Hawaii for soy sauce are out of Kikkoman. I had to buy the reduced salt version. Can hardly tell the difference!

For many of us who regularly use soy sauce/tamari I really wish they done more with the sauces you find at an Asian market. Interesting that Kikkoman came out on top of these four, though. I've used San-J a lot.

Aloha Shoyu, from Hawaii, is notably - and sadly - absent from your test. Maybe it would be an unfair test? Your loss.

Finally! Something familiar to me! That’s the one I use!,,,

I think Chris K. picked Eden Shoyu Soy Sauce years ago, and I’ve been using it ever since. Everyone who tries it seems to love it

Feels weird taste testing straight shots of soy sauce. Maybe it would've been better if you could have put some on white rice? Might have led to a different opinion.

Tamari tastes better in my opinion!

None of these brands are ones that a Chinese grandmother cooks with. They have a test chef there that's Asian, why didn't they ask her to do the testing?

Tamari is not soy sauce, it's a byproduct of fermenting miso. The best tamari, not the stuff sold in your general supermarket, is quite good. Or... use miso!

Did you test Pearl River Bridge(mushroom flavored soy sauce) brand?

Not surprised Kikkoman won, that's my favorite soy sauce. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Kimlan yellow bottle is the best out there. It's cheap and tastes amazing for cooking.

For a moment i thought this was a ClickHole video and was waiting for something wild to happen

No soy collusion

It’s like they didn’t even try Aloha Shoyu.