How to Thicken Soy Sauce Properly With Different 8 Ways

Soy sauce is made from fermenting soybeans, wheat, and salt. It has a salty umami flavor that adds deliciousness to many different dishes. It is also a good source of protein and minerals. But what if your soy sauce is too thin? Don’t worry, we can fix that!

There are many ways to thicken soy sauce, but it depends on its use. This article will discuss methods you can incorporate to thicken soy sauce step by step. We will also discuss what soy sauce is good for and answer some common questions. Read on to understand more.

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How to thicken soy sauce step by step

You can thicken soy sauce in so many ways, from using cornstarch, gluten-free flour, or a roux (a combination of butter and flour). These methods usually involve heating the soy sauce while adding the ingredient that will help thicken it. Check out some of the methods below.

Thickening soy sauce with cornstarch

Cornstarch is best used if you are preparing your own thick soy sauce. Make sure to dissolve the cornstarch in cold water before adding it to your boiling soy sauce. After mixing, you will see that it has a glossy appearance – which is ideal if you use it as a glaze for meats or stir-frying tofu and vegetables.

What you will need:

• Cornstarch
• Water
• Saucepan
• Bowl   
• Spoon

Method:

1. Measure equal amounts of soy sauce and water.
2. Pour soy sauce into a saucepan and place under medium heat.
3. Make a slurry by mixing water and cornstarch and combining them well.
4. Add the slurry into the soy sauce while stirring to prevent lumping.
5. Remove the saucepan from heat once the desired thickness is achieved.

Thickening soy sauce by reducing it

If you want to thicken soy sauce without adding cornstarch, you can reduce it. Reduction means the liquid is heated until it evaporates and leaves behind a thicker consistency. This method requires constant monitoring because if your temperature is too high or you leave the soy sauce for too long, it burns.

What you will need:

• Soy sauce
• Saucepan or pan
• Spoon or spatula

Method:

1. Pour soy sauce into your saucepan and bring it to a boil under medium-high heat.
2. Reduce the temperature to low once it boils and allow the soy sauce to reduce for about 20 minutes or until half of its original volume remains.
3. Stir till it thickens to your expectation before removing it from heat.
4. Allow it to cool down completely.
5. Store in an airtight glass container inside your refrigerator.
6. It will thicken even more once it cools down.

Thickening soy sauce with honey or sugar syrup, or brown sugar

If you want to sweeten your soy sauce, then use honey, sugar syrup, or brown sugar as an alternative to cornstarch. Honey and sugar are great because they provide both texture and the necessary sweetness for dipping sauces or glazes.

What you will need:

• Soy sauce
• Honey or sugar syrup
• Saucepan or pan
• Spoon

Method:

1. Pour soy sauce into the saucepan and place under medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil before adding honey or sugar syrup.
3. Stir until all ingredients are well combined and continue boiling for about 20 minutes or until it thickens to your desired consistency.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely before storing in an airtight glass container inside your refrigerator.

Thicken soy sauce with flour and fat

Flour as a thickener is a cheaper alternative to cornstarch. Make a roux by mixing flour and in equal proportions.

What you will need:

• Soy sauce
• Flour (wheat flour, rice flour, all-purpose flour)
• Bowl
• Whisker/spoon/fork or electric mixer

Method:

1. Place your pan on a heat source and add butter into it to melt.
2. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto the butter. Add the rest of the flour if you notice the first batch bubbling.
3. While adding the rest of the flour, keep stirring till the roux has a golden color.
4. Pour the mixture into your cooking pan, then add more soy sauce before heating it up under medium heat for about 20 minutes or until you get your desired thickness.

Thicken soy sauce with a flour-water mixture

A flour and water slurry also works as a good thickener for your soy sauce.

What you will need:

• Flour
• Water
• A saucepan
• A spoon

Method:

1. Mix the flour with water and stir until they form a smooth mixture.
2. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat.
3. Cook until the sauce thickens to your liking.

Thicken soy sauce with potato starch

Potato starch is made from potatoes, cleaned, shredded, and rewashed. After that, the juice is separated and extracted from the water then dried. This starch can serve as a thickener for your soy sauce. The good thing is potato starch has no gluten.

You will need:

• Potato starch
• Water
• Saucepan
• Bowl
• Spoon

Method:

1. Pour the soy sauce into a saucepan over low heat.
2. Create a slurry from the ratio of potato starch and water.
3. Add the slurry and stir it into the soy sauce.
4. Once you achieve the thickness, remove the pan from the heat.

Thicken soy sauce with rice starch

Rice starch is made from quality rice. The rice starch can be used as a thickening agent. Here is how:

What you need:

• Rice starch
• Water
• Saucepan
• Bowl
• Spoon

Method:

1. Measure equal portions of rice starch and water(cold).
2. Combine the starch and water.
3. Pour the sauce onto a pan and cook over medium heat.
4. Pour in the starch mixture and stir till it attains the thickness you desire.

Thicken soy sauce with tapioca powder

Tapioca powder is made from cassava. This powder is gluten-free and suitable for persons on restricted diets.

What you will need:

• Tapioca powder
• Water
• A saucepan
• A bowl
• A spoon

Method:

1. Pour the soy sauce into a saucepan and heat over low heat.
2. Measure an equal portion of tapioca powder and water.
3. Combine water and tapioca powder to form a slurry.
4. Pour the slurry and stir it into the soy sauce.
5. After achieving the thickness, remove the pan from the heat.

Tips on thickening soy sauce

Want to get the best from thickening your soy sauce? Check out some tips to help you with that.

• After your soy sauce reduces in the reduction method, note that its flavor might be more robust than before.
• Commercially produced soy sauce will be thinner due to the hydrolyzation method during production.
• You need to stir the flour-water mixture well after pouring it into the sauce to avoid clumping.
• Pour the thickeners slowly while stirring so that the sauce doesn’t thicken excessively.
• Aged soy sauce is usually a little bit thicker.

How to thicken a stir fry sauce

There most famous way to thicken your stir fry sauce is by using cornstarch or its slurry.

Using cornstarch

Cornstarch is a natural, gluten-free thickener perfect for recipes of gluten-intolerant persons. It is the perfect choice as it thickens in no time and picks up the flavors of its added dishes. Another reason cornstarch is perfect is that it doesn’t clump quickly. Instead, it forms a nice coat in your dishes.

You will need

• Cornstarch
• Vegetables
• Meat
• Water
• Sesame oil
• Pan
• Knife

Method:

Preparing ingredients

Make sure your stir fry ingredients are ready. All the aromatics, meat, and vegetables are cut. Combine the stir fry sauce ingredients and lastly, make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch with some cold water.

Cooking

Once all your ingredients are ready, it’s time to crank up the cooking. Start by adding the ingredients that take longer to cook and finish with those that take a shorter time to finish cooking simultaneously. You do not want to end up with undercooked meat and overcooked vegetables.

Adding sauce

After your ingredients have cooked, add the stir fry sauce and leave it to simmer.

Adding slurry

By now, your slurry has separated. So give it a good mix before pouring it into the sauce. The slurry will activate and start thickening as soon as it bubbles. Start by adding a small amount of cornstarch and keep adding till the sauce thickens to your liking.

Serving

Give the stir-fry sauce the last stir for even coating, and it is ready to eat. The cornstarch might give the stir fry a cloudy look, but you can correct that by drizzling some sesame oil for a shinier look.

Using a slurry

Another way to thicken your sauce is to use a slurry. A cornstarch slurry might be the best method, but it eventually separates after a few days in storage. But if you have a high demand for the slurry, like in a restaurant setting, you will make it slightly different.

First, mix the cornstarch and water normally but with a heavy cream consistency. Next is, place the slurry on medium heat and stir as it cooks till it thickens. After that, it’s just giving it time to cool before storing it away. This slurry will ensure you don’t overcook your stir-fries when mixing in the cooking procedure.

Other thickeners also work fine, even though cornstarch is inexpensive and easy to find. Your stir-fry might turn thicker than expected. So to get it to the right consistency, add in some small amount of water till you get the consistency you desire.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final words

There you go! That’s all there is about thickening soy sauce. With the above methods, you are sure you will end up with well-thickened soy sauce. Be free to try out all of them, depending on the recipe you want to use the soy sauce for.