Vegan Worcestershire

Vegan Worcestershire

I remember as a child how Worcestershire didn’t sound like it was spelled. And it seemed to make most icky stuff taste better. (My palate has improved since those days.) Imagine my surprise when I discovered it has anchovies in it … those little fishies that I say I don’t particularly care for but apparently do. Because there’s Worcestershire. And that amazing bread dip oil I used to eat at this Italian restaurant where I gigged as a musician back in Florida. I wonder how many more things I love have in them those things I keep saying I hate? And if I like Worcestershire, why bother with vegan Worcestershire?

Jump to Recipe

When you have vegans in your life, it matters. And because Worcestershire is a main ingredient in my Red Beans & Rice recipe, I had to figure this out … which is why I was looking at the label of that paper-bag-wrapped bottle to begin with, because “What is in it?” If eating Worcestershire presents a moral dilemma, worry not. Now you have vegan Worcestershire … or as I’ve started calling it, Vegstershire.

Key Changes for Vegan Worcestershire

Eliminating the anchovies was a given. Sugar and molasses presented a possible problem, too. It turns out that some sugar brands use bone ash in part of their processes. Some vegans are ok with this; others, not so much. This issue can affect molasses, too. So … choose products you or your vegan loved ones feel comfortable with. Organic generally seems to be a good choice. In the end, you definitely need the molasses, but you could probably skip the sugar. It was plenty sweet.

Results

This was a great experiment. In fact, I may just make my vegan version and forget that paper-wrapped bottle. Vegan Worcestershire even passed a blind taste test with my meat-eating and anchovy loving husband: he declared the vegan version to be the authentic (and tastier) version. Let the flavors soak in a couple of days and it will taste even better.  

“Often, the greater our ignorance about something, the greater our resistance to change.”

Marc Bekoff
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Vegan Worcestershire

Vegstershire, anyone? Eliminate the anchovies and other non-vegan pitfalls with this tasty vegan Worcestershire substitute. Beat the original in a blind taste test.
Course N/A
Cuisine N/A
Keyword hold the anchovies, non-vegetarian, vegan, vegan Worcestershire, Vegstershire, worcestershire substitute
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 oz.
Calories 49kcal

Ingredients

  • ¼ C white vinegar
  • 3 TBSP molasses organic recommended to ensue vegan provenance
  • 1 tsp sweetener of choice optional
  • 1 tsp water
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp onion, finely minced
  • ½ tsp garlic, finely minced
  • ¼ tsp tamarind concentrate ensure it does not have fish sauce in it
  • tsp chili pepper kashmiri preferred
  • 2 cloves, ground

Instructions

  • mince onion and garlic
  • combine all igredients and mix well

Notes

Tips
Best after a day or two, but can be used immediately in dishes as a 1-for-1 Worcestershire substitute.
Links
Try this in Red Beans and Rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz | Sodium: 297mg | Calcium: 33mg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Vitamin A: 2IU | Sugar: 12g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 226mg | Calories: 49kcal | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 1g | Protein: 1g | Carbohydrates: 12g | Iron: 1mg