12 Best Substitutes for Ponzu Sauce

Ponzu is a citrus-based sauce ordinarily utilized in Japanese cooking. It’s tart, with a meager, watery consistency and almost bland.

It tends to be utilized as a dipping sauce for dumplings, sprinkled over your favorite Asian entrée, utilized as a marinade, or utilized as a sauce for pan sear meats and vegetables.

12 Best Substitutes for Ponzu Sauce

The best substitutes for Ponzu Sauce are – Soy Sauce, Lemon Juice, Rice Vinegar, Orange Juice, Yuzu Kosho, Seaweed, Sake, Worcestershire Sauce, Mentsuyu, Nam Prik Pla, Shoyu, and lastly DIY Ponzu Sauce. They are discussed in detail here.

There are times where we ran out of kitchen fixings, and Ponzu Sauce is no exemption. If you do run out, here are the twelve best substitutes of Ponzu Sauce for you:

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is something that can be effectively found and made. It can fill in as a great substitute for ponzu sauce.

This is an extraordinary wellspring of protein, and it can help individuals with hypertension or heart issues.

This is perhaps the most straightforward approach to get the spicy, umami taste of ponzu sauce. Soy sauce has an altogether different texture to ponzu sauce.

In the event that you’re making a marinara sauce, you can generally blend the soy sauce with some cornflour. This will help thicken the sauce a bit.

Attempt to utilize a modest quantity of cornflour.

How to Substitute

Because it is almost the same as ponzu sauce, you can substitute it in an equal quantity. Remember to taste the meal after adding a very small quantity. You can add more if required.

Want to know how you can use soy sauce in different recipes? Watch “Kanak’s Kitchen” telling us about Indo Chinese Sauce pasta recipe that can be easily made:-

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is essentially the juice of lemons blended in with water.

Lemon juice is exceptionally acidic with a low pH, so the fruity tones and taste will help you save your dinner.

Utilize it to demonstrate a comparative flavor and taste to ponzu sauce. Lemons are used in sweets, drinks, and as an enhancement for meat and fish dishes.

Using Lemon juice as a substitute would increase the product’s shelf life along with increasing your immunity.

Because lemon juice has potent ingredients, be careful of allergies and avoid having it in migraines. One should be cautious as it is acidic.

How to Substitute

Use 1 tbsp lemon juice to substitute 1 tbsp of ponzu sauce. Too much lemon juice can overpower the whole meal because it is high in acid.

Want to know how to make Lemon juice at home to be used in a recipe? Check out here:-

Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar is a vinegar produced using aged rice in East Asia, just like Vietnam in Southeast Asia.

It is excellent in mixed fries, soups, and rice dishes. Without the little sweetness and fruity flavor, rice vinegar will help you draw out the acidy taste.

Likewise, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice to make it more fabulous fruity.

Rice vinegar is a kind of vinegar produced using matured rice.

It does not have a similar medical advantage as apple juice, yet it’s a decent method to bring out flavors in a plate of mixed greens dressings.

How to Substitute

Use 1 tbsp rice vinegar to substitute 1 tbsp of ponzu sauce. For another quick substitute, use the rice vinegar which you are likely to have on hand (to make one tablespoon); combine two 3/4 teaspoons of Rice vinegar with 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce.

Confused about how to make rice vinegar? Look no further and watch this video by “cuoredicioccolato,” talking about how to make rice vinegar easily at home:-

Orange Juice

The most straightforward replacement by a long shot is utilizing any citrus juice like orange.

The orange juice gives that fruity taste and citrusy fragrance ideal for fruit-based treats and baked goods. Wash the orange well and dry it with a towel.

At that point, utilize a cheese grater for the best outcomes.

Orange Juice is extraordinary for baking and making coats. Use it for cakes and biscuits to add a touch of sharpness to the dish.

The fragrance makes the plate all the more sweet-smelling when newly removed from the broiler. As it caramelizes, it adjusts the delicious and intense kind of meat.

How to Substitute

A teaspoon of orange juice can substitute 2-3 drops of ponzu sauce for each baked dish. If you do not care for the juice, press the orange instead and add a portion of the juice for around 1-2 teaspoons. This will give the equivalent citrusy flavor and smell that you are focusing on.

Confused about how to use Orange Zest in a recipe? Check out here:-

Yuzu Kosho

Japanese Yuzu is perhaps the most famous Japanese citrus fruit and has a very extraordinary fragrance.

Japanese Yuzu kosho is produced using the skin of yuzu and green chili. Its taste is neither like peppers nor hot.

Japanese Yuzu kosho has a more intense and fruity (citrus flavor) topping.

Since how individuals use yuzu kosho is the same as ponzu sauce, for instance, eating it with steak, sashimi, and noodle dishes.

You will, without a doubt, like Japanese yuzu Kosho as the substitute for ponzu sauce!
Coincidentally, individuals around Kyushu, Japan, frequently utilize this Japanese yuzu pepper rather than ponzu sauce.

How to Substitute

For proper measurements, one spoon of Japanese Yuzu equals two teaspoons of ponzu sauce. Depending on the amount of dish, you can equate the desired ponzu sauce with the correct quantity of Japanese Yuzu.

Want to know where Yuzu Kosho can be used in a recipe? Watch “FOOD STORY” step by step showing us how to make a spicy citrus Pepper paste using Yuzu or lemon Kosho, here:-

Seaweed

Seaweed is an exceptionally rich item with minerals and can be a great veggie-lover substitute for Ponzu Sauce. It’s nutritious and has no calories or fats.

Seaweed can be undifferentiated from sauce kinds of ponzu as vegetables.

Seaweed is available and differentiated in flavors too.

It very well may be a great replacement in Caesar plate of mixed greens dressing since it adds a decent pungent, tasty flavor to the dish.

Seaweed is something that many individuals see just as ocean weeds that have no utilization. Yet, there are explicit sorts of Seaweed that are phenomenal additions to recipes.

How to Substitute

If you have the entire weed, substitute one teaspoon of ponzu sauce with more than 1-2 seaweed. If you have the ground seaweed, utilize the 1:1 proportion. They are not that strong; too much of its contents would not hurt.

Sake

Sake is the name of a cocktail that began in Japan. It’s set up from matured rice.

The blending interaction is fairly like that of the lager, as starch is initially changed over into sugar and afterward developed to deliver the liquor.

Sake has a nutty, fruity aroma that is less pronounced than that of wine. Sake can be utilized to substitute ponzu sauce in meat.

Besides meat, Sake can be used in mixed drinks, sweets, and cooking fish, pork, and chicken.

Like the white wine, Sake must be stewed with the food to upgrade and complement the dish’s kinds.

How to Substitute

Substitute one cup of Sake rather than one cup of ponzu sauce. In stews, you can put a little ponzu sauce to taste. You can place sake in equal amounts, and it works similarly. It will give the food a pleasant flavor.

Want to have refreshing sake? Know how sweet sake is used as a seasoning in Japanese Cooking here, by “Japanese Recipes TV”:-

Worcestershire Sauce

Worcestershire sauce is an astoundingly notable substitute for Ponzu Sauce of various types since it contains vinegar as one of its fixed fixings.

Hence, you do not need to stress over the taste contrast when you’re subbing the ponzu sauce.

Worcestershire sauce is a matured fluid that contains various fixings other than ponzu sauce but still does not give you that off-putting taste.

Worcestershire sauce is a fermented liquid that contains various fixings that will assist you with your dish.

Particularly for the recipes that require a flavor of ponzu sauce, Worcestershire sauce can give a similar flavor and elegance.

How to Substitute

Follow the 1:1 proportion while substituting Worcestershire sauce for ponzu sauce. If you are making a huge batch, change the substance and taste before adding more to it.

Want to know how you can use Worcestershire sauce in different recipes? Watch “Lea & Perrins UK” telling us about a delicious marinated chicken and potato salad recipe that can be easily made:-

Mentsuyu

Mentsuyu is a good flavoring that is typically produced using soy sauce, sugar, mirin, dashi, salt, etc.

Since mentsuyu contains dashi stock and different flavors, including sugar, you can make a more rich and complex taste.

Each mentsuyu has mixed spice and sweetness, so you can change the measure of mentsuyu while blending it in with a little vinegar.

If you think your ponzu sauce has too solid a taste, you can add some water. You can utilize lemon squeeze rather than vinegar when blending it in with mentsuyu.

If you think the sauce needs sharpness, kindly add a tiny bit of vinegar.

How to Substitute

To use in the dishes, add the mentsuyu likewise while observing the taste until it reaches your preferred levels. In many cases, one to two teaspoons of mentsuyu is sufficient to replace one teaspoon of ponzu sauce.

Nam Prik Pla

Nam prik pla, a Thai condiment, is made of lime juice, fish sauce, and hot chilies and can fill in as a substitution.

However, the spiciness is not entirely of Japanese cooking, so that you can overlook them. Even then, other fixings can benefit your dish.

The ideal harmony between sweetness, saltiness, and sourness can supplement your dish quite well.

You don’t need to be hesitant to experience and consolidate different cooking styles as another option.

While the hot chilies would be strange in the greater part of the Japanese dishes that require ponzu, the other two fixings will not be.

How to Substitute

For the replacement, utilize a large portion of a teaspoon of Nam prik pla more than two teaspoons of ponzu sauce.

Never used Nam prik pla to make a sweet dessert? Check out this recipe by “World of Thai Food” showing how to prepare a Nam prik pla, a Thai condiment, here:-

Shoyu

Shoyu is already a common compound of commercial ponzu sauce. It assists with improving the latter’s stability and period of usability.

However, it is likewise a huge part of ponzu sauce’s flavor profile. Thus, if you are hoping to catch that equivalent substance, you could similarly too get some Shoyu instead.

Shoyu is particularly fantastic as a marinade. Note that you should add some extra delightful fixings, so be free to function as you like.

You can add vinegar and lemon juice if you might want to utilize Shoyu as a sauce to get some acidic substance there.

How to Substitute

Use one and a half teaspoons of the shoyu to substitute one teaspoon of Ponzu Sauce. If you cook it in a bowl of vegetables, make sure to give it time to cook through the dish.

Make your Own Ponzu Sauce

If you are hoping to catch a taste that is as credible as possible, you could also make your ponzu sauce.

Ponzu sauce isn’t the simplest topping to make; however, you can do it in any case. Discover a portion of the fixings at the market and get started.

In Japan, genuine ponzu sauce is produced using scratch with new forms of fixings, for example, Rice vinegar, Mirin, Citrus juice, Kombu, and Bonito drops.

But, a few recipes join Mirin and Sake to adjust one another. Mix all the ingredients, heat them in a pan and serve after cooling it.

How to Substitute

As it is the same as shop-bought ponzu sauce, you can substitute it in an equal quantity. Remember to taste the dish after adding a small amount. If required, you can add more.

Did you know you can make ponzu sauce in your kitchen? Watch this video by “Just one cookbook” showing how easily we can make ponzu sauce at home:-

FAQs

Bottom Line

I hope this list helped you to know about the substitutes for Ponzu Sauce. Share your experience with these.

Do you think we missed any replacement? Please share with us in the comments. We will make sure to test it out.