Make Your Own Worcestershire Sauce from Scratch (2024)

Need some Worcestershire Sauce to add to a recipe but want to skip going to the store or purchasing a product with ingredients you’d rather not have? Here’s a wonderful Worcestershire Sauce recipe substitute to make your own!

Worcestershire Sauce Recipe Substitute

It is incredibly simple and quick to whip up a batch of this homemade Worcestershire sauce recipe at home. It requires some staple ingredients that you most likely already have and 10 minutes of your time; that’s it!

Although Worcestershire sauce is probably one of the most difficult ingredients to spell, it is a versatile sauce that has many uses. A good Worcestershire Sauce recipe is a perfect blend of salty, sweet, spicy and sour, which lends great flavor to bland dishes

Worcestershire Sauce Recipe Variations

The great thing about making your own Worcestershire sauce recipe is that you can turn up the salty, spicy, sour or sweet to cater to your tastes.

• If you like a saltier sauce, add more soy sauce. If you need a low-sodium alternative, use a low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos.
• If you want to make it sweeter, you increase the amounts of molasses or honey.
• If you want spicier, you can add more chili powder or even pour in a teaspoon of sriracha.
• To attain a stronger sour note, simply increase the vinegar.

The recipe below is a well-balanced and gluten-free alternative and tastes similar to what you can find at your local grocery store, but much fresher and with no corn syrup or “natural flavorings”, as with many homemade substitutes! One of the best parts is that it doesn’t contain any odd spices that are hard to find, such as anchovies or tamarind paste. You probably already have all this on hand!

Ingredients in the Worcestershire Sauce Recipe

(Makes about 1 cup of sauce)

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup molasses
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon or ground clove
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• Juice from 1/2 lime

Instructions for How to Make Worcestershire Sauce

In a small saucepan, mix ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a blender. Blend until smooth. Store in a medium-sized dressing bottle or covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Storing Worcestershire Sauce

If you aren’t going to be able to use this much Worcestershire Sauce in a month, freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray, pop the “ice cubes” out when frozen solid, and store them in a freezer bag. Grab one “ice cube” out of the freezer each time you need a bit of sauce!

If you plan on making any homemade sauces, you NEED to have some of these glass bottles. They fit perfectly in your fridge doors and they work great for pouring the sauces. They even come with the little “dropper” top (that is removable), so you don’t pour out way too much at once! I love having these jars for sauces just like this Worcestershire Sauce substitute, and for my homemade salad dressings like Homemade Catalina Dressing.

How Long Will Homemade Worcestershire Sauce Last?

Like all homemade sauces, the shelf life won’t be tremendously long. Try to use this within a month. If you aren’t able to do that, you can freeze the extras like I mentioned above.

Worcestershire Sauce Uses

There are many ways to use Worcestershire sauce to enhance your everyday meals.

• It makes a great marinade for steaks: just pour this Worcestershire sauce recipe over thawed steaks with salt and pepper, and allow to marinate at least 1 hour.
• Add a couple of tablespoons to a quick chicken or vegetable stir-fry for a well-balanced flavor.
• Use it to make a delicioushomemade barbecue sauce.
• Add a splash to boost your spaghetti sauces or other red pasta dishes.
• Add to flavor a beef stroganoff.
• Kick up the flavor in your homemade Sloppy Joes.
• Put a bit in your slow cooker when making pulled pork.
• Add a few dashes in homemade Mac and Cheese. Yes, seriously!
• Mix a little of the sauce in with your burgers the next time you are making them on the grill.

We have so many other Make Your Own recipes listed on Little House Living. Make sure to check them all out!

Need to print this to add it to your Recipe Binder? Get the recipe for Worcestershire sauce below:

Other Homemade Condiments to Try

• Homemade Mayonnaise
• Ketchup
• Homemade BBQ Sauce
• Homemade Hot Sauce
• Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe
• Homemade Soy Sauce Recipe
• Homemade Steak Sauce

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What dishes will you add this Worcestershire sauce substitute recipe to? Do you already have any Worcestershire sauce recipes that’s you’ve tried What is your favorite sauce to make from scratch?

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.

This Worcestershire Sauce recipe was originally published on Little House Living in November 2013. It has been updated as of May 2024.