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Worcestershire sauce is one of those magical flavor-enhancing ingredients that I splash into just about everything savory. Something not quite right about a soup? Probably needs Worcestershire.
Chili a bit bland? Worcestershire sauce saves the day again.
As we work towards making more of our own foods, including condiments, from scratch I got to wondering…what’s in this stuff anyway?
I’ll admit I was pretty intimidated by making my own Worcestershire sauce.
The old school traditional version is fermented in casks for over a year and contains a lot of fresh fish that slowly ferment during the process.
The original Worcestershire sauce recipe that was developed in England in the early 1800s is based on a fermented fish sauce that dates all the way back to the Roman Empire.
These days there are plenty of brands of Worcestershire sauce, and all of them have a slightly different flavor and consistency.
Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients
The two most commonly available versions, in the US at least, are Lee and Perrins and Annie’s Organics.
Since Lee and Perrins was founded in 1837 by the people that actually invented what is known today as Worcestershire sauce, their version is obviously the most “traditional.”
The Annie’s version has a much thicker consistency, and it’s vegan, so it lacks anchovies which are a key ingredient that provides most of the “umami” flavor that Worcestershire sauce is known for.
Either way, the Worcestershire Sauce ingredients lists for both commercial versions give you a good idea of how to make your own. Unfortunately, “natural flavorings” can be just about anything, but still, it’s a nudge in the right direction.
Lee and Perrins Worcestershire sauce Ingredients: Distilled white vinegar, anchovies, garlic, molasses, onions, salt, sugar, water, chili pepper extract, cloves, natural flavorings, tamarind extract
Annie’s Organics Ingredients (Vegan): Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Molasses, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybean, Salt, Wheat, Alcohol), Cane Sugar, Tamarind, Sea Salt, Cornstarch, Xanthan Gum, Garlic, Onion, Clove, Chili Pepper.
Since I find the thick texture of Annie’s version pretty unappealing, I won’t be adding any corn starch or xantham gum. The thick dip-able texture is a better choice for a steak sauce like A1, but that more or less makes the vegan aspect pointless…
Choosing a Worcestershire Sauce Recipe
I started combing the internet for Worcestershire sauce recipes and I didn’t make it very far.
Just about all of them are a mixture of cider vinegar and soy sauce, with a few seasonings thrown in. None that I found contained anchovies, and all of them are ready to use as soon as you whisk them together.
Sure, instant gratification is nice, and it’s great for making a quick Worcestershire sauce substitute if you happen to run out…but it’s not what I’m going for. I’m trying to craft something special, and waiting for the flavors to come together just right is part of the process.
Disappointed, I shelved the project until I came across a recipe for Worcestershire sauce in The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. The ingredients list is long, but reading through it, I happened to have all the ingredients waiting in my pantry.
To be fair, I have a pretty well-equipped pantry, and most people probably don’t have tamarind paste or anchovies in stock at all times. Beyond those two things, the recipe is pretty basic pantry staples and spices.
The original recipe called for 1 tsp. anchovy paste and I’ve instead used a 2oz can of whole anchovies. A single teaspoon didn’t seem like nearly enough, especially since it’s the second ingredient in the Lee and Perrins Worcestershire sauce ingredient list.
I also substituted maple syrup for the brown sugar since we make our own homemade maple and have plenty on hand.
After a month of aging in the pantry, this homemade Worcestershire sauce is incredibly satisfying. It tastes surprisingly like the original, but with a little bit more warmth of flavor.
As an added bonus, I also have a jar full of Worcestershire sauce paste that was filtered out of the liquid sauce. It’s chunky, but has all the flavor of the original sauce.
The original recipe says to discard it, but that’s a shame. I’m saving it to add by the spoonful to soups. I imagine it could also be pureed finely and then dehydrated for use as a Worcestershire sauce powder.
So all in all, is it worth the extra effort to make your own Worcestershire sauce?
It’s a fun project, and I’m amazed by how good it tastes. It’s less salty than the original, and the flavor is warmer.
I’m very happy with the results. I’ll make it again for sure.
This homemade version doesn’t exactly save money, and it’s not made with homemade ingredients either (unless you can grow both your own tamarind and anchovies…) but it is incredibly tasty.
Saving money and producing everything 100% yourself doesn’t have to be the only reason to try making something from scratch.
Sometimes it’s worth it just for fun kitchen science, with delicious results!
Homemade Condiments & Preserves
Looking for more easy homemade condiments and preserves?
Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup un-sulfured molasses
- 1/4 cup tamarind paste
- 2- ounce can anchovies
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 1- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
- 6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 cups white vinegar, divided
- 2 cardamom pods
- 2 Tbsp. kosher or canning salt
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar or maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp. dry mustard
- 1 tsp. whole cloves
- 1 tsp. black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over raisins in a small bowl and allow to stand 15 minutes until raisins are softened. Drain and discard water.
- Place raisins, molasses, tamarind paste, anchovies, onion, ginger, garlic and half the vinegar (1 cup) into a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Pour the pureed mixture into a saucepan and add the remaining ingredients (including remaining vinegar). Bring the whole mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.
- Pour the mixture into a 1 quart canning jar, seal with a plastic lid and store in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month (or longer for stronger flavors).
- After aging, pour the sauce through a fine mesh sieve before use.
Home Preservation Projects
Looking for more from tasty home food preservation projects? Try any of these:
- How to make Pickled Eggs
- Dill Pickles Recipe for Canning
- Duck Breast Prosciutto (Salt Cured Duck Breast)
- Salt Cured Egg Yolks
Where did you get the apothecary bottle used in these pictures?
I’m not sure where this specific bottle came from but you should be able to find something similar on Amazon.
Hello I’m wondering about either a substitute for tamarind paste or is it okay to omit? I have none on hand and really want to make cottage pie with homemade Worcestershire sauce (: will omitting tamarind terribly affect the outcome ?
I saw a suggestion that you could mix equal parts of brown sugar and vinegar to substitute. If you decide to try it just let us know how it works.
Since the good ol’ Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce only contains Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Anchovies, Onion, Salt, Garlic, Tamarind Extract, Cloves, and Chili Peppers…this recipe actually sounds a bit more like the British HP Sauce (they also call it “brown sauce”) that they put on literally everything! HP Sauce has dates (kinda like raisins) and mustard, plus tomato puree and orange juice that I’ve seen in recipes similar to yours. Frankly, these all look amazing and I intend to experiment, basing my first pass on yours!
Also, have you ever duplicated the Lea & Perrins White Wine Worcestershire Sauce / Chicken Marinade? I think it’s basically regular Worcestershire Sauce with Sauterne Wine, Whey (Milk), and Turmeric, minus the cloves and with less molasses. Trying to duplicate this is what started my quest!
I have not tried to duplicate the White wine Worcestershire sauce. Let us know how your experiments go.
a more specific recipe, containing the amounts of each ingredient, may be found at Glen and friends -Worcestershire ?
Hello, what does the raisins do in the sauce? Is there a substitute to it?
Apparently this was a very traditional ingredient in many sauces like Worcestershire. You could probably just omit them if you don’t want to include them in the recipe. It will most likely affect the flavor.
This is a perfect recipe. I keep a quart jar full on my kitchen shelf and it just gets better and better with age. Absolutely delicious and a game-changer. I’m back again to make another batch as I’m down to dregs in my supply.
I save the solids and dehydrate and then grind fine to make an amazing dry rub for meats! Highly recommend this whole recipe!
Thanks for this very intriguing recipe.
With the anchovies, I’m wondering in about spoilage. Could you age it in the refrigerator?
The anchovies that I could readily get are packed in oil. Would include the oil in the sauce?
Aging it in the fridge will probably affect flavor and the large amount of vinegar in the recipe allows it to sit and age on the shelf without spoiling. I would not include the oil from the anchovies in the sauce.
I save my anchovy oil and use it to fry eggs and I also add it to my cheese sauces–especially for mac and cheese.
That sounds amazing!
Hello and thanks for your time!
I would like to make a vegetarian version of it and use mushrooms instead of anchovies.
I already did a “soja sauce” with a lactofermentation of dried mushrooms and they give the umami flavour..
Do you think it could work?
It’s definitely worth trying. Let us know how it goes.
Hi from New Zealand, I have made this Worcestershire sauce as per your recipe and I must say, “it came out amazing”!
It taste like the Holbrooks (our old time sauce” before Lazenby came on the market. I am busy with my second batch already.
One thing about your writing here was that you mentioned to make use of the solids too. Well, this came as a gift to us, because back home they sell a BBQ salt called Worcestershire sauce BBQ salt! We have to buy it from an importer here at a crazy expensive price. So, now by drying and making a lovely powder as you suggested, we actually are creating our own Worcestershire BBQ salt! Thank you very, very much for sharing your lovely recipes and experience. Kind regards
Edward and Alet
I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe and that you are able to now have your own Worcestershire BBQ salt.
Want to thank you for sharing your kitchen science with us out, here, you are a absolutely inspiration to all of us! Unfortunately we are not off-grid, but living on the other side of the globe, far away from home, we have to create and make our own traditional food and other needs that are not readily available here unless you have it shipped. So, we thank you very much for sharing! Alet and Edward.
You’re very welcome. So glad that you’re enjoying the posts.
This recipe looks amazing… So – I doubt I can source cardamom pods in my area. How much ground cardamom (which I have) should I use?
One cardamom pod is equal to about 1/6 teaspoon of ground cardamom.
This a great sauce for Gluten Free eaters.
So how can this be canned or bottled to save it longer?
Thank in advance.
The Ball Book says to keep it in the fridge but Ashley just keeps it in the pantry. Since it’s basically a vinegar infusion, it should last a while.
Here in Colorado we spell that Lea & Perrins. Same sauce, it seems. Scarce right now owing to a labor dispute.
Is there anything to substitute for the anchovies? I have allergies to most fish. But especially seafood.
You could just leave the anchovies out. You could also try substituting seaweed or umami-rich dried mushrooms like shiitake.
I am so excited about this! I am potently allergic to all nightshades (It is ugly- swelling, hives, can’t put on my shoes) and I have gotten sensitive enough that some of my favorite pantry items are a no-go. Can you make anything without Worcestershire sauce? Not really. Anyway, I will just drop the red pepper flakes and I should be back in the flavor business! Woohoo! If you can create me a pepper free tobacco replacement I would love you forever, but I think that maybe beyond hope. (I LOVE spicy, I cry a little every time I cook. Garlic, ginger, wasabi, and horseradish only carry me so far.)
Honestly, you could skip the red pepper flakes and it’d still be amazing. I imagine you could try something else for heat too…not sure what. Extra garlic maybe? My husband really loves Sichuan pepper, and that has a good bit of heat and great flavor without being nightshade. Might be a good option, but you should try it first to see if you like the flavor of Sichuan pepper…it’s delicious to me, but not for everyone. Good luck!
Can this recipe be doubled.
Of course!
I have a severe allergy to apples and I have developed problems with soy as well, my mother has a gluten allergy and a sulfite allergy. This is the first recipe I’ve come across that doesn’t use apples cider vinegar or soy sauce which contains wheat, I’m super excited to try this out once I get the tamarind paste, unless there is a substitute you might suggest? I’ve been experimenting with fermenting foods and just made my own hot sauces so this is fits with my interest in lactofermented food. Thank you so much for sharing this. Please keep up the amazing work (^_^)
First of all I want to express all my gratitude to this excellent blog. I am from Spain, I am a fan of worcestershire sauce since i was young. Lately I dicide to try and test several diferent recipes. I found yours interesting. Right now its time to wait for getting better flavours, I will leave them about a week then I’ll pour the sauce and let all the diferent recipes aging at leat 2 more weeks. I would like to know how many mililiters do you consider a cup? I would like to reproduce your recipe but Its hard for me to understand that measure.
Thanks
There are lots of measurement converters on the internet. You can find one and should be able to type the measurements in and it will convert it for you.
I am interested in bottling this for gifts. Are there any processing instructions for after the aging time?
I’m interested in doing this as well