Honey Garlic Sauce Without Soy Sauce Recipe
This honey garlic sauce without soy sauce recipe is a delicious, easy, 4-ingredient sauce that’s perfect for tofu, chicken, or noodles! Ready in 5 minutes, this tasty sauce is a quick flavor booster for any recipe.
With just a few simple ingredients, you have a sweet and tangy sauce in minutes. It’s great to serve with crispy tofu, noodles, chicken, or over stir fried veggies & rice!
Want more great sauce ideas? Try our plant-based sweet & sour sauce, our mint chimichurri sauce, or our favorite chicken sandwich sauce!
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2020, but I updated the post 10/1/2025 with new photos and step-by-step directions.
As a beekeeper, I love using my honey in fun new recipes! This honey garlic sauce is made without soy sauce for a sweet and tangy dipping sauce. Great with almost any protein – crispy baked tofu with cornstarch, crispy chicken or beef, this sauce is a keeper!
What I love about this sauce is the amazing flavor from the raw honey. It’s so much better than using brown sugar, as honey is a great natural sweetener. Since this recipe has only 4 ingredients, it’s simple to make and is ready in 10 minutes.
Notes from Our Kitchen
- This sauce is bright, sweet, tangy, and earthy.
- It’s wonderfully garlicky, from the fresh minced garlic.
- You can make this as spicy or as mild as you like.
- The perfect sauce for any protein!
- Anyone can successfully make this honey sauce by following our easy step-by-step photos and directions below.
Ingredients You’ll Need
As beekeepers, we have plenty of honey and it’s fantastic in this delicious sauce as the base. I’d recommend trying a local farmers’ market to find the best honey in your area. Or else, finding a good organic honey is the next best thing.
Choose a soy sauce alternative – this honey garlic sauce can be made with a few different ingredients, pick your favorite below!
Finely mince fresh garlic, or use a garlic press – either way will give this sauce a fantastic and bold garlicky flavor.
And I use red chili pepper flakes for a little heat! I like to add a few shakes to this recipe to give this dish a nice complex depth of flavor.
Soy Sauce Alternatives
Worcestershire Sauce: I usually use Worcestershire sauce as the main ingredient in my recipe. I love classic Worcestershire sauce in all kinds of recipes. Some Worcestershire sauces do contain anchovies, so be sure to check the label if you are vegan or vegetarian (and choose a vegan version if you want).
Liquid Aminos – a fantastic soy sauce alternative, liquid aminos are concentrated amino acids that are similar in flavor to soy sauce. They do contain sodium, but a much lower amount than soy sauce. NOTE: some liquid aminos are made from soybeans, so if you eat soy free, please be sure to read the label before buying or cooking with any ingredients.
Coconut Aminos – like amino acids, but extracted from coconut. I love the light almost butter-y flavor of coconut aminos. I’d recommend coconut aminos for any sauce that has a tropical vibe (pineapple chicken, orange sesame tofu, etc.)
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
Is There a Vegan Alternative to Honey?
Yes, you can substitute out the honey in this recipe for agave nectar or maple syrup. I prefer agave nectar, it’s my go-to kitchen sweetener because it’s absolutely delicious, and buying organic agave is inexpensive online (compared to other organic sweeteners). It also bakes well, so I like to add it to my baked goods.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, heat the honey, Worcestershire sauce, chili flakes, and minced garlic over low heat.
Step 2: Stir to combine until all the ingredients are well-mixed.
Step 3: Serve your honey garlic sauce in a serving dish –
Step 4: Or toss with crispy tofu or chicken if desired.
Pro Tips
- Heating up the honey thins it a bit – so it will be thinner if you gently simmer it up on a stovetop instead of mixing the ingredients in a bowl.
- To make this version vegan or vegetarian, you can use maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe if you are making this for a crowd.
- This recipe is great to make ahead – just refrigerate and then reheat before serving.
Serve This Honey Garlic Sauce With:
- Crispy Honey Garlic Tofu Recipe
- Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets
- Honey Garlic Noodles
- Stir Fry Vegetables in the Oven
- Spaghetti Stir Fry Noodles
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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Our cookbook One Ingredient, Five Ways has tasty no-waste plant-based recipes for everyone
Honey Garlic Sauce (Without Soy Sauce)
Equipment
- Saucepan or Small Pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or liquid/coconut aminos, see note below*
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes optional, for heat
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the honey, Worcestershire sauce, chili flakes, and minced garlic over low heat.
- Stir to combine until all the ingredients are well-mixed.
- Serve your honey garlic sauce in a serving dish – or toss with crispy tofu or chicken if desired.
Notes
- Heating up the honey thins it a bit – so it will be thinner if you gently simmer it up on a stovetop instead of mixing the ingredients in a bowl.
- To make this version vegan or vegetarian, you can use maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe if you are making this for a crowd.
- This recipe is great to make ahead – just refrigerate and then reheat before serving.
Nutrition
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I use this on a variety of foods. It’s great
It makes my dishes so tasty
Good on almost anything
Very versatile and delicious
So good
I’m on a low sodium diet. This is perfect for stir fry! Thanks for your creativity!
Thank you so much Dianne! I actually run a whole low sodium website – http://www.lowsorecipes.com with many more there as well 🙂
– Kelly
I never thought to use honey in a sauce like this. Ingenious