What is coconut aminos?
Coconut aminos or ‘coco aminos’ is a liquid seasoning based on coconut blossom nectar / coconut blossom juice and a hint of sea salt. It’s a suitable alternative for soy sauces such as Shoyu and Tamari. Coconut Aminos is often touted as the ‘soy-free soy sauce‘.
The benefits of coconut aminos
The big advantage of Coconut Aminos is immediately clear: it is soy-free. So ideal if you’re allergic to it or if you do not want to consume soy for a variety of reasons.
Just like Tamari (soy sauce), Coconut Aminos is also gluten-free. You are 100% sure of that. It is not said that all Tamari brands are entirely wheat-free.
- Gluten-free
- Soy-free
- Vegan proof
- Paleo proof
- 17 amino acids
- Less sodium vs soy sauce
- Organic
- Unheated (raw)
- Low glycemic index
- Antioxidant-rich
- Kosher
Several brands produce Coconut Aminos. The most famous is Coconut Secret.
I prefer an organic version. Although I must add immediately that I haven’t seen a non-organic variant.
Coconut Aminos would also be healthier than soy sauce because it’s production doesn’t require heating. The sauce is, therefore ‘raw’ produced so that the nutrients present as potassium, magnesium and vitamin C also preserved efficiently. As a seasoning, it is therefore very suitable for the raw-food or paleo diet.
Although we advise in the latter case to choose for paleo-vegan (a.k.a. ‘Pegan’) 😉
Although the product naturally contains salt, the amount of sodium is much lower compared to most soy sauces. So those who want/need to eat low in salt also have a good time with Coconut Aminos.
Coconut Aminos versus soy sauce – the taste test
Over to the most important thing: how does Coconut Aminos taste? As you can see in the video, I tasted it and compared it with Tamari soy sauce.
My conclusion was immediately clear: regarding smell it is almost identical, but it tastes much sweeter than Tamari soy sauce. Which I certainly don’t want to say that it is a bad thing. That sweeter taste is also logical if you know that it is made from coconut blossom nectar. These are in any case naturally present sugars and no added 🙂
If I have to compare it with anything else, I would say that Coconut Aminos tastes mainly like Teriyaki sauce. This is a traditional Japanese marinade that consists of soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. To a lesser extent, it resembles the Indonesian variant of sweet soy sauce: Ketjap Manis. Also, the color is darker with soy sauce(tamari).
Is it good? Absolutely. Although the sweet gives a very different taste than soy sauce like Tamari. This may be better for one dish than for another.
How do you use Coconut Aminos?
Cooking with it is super simple: you just add it to your dish as you wish. Just as you would season a meal with salt and pepper.
Seasonings like Coconut Aminos (and also soy sauces) are mainly used to flavor Asian dishes. Or vice versa: to give a simple wok dish an Asian touch 🙂
It is also particularly suitable to make (Oriental) marinades and – for example – to marinate tofu. Although Coconut Aminos might be a bit too sweet for it, you could also serve it as a dipping sauce with vegan sushi.
The funny thing is that Stijn and I don’t make ‘Asian-Style Food’ a lot, but we regularly use this kind of flavoring. We add soy sauces – and soon these Coconut Aminos – for example to tajine dishes, to sauces and soups (for the taste and a ‘deeper’ color) and many other types of meals.
In short: you can take multiple sides with it. In many cases, you can entirely omit salt.
Where to buy coconut aminos?
Like most (high-quality) soy sauces, Coconut Aminos is relatively pricey. Or at least when you go for your first impression. Because of the strong taste, you only need small portions to give a dish a good flavor. Conclusion: actually it is cheap ;-). And a must if you want to eat soy-free, gluten-free and low-salt.
You’ll find it in health food stores or online. If you would like to try Coconut Aminos, you can order it here >>
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