12 Best Yuzu Sauce Substitutes | Easy & Affordable

Yuzu sauce is a common Japanese condiment used in seasoning, making sweets and cakes, marinates, etc. 

It is difficult to find outside, but you can get the same taste and flavor it with its best yuzu sauce substitutes.

More than 10 substitutions are listed, including a homemade recipe. Try any alternatives and fill up the yuzu sauce in any recipe.

What is Yuzu Sauce? What flavor is yuzu?

Yuzu sauce is a Japanese citrus sauce that is used as a seasoning. 

The sauce is typically used as a dip for yakitori and other grilled meats. 

Yuzu sauce can also be used to season noodles, sushi, and rice. It can be used as a marinade for meat, too. 

The sauce has an intense flavor of yuzu with balanced sweetness and saltiness.

Yuzu is a small, round citrus fruit that looks like a grapefruit. It has yellow-green skin and white flesh. The fragrance of the fruit is very unique. 

Yuzu sauce is used more in western Japan, particularly in Kyushu. It is often used in Kyoto cuisine. 

The sauce is also popular with fish dishes, especially salmon or trout.

What is yuzu sauce made of?

The yuzu fruit is the main ingredient for yuzu sauce. It is made with yuzu juice, rice vinegar, sake, sugar, and soy sauce. 

Yuzu sauce can be used as a seasoning for soba noodles or rice to enhance the flavor of the food.

What do you use yuzu sauce for?

Yuzu Sauce is versetile, Use in

· Seasoning

· Meat Brushing

· Add into rice

· Add into fish recipes

· Salad

· Making sweets like marmalade and Desserts, etc.

What can replace yuzu? 12 Yuzu Sauce Substitutes

Some potential replacements include lime, grapefruit, ponzu, citrus fruits, or tangerine.

Yuzu is native to East Asia. Although a difficult fruit to obtain and cultivate, it is a popular ingredient in East Asian cuisine for its distinct flavor. 

Even with its unique, complex aroma and taste, yuzu’s juice enhances other flavors in dishes like ponzu, tsume, and tatsoi. Yuzu juice is commonly used to marinate fish in sashimi and sushi dishes.

Substitutes for Yuzu Sauce

1. MAYER LEMON – Excellent Alternative to Yuzu Sauce

Mayer Lemon is the most popular and easy choice to substitute yuzu in making drinks. They are a hybrid of lemons and mandarin oranges.

Mayer Lemons have a flowery, lemony flavor that is tart but sugary, identical to yuzu. 

Meyer lemon notes impart the perfume and flavor of honey and thyme. Some people eat the rind as well since it is delicate and tasty.

You can use the juice of Mayer lemon to produce lemonade and cocktails or to liven up a dish in baking or cooking.

2. DANGYUJA – Similar to Yuzu Sauce

Dangyuja is a popular citrus fruit in Korea that tastes exactly like yuzu. Because it has a similar form and flavor as yuzu, you can use it instead of yuzu in Yuzu tea, also known as dangyuja tea, soup, etc.

You can get Dangyuja in most Korean markets. 

3. PONZU SAUCE- A Decent Replacement for Yuzu Sauce

Ponzu sauce is the most well-known citrus condiment in Japanese cuisine. It is another best substitution for yuzu sauce. 

It has a sour flavor, a light, watery mouthfeel, and is practically colorless. 

Ponzu is made by heating mirin, rice vinegar, katsuobushi flakes (from tuna), and seaweed (kombu) in a saucepan over moderate heat.

Ponzu is typically used as a seasoning for tataki and dipping for nabemono type one-pot dishes, as a coating for takoyaki, and as a dip for sashimi, among other things.

Read More-Best Ponzu Sauce Alternatives from your kitchen.

Other Yuzu Sauce Substitutes

• · SUDACHI 
• · MANDARIN ORANGE
• · CALAMANSI 
• · DAIDAI
• · BUDDHA’S HAND
• · KAFIR LIME (10 Best Kafir Lime leaves Substitutes)
• · LEMON JUICE
• · ORANGE JUICE

How to make Yuzu Juice at Home ( Homemade Yuzu Sauce Alternative)

Making yuzu sauce at home is a relatively simple process. 

You will need

• · yuzu juice, 
• · vinegar, sugar, and 
• · soy sauce. 

Direction:

Heat the yuzu juice and rice vinegar in a small saucepan until boiling. Add the sugar and soy sauce, and simmer for about five minutes. Serve over your favorite Asian dish!

This recipe yields about three cups. The yuzu sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for one week. Yuzu juice can be found in the juice section of most Asian groceries stores.

What is the difference between yuzu and orange?

The most obvious difference between the yuzu and the orange is the size:

· a Yuzu fruit is about five times as large as an orange fruit. Other differences become apparent when looking at the two fruits’ rinds, flesh, and seeds.

The yuzu’s rind is a pale green color, while the rind of orange fruit is much darker. The yuzu’s flesh has more juice than the orange’s.

The yuzu’s seeds are tiny, while an orange has larger seeds which can be easily seen. While the yuzu is highly acidic, the orange has a mild taste.

The yuzu’s flavor is characteristic of the citrus family. It is considered one of the most difficult citrus fruits to peel, so it is referred to as “the emperor’s fruit.”

Yuzu is a sour citrus fruit resulting from a cross between a mandarin orange and an ichang papeda. It is green when unripe and turns yellow or orange when ripe. 

Yuzu has a tart, acidic taste and is used in Japanese cuisine. 

Orange is the most common type of citrus fruit. It is oval-shaped and has a sweet, acidic taste. Oranges are used in many different dishes, including desserts, salads, and main courses. 

The zest of orange can add flavor and freshness to a dish.

Yuzu Sauce VS Ponzu

Yuzu sauce is a citrus-based sauce that is used in Japanese cuisine. It is made with yuzu juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and mirin. Ponzu sauce is a Japanese citrus soy sauce made with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and dashi.

The main differences between ponzu sauce and yuzu sauce are the acidity, sweetness, thickness, and cooking purposes.

Ponzu sauce is more acidic and tangier. Since it doesn’t have the sweetness of yuzu sauce, ponzu sauce is used in stir-fries and as a dipping sauce. 

Yuzu sauce is sweeter and thicker than ponzu sauce and can be used as a marinade or condiment.

Yuzu sauce is made with yuzu juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. The ingredients are mixed together and simmered for 15 minutes. Once it’s thickened, the yuzu sauce is ready to use. Yuzu sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for five days.

Ponzu sauce is made with soy sauce, dashi, vinegar, and citrus juice. The ingredients are mixed together and simmered for 15 minutes before being strained. Ponzu sauce should be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days after being made.

3 Best Yuzu Juice

• Otafuku Yuzu sauce with Ponzu Soy. It is vegan and vegetarian friendly. ( from amazon)
• If you want some spicy kick with yuzu flavor then try Muso Hot Yuzu Sauce From Japan.
• Yuzu Kosho – Japan by S&B

Check More-Best Lemon Extract Alternatives

FAQs Related to Yuzu Sauce & Its Alternatives