Nước Chấm Chay – Vegan Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

May 13, 2013 by Lisa Le 38 Comments

This is a quintessential Vietnamese condiment that goes with countless Vietnamese dishes! A balance of sweet, salty, fermented and tangy, this vegan nước chấm chay is THE BEST.

Vegan fish sauce bottle with the prepared nước chấm chay, surrounded by lime, chili pepper, and garlic

This recipe for vegan nước chấm chay has been a staple in our house forever. I always have a jar of it in the fridge, either the soy-sauce version or the vegan fish sauce version.

Difference between Fish Sauce vs Dipping Sauce? Nước mắm vs nước chấm?

A lot of people will colloquially call this sauce “fish sauce”. There is a distinct difference between plain fish sauce (nước mắm chay) and the dipping sauce (nước chấm chay). Nước mắm chay is just the straight, salted and fermented vegan fish sauce, whereas nước chấm chay has sugar, garlic, water, chili, and lime juice added to it.

Nước chấm chay is the typical accompaniment to finished Vietnamese dishes. It has a balance of sweet, savoury, tang and spice.

Another common dipping sauce my family would use was plain fish sauce (nước mắm) with cut up chili peppers. This was used to dip fish, seafood, or blanched meats alongside other parts of the meal. It’s not meant to be poured over a whole dish like nước chấm chay is.

vegan fish sauce bottle with other bottles of seasonings in the background

Where to find vegan fish sauce?

I find my vegan nước mắm chay at a few different places:

Coven Hamilton
Local Vietnamese grocery shops
- B&T Food in Hamilton (Queen St)
- B&T Food in Kitchener (King St E)
Local Vietnamese vegetarian restaurants (Dai Bi Chay has this!)

I’m sure you can find it at similar places in Toronto, I just haven’t really been in the city much since I moved to Hamilton. I’m not sure what’s available regularly in stores anymore. Vegan Supply carries one, although it’s not the same brand but another vegan fish sauce.

Not all Asian supermarkets will carry it, I find the smaller markets in communities with more Vietnamese (esp Buddhist) populations are more likely to have it.

What if I can’t find vegan fish sauce?

For many years, vegan fish sauce wasn’t available to me, so my family made this vegan version for me with soy sauce. I’ve seen some people make homemade vegan fish sauce that uses a combination of soy sauce, pineapple juice, and seaweed. That sounds like too much work for me, so I just opt to buy it!

Nước chấm chay - soy sauce version of dipping sauce in a measuring yup

Eddie prefers this soy sauce version, and I love both. My family always has the soy sauce version in the fridge ready for us whenever we come visit! Personally, I find some dishes fare a lot better with the soy sauce one (like banh uot or banh cuon)

However, some dishes really do just hit different with the vegan fish sauce version. Spring rolls, bánh xèo, cơm tấm… sometimes you just gotta go with that stinky fermented flavour that isn’t quite there with soy sauce!

How long does nước chấm chay last?

This is probably not up to food safety standards, but I keep mine indefinitely in the fridge. We probably eat it within a month or so, and I will make a new batch in a clean jar for next time.

The combination of boiled water, sugar, and salt means that this sauce can keep for a long time in the fridge. Prepare your nước chấm chay with a very clean cutting board, knife, mortar & pestle, and sanitized jar to have it keep for longer.

I make this full nước chấm chay recipe and always have it on hand in the fridge! Although, if you don’t eat Vietnamese food as frequently as I do, you may find it more practical to half the recipe.

What do I serve nước chấm chay with?

Bánh cuốn chay (steamed rice rolls with a savoury filling)
Bánh Xèo chay (crispy Vietnamese turmeric pancakes)
Chả giò chay (Vietnamese fried spring rolls)
Cơm Tấm (broken rice with vegan grilled meat or vegan egg meatloaf)
Bún Chả Giò Chay (Rice Vermicelli bowls with spring rolls)

Recipe Updated Oct 24, 2021

Yield: ~2 1/2 cups of sauce

Nuoc Mam Chay Vietnamese Vegetarian Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

Soy sauce version

5 garlic cloves, mashed or minced (I used a mortar and pestle)
2 tsp chili paste OR 1-2 whole red chilies, mashed with some of the sugar.
1/2 cup soy sauce (Golden Mountain brand)
1 1/4 cup (312 mL) boiled water
1/2 cup sugar
2 limes, juiced

Vegan Fish Sauce version

5 garlic cloves, mashed or minced (I used a mortar and pestle)
2 tsp chili paste OR 1-2 whole red chilies, mashed with some of the sugar.
1/2 cup vegan fish sauce (pictured above)
1 1/2 cup (375 mL) boiled water
1/2 cup sugar
2 limes, juiced

Instructions

Soy Sauce Version

Mash together garlic, chili, and 2 tbsp sugar with a mortar and pestle.
Transfer the sugar garlic paste with the remaining sugar into a large jar and add the boiled water. Stir to dissolve sugar.
Add the soy sauce and lime juice and mix.
Adjust if you like it saltier (more soy sauce), spicier (more chili paste), etc.
Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Vegan Fish Sauce Version

Mash together garlic, chili, and 2 tbsp sugar with a mortar and pestle.
Transfer the sugar garlic paste with the remaining sugar into a large jar and add the boiled water. Stir to dissolve sugar.
Add the vegan fish sauce and lime juice and mix. The vegan fish sauce may differ in saltiness, depending on what brand you have. Start with 1 1/4 cups water, and adjust as needed. I ended up adding another 1/4 cup water to be about 1 1/2 cups water total. Adjust to your taste!
Store in the fridge and enjoy on many Vietnamese dishes!

Notes

If you really like garlic, use 5 cloves, if you don't love it, just use 2.

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About Lisa Le

Lisa is the thirty-something, nerdy, procrastinating, feminist blogger and photographer behind The Viet Vegan. She loves spicy foods, noodles, and food in bowls.