Anchovies substitutes
Anchovies substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called anchovy fillets, tinned anchovies, oil-packed anchovies, salt-packed anchovies
Use Anchovy paste
½ tsp for every 1 fillet anchovies
Use ½ teaspoon of anchovy paste for each anchovy fillet. It is the same cured fish, ground with oil and salt, so the flavor is the same in sauces, dressings and braises. Without paste, use ½ teaspoon of fish sauce per fillet in cooked dishes, or Worcestershire sauce in Caesar dressing. For a vegetarian version, start with ½ teaspoon of white miso or chopped capers per fillet.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- pasta sauces such as puttanesca
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the anchovies doing?
Pick your caseDo the anchovies dissolve into the dish, or are they eaten whole?
Use ½ teaspoon of anchovy paste per fillet, added to the warm oil with the garlic. Fish sauce works at the same amount, added with the liquid.
Notes on anchovy paste or fish sauce
½ tsp per fillet
Use anchovy paste, ½ teaspoon per fillet, so 1 teaspoon for a dressing that calls for 2 fillets. Without it, use the same amount of Worcestershire sauce and add a pinch more salt.
Notes on anchovy paste or Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp per fillet
Use pieces of canned sardine with a pinch of salt for a milder fish, or chopped capers for the salty, briny hit without fish.
Notes on canned sardines or capers
Same amount by weight
Start with ½ teaspoon of white miso per fillet for the savory depth and add chopped capers for the brine. Check the Worcestershire label before using it; most contain anchovies.
Notes on white miso or capers
½ tsp per fillet
Anchovies are a seasoning more often than a fish. Curing in salt for months breaks the flesh down and concentrates the compounds that taste savory, so a fillet or two melted into warm oil gives a sauce, dressing or braise salt and depth without a fishy taste. Less often they are eaten whole, laid over a pizza or a salad, where the eater gets a strong, salty bite of fish. The two uses need different substitutes.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 fillet anchovies| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 fillet anchovies | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchovy pastepasta sauces such as puttanesca | ½ tspWorks | Works |
| 2 | Fish saucetomato sauces and braises | ½ tspTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Worcestershire sauceCaesar dressing | ½ tspTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Canned sardinespizza topping | Same amount by weightYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | White misovegetarian and vegan Caesar dressing | ½ tspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Caperspizza and salad toppings | ½ tsp choppedYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Canned tuna | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Anchovy paste
the same, sometimes saltier
Cured anchovies ground smooth with oil and salt, sold in a tube. The same ingredient in a different form.
- Best for
- pasta sauces such as puttanesca, Caesar dressing and vinaigrettes, braises, stews and pan sauces, compound butter
- Texture
- smooth; no whole fillet
- Contains
- fish
Paste is already dissolved, so it goes in wherever the recipe would have you mash or melt the fillets. Some brands add vinegar or a little sugar, and paste is often saltier, so taste before salting. It cannot replace a whole fillet laid on a pizza or a salad.
Fish sauce
savory and salty, slightly funkier
The liquid drawn from anchovies fermented in salt. It is anchovy flavor in liquid form and dissolves instantly.
- Best for
- tomato sauces and braises, soups and stews, marinades, dressings
- Texture
- thin liquid, no body
- Prep
- Add it with the liquids, not to the hot oil, and hold back salt until you have tasted.
- Contains
- fish
Fish sauce is very salty and smells strong in the bottle; cooked into a sauce it gives the same savory depth as melted anchovies. It is thin, so it adds no body to a dressing. Start with ½ teaspoon per fillet and add more by the drop.
Worcestershire sauce
savory, sweeter and tangier
A fermented sauce of vinegar, molasses, tamarind and anchovies. It brings some of the same savory note along with sweetness and tang.
- Best for
- Caesar dressing, meat marinades and burgers, stews and gravies, Bloody Marys
- Texture
- thin liquid
- Prep
- Start with ½ teaspoon per fillet and taste; cut back the lemon juice or vinegar slightly to allow for its acidity.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Contains
- fish
Most Worcestershire contains anchovies, so it is not vegetarian unless the label says so. It is sweeter, tangier and darker than anchovies and less salty, so a dressing made with it needs an extra pinch of salt. It tints a pale dressing light brown.
Canned sardines
milder, more plainly fishy
Another small, oily tinned fish. Larger, meatier and much milder than anchovies, and not salt-cured.
- Best for
- pizza topping, salads such as nicoise, on toast, tossed whole into pasta
- Texture
- meatier, flaky
- Prep
- Break them into pieces about the size of an anchovy fillet and add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Contains
- fish
Sardines replace anchovies that are eaten as pieces of fish. They do not melt into oil, so they cannot season a sauce invisibly, and they are far less salty and intense. A dish built on dissolved anchovies will taste mild and fishy instead of savory.
White miso
savory and salty, no fish
Fermented soybean paste. Salty and deeply savory with no fish in it, and it dissolves into dressings and sauces the way mashed anchovy does.
- Best for
- vegetarian and vegan Caesar dressing, pasta sauces, soups and braises, compound butter
- Texture
- smooth paste, adds body
- Prep
- Whisk it into the liquid or the dressing until smooth, and add it to hot dishes near the end.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian
- Contains
- soy
Treat the amount as a starting point and taste. Miso gives the salt and the savory depth without the sea flavor; a small piece of crumbled nori or a few chopped capers brings some of that back. It adds a little sweetness and makes a dressing slightly thicker.
Capers
briny and tart, not savory
Pickled flower buds. They supply the sharp, briny saltiness of anchovies but not the savory depth.
- Best for
- pizza and salad toppings, puttanesca and other tomato sauces, vegetarian Caesar dressing, tapenade
- Texture
- small soft pieces
- Prep
- Drain and chop them fine; rinse salt-packed capers first.
- Suits
- vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free
Treat the amount as a starting point. Capers are sour as well as salty and stay in pieces, so they brighten a dish where anchovies deepen it. Chopped Kalamata olives do a similar job. For a vegetarian Caesar, use capers and miso together.
Canned tuna
mild, plain fish
Suggested because it is the tinned fish most kitchens have. It shares nothing with anchovies beyond the can.
- Best for
- nothing that calls for anchovies
- Texture
- dry flakes that do not dissolve
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Contains
- fish
Canned tuna is cooked, not salt-cured, so it is mild, lean and flaky. It does not dissolve, adds no saltiness or savory depth, and leaves shreds of fish in a sauce or dressing. Use it as the protein in a salad or pasta, and season the dish with one of the options above.
Don’t swap it here
3 cases- SafetyCooking for someone with a fish allergy, using paste, fish sauce, Worcestershire or sardines as the stand-in.Use white miso and capers, and read the label of any bottled sauce.
- A dish where anchovies are the main ingredient: bagna cauda, anchovy toast, pissaladiere, with a vegetarian substitute.Use anchovy paste, or make a different dish such as an olive tapenade.
- A recipe that calls for white anchovies, sold as boquerones.Buy boquerones from a deli counter, or serve another marinated fish such as pickled herring.
Questions
6 questionsWhat is the best substitute for anchovies?
Anchovy paste, ½ teaspoon per fillet. It is the same cured fish ground smooth. If you have no paste, use ½ teaspoon of fish sauce per fillet in cooked dishes.
What can I substitute for anchovies in Caesar dressing?
Anchovy paste at ½ teaspoon per fillet is the closest. Otherwise use the same amount of Worcestershire sauce, which contains anchovies, and add a pinch of salt. For a vegetarian Caesar, start with ½ teaspoon of white miso and ½ teaspoon of chopped capers per fillet.
What is a vegetarian substitute for anchovies?
White miso for the savory depth and capers for the brine, starting with ½ teaspoon of each per fillet. Chopped Kalamata olives and a little crumbled nori also help. Standard Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian.
How much anchovy paste equals one anchovy?
Half a teaspoon of paste equals one fillet. A recipe that calls for 4 fillets needs 2 teaspoons of paste.
Can I leave the anchovies out?
Yes, but the dish will taste flatter and less salty. Add a little extra salt and something savory, such as a spoonful of grated Parmesan, ½ teaspoon of miso or a splash of soy sauce.
Can I use sardines instead of anchovies?
Only where the anchovies are eaten as pieces, as on a pizza or a salad. Sardines are milder, meatier and not salt-cured, so they do not melt into a sauce or season it the way anchovies do.
Tips for substituting anchovies
5 tips- One anchovy fillet equals ½ teaspoon of anchovy paste, so 1 teaspoon of paste replaces 2 fillets.
- Melt fillets or paste in warm oil over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, before adding anything else. They dissolve and the fishy smell cooks off.
- Add fish sauce and Worcestershire with the liquids, and salt the dish only after tasting. Every substitute here is salty.
- Rinse salt-packed anchovies under cold water and pull out the backbone before using; they are saltier and firmer than fillets packed in oil.
- Keep leftover fillets covered in oil in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. Paste in a tube keeps for months in the refrigerator once opened.