Vegemite substitute

Best substitute

Marmite

Use the same amount plus a small pinch of salt if you want it closer as the vegemite you are replacing

Best for toast and crumpets

Close match

Marmite is the closest swap and works 1:1, though it tastes sweeter and maltier, so add a pinch of salt if you want it to read like Vegemite. Promite or Mightymite are milder and sweeter and suit kids. For cooking rather than toast, 1 tablespoon of miso paste or 1 tablespoon of soy sauce replaces 1 teaspoon of Vegemite.

Other vegemite substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Promite or Mightymite
Close match
Use the same amount
The other Australian spreads in the same aisle, and the gentlest way in.
What changes
Promite is smoother and sweeter with a slight tang, closer to a savoury sauce than a bitter extract, and Mightymite sits between Promite and Vegemite. If you are buying for someone who has never eaten yeast extract, or for a child, these are the forgiving option. In cooking they contribute less depth, so use a little more.
Best for
toast for beginners, children's sandwiches, mild gravies, savoury glazes
Promite is sweeter, so it can taste out of place in a very savoury beef gravy. Add a dash of soy sauce alongside it.
3Any Yeast Extract Spread
Close match
Use the same amount
Supermarket own-brand yeast extract, Bovril's yeast-based versions and European equivalents such as Cenovis are all doing the same job: salt plus concentrated savouriness plus a dark malty bitterness.
What changes
Strength varies more than you would expect between brands, so the honest advice is to taste a smear on a fingertip before you commit a whole gravy to it. Colour and behaviour in the pan are the same.
Best for
cooking, toast, vegan broths, marinades
Check the salt figure on the nutrition panel if you are sensitive. It varies noticeably between brands.
4Miso Paste
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp white or red miso for every 1 tsp Vegemite
For cooking only, and it is excellent there.
What changes
It provides the savoury salt that Vegemite contributes to a stew or gravy, but it is sweeter, softer and much less bitter, and it clouds a clear liquid. A gravy made with miso tastes rounder and slightly beany rather than sharp and malty. On toast it is simply wrong: too sweet, too grainy, and the fermented soy flavour dominates.
Best for
gravies, stews and braises, vegan cooking, marinades, soups
Whisk it with a spoonful of the hot liquid before it goes in, and add it late so hard boiling does not dull it.
5Soy Sauce or Tamari
Taste and texture differ
Use 1 tbsp soy sauce for every 1 tsp Vegemite
The everyday cooking fallback.
What changes
Same savoury glutamate hit, same dark colour, but thin instead of thick and clearly fermented and wheaty rather than yeasty. In a meat pie filling or a pan gravy this is a completely respectable swap. It is not spreadable, so it does nothing for toast. Tamari is the gluten-free version and tastes a shade deeper.
Best for
pie fillings, gravies, stir-fries, mince dishes, roasted vegetables
You are adding a tablespoon of liquid, so pull back another liquid by the same amount and skip the recipe's salt.
6Salted Butter with a Whisper of Soy Sauce
Taste and texture differ
For 1 slice of toast: butter as usual + ¼ tsp soy sauce brushed over
This is the honest least-bad answer for Vegemite on toast when you have no yeast extract at all, and it is worth being blunt: it does not taste like Vegemite.
What changes
You get salt and a faint savoury depth, but none of the bitter malty complexity that is the entire point. If you are homesick for it, order a jar. If you just want salty savoury toast right now, this delivers that.
Best for
toast, crackers, emergency substitution
Add a tiny pinch of nutritional yeast on top for a closer aroma. Do not use more soy sauce than a quarter teaspoon or the bread goes soggy.

What is Vegemite?

Vegemite is Vegemite is the very dark, thick, intensely salty Australian yeast extract spread made from spent brewer's yeast with added salt, onion and celery flavourings, sold in a small jar with a yellow and red label.

Cooking tips

Vegemite goes on scraped, not spread. Butter the toast first while it is hot, then take the smallest amount on the knife and drag it thin so you can still see the bread through it. Almost everyone who dislikes it on a first try used about five times too much.
In cooking it is a browning and depth agent, not a flavour you should be able to identify. Half a teaspoon in a pot of stew for four, or a teaspoon in a litre of gravy, deepens the colour and makes the meat taste meatier without anyone spotting the source.
Because it contains natural glutamates, it amplifies whatever else is in the pot. That makes it the fastest fix for a mushroom sauce or a lentil soup that tastes technically fine but flat.
Always dissolve it in hot liquid before adding it to a pot. A lump dropped into a stew sinks, sticks and scorches into something genuinely bitter.
Do not use Vegemite as the salt in a pickling, canning or fermenting brine. Those recipes depend on a tested salt concentration to be safe, and substituting a different salty ingredient changes the acidity and salt balance. Follow the tested recipe and the National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I substitute Marmite for Vegemite one for one?

Yes for cooking, and mostly yes for toast, but they do taste different. Marmite is sweeter, maltier and runnier; Vegemite is saltier, thicker and more bitter. Swapping one for the other in a gravy is undetectable. Swapping on toast is noticeable to anyone who grew up with one of them, so start with a thinner smear of Marmite and add a pinch of salt if you miss the sharpness.

What can I use instead of Vegemite in a recipe like cheesymite scrolls or savoury pastry?

Marmite or any yeast extract spread at 1:1 is the answer, because you need something thick and spreadable that will not make the dough wet. Miso paste works but is sweeter and can brown faster in the oven, so drop the temperature slightly or cover the tops. Soy sauce is too thin here and will make the dough sticky.

Can I just leave Vegemite out of a recipe?

If it is a small amount stirred into a stew, gravy or mince for depth, yes, and nothing will go wrong structurally. Salt the dish a touch more assertively and add another savoury element such as a splash of Worcestershire sauce or a spoonful of tomato paste fried in the pan. If Vegemite is the actual topping, as on toast or in scrolls, there is nothing to leave out and you need a real substitute.

Is Vegemite vegan and gluten-free?

It is vegan, since yeast is not an animal product. Gluten is the open question: yeast extract spreads are typically made from spent brewer's yeast grown on barley, and gluten status varies by brand and by testing. If you need certainty, check that specific jar's label and use tamari or a barley-free miso as a substitute.

Why is Vegemite so hard to find outside Australia and New Zealand?

It is mostly a distribution matter rather than any ban. Look in the international or British aisle of larger supermarkets, in specialist import shops, or online. In the meantime Marmite is stocked far more widely in the UK, Canada and the US and is the closest thing on a normal shelf.

Related substitutes

More sauces & condiments substitutes

Vegemite substitute

Other vegemite substitutes

2Promite or Mightymite

3Any Yeast Extract Spread

4Miso Paste

5Soy Sauce or Tamari

6Salted Butter with a Whisper of Soy Sauce