What to use instead of msg
Quick answer
The closest option is Mushrooms, rated acceptable. Dried mushroom, ground to a powder, is the most generally useful whole-food source of free glutamate and the one that fits the widest range of dishes. It brings its own earthy aroma, which MSG does not have, so it adds a flavour as well as amplifying the ones present — an improvement in a stew and a distraction in a clear broth.
It will not do for: Clear soups and delicate dishes, where the mushroom aroma is immediately obvious; Anywhere a neutral, invisible savoury lift was the point — which is the main reason people use MSG; Dishes for anyone avoiding mushrooms, an ordinary enough preference that it is worth naming.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Mushrooms
AcceptableDried mushroom, ground to a powder, is the most generally useful whole-food source of free glutamate and the one that fits the widest range of dishes. It brings its own earthy aroma, which MSG does not have, so it adds a flavour as well as amplifying the ones present — an improvement in a stew and a distraction in a clear broth.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | different | different | n/a |
Works for
- Stews, braises, gravies and meat seasoning, where the earthy note belongs
- Vegetarian dishes needing savoury depth
- Dry rubs, where it can go in as a powder
Does not work for
- Clear soups and delicate dishes, where the mushroom aroma is immediately obvious
- Anywhere a neutral, invisible savoury lift was the point — which is the main reason people use MSG
- Dishes for anyone avoiding mushrooms, an ordinary enough preference that it is worth naming
The honest framing is that nothing substitutes for MSG exactly, because its distinguishing property is having no flavour of its own. Every whole-food source of glutamate brings something else with it, and choosing between them is choosing which something else the dish can take.
Nori
SituationalDelivers the same ion from a food rather than a tub. Dried seaweed is unusually rich in free glutamate — it is what Ikeda isolated glutamate from in the first place — so simmering a piece in a stock or crumbling it into a seasoning gives genuine umami. What it also gives, unlike MSG, is a marine aroma and a colour, which is welcome in some dishes and disqualifying in others.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| partial | different | different | n/a |
Works for
- Stocks, broths and braises, where a piece can be simmered and removed
- Dishes already in a Japanese or Korean register
- Seasoning mixes where a marine note is wanted
Does not work for
- Anything where a seaweed aroma would be conspicuous — a bolognese, a chilli, a burger seasoning
- Dry rubs needing a neutral savoury boost
- Quick dishes with no liquid phase and no time to extract
No ratio, because the glutamate content of dried seaweed varies by species and grade and nothing SpiceHQ holds quantifies it. This is a substitution of mechanism rather than of measure.
Where msg stands in for something else
The reverse view of the same graph.
- Instead of Salt — situational