Discover the Power of Umami: The Fifth Taste

Umami, often called the "fifth taste," was identified over a century ago by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda. Translated as "the essence of deliciousness," it adds rich, savory depth to dishes, alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. What makes umami unique is its ability to make food taste fuller and more satisfying, often found in dishes like ramen, grilled meats, and aged cheeses. Foods rich in umami, like mushrooms, tomatoes, seaweed, and Parmesan, naturally elevate the flavor experience by activating your taste buds.

How Can Umami Help Reduce Salt?

Umami naturally enhances the savory notes in food, allowing you to use less salt without sacrificing flavor. It’s an ideal choice for reducing sodium, as chefs and home cooks often rely on umami to create balanced, flavorful dishes. Whether you're making soups, stews, or roasted vegetables, umami makes meals taste better and healthier.

Explore Our Umami-Boosting Seasonings

Our collection of umami-rich seasonings is designed to make it easy to incorporate this savory boost into everyday meals. Here are the top 6 recommendations: 

  • MSG: A pure flavor enhancer used worldwide, MSG brings out the best in your cooking by amplifying umami with just a pinch. It has a 1/3rd of the sodium as salt.
  • Umami Mix: Our all-purpose seasoning blend, packed with umami-rich ingredients with no added MSG. Adds depth to vegetables, meats, and grains. 
  • Mushroom Boost: A blend of seven dried mushrooms provide an intense umami kick that works wonders in sauces, soups, and roasted dishes. Salt-free!
  • Furikake: A bold, spicy blend that adds crunchy texture and savory heat, with layers of umami from fermented miso and seaweed. Perfect for sprinkling over noodles, rice, or veggies.
  • Seaweed Salt: A 1:1 blend of mineral-rich seaweeds and salt, delivering umami while helping you use less sodium.
  • Savory Salt: This balanced blend of salt and umami-packed seasonings delivers a quick, flavorful boost to any dish.

Umami: The Fifth Taste

A pile of Gneiss Spice Chicken Chili Mix (Salt-Free)—a blend of dried brown and green spices and herbs—rests on a white background, perfect for adding organic flavor to your next white bean chili.
Chicken Chili Mix (Salt-Free)
-
From $ 4.50
Full details
Gneiss Spice Chili Crisp Mix is a vibrant blend with dried red peppers, garlic flakes, sesame seeds, and seasonings—ideal for quick chili oil or adding spicy flavor to your dishes.
Chili Crisp Mix
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
Gneiss Spice Organic Dulse Seaweed Flakes from Maine, USA, display dark green, purple, and yellow hues on a white background, delivering a unique umami flavor.
Dulse Flakes — Gulf of Maine Seaweed
-
From $ 8.50
Full details
A mound of Gneiss Spice Dulse Powder - Gulf of Maine Seaweed, finely ground and brownish-purple, spread in a circular shape on a white background.
Dulse Powder - Gulf of Maine Seaweed
-
From $ 10.00
Full details
A heap of Furikake (Spiced) by Gneiss Spice, featuring organic crushed red pepper flakes and sesame seeds, sits against a white background. This vibrant blend resembles traditional furikake with its coarse texture, making it perfect for enhancing flavor.
Furikake (Spiced)
-
From $ 4.80
Full details
Gneiss Spice Kelp Blend Granules—Gulf of Maine Seaweed—features finely crushed oregano leaves with small green and white flecks, subtly elevated by the natural goodness of organic seaweed.
Kelp Blend Granules — Gulf of Maine Seaweed
-
From $ 4.50
Full details
A small pile of Gneiss Spice Kelp Flakes — Wild Atlantic Alaria is scattered on a white background.
Kelp Flakes — Wild Atlantic Alaria
-
From $ 7.00
Full details
A pile of Gneiss Spice Kimchi Sprinkle—reddish-brown with gochugaru and visible green herb pieces—is scattered on a white background.
Kimchi Sprinkle
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
A mound of finely ground brown Miso Powder by Gneiss Spice sits on a white background—ideal for adding rich, umami flavor to dishes and perfect for any zero-waste spice collection.
Miso Powder
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
A round wooden bowl filled to the top with Gneiss Spice Salt — Sea Salt Kosher (Flake), viewed from above against a white background.
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
-
From $ 4.00
Full details
A small mound of Gneiss Spice Mushroom Boost Powder — USA Grown (Salt-Free), finely ground and light brownish-beige, is spread on a white background, ready to support your immune health as part of your daily routine.
Mushroom Boost Powder — USA Grown (Salt-Free)
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
Gneiss Spice Nori Seaweed (Flakes), dried and dark green, is scattered on a white background.
Nori Seaweed (Flakes)
-
From $ 7.50
Full details
A small heap of coarse, dark purple and reddish salt crystals lies on a white background. Blended with Gneiss Spice Nori Seaweed (Powder), it features dried nori flakes for a textured look and an umami-rich flavor.
Nori Seaweed (Powder)
-
From $ 7.50
Full details
A white bowl filled with popcorn topped with Gneiss Spice Popcorn Seasoning — Seaweed Snack, viewed from above on a white background.
Popcorn Seasoning — Seaweed Snack
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
A hexagonal glass jar of Gneiss Spice Porcini Herb Seasoning Salt, viewed from above, reveals a green, yellow, and beige blend—ideal for adding umami flavor—set against a white background.
Porcini Herb Seasoning Salt
-
From $ 6.00
Full details
A pile of light brown, finely ground Gneiss Spice Porcini Powder is spread out on a white background, ready to add rich umami flavor to your favorite dishes.
Porcini Powder
-
From $ 7.50
Full details
A top view of a hexagonal glass jar showcases Salt Spiced — Savory by Gneiss Spice, featuring a seasoned salt blend rich with a variety of spices and herbs. The mix includes dried herbs, seeds, and flakes presented in zero-waste packaging, highlighting earthy tones such as green, brown, and beige.
Savory Seasoning Salt
-
From $ 5.00
Full details
Gneiss Spice’s Seaweed Rice Sprinkle (Salt-Free)—a blend of dried seaweed flakes, black and white sesame seeds—is shown on a white background.
Seaweed Rice Sprinkle (Salt-Free)
-
From $ 6.50
Full details
A hexagonal glass jar of Gneiss Spice Seaweed Salt (Reduced Sodium), featuring coarse dark gray and black flakes with organic seaweed, viewed from above on a white background.
Seaweed Salt (Reduced Sodium)
-
From $ 6.50
Full details
A heap of vibrant orange-brown Shichimi Togarashi spice powder from Gneiss Spice is displayed against a white background. Its coarse and grainy texture is perfect for infusing authentic flavor into Japanese cuisine. Ideal for spice refills, this blend enhances any dish with its rich aroma and taste.
Shichimi Togarashi
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
A fine pile of Gneiss Spice Shiitake (Powder) — USA Grown Organic, light brownish-green in color, spread on a white background and rich in umami flavor.
Shiitake (Powder) — USA Grown Organic
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
A top-down view of a hexagonal glass jar filled with Sun-Dried Tomato Seasoning Salt by Gneiss Spice—an organic blend—set against a white background.
Sun-Dried Tomato Seasoning Salt
-
From $ 5.00
Full details
A small pile of Gneiss Spice Tomato (Powder) — USA Grown, finely ground orange-red seasoning on a white background, perfect for enhancing dishes with an organic touch.
Tomato (Powder) — USA Grown
-
From $ 6.00
Full details
A pile of Gneiss Spice’s Umami Mix (Salt-Free), a light brown, finely textured seasoning, sits on a white background, offering a flavorful salt-free spice blend.
Umami Mix
-
From $ 5.50
Full details
A pile of Gneiss Spice’s Umami Mix (Salt-Free), a light brown, finely textured seasoning, sits on a white background, offering a flavorful salt-free spice blend.
Umami Mix (Salt-Free)
-
From $ 5.50
Full details

FAQ

What is umami?

Umami is the savory "fifth taste," alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It adds rich, mouth-filling depth to food and is what makes things like mushrooms, tomatoes, seaweed, aged cheese, and broth taste so satisfying. The seasonings in this collection are concentrated sources of that savory flavor.

Can umami seasonings help me use less salt?

Yes, that's one of the best reasons to cook with them. Umami deepens the savory side of a dish so it tastes full and satisfying with less salt. Many options here are salt-free (like Mushroom Boost and our salt-free Umami Mix), and even our reduced-sodium Seaweed Salt cuts sodium by blending salt with mineral-rich seaweed.

Is MSG safe? What does it do?

MSG is a pure umami enhancer used in kitchens worldwide, and it's recognized as safe by the FDA. A small pinch amplifies savory flavor, and it actually contains about a third of the sodium of table salt, so it's a useful tool for boosting flavor while cutting back on salt. If you'd rather skip it, our Umami Mix delivers similar depth with no added MSG.

Which umami seasoning should I start with?

Depends on the flavor you're after. For an all-purpose savory boost, the Umami Mix is the easiest entry point. For deep, earthy richness in soups and sauces, reach for Mushroom Boost, porcini, or shiitake powder. For a briny, oceanic note, try the seaweeds (nori, kelp, dulse). Tomato powder adds sweet-savory concentration to almost anything.