For an absolutely phenomenal homemade Teriyaki Sauce recipe, look no further! Ready in 10 minutes, no junk ingredients, and crazy delicious, you’ll never use store-bought again! It’s simply the BEST!
For more favorite delicious Japanese sauces be sure to also try our Yum Yum Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, and Eel Sauce!
It happened one too many times. I needed teriyaki sauce for a recipe and thought I had some on hand only to find – after all the other ingredients had already been prepped – that there wasn’t any. No doubt you can relate to this scenario, whether it’s teriyaki sauce or some other condiment like tahini paste, black bean sauce, or hoisin sauce. So I whipped up my own homemade teriyaki sauce…and have never touched store-bought since!
And trust me, after making this teriyaki sauce recipe, you won’t either.
What is Teriyaki Sauce?
This thick and sticky Japanese sauce is popular all around the world with its dark, bold, savory-salty-sweet flavor with lots of umami undertones. Its primary ingredients include soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey and mirin. The word teriyaki refers to both a Japanese cooking technique as well as to the sauce. It was developed in the 17th century and has become synonymous with Japanese cuisine, being served all over the world. The term teri in teriyaki refers to the aesthetic shine on the food created by the sugar content in the sauce, while yaki refers to the method of grilling. With its shiny luster and robust flavor, teriyaki sauce is a natural pairing for grilled foods.
How To Use Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce is a versatile and flavorful Japanese sauce that can be used in various ways to add a sweet and savory taste to your dishes. Here are some common ways to use teriyaki sauce:
- Marinating Meat, Poultry, Seafood or Tofu: To use this sauce as a marinade simply omit the cornstarch. Place the protein in a ziplock bag, pour in the sauce, and allow it marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- Grilling: Brush this sauce onto your proteins or veggies to create a delicious caramelized glaze.
- Stir-Fies: This makes an excellent base sauce for stir-fries of all kinds.
- Chicken Teriyaki, Teriyaki Salmon, Teriyaki Tofu, and Teriyaki Pork: Slather this on and bake to create a delicious sticky glaze.
- Dipping Sauce: This makes a great dipping sauce for sushi, spring rolls, dumplings, tempura, or other appetizers.
- Bowl or Rice Topping: Drizzle it over your rice bowls with your grilled teriyaki chicken, pork, beef, salmon or tofu and some steamed or stir-fried veggies.
- Glaze for Roasted Vegetables: Brush some of this sauce onto roasted vegetables for a sweet and savory glaze.
- Sandwiches, Wraps or Burgers: This adds a burst of flavor to your favorite sandwiches and burgers.
- Noodles: Add a drizzle of teriyaki sauce to noodle dishes, such as udon or soba, and toss to coat.
- Salad Dressing: Combine the teriyaki sauce with some oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and a little sesame oil for a unique and flavorful salad dressing.
Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
This is a super quick and easy sauce to make, all you have to do is:
- Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, honey, sesame oil, mirin and water mixed with cornstarch together in a bowl
- Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and simmer for about 4 minutes until thickened.
- Your sauce is ready!
You can use it right away or store it in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks. And the flavors will get even better over time. Enjoy this fantastic best homemade teriyaki sauce in the dish of your choice!
Ready in less than 10 minutes, thoroughly delicious and free of fillers or junk ingredients, there simply is no good reason to EVER use store-bought again!
Enjoy!
Be sure to try these other fabulous homemade sauces!
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Yum Yum Sauce
- Plum Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce
- Eel Sauce
- Black Bean Sauce
- Kecap Manis
- Sweet Chili Sauce
- Char Siu Sauce
- Ponzu Sauce
- Ginger Sauce
- Big Mac Sauce
BEST Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tamari , can substitute low sodium soy sauce. Note: tamari has more flavor than soy sauce and significantly less sodium.
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- see brown sugar alternative (for low sugar option)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger ,minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic ,minced
- 1 tablespoon honey (Vegans: use agave nectar or sweetener of choice)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons mirin (see note)
- 1/4 cup water mixed with 3 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Store in the fridge for up to a week. Makes about 1 1/4 cups teriyaki sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet May 27, 2013
Stephanie says
I made enough of this for one dish and it was really delicious. I would like to make extra and store it; however, I would not be using it within a week. Would it taste terribly different if I were to make extra and freeze it for a few weeks?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Stephanie! Yes, it can be frozen but freezing causes the cornstarch to break down. You will likely need to reheat and re-thicken it once it’s thawed.
Kathleen Ezeh says
FANTASTICO! Had to sub a couple of items because of what I already had on hand (Ponzu for the Soy and Apple Cider Vinegar for the Mirin). Added some Tamicon and a dash of Sriracha. Lip smackin’ good! Thanks for sharing.
Megan says
Very salty, I may have used the wrong type of soy sauce.
Annie Hoffman says
Great recipe! I am not a big salt eater so use low sodium soy sauce. And I have used both mirin and rice wine vinegar. Can’t say I can tell the difference. Best teriyaki recipe I have used.
Kay says
I’ve made this many times and it’s awesome!!
Mafeesh Moushkella says
Superb
Thank you for sharing.
Iris says
I didn’t have Mirin, but it was still Deeeelicious
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Iris!
Saren T says
This is the perfect recipes that can use for my kitchen ,Quick and easy to make it
TPerry says
This recipe was super easy and I was able to substitute a few ingredients and it was still excellent!
celia castillo says
The best teriyaki sauce recipe I made so far. Thank you for sharing the lovely recipe.
My kids love it in salmon with pakchoi xxx
A definite keeper 😃😃😃
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Celia!
Leslie says
I made this exactly as the recipe calls for. If you can – use mirin – it makes a difference. Very easy and flavorful teriyaki sauce. I use it in a salmon rice bowl with broccoli.
Lyuba says
Delicious, but I’d mention in the recipe that you need a Japanese brand of soy sauce. I used a Korean-style sauce, and the result was unbearably salty. Korean soy sauce tends to be much saltier and more pungent than Japanese, but since it’s the default kind where I live, I failed to take it into account – otherwise I’d have diluted it or bought some Kikkoman.
I had to double the amount of everything else, and it still was on a salty side. My family loved it though =) Thanks for the recipe!
Katherine says
This is by far the BEST Terriaki Sauce I have ever made at home. I always bought a sauce at the grocery store until I learned I needed to become Gluten-Free. I could never figure out if the store-bought sauces had gluten, and if I did, they always had it, and I had waisted 20 minutes. I have made this sauce probably 20 times by now (I always make two batched on without corn starch for a marinade to soak the tofu in and one for the final recipe), and every time it is amazing. Friends and family always ask for the recipe and say that they have never had a teriyaki sauce so good. The only thing I remove is the garlic (because most of our family is allergic) and the mirin (Because I always forget to buy it at the grocery store. If you don’t know whether or not to make this try, you and your family will fall in love.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Katherine, thank you so much! <3
Miranda Moore says
Can you say umami?? Delicious recipe!! Made it last night with some baked salmon and steamed rice. We’ll definitely be making this again and again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So awesome, Miranda, thank you!
Caroline says
Made this last night. Very good recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Caroline!
Anonymous says
I love this recipe. Tasty and so easy!
Ruth says
Love this recipe. Can’t get enough of it on chicken or in a stir fry.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Ruth!