BEST Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
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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! Just read the hundreds of rave reviews below. This recipe has consistently enjoyed top ranking across the web for over 10 years for one reason: it’s simply the BEST!
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.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This recipe calls for 8 ingredients, all of which are pantry staples with maybe the exception of mirin which you can substitute or omit. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tamari: you can substitute low sodium soy sauce but tamari has much more flavor while also have less sodium.
- Brown sugar: adds flavor and sweetness. For sugar free teriyaki sauce you can substitute a brown sugar alternative.
- Fresh ginger: adds flavor and zing
- Fresh garlic: adds flavor and depth
- Honey: adds flavor complexity and sweetness
- Sesame oil: adds depth of flavor
- Mirin: adds flavor complexity and a hint of sweetness. You can substitute sherry and a pinch of sugar or omit it altogether.
- Cornstarch: to thicken the sauce.
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 homemade teriyaki sauce in the dish of your choice (see below for ideas).
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!
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-Fries: 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.
For more homemade Asian sauces try my:
- 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
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BEST Teriyaki Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Small saucepan I use and recommend All-Clad stainless steel cookware!
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
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This is one of the best Teriyaki sauces I have ever tasted!! So so delicious!! And done in 5 minutes!! Absolutely divine!!
I skipped the Mirin as in Indian supermarkets, that is very hard to find. The Teriyaki was delicious without that too!!
I’m making your Shanghai noodles today, and I’m going to use this sauce for stir fried veggies!
I’ve made up my mind to keep coming back to this blog. Absolutely superb recipes, Kimberly!!
Rashmi, I am so thrilled to hear that, thank you! So happy to have you on board!
What would you recommend for adding spice to this sauce?
Hi Ricki-lee, if you’re wanting to add heat I would go with some red chili sauce (ie, Asian red chili sauce or even a few shakes of Tabasco sauce will do the trick).
I am making this today to go with my Asian pork balls along with stir fried Asian veggies cant wait
That sounds wonderful, Annie! Can I come to dinner? :)
Awesome! So happy you like it, Cori! I never buy store bought either. It’s pointless since this is so quick to make and tastes so much better! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Just wondering, is it supposed to be 1/2 c soy sauce? In your reply to the first comment you say 1/4 cup. I went by the recipe and it was really salty as well. when I went back and read the comments I saw the difference in soy sauce amts. I made a second batch using low salt say sauce and combined them until it tasted good. The next time I make it I’ll try 1/4 c regular soy sauce and see what happens. It’s really good!, once I got the salt thing taken care of. :)
Hi Jan, my reply to the first commment is referring to the brown sugar. Yes, it’s 1/2 cup soy sauce. And you’re right, the saltiness varies from brand. Some brands of that advertise “low sodium” are even saltier tasting than other brands of regular soy sauce. The flavor of non-low sodium soy sauce is generally better and what I recommend. I’ve tried several brands and in my opinion Japanese tends to be best (though I’ve tried Korean that’s very good, too) with many Chinese brands being very salty. It’s really a matter of finding a soy sauce that you like that isn’t too overpowering.
Just made this….awesome! So yum I kept licking the spoon lol. Didn’t have any sesame though but non the less it still tasted awesome! :) p.s Laiba – cooking burns off any alcohol :)
Awesome, Julia, thank you! Now, as good as you think it was without the sesame oil, add it next time and you’ll love it even more. Thanks so much for your feedback! Best, Kimberly
is there a non alcoholic substitute for mirin?
Hi Laiba, since mirin is slightly acidic you can use a very mild vinegar instead, such as rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. Use half the amount of vinegar, taste it, and you can add a little more if you like.
Okay, will do that. thank you
Made this for dinner tonight, but I quadrupled it. I’m freezing three 1-cup containers. Hopefully it thaws nicely! I figure if they freeze sauce cubes for those Asian meals-in-a-bag, I can freeze this too and thaw it the day of. I’ll update when we eat the frozen sauce.
I’ve never tried freezing it, Mitzi, and am curious to hear how it turns out!