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!
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!
Trust me, after making this teriyaki sauce recipe, you won’t either.
This 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
Quick and easy to make, this sauce is as versatile as it is delicious. Use it as a sauce or as a marinade (simply omit the cornstarch). You can use it for beef, chicken, fish and seafood, as a glaze, for barbecuing, in Asian salad dressings, in noodle dishes, stir-fries and more.
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: Simply omit the cornstarch and use this sauce as a marinade. 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.
- Baked Chicken, Pork, Salmon or Tofu: 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.
Can I Use It As a Marinade?
Absolutely. Simply omit the cornstarch, let the sauce cool completely, and you’ve got the perfect teriyaki marinade!
Wonderfully versatile, this is a sauce you can whip up quickly in a pinch to boost the flavor of your Asian-inspired dishes.
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
Laura says
You just saved my dinner! This is so yummy. I have a feeling it will become a regular addition to my cooking. Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
So awesome, Laura, thank you!
Doug Wilton says
This is the best teriyaki sauce I’ve tried, will be making this again.
Sharon McRoy says
This recipe is very similar to the recipe from Better Home and Gardens, which I have used for years. Here are some of my suggestions to previous comments: use low-sodium soy sauce or Tamari Sauce; substitute 2 TBS molasses for brown sugar; substitute peach Brandy for the wine; marinade the meat first, then cook the marinade, as directed, and thicken with the water and cornstarch, if desired. Have fun with this recipe – little tweaks can reap surprisingly amazing results!
Marlene says
Just made this and must say, it’s absolutely delicious and sooooooo easy! Definitely a keeper.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Marlene, thank you!
Carissa says
I love, love, love your sauce recipes! I’ve made several already and this one’s another winner, SO good!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Carissa, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying all of them!
Jeremy says
Just found your recipe. Dead simple to make. Didn’t have any sesame oil so added a small finely chopped red chilli instead with the garlic & ginger to give it a slight kick. I don’t find that sesame & chilli go together so it’s either or. This is a very simple but very tasty recipe. Rubbed the sauce over chicken wings before roasting them, gave a lovely glaze. They didn’t last long.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Jeremy, thanks for the feedback!
Gerri says
Can you use flour instead of corn starch. out of cornstarch.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Gerri, cornstarch is translucent whereas flour will make the sauce appear milky in color. Flour will also likely alter the flavor. You can certainly try it though.
Flynn says
I came across this when searching for a high rated recipe for homemade Teriyaki sauce/marinade for when I make beef jerky. I’m super excited to make this as it looks delicious.
One question, though… Since there’s already sesame oil in it, would it alter the flavor too much by adding sesame seeds?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Flynn, adding some seeds won’t hurt at all. Happy jerky-making!
Nureyath says
can mirin be replace with anything else..?
Phoenyx Wolfe says
Since my lovely wife and I don’t consume any alcohol whatsoever, I substituted a little apple cider vinegar and sugar in place of the mirin. This was a very tasty sauce.. but I was wondering if you had other ideas for a substitute?
We are: vegan, HFCS free, and alcohol free.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Phoenyx, what you did is what most people recommend for a substitute. It won’t make a huge difference, but for a more similar taste to mirin I would use rice wine vinegar. Two other alternatives would be regular white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar.
Allegra says
Maybe it’s here in the 3+ years of comments, but I’m wondering if this will keep (and how long) or is this a Make&Use recipe? Also, how much do you think I can cut back on the various forms of “sugar”?
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Allegra, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week, probably a little longer. How much you can cut back on the sugar will just depend on your personal taste. You can start with less, taste it, and decide if you want to add more. There is also a brown sugar alternative you can try: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ARKFXVS?ie=UTF8&tag=thedargou09-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B01ARKFXVS&th=1
Candace Nielson says
NEVER BUYING TERIYAKI SAUCE AGAIN! This stuff is amazing. I’ve been making a double batch of it every couple of weeks for the past two months to always have on hand. This recipe’s a keeper!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, thank you, Candace!
Carol Hartigan says
Could I use minced ginger in the jar (refrigerated) when I am out of fresh? Many thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Carol, yes, that’s perfectly fine.
Anonymous says
Could I use minced ginger in the jar (refrigerated) when I am out of fresh? Many thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, that’s perfectly fine.
Brandon says
How long will this keep in fridge? I’ll be making this sauce for chicken teriyaki rolls tomorrow.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brandon, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week.