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.
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.
How to Make Teriyaki Sauce
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!
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BE SURE TO TRY OUR OTHER PHENOMENAL HOMEMADE SAUCES!
- SWEET & SOUR SAUCE
- YUM YUM SAUCE
- PLUM SAUCE
- HOISIN SAUCE
- BLACK BEAN SAUCE
- KECAP MANIS
- SWEET CHILI SAUCE
- BIG MAC SAUCE
PIN ME!
BEST Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 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.
Notes
Tami Colon-Escobar says
OMG! My family was more than excited about this sauce! My son-in-law told me, after having had 6 helpings over the last two days, “You have got to make this stuff again!” We added a bit more garlic and ginger than it calls for, and substituted sherry, since that is all the store had. We marinated the beef overnight and grilled on skewers the next afternoon. It was SOOO tender! I had made a triple batch and used half of it for the marinade. I added cornstarch, extra water, more sherry and a couple tablespoons of pineapple preserves to the remainder of the sauce and cooked it to thicken it up. Toward the end, I threw in about 1/4 up of finely chopped green onions. We used it for dipping sauce, and my family thinks it is the BEST teriyaki sauce they have ever tasted! They come from a Hawaiian background, so I’m pretty happy about that!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Tami, I’m so glad it’s been a family hit, thank you!
KB says
Lovely sauce. I added a bit more miran for some sweetness. Will now make it more often now that I found your recipe. Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, KB, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Elaine Sutherland says
Hi
I thought great recipe but didn’t have the Mirin or sherry or cornstarch in the cupboard so just used everything else. Garlic and ginger were out a jar but will definitely get fresh the next time. Anyway, it still tastes fabulous.
I will source out the Mirin though for next time.
Thank you for your excellent recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fabulous, Elaine, thanks so much for the feedback!
Kailani says
Thank you for the base teriyaki recipe. We added pineapple juice and a little more of each sweetened ingredient to give it that pop! I literally went to the store to buy teriyaki sauce. One was the pfchang “elite” pineapple teriyaki sauce. And another organic teriyaki marinade that was complete waste of garbage. When I got home,I was so disappointed I found your recipe as the backup, when it should of been my go to in the first place. My kids enjoyed your sauce so much we are having it again for tonight and I’ll be making double the sauce. It’s awesome!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Woohooo!! I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Kailani, thanks so much!
Lindve says
This sauce is very good. I added it to hamburger mince and made burgers…ooh la la!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Ooh la la indeed, Lindve, thanks so much! :)
cindy says
I made this using regular kikkoman soy sauce and I found the sauce very salty. I see that your soy sauce link is for Tamari which is different than regular soy sauce. I had to add a lot more water and cornstarch to decrease the saltiness. Maybe I will try Tamari next time.
Agnes says
I just made this teriyaki sauce tonight and its really amazing! Thank you for this recipe it’s definitely a keeper <3
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Agnes, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Katrina says
Amazing recipe!! Perfect flavour balance and authentic tasting! Thank you so much for this!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Katrina, thank you!
John says
Can you freeze the sauce for use later
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi John, sauces with cornstarch don’t freeze well, the texture tends to turn kind of spongy. Tapioca starch freezes better.
Bekah says
This is a great recipe! I add a half cup of pineapple juice as well because my children prefer that flavor in their teriyaki, but it doesn’t actually need it. Go make it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Bekah, thanks so much for the feedback!
Courtney says
I’ve made this twice now, beautiful both times. Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Courtney, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Jon says
I’ve made this recipe about a dozen times now and it is absolutely fantastic! Have used it on tri-tip, flank steak, New York steaks, chicken breasts, thighs, whole chicken on rotisserie and burgers. Amazing on all of them. Also great drizzled over rice as a side dish. Absolutely no reason to ever buy the stuff at the grocery ever again. Thanks for such a great recipe that lives up to the title as “BEST”!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s so awesome, Jon, thank you so much for the feedback!
Linda says
I made this to use for a chicken teriyaki dish I was making and followed the recipe exactly. OMG, this is truly the best teriyaki sauce I have ever tried. It was so easy to make, there is no reason to ever get store bought again.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Linda, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you! :)
Tamzin Mulder says
I made this last night for my fish , I purposely bought good quality fermented light soya sauce . I used a big spoonful of my neighbourhood honey . I didn’t add the cornstarch just the water as I was basting the fish with the sauce . The fish was lightly coated in cornstarch . The sauce thickened perfectly and tasted perfect .
Thank you xx
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Tamzin, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Geraldine says
I just made this. It is a winner. Thank you so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Geraldine, thank you!