Making your own Homemade Teriyaki Sauce is not only simple and quick, it will elevate everything from grilled chicken to stir-fried veggies and it’s every bit as delicious as your favorite brand teriyaki sauce.
» You might also like one of our favorite dipping sauces of all time, Yum Yum Sauce.
Why You’ll Love It
- Making your own teriyaki sauce gives you the freedom to tweak the flavors according to your palate.
- It’s quick. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll have a sauce that you can use to glaze chicken wings, baste your grilled chicken with, or pour onto rice.
- Trust me, once you’ve tried this homemade version, those store-bought bottles will never make it into your shopping cart again.
Ingredients You Need
- Low sodium soy sauce – It’s important to use low-sodium or tamari so the level of salt doesn’t get out of control. This sauce is very unbalanced with regular soy sauce.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness and thickens the sauce. You can use light or dark.
- Rice vinegar – The kind you use to season rice for sushi. It’s a little bit sweet and not as sharp as other vinegars.
- Ginger – Use fresh or dried ginger.
- Garlic – Make sure your garlic is fresh for the best flavor.
- Honey – Use a mild honey that won’t overpower the flavors.
- Sesame oil – I use toasted sesame oil.
- Cornstarch & water – This slurry helps to thicken the sauce.
Equipment Needed
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
Notes for Making Teriyaki Sauce
- Don’t use regular soy sauce or the teriyaki sauce will turn out too salty.
- If you like a thinner sauce, don’t add as much of the cornstarch slurry, which will thicken it right up.
- If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with some water.
How to Make Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Step One:
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients except for the water and cornstarch. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. It will take about 2 minutes.
Step Two:
In a separate bowl, mix the water and cornstarch to create a slurry. Once the sauce is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry and stir continuously with a whisk.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool before using.
How to Use Teriyaki Sauce
The versatility of this sauce is its strong suit. It’s not just for marinating meats. You can toss it in a stir fry, drizzle it over grilled vegetables, or even use it as a dipping sauce for sushi or tempura. And let’s not forget, a brush of teriyaki sauce while grilling chicken wings can be a game-changer.
Here are a few ideas of how to use your homemade teriyaki sauce:
- As a marinade: Teriyaki sauce makes a great marinade for chicken, beef, pork, or tofu. Simply marinate your protein of choice for at least an hour (or overnight) before grilling, baking, or stir-frying.
- As a glaze: Brush teriyaki sauce onto grilled or roasted meats, seafood, or vegetables during the last few minutes of cooking to create a delicious, caramelized glaze.
- As a dipping sauce: Serve teriyaki sauce alongside spring rolls, dumplings, or sushi for a tasty dipping sauce.
- As a stir-fry sauce: Use teriyaki sauce as a base for stir-fries. Simply toss your favorite vegetables and protein in a wok or skillet with some teriyaki sauce and serve over rice or noodles.
- As a salad dressing: Mix teriyaki sauce with some oil, vinegar, and honey to create a sweet and savory salad dressing. Drizzle it over a green salad with some grilled chicken or tofu for a delicious and healthy meal.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
Pour any unused teriyaki sauce into an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It should keep well for up to two weeks. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays for more extended use. Just pop a cube or two whenever you need a quick flavor boost.
If you’ve stored the sauce in the fridge, simply pour it into a saucepan and heat it over low heat until it reaches your desired temperature. If you’ve frozen the sauce, you can either let it thaw in the fridge overnight or directly heat the frozen cubes in a saucepan over low heat.
Questions About the Recipe
Can I use fresh ginger instead of ground ginger?
You can use fresh or ground ginger in this recipe. I change it up depending on if I have fresh ginger in the fridge or not. If you’re going to use fresh ginger, use 1 teaspoon of minced ginger.
Is it okay to use regular soy sauce instead of low-sodium?
No, I wouldn’t recommend using regular soy sauce. It will make the sauce quite a bit saltier. It’s best to stick with low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, which has less salt.
Can I make this sauce ahead of time?
Absolutely, this sauce stores well. You can make it a couple of days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The flavors may even meld and improve after a day or two.
There you have it—a straightforward yet versatile homemade teriyaki sauce that you can whip up in no time. Give it a try, and you’ll see how it elevates your culinary endeavors with minimal effort.
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Easy Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (59 ml) low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 ml) rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground ginger or 1 tsp fresh ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 ml) honey
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 ml) water
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients, except the cornstarch and water, in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil, about 2 minutes.
- Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl.
- Once the mixture is boiling, add the cornstarch slurry and whisk constantly as the sauce thickens.
- Once thick, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Notes
- This recipe makes 1/3 cup of sauce.
- Don’t use regular soy sauce or the teriyaki sauce will turn out too salty.
- If you like a thinner sauce, don’t add as much of the cornstarch slurry, which will thicken it right up.
- If the sauce gets too thick, you can thin it out with some water.
Nutrition
Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes and currently has a cookbook in development.